Deck 30: Population Interactions and Community Ecology

Question 1

How is the grasshopper mouse able to consume the Eleodes longicollis beetle?

A)It has cryptic coloration, so it is not noticed by the beetle.
B)It is immune to the beetle's toxins.
C)It avoids the beetle's undesirable secretions by burying the beetle's abdomen.
D)It poisons the beetle first.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The Monarch butterfly has an undesirable taste, and the Viceroy butterfly has a selective advantage because it looks like the Monarch. What process is this situation an example of?

A)cryptic coloration
B)Batesian mimicry
C)aposematic coloration
D)competitive exclusion principle

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Suppose there are two forests. In the first forest, 39 of the 50 trees represent the dominant species. In the second forest, there are 2 of each of the 10 different species. What conclusion can be drawn regarding these two forests?

A)The second forest must have had some human interference.
B)The second forest is more diverse than the second.
C)The first forest must have had some human interference.
D)The amount of animal species in each forest would be the same.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which type of interaction is advantageous for one species, but has no effect on the other?

A)predation
B)parasitism
C)mutualism
D)commensalism

Question 5

How do pancake tortoises protect themselves from predators?

A)They puff themselves up.
B)They emit an undesirable scent.
C)Their coloration serves as a disguise.
D)They retreat into their shell.

Question 6

Which of the following defines interference competition?

A)two or more populations using different limiting resources
B)individuals of one species harming individuals of another species directly
C)two or more populations using the same limiting resource
D)individuals of one species harming individuals of another species indirectly

Question 7

Which sentence best summarizes the relationship between species richness and recovery from natural disturbances?

A)Communities with more diversity recover more rapidly from natural disturbances.
B)Communities with more diversity recover less rapidly from natural disturbances.
C)Communities with more diversity do not recover from natural disturbances.
D)Communities with less diversity recover more rapidly from natural disturbances.

Question 8

What is an ecotone?

A)the combination of species in an environment that is constant
B)a zone between two communities
C)an example of an individualistic hypothesis
D)a parasite that is external to the body

Question 9

What conclusion can be drawn from Gause's experiments on interspecific competition in Paramecium?

A)When two populations of Paramecium use the same limiting resource, they cannot coexist long term.
B)One population of Paramecium used the other as a food source.
C)When two populations of Paramecium use the same limiting resource, they can coexist long term.
D)Both populations of Paramecium expire due to a buildup of waste products.

Question 10

Which of the following refers to a panda bear that consumes a diet primarily of eucalyptus leaves?

A)It is a specialist and a herbivore.
B)It is a specialist and a carnivore.
C)It is a herbivore and a generalist.
D)It is a carnivore and a generalist.

Question 11

Which of the following population interactions is advantageous to both populations?

A)mutualism
B)commensalism
C)predation
D)competition

Question 12

Which factor is involved in the optimal foraging theory?

A)availability of predators
B)climate
C)energy that the food provides
D)environment

Question 13

Which adaptation allows a rattlesnake to more effectively locate prey?

A)an acute sense of smell
B)an acute sense of hearing
C)an acute sense of vision
D)heat sensors

Question 14

Which pair of organisms is a good example of commensalism?

A)bacteria and legumes
B)cattle egrets and cattle
C)plants and pollinators
D)tapeworms and pigs

Question 15

Which trophic level would be best represented by a rabbit?

A)secondary consumer
B)decomposer
C)detritivore
D)primary consumer

Question 16

In the experiment involving bluegill sunfish and their choice of diet, what did the sunfish prefer when equal numbers of small, medium, and large Daphnia were present?

A)medium Daphnia
B)any size of Daphnia
C)small Daphnia
D)large Daphnia

Question 17

Most bats emit high-frequency and high-intensity sounds, and by their returning echoes, create an image about their surroundings. Under selective pressure from this prey-location system, certain moths (which are bats' prey) have evolved simple ears that are particularly sensitive to frequencies used by bats. When they hear the bats, they drop to the ground. The bats, in turn, have switched their sound frequency away from the moth's sensitivity range. What do we call this type of adaptation in both bats and moths?

A)trophic interaction
B)coevolution
C)neutral interaction
D)evolution

Question 18

What conclusion can be drawn regarding a community in which many species are involved in a food web?

A)It is more stable because organisms have more than a single food source.
B)It is more fragile because organisms have only a single food source.
C)It is more fragile because organisms have more than a single food source.
D)It is more stable because organisms have only a single food source.

Question 19

What conclusions can be drawn from Jane Lubchenco's study involving periwinkle snails and their algal food sources?

A)Periwinkles eliminated all algae and died out.
B)Periwinkles eliminated all the less-dominant algae species.
C)Periwinkles eliminated the dominant algae entirely.
D)Periwinkles made one type of algae less dominant, which allowed other algae populations to continue.

Question 20

Which of the following is classified as an endoparasite?

A)a tapeworm
B)a leech
C)a mosquito
D)an aphid

Question 21

Caterpillars of monarch butterflies are immune to the cardiac glycosides in the dandelion leaves they eat.

Question 22

Elephants and some other large carnivores are species with few predators.

Question 23

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis says that species richness is least in a community that has moderate disturbances.

Question 24

Why are zebras striped?

Question 25

Explain how it is possible that a porcupine can kill a leopard.

Question 26

In the 1960s, it was felt that the major factor influencing community structure was competition.

