Question 1

Refer to the figure.
 In their classic test of the equilibrium theory of island biogeography, Simberloff & Wilson removed arthropods from a set of small mangrove islands, then tracked the recovery of the arthropod fauna on these islands through time. Which of the following can be inferred from the figure?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
 In their classic...

Question 2

In the equilibrium model of island biogeography, once an "island" has reached equilibrium,

Accepted Answer

In the equilibrium model of island biogeography, equilibrium refers to a stable number of species (species richness) on the island, where the rate of species immigration equals the rate of species extinction.

Question 3

Which of the following is a finding of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP)?

Accepted Answer

Edge effects were found to be common and contributed to increases in local species extinctions, highlighting the impact of fragmentation on biodiversity.

Question 4

Which statement about the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) is true?

Accepted Answer

The BDFFP is a controlled experiment that provides a conservative estimate of species losses because it studies the effects of fragmentation in a relatively undisturbed area, which may not fully represent the more severe impacts seen in heavily disturbed regions.

Question 5

Fire-tolerant plant species in the Amazon are _______ abundant at the edges of forest fragments than inside the forest. The result is a _______ feedback loop and a(n) _______ in the effective size of the forest fragment.

Accepted Answer

Fire-tolerant species are more abundant at the edges due to increased exposure to fire. This creates a positive feedback loop where fire promotes these species, leading to a decrease in the effective size of the forest fragment as the interior becomes more like the edge.

Question 6

Refer to the table.
Table 1
  You are investigating patterns of species richness on two different continents (Continent 1 and Continent 2) to determine how species richness patterns differ between them. For multiple study sites on each of the two continents, you sample the local species richness and compare it to the species richness of the broader region to which each site belongs. The data on species richness are shown in the table. Using the data in Table 1, plot a graph of the relationship between local and regional species richness on the two continents (this will be referred to as Figure 1). Sketch a straight line that indicates the general pattern of the relationship. Add a line with a slope of 1 to the graph to indicate how the relationship between regional and local species diversity would look if regional and local species diversity were the same.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the table.
Table 1
  You...

Question 7

Refer to the table and figure.
Table 1
  Figure 1
  You are investigating patterns of species richness on two different continents (Continent 1 and Continent 2) to determine how species richness patterns differ between them. For multiple study sites on each of the two continents, you sample the local species richness and compare it to the species richness of the broader region to which each site belongs. The data on species richness are shown in the table. Which process, regional or local, is the dominant driver of the species richness pattern on each continent? Explain your answers.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the table and figure.
Table 1
...

Question 8

Refer to the figure.
Figure 2
  You are investigating patterns of species richness on two different continents (Continent 1 and Continent 2) to determine how species richness patterns differ between them. For multiple study sites on each of the two continents, you sample the local species richness and compare it to the species richness of the broader region to which each site belongs. Examine the data in Figure 2 closely. Would you ever expect to observe this relationship between regional and local species richness in nature? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
Figure 2
  You...

Question 9

Refer to the figure.
Figure 3
  Figure 3 shows long-term patterns of continental movement for five large land masses, illustrating the location of the land masses during an active period of land mass movement, at about 40 mya. The arrows indicate the direction of land mass movement and the numbers indicate the approximate timing (mya) of these events. Use the direction of the arrows and the timing of the events to answer the following questions:
a) When did land mass 2 split from land mass 4?
b) Which land masses joined between 180 and 20 mya?
c) Which land masses joined most recently?
d) What process could account for the movements of these land masses?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
Figure 3
  Figure...

Question 10

Refer to the figure.
Figure 3
  Figure 3 shows long-term patterns of continental movement for five large land masses, illustrating the location of the land masses during an active period of land mass movement, at about 40 mya. The arrows indicate the direction of land mass movement and the numbers indicate the approximate timing (mya) of these events. Based on Figure 3, describe the mostly likely path of land mass 5 through time by answering the following questions:
a) Which land masses was land mass 5 most likely joined with 150 mya?
b) Which other land masses was land mass 5 joined with 50 mya?
c) Which other land mass(es) was land mass 5 joined with 30 mya?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
Figure 3
  Figure...

Question 11

Refer to the figure.
Figure 3
  Figure 3 shows long-term patterns of continental movement for five large land masses, illustrating the location of the land masses during an active period of land mass movement, at about 40 mya. The arrows indicate the direction of land mass movement and the numbers indicate the approximate timing (mya) of these events. Determine the most likely locations for the following geologic features and answer the following questions:
a) The oldest mid-ocean ridge would be between which land masses?
b) Subduction zones would be between which land masses?
c) Which two areas would have the most recent mountain ranges?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
Figure 3
  Figure...

