Deck 14: Predation and Herbivory

Question 1

In Lotka-Volterra models of predator-prey interactions, the growth rate of the predator population is represented by

A) NP − acmP.
B) acN − m.
C) acNP − mP.
D) cNP − amP.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In Lotka-Volterra models of predator-prey interactions, the growth rate of the prey population is represented by

A) cNP − rN.
B) r − cP.
C) crN − NP.
D) rN − cNP.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Reductions in bay scallops in the Atlantic Ocean were caused by

A) an increase in the top predator shark population.
B) an increase in the mesopredator cownose ray population.
C) a decrease in the mesopredator cownose ray population.
D) a decrease in the food supply of bay scallops.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

How does the removal of top predators affect mesopredator populations?

A) The mesopredator population declines because there is no control on population size.
B) The geographic range and abundance of mesopredators decline.
C) Mesopredator populations remain unchanged.
D) The geographic range and abundance of mesopredators increase.

Question 5

Predators that live in the Canadian tundra and feed on larger herbivores tend to have _____ population cycles, and predators that feed on smaller herbivores tend to have _____ population cycles.

A) short; long
B) long; short
C) short; short
D) long; long

Question 6

The graphs show the result of experiments involving the crop pest the California red scale insect Aonidiella aurantii and the parasitoid wasp Aphytis melinus. What did the results show about the populations of wasps and scale insects on control and outbreak trees? Is the parasitoid wasp a good biocontrol candidate for reducing scale insects?

Question 7

Which would be considered a mesopredator?

A) wolves
B) mountain lions
C) coyotes
D) bears

Question 8

What is the driving force in the 10-year cycle of lynx and hare abundance?

A) competition
B) low resources
C) climate change
D) predation

Question 9

The introduction of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) to Guam decimated the native fauna because

A) the brown tree snake was a superior predator.
B) animals on Guam had no defences against snakes.
C) the brown tree snake carried a virulent pathogen.
D) animals on Guam were very susceptible to a parasite carried by the brown tree snake.

Question 10

In Lotka-Volterra models of predator-prey interactions, c represents

A) the probability of an encounter leading to prey's capture.
B) the efficiency of converting consumed prey into predator offspring.
C) the per capita mortality rate of predators.
D) the intrinsic growth rate.

Question 11

A species has been transplanted to a region of the world where historically it did not exist. It spreads rapidly and harms native species. This is known as

A) an introduced species.
B) an exotic species.
C) an invasive species.
D) a nonnative species.

Question 12

Lotka-Volterra models of predator-prey interactions show that

A) predator populations lag behind prey populations.
B) prey populations lag behind predatory populations.
C) predator and prey populations cycle together.
D) predator-prey cycles are inherently unstable.

Question 13

Top predators are predators that eat

A) plants and herbivores.
B) herbivores and top predators.
C) mesopredators and plants.
D) herbivores and mesopredators.

Question 14

In rocky shore communities in which sea urchins lived among populations of brown algae and other species of algae, sea urchins were experimentally removed. What happed in response to sea urchin removal?

Question 15

In the study of brown anole lizards (Anolis sagrei) and orb-weaving spiders (Metepeira datona) on islands in the Bahamas, researchers concluded that

A) spiders reduced lizard populations.
B) lizards reduced spider populations.
C) reintroduction of spiders caused increases in their population.
D) lizards did not affect spider populations.

Question 16

The biocontrol species cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) has not been able to eradicate the invasive prickly pear cactus from Australia because

A) cactus moths prefer to consume other cactus species rather than prickly pear.
B) prickly pear cactus is able to disperse to moth-free areas.
C) cactus moth populations are declining because of parasitic infection.
D) prickly pear cactus has evolved defences against the cactus moth.

Question 17

Australian authorities removed dingoes and feral dogs because they killed sheep. As a result

A) sheep populations increased.
B) populations of the mesopredator, the red fox, decreased.
C) populations of the mesopredator, the red fox, increased.
D) rabbit populations increased dramatically.

Question 18

How was the invasive plant the Saint-John's-wort controlled in California?

A) A leaf-feeding beetle was introduced to control the weed.
B) The weed was killed off with herbicide.
C) The weed was killed off by a plant pathogen.
D) More cows were released to eat the weed.