Question 27

A tropical rain forest would most likely include vegetation that includes a canopy.

Question 28

In interference competition, two or more populations use the same limiting resource.

Question 29

Most gradient analyses point toward the individualistic view of communities.

Question 30

Endoparasites, such as tapeworms, live on their host.

Question 31

Sympatric species live in different places.

Question 32

Why does a rattlesnake open its mouth before it even strikes?

Question 33

Allopatric species live in the same places.

Question 34

Which factor has the most effect on species' richness on an island?

A)mainland size
B)the type of species on the mainland
C)distance from the mainland
D)the type of species on the island

Question 35

Which hypothesis states that new species are prevented from entering a community by the existing species?

A)the facilitation hypothesis
B)the inhibition hypothesis
C)the tolerance hypothesis
D)the equilibrium theory of island biogeography

Question 36

Mutualism is common between flowering plants and animal pollinators.

Question 37

Define the competitive exclusion principle.

Question 38

The relationship between the bull's horn acacia tree and a species of small ants is a highly coevolved predation.

Question 39

Mutualistic relationships between animal species are common.

Question 40

Realized niches are larger than fundamental niches.

Question 41

What is the difference between a decomposer and a detritivore?

Question 42

Match each lettered cell in the table with the description that belongs in that cell.
one population benefits while the other is unaffected

Question 43

Match each description to the appropriate term.
a.aposematic coloration
b.commensalism
c.ecological niche
d.exploitative competition
e.interference competition
f.mimicry
g.mutualism
h.parasitism
i.resource partitioning
two or more species use the same limiting resource

Question 44

What is the definition of the intermediate disturbance hypothesis?

Question 45

Compare fundamental and realized niche.

Question 46

Match each description to the appropriate term.
a.aposematic coloration
b.commensalism
c.ecological niche
d.exploitative competition
e.interference competition
f.mimicry
g.mutualism
h.parasitism
i.resource partitioning
one organism feeds off of another organism, causing harm

Question 47

Match each description to the appropriate term.
a.aposematic coloration
b.commensalism
c.ecological niche
d.exploitative competition
e.interference competition
f.mimicry
g.mutualism
h.parasitism
i.resource partitioning
defined by the resources used by a species and the conditions it requires

Question 48

Explain when and why resource partitioning occurs.

Question 49

Match each description to the appropriate term.
a.aposematic coloration
b.commensalism
c.ecological niche
d.exploitative competition
e.interference competition
f.mimicry
g.mutualism
h.parasitism
i.resource partitioning
one species derives benefits and the other is unaffected

Question 50

Explain the concept of ecological niche.

Question 51

Match each description to the appropriate term.
a.aposematic coloration
b.commensalism
c.ecological niche
d.exploitative competition
e.interference competition
f.mimicry
g.mutualism
h.parasitism
i.resource partitioning
situation where both species benefit

Question 52

What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

Question 53

Match each description to the appropriate term.
a.aposematic coloration
b.commensalism
c.ecological niche
d.exploitative competition
e.interference competition
f.mimicry
g.mutualism
h.parasitism
i.resource partitioning
species closely resembling another species

Question 54

Match each description to the appropriate term.
a.aposematic coloration
b.commensalism
c.ecological niche
d.exploitative competition
e.interference competition
f.mimicry
g.mutualism
h.parasitism
i.resource partitioning
the use of resources in different ways

Question 55

Match each description to the appropriate term.
a.aposematic coloration
b.commensalism
c.ecological niche
d.exploitative competition
e.interference competition
f.mimicry
g.mutualism
h.parasitism
i.resource partitioning
one species harms organisms of another species

Question 56

What is the best way to investigate the effects of factors that influence populations?

Question 57

All land-dwelling animals utilize oxygen for respiration, but does that make oxygen a limiting factor?

Question 58

Match each description to the appropriate term.
a.aposematic coloration
b.commensalism
c.ecological niche
d.exploitative competition
e.interference competition
f.mimicry
g.mutualism
h.parasitism
i.resource partitioning
the sporting of a brightly contrasting, dangerous-looking pattern

Question 59

When populations of antelope and cheetah coexist, what changes in the populations are likely to occur due to natural selection?

Question 60

Discuss one hypothesis that attempts to explain the high species richness in the tropics.

Question 61

Match each lettered cell in the table with the description that belongs in that cell.
one population obtains energy from animals; animals are killed

Question 62

Match each lettered cell in the table with the description that belongs in that cell.
both populations may be at a disadvantage

Question 63

Use the terms in the list to identify each lettered portion of the food web.
primary producers

Question 64

Use the terms in the list to identify each lettered portion of the food web.
quaternary consumers

Question 65

Use the terms in the list to identify each lettered portion of the food web.
primary consumers

Question 66

Match each lettered cell in the table with the description that belongs in that cell.
one population obtains energy; the other is damaged (usually not killed)

Question 67

Use the terms in the list to identify each lettered portion of the food web.
secondary consumers

Question 68

Match each lettered cell in the table with the description that belongs in that cell.
one population obtains energy from plants; plants are destroyed

Question 69

Use the terms in the list to identify each lettered portion of the food web.
top carnivore

Question 70

Match each lettered cell in the table with the description that belongs in that cell.
both populations benefit

Question 71

Use the terms in the list to identify each lettered portion of the food web.
tertiary consumers