Question 12

Refer to the figure.
Figure 3
  Figure 3 shows long-term patterns of continental movement for five large land masses, illustrating the location of the land masses during an active period of land mass movement, at about 40 mya. The arrows indicate the direction of land mass movement and the numbers indicate the approximate timing (mya) of these events. Based on the movements of these land masses, answer the following questions about how the movements might have affected the evolutionary history of the resident species:
a) What evolutionary phenomenon likely occurred when land mass 2 split from land mass 4? Give the name of this concept and explain it as it applies to the splitting of land masses 2 and 4.
b) What additional information would you need to more confidently predict how the split of land mass 2 from land mass 4 would have affected the populations on each of these land masses?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the figure.
Figure 3
  Figure...

Question 13

Refer to the table and figure.
Table 2
  Figure 4
  You are studying the long-term effects of plate movement for two land masses, land mass A and land mass B. Your goal is to understand how land mass movement has affected the species found on each land mass. Land mass B joined with land mass A 30 million years ago. Table 2 shows the number of individuals of each species (species A-F) found living on land mass B over time. Figure 4 shows these data plotted. 
-Use the data in Table 2 and Figure 4 to answer the following questions:
a) Sketch a vertical line on Figure 4 to indicate the time when land masses A and B joined (this will be referred to as Figure 5).
b) Which species on land mass B became extinct before land masses A and B joined?
c) Which species on land mass B became extinct after land masses A and B joined?
d) Which species was not originally found on land mass B but could have dispersed there from land mass A following the joining of the two land masses?
e) Which species showed no change in the number of individuals as a result of the joining of the two land masses?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the table and figure.
Table 2
...

Question 14

Refer to the table and the figure.
Table 2
  Figure 4
  You are studying the long-term effects of plate movement for two land masses, land mass A and land mass B. Your goal is to understand how land mass movement has affected the species found on each land mass. Land mass B joined with land mass A 30 million years ago. Table 2 shows the number of individuals of each species (species A-F) found living on land mass B over time. Figure 4 shows these data plotted.
- Use the data in Table 2 and Figure 4 to answer the following questions:
a) Create a line graph of the species richness of land mass B over time (this will be referred to as Figure 6). The x-axis should be time in mya, ranging from 50-0 mya, and the y-axis should be species richness, ranging from 0-6.
b) What was the overall effect of the joining of land masses A and B on the species richness of land mass B?
c) Describe the similarities and differences in the patterns of change in species richness and composition through time.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the table and the figure.
Table...

Question 15

Refer to the table and figure.
Table 2
  Figure 4
  You are studying the long-term effects of plate movement for two land masses, land mass A and land mass B. Your goal is to understand how land mass movement has affected the species found on each land mass. Land mass B joined with land mass A 30 million years ago. Table 2 shows the number of individuals of each species (species A-F) found living on land mass B over time. Figure 4 shows these data plotted.
- Suppose land mass A has a land area five times greater than the area of land mass B. Based on the species-area relationship, do you expect that species richness will be higher or lower on land mass A compared to land mass B? Why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the table and figure.
Table 2
...

Question 16

Which statement about regional scale is true?

Accepted Answer

The physical geography of a region influences the distribution and diversity of species within that region, affecting biogeography.

Question 17

Across various sites within the rainforest of Panama, different species of trees are found with little overlap among sites. Based on this pattern of species turnover, Panama's rainforest is best described as having _______ diversity.

Accepted Answer

High beta diversity means that there is a high turnover of species between different sites. This is the case in Panama's rainforest, where different species of trees are found with little overlap among sites.

Question 18

Witman's studies of marine invertebrate communities demonstrated that in the systems studied

Accepted Answer

Witman's studies showed that while regional species pools have a significant influence on local species richness, local factors also play a role, indicating that local species richness is largely, but not entirely, determined by regional species pools.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a finding from the study on local and regional species richness by Witman et al. (2004)?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is not a...

Question 20

Which present-day continent was not part of Gondwana?

Accepted Answer

North America was part of the supercontinent Laurasia, not Gondwana. Gondwana included continents like Antarctica, Africa, and India.

Quiz 18: Biogeography

In the equilibrium model of island biogeography, once an "island" has reached equilibrium,

Which of the following is a finding of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) ?

Which statement about the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP) is true?

Fire-tolerant plant species in the Amazon are ___ abundant at the edges of forest fragments than inside the forest. The result is a _ feedback loop and a(n) _____ in the effective size of the forest fragment.

Which statement about regional scale is true?

Across various sites within the rainforest of Panama, different species of trees are found with little overlap among sites. Based on this pattern of species turnover, Panama's rainforest is best described as having _______ diversity.

Witman's studies of marine invertebrate communities demonstrated that in the systems studied

Which of the following is not a finding from the study on local and regional species richness by Witman et al. (2004) ?

Which present-day continent was not part of Gondwana?