Question 19

Experiments with fences that exclude deer and other plant herbivores from grazing showed greater plant biomass in fenced areas than in unfenced control areas. The few plant species that remain in unfenced areas are those that

A) are tolerant to herbivory.
B) herbivores prefer not to eat.
C) herbivores cannot locate.
D) have high growth rates to compensate for herbivory.

Question 20

Huffaker's laboratory experiment of predator and prey species of mites demonstrated that predator and prey cycles

A) stabilize with increased food sources.
B) stabilize when males are added.
C) stabilize when prey have refuges.
D) are always unstable.

Question 21

In Lotka-Volterra models, a population is stable when its rate of change is

A) greater than zero.
B) less than zero.
C) equal to zero.
D) None of the above.

Question 22

Wolves hunt in packs that chase down their prey. This is an example of

A) sit-and-wait hunting.
B) ambush hunting.
C) active hunting.
D) trap hunting.

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT a behavioural defence against predation?

A) alarm calling
B) spatial avoidance
C) camouflage
D) reduced activity

Question 24

A numerical response is a change in the number of predators due all of the following EXCEPT

A) changes in prey abundances.
B) population growth.
C) immigration.
D) emigration.

Question 25

Simultaneous examination of predator and prey population trends is called a

A) dual population trajectory.
B) joint population trajectory.
C) dual population isocline.
D) joint population isocline.

Question 26

In Lotka-Volterra predator-prey models, predator populations decrease when

A) N ÷ ac < m.
B) N ÷ ac > m.
C) N < m ÷ ac.
D) N > m ÷ ac.

Question 27

Which is a warning colouration?

A) Batesian colouration
B) Müllerian colouration
C) crypsis
D) aposematism

Question 28

In experiments with the backswimmer (Notonecta glauca), a predatory insect, and two types of prey species, isopods (Asellus aquaticus) and mayflies (Coeon dipterum), predator preference seemed to be affected by the percent of mayflies. What explains the results presented in the figure? What type of functional response is being demonstrated?

Question 29

In a functional response

A) the prey can regulate the fitness of the predator population.
B) the predator can regulate the fitness of the prey population.
C) the prey can regulate the growth of the predator population.
D) the predator can regulate the growth of the prey population.

Question 30

Alarm signals in primates are an example of

A) a chemical defence.
B) a structural defence.
C) a behavioural defence.
D) aposematism.

Question 31

The colour pattern and texture of the body of a horned lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos) allows it to blend into the ground of the desert in which it lives. This is an example of

A) a structural defence.
B) a behavioural defence.
C) spatial avoidance.
D) crypsis.

Question 32

At the equilibrium isocline the population of predators

A) causes the prey population to be stable.
B) causes the prey population to increase.
C) causes the prey population to decrease.
D) and prey both stabilize.

Question 33

The bombardier beetle (Stenaptinus insignis) deters predators by releasing boiling hot fluid from its abdomen. This is an example of

A) crypsis.
B) structural defence.
C) chemical defence.
D) behavioural defence.

Question 34

A functional response in predator-prey cycles is the relation between the density of

A) predators and an individual prey's rate of food consumption.
B) prey and an individual predator's rate of food consumption.
C) predators and an individual prey's rate of growth.
D) prey and an individual predator's rate of growth.

Question 35

A type _____ functional response occurs when a predator's rate of prey consumption increases linearly with increasing prey and then satiates.

A) I
B) II
C) III
D) IV

Question 36

For some predators, as prey density increases, the rate of consumption slows and eventually levels off with satiation. This is a type _____ functional response.

A) I
B) II
C) III
D) IV

Question 37

At the joint equilibrium point

A) both predator and prey populations are increasing.
B) both predator and prey populations are decreasing.
C) both predator and prey populations have zero growth.
D) one population is increasing and the other population is decreasing.

Question 38

Many organisms that employ chemical defences also display

A) crypsis.
B) aposematism.
C) camouflage.
D) Batesian colouration.

Question 39

The crucian carp (Carassius carassius) develops a muscular hump on its back that increases its acceleration in response to predators. This is an example of

A) a chemical defence.
B) crypsis.
C) a structural defence.
D) a behavioural defence.

