Deck 55: Community Ecology

Question 1

Paleontological studies indicate that,over millions of years,

A)groups of species that have coevolved rise and go extinct together.
B)species that occurred together in the distant past still occur together today; the community has held constant.
C)the extinction of species is not related to the community in which they lived.
D)species seem to come and go individually as niches within a community become available.
E)species richness is constant over time.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Resource partitioning can often be seen in similar species that occupy the same geographic area.These species avoid competition by living in different portions of the habitat or by utilizing different food or other resources and are called ________ species.

A)sympatric
B)allopatric
C)competitive
D)fundamental
E)exploitative

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Two organisms trying to utilize the same resource is called

A)synergy.
B)parasitism.
C)competition.
D)interference.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Chemical defenses are found in all of the following except

A)marine animals.
B)insects.
C)plants.
D)snakes,spiders,and fishes.
E)Batesian mimics.

Question 5

The way in which an organism utilizes its environment may be called

A)resource partitioning.
B)its habitat.
C)competitive exclusion.
D)intraspecific competition.
E)its niche.

Question 6

Cardiac glycosides,molecules causing a drastic effect on vertebrate heart function,are produced as defensive chemicals by plants belonging to

A)the milkweed and dogbane families.
B)the mustard family.
C)the grass family.
D)the poison ivy,oak,and sumac families.
E)the bean family.

Question 7

Which statement is an accurate interpretation of the outcome in an ecosystem when a major predator is removed?

A)The remaining community adjusts and quickly becomes stable.
B)The diversity of the ecosystem actually increases.
C)The diversity of the ecosystem decreases since there is an increase in competition.
D)The diversity of the ecosystem decreases because parasites become more of a problem.
E)The diversity of the ecosystem decreases because new herbivores move in.

Question 8

In ________ mimicry,two or more unrelated but protected species resemble one another,thus achieving a kind of group defense.

A)Batesian
B)disruptive
C)Müllerian
D)cooperative

Question 9

Aposematic,or warning coloration,serves to protect an animal or plant by signaling to potential ________ to stay away.

A)competitors
B)predators
C)mates
D)rivals

Question 10

Communities evolve to have greater biomass and species richness in a process called

A)sympatric interactions.
B)adaptive modifications.
C)succession.
D)symbiotic relationships.
E)competitive exclusion.

Question 11

Competition between species is called ________ competition.

A)interspecific
B)exploitative
C)interference
D)fundamental
E)intraspecific

Question 12

The actual niche the organism is able to occupy in the presence of competitors is called its

A)fundamental niche.
B)realized niche.
C)interference niche.
D)intraspecific niche.
E)exploitative niche.

Question 13

A relationship in which both members benefit is called

A)predation.
B)parasitism.
C)mutualism.
D)commensalism.
E)sympatric.

Question 14

A ________ relationship is one in which two or more kinds of organisms live together in often elaborate and more or less permanent association.

A)symbiotic
B)parasitic
C)mutualistic
D)synergistic

Question 15

Chemicals that play the dominant role in protecting plants from being eaten by herbivores or predators are called

A)primary compounds.
B)secondary compounds.
C)poisons.
D)oils.
E)amino acids.

Question 16

All organisms living together in a place are called a

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

Question 17

Competition shapes communities because there are usually limited

A)species.
B)resources.
C)interactions.
D)nutrients.

Question 18

Two species of warblers colonize the same island habitat.Both species nest in similar locations and eat the same type of prey.Eventually,competition will probably cause one species to

A)migrate.
B)grow exponentially.
C)speciate.
D)be eliminated.

Question 19

Insects that lay eggs on living hosts are called

A)ectoparasites.
B)endoparasites.
C)brood parasites.
D)parasitoids.
E)predators.

Question 20

In ________ mimicry,unprotected species resemble others that are distasteful.

A)Müllerian
B)competitive
C)Batesian
D)aposematic

Question 21

Which statement is the correct interpretation of the graph?

A)The population of Didinium goes extinct with the addition of Paramecium on day 4.
B)The population of Didinium continues to increase and remains high even after the extinction of the Paramecium.
C)The population of Paramecium goes extinct with the addition of Didinium on day 8.
D)The population of Didinium increased but then went extinct after the population of Paramecium went extinct.
E)The population of Didinium is able to increase at the expense of the Paramecium population.After a brief period both populations are able to coexist.

Question 22

Lakes become eutrophic by

A)accumulation of organic matter.
B)loss of organic matter.
C)circulation of water in the lake.
D)free exchange of water with outside sources.
E)an increase in the number of organisms.

Question 23

Succession happens because species in the habitat alter that habitat in ways that assist other species.There are three dynamic concepts that are of critical importance for succession to take place.They are

A)establishment,facilitation,and inhibition.
B)symbiotic relationships,facilitation,and aposematic coloration.
C)establishment,coevolution,and competitive exclusion.
D)competition,climax communities,and tolerance.
E)competition,inhibition,and coevolution.

Question 24

You have been studying the relationship between jackals and tigers in India.Until recently,the only relationship you have observed is that jackals will associate themselves with a particular tiger and follow it at a safe distance in order to feed on the big cat's kills.However,recently you observed a jackal alerting a tiger to a kill with a loud cry.If you continue to observe this alerting behavior,you might change the categorization of the jackal/tiger relationship from ________ to ________.

A)mutualism; parasitism
B)mutualism; commensalism
C)commensalism; mutualism
D)parasitism; mutualism
E)competition; predation

Question 25

Which of the following statements accurately reflects the differences between Batesian mimicry and Müllerian mimicry?

A)In Batesian mimicry the model must behave differently than the mimic; in Müllerian mimicry they behave the same.
B)In Batesian mimicry the model must be more dangerous than the mimic; in Müllerian mimicry they are both dangerous.
C)Batesian mimicry does not differ from Müllerian mimicry.Two different scientists discovered these two types at the same time,and they disagreed on what to call it.
D)Batesian mimicry differs from Müllerian mimicry in that they occur on different continents-Batesian on the North American and Müllerian on the European.
E)Batesian mimicry involves invertebrates; Müllerian mimicry involves vertebrates.

Question 26

Cattle egrets follow African ungulates such as African buffalo around and catch insects that the buffalo flush out.Oxpeckers perch on the backs of buffalo and feed on ectoparasites that infest the buffalo.Which one of the following shows the ecological interaction that the buffalo has with each bird?

A)cattle egret: mutualism; oxpecker: commensalism
B)cattle egret: commensalism; oxpecker: mutualism
C)cattle egret: competition; oxpecker: mutualism
D)cattle egret: mutualism; oxpecker: mutualism
E)cattle egret: commensalism; oxpecker: commensalism

Question 27

Which of the following would be an expected long-term change during primary succession on glacial moraines? Check all that apply.

A)increase in species richness
B)decrease in soil depth
C)increase in soil salinity
D)increase in soil nitrogen
E)alder replaced by spruce

Question 28

A species that plays a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community and helps to determine the types and numbers of various other species in the community is known as

A)a predator.
B)a keystone species.
C)the primary species.
D)the dominant species.
E)the alpha species.

Question 29

During the mid 1930s,G.F.Gause studied competition among three species of Paramecium.Through his experiments he formulated a principle of

A)niche overlap.
B)exploitative competition.
C)metapopulation fluctuation.
D)competitive exclusion.
E)interspecific competition.

Question 30

Based on the following graph,what is the most likely relationship between Paramecium and Didinium?

A)Paramecium prey on Didinium.
B)Paramecium have a commensal relationship with Didinium.
C)Didinium and Paramecium have a mutualistic relationship.