Deck 1: The Nature of Ecology

Question 1

Experiments done at Cedar Creek Long Term Ecological Research site are ideal for examining concepts at what level?

A)ecosystem
B)population
C)community
D)individual

Answer 1

A

Question 2

All populations of different species living and interacting within an ecosystem are referred to collectively as a(n)

A)community.
B)biome.
C)population.
D)ecosystem.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A(n)________ is an abstract,simplified representation of a real system,allowing us to predict some behavior or response using a set of explicit assumptions.

Answer 3

model

Question 4

________ is activism with a stated aim of protecting the natural environment,particularly from the negative impacts of human activities.

Question 5

Which of the following is considered an abiotic component of the ecosystem?

A)temperature
B)microbes
C)plants
D)animals

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a biome?

A)community
B)landscape
C)tropical rainforest
D)ecosystem

Question 7

A group of individuals of the same species that occupies a given area is referred to as a(n)________.

Question 8

The living,or ________,and nonliving,or ________,components of the environment interact within an ecosystem.

Question 9

All populations of different species living and interacting within an ecosystem are referred to collectively as a(n)________.

Question 10

________ is the scientific study of the relationship between organisms and their environment.

Question 11

The term "ecology" is defined as the study of the

A)environment.
B)relationships between organisms.
C)relationships between organisms and their environment.
D)impact of humans on the environment.

Question 12

The interaction of a biotic community and its abiotic environment is referred to as a(n)

A)biosphere.
B)ecosystem.
C)population.
D)biome.

Question 13

In a field experiment,an ecologist measures the effects of nitrogen on productivity,plotting data for nitrogen on the x-axis and productivity on the y-axis.In this experiment,the dependent variable is ________.

Question 14

Which of the following is a cornerstone of the science of ecology?

A)Environmentalism
B)Darwin's theory of natural selection
C)Economics
D)Populations

Question 15

At the ________ level,an ecologist might focus on the factors that affect the relative abundance of various populations in the area.

Question 16

The ________ forms the basic unit in ecology.

Question 17

A biome is

A)the thin layer surrounding the Earth that supports all life.
B)all the populations of different species living and interacting within an ecosystem.
C)a broad-scale region dominated by similar types of ecosystems.
D)an area of land or water composed of a patchwork of communities and ecosystems.

Question 18

Moisture and concentration of oxygen

A)are parts of an organism's environment.
B)have no effect on the physiology of an organism.
C)are biological conditions that impact an organism's survival.
D)do not vary in the environment.

Question 19

All science begins with ________,which is the first step in the process known as the scientific method.

Question 20

A predator consuming prey would occur at the organizational level of the

A)community.
B)biome.
C)population.
D)ecosystem.

Question 21

In Figure 1.8,Available N is the

A)dependent variable.
B)model.
C)independent variable.
D)response variable.

Question 22

Science can best be described as

A)a search for the ultimate truth.
B)a search for evidence that proves our concepts wrong.
C)proving facts.
D)a complete lack of dissent amongst ideas to obtain the truth.

Question 23

An ecologist conducts a greenhouse experiment to study the effect of nitrogen concentration on the productivity of sunflower seedlings.What is the independent variable in this experiment?

A)productivity of sunflowers
B)concentration of nitrogen
C)the number of sunflower seeds planted
D)the daily amount of water given to each sunflower seed

Question 24

An integrated set of hypotheses that together explain a broader set of observations is considered a(n)

A)experiment.
B)educated guess.
C)fact.
D)theory.

Question 25

A model is used by ecologists to

A)prove how nature works by demonstrating cause-and-effect relationships.
B)analyze data that have been collected during an experiment.
C)make predictions about how nature works using a set of explicit assumptions.
D)observe how nature works in an experimental setting.

Question 26

Figure 1.5 represents which type of plot?

A)Random
B)Scatter
C)Linear
D)Factorial

Question 27

Which model would you use to examine the relationship between nitrogen concentration and plant growth?

A)linear regression
B)species area curve
C)intermediate disturbance
D)Hamilton's rule

Question 28

A hypothesis refers to a(n)

A)phenomenon that is observed but is not yet understood.
B)testable explanation for an observed phenomenon.
C)untestable explanation for an observed phenomenon.
D)falsified explanation for an observed phenomenon.

Question 29

Why is ecology considered an interdisciplinary science?

A)It involves a large expanse of various species.
B)It involves and draws from various fields of science such as geology,hydrology,and meteorology.
C)It encompasses the field of environmental science.
D)It includes the study of human population growth.