Question 40

Chameleon colour patterns are an example of

A) structural defences.
B) aposematism.
C) behavioural defences.
D) crypsis.

Question 41

Milkweeds use _____ as a chemical defence against herbivory.

A) alkaloids
B) tannins
C) glycosides
D) resin

Question 42

Researchers studying production of nicotine in tobacco plants (Nicotiana sylvestris) treated some of the plants with a hormone that prevents the chemical defences from responding to herbivory. What did they find to be the cost of nicotine production?

A) reduced growth rate
B) increased herbivory
C) plant death
D) reduced seed production

Question 43

Which of the following is an example of a plant alkaloid?

A) tannin
B) lignin
C) caffeine
D) latex

Question 44

The scarlet king snake (Lampropeltis elapsoides) found in the eastern United States has similar colouration to that of the poisonous eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius). This is an example of

A) aposematism.
B) crypsis.
C) Müllerian mimicry.
D) Batesian mimicry.

Question 45

Plants that respond to herbivory by increasing their growth rate (compensatory growth) are using

A) structural defence.
B) tolerance.
C) chemical defence.
D) coevolution.

Question 46

Plant alkaloids act as chemical defence against herbivory because

A) they are toxic to herbivores.
B) they are difficult for herbivores to digest.
C) they make the plant unpalatable.
D) they are difficult to consume.

Question 47

The common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), the hover fly (Helophilus pendulus), and the hornet clearwing (Sesia apiformis) all exhibit similar colour patterns, but only the wasp is harmful. What benefit, if any, do the hornet and fly gain from having colouring similar to that of the wasp?

Question 48

The resemblance of poison dart frog species of the genus Ranitomeya to one another in Peru is an example of

A) Batesian mimicry.
B) Müllerian mimicry.
C) crypsis.
D) a chemical defence.

Question 49

The figure shows results of a study in which scientists observed the responses of tadpoles to a caged predator and an empty control cage in tubs of water. The caged predator emitted a chemical that alerted the tadpoles to its presence but was not able to kill tadpoles. Based on the figure, how did tadpoles respond to the experiment, and what type of defence did they exhibit?

Question 50

Reduced growth and development due to reduced feeding and foraging activity is a cost of

A) chemical defences.
B) structural defences.
C) behavioural defences.
D) crypsis.

Question 51

On Macquarie Island invasive rabbits were causing declines in palatable vegetation, and feral cats were preying on native birds. What was the primary result when a flea carrying a virus that killed the rabbits decreased rabbits' numbers on the island?

A) Feral cats switched from eating rabbits to eating native birds.
B) Feral cats also died off because of the loss of the rabbit prey.
C) Native bird populations on the island increased.
D) Native plant populations on the island declined.

Question 52

The Indian grey mongoose (Herpestes edwardsii) is a small mammal that is known for its ability to kill venomous king cobras (Ophiophagus hannah). Mongooses have evolved acetylcholine receptors that make them resistant or immune to the cobra's venom. What is likely responsible for this?

A) coevolution
B) natural selection
C) structural defences
D) chemical defences

Question 53

The viceroy (Limenitis archippus) is an unpalatable North American butterfly that has colouration similar to that of another species of unpalatable butterfly, the monarch (Danaus plexippus). This is an example of

A) crypsis.
B) Müllerian mimicry.
C) Batesian mimicry.
D) camouflage.

Question 54

What does it mean when scientists set the alpha at .05 for a statistical test?

Question 55

Which of the following chemical defences makes plants difficult for herbivores to digest?

A) alkaloids
B) latex
C) resins
D) tannins

Question 56

Ladybugs (Coccinella septempunctata) produce bad-tasting alkaloids as a chemical defence against predators. Researchers wanted to determine the costs of this chemical defence. They fed ladybugs either small or large amounts of food and measured alkaloid production and concentrations of carotenoids in the ladybug bodies. Carotenoids are the chemicals responsible for the red colour of the ladybug, which advertises its unpalatability to predators. What do the results of this experiment, shown in the figure, indicate about costs of chemical defences?