Question 30

Which of the following represents the correct organization of ecological systems from the lowest to the highest level of organization?

A)individual,biome,biosphere,community,population,ecosystem
B)individual,community,population,ecosystem,biosphere,biome
C)individual,population,community,ecosystem,biome,biosphere
D)individual,population,community,biome,biosphere,ecosystem

Question 31

Broad scale regions dominated by similar types of ecosystems are called

A)communities.
B)biospheres.
C)biomes.
D)landscapes.

Question 32

Because ecology relies on many different branches of science (e.g.,geology),it is considered

A)hypothetical.
B)unscientific.
C)permanent.
D)interdisciplinary.

Question 33

The correct sequence of the scientific method is

A)ask a question,observation,form a hypothesis,test a hypothesis,form a theory.
B)form a hypothesis,ask a question,observation,test a hypothesis,form a theory.
C)form a theory,ask a question,form a hypothesis,observation,test a hypothesis.
D)observation,ask a question,form a hypothesis,test a hypothesis,form a theory.

Question 34

An ecologist who focuses on the individual could study all of the following,except

A)morphology.
B)physiology.
C)behavior.
D)death rate.

Question 35

Which of the following questions is most appropriate to an investigation at the population level?

A)What is the effect of diminished resources on an individual's life span?
B)What is the relationship between resource availability and birthrate?
C)What factors influence the distribution of tropical forests?
D)How long does it take for carbon to be cycled from the atmosphere into living tissue?

Question 36

The real goal of hypothesis testing is to

A)eliminate incorrect ideas.
B)form a theory.
C)fully explain observations.
D)understand why science never changes.

Question 37

Consider the question: "Why do tropical rain forests support a greater diversity of species than temperate forests?" At which level of organization would this be addressed?

A)individual
B)population
C)landscape
D)global

Question 38

Which of the following best represents the flow of the scientific method?

A)question,hypothesis,hypothesis testing,observation,predictions
B)predictions,question,observation,hypothesis,hypothesis testing
C)observation,hypothesis,hypothesis testing,question,predictions
D)observation,question,hypothesis,predictions,hypothesis testing

Question 39

Which of the following questions is most appropriate to an investigation at the landscape level?

A)What is the effect of diminished resources on an individual's life span?
B)What is the relationship between resource availability and birthrate?
C)Which factors give rise to the spatial extent and arrangement of the various ecosystems?
D)How long does it take for carbon to be cycled from the atmosphere into living tissue?

Question 40

A scientist wants to manipulate glucose levels in amphibians to determine freeze tolerance at -5 Celsius.Which arena would suit this question best?

A)Laboratory experiment
B)Field experiment
C)Field surveys
D)Observation in the wild

Question 41

Ecological models can be mathematical or they can be verbally descriptive.

Question 42

The basic unit of ecology is the individual because it

A)is the basis for ecosystems.
B)is the unit on which natural selection acts.
C)cannot be further reduced to smaller parts.
D)passes genetic information to successive individuals.

Question 43

There is generally only one valid explanation for an observation.

Question 44

Ecology is the same as environmentalism.

Question 45

Science is a process of testing and correcting concepts in order to explain the world around us.

Question 46

An ecologist measured the length and weight of different individuals of a species of bird.The most common method of graphically displaying the data is a

A)frequency distribution.
B)histogram.
C)pie chart.
D)scatter plot.

Question 47

The basic unit in ecology is the

A)ecosystem.
B)gene.
C)individual.
D)species.

Question 48

If x and y have a positive relationship as shown by a scatter plot,then the value of y will

A)increase as the value of x decreases.
B)increase as the value of x increases.
C)decrease as the value of x increases.
D)stay the same as the value of x decreases.

Question 49

The number of seeds produced by a single flower affects the birthrate of that population of flowers.

Question 50

Which economist influenced Darwin's conception of natural selection?

A)Charles Elton
B)Gregor Mendel
C)Thomas Malthus
D)Frederic Clements

Question 51

A population refers to all the individuals of the same species that occupy a given area.

Question 52

A valid scientific hypothesis must be testable.

Question 53

A theory is an integrated set of hypotheses that explains a broad set of observations.

Question 54

A community includes both living and nonliving components.

Question 55

A field experiment gives the investigator much more control over the environmental conditions than does a laboratory experiment.

Question 56

Microbes are considered an abiotic factor within an ecosystem.

Question 57

A freshwater pond ecosystem includes only the living organisms within the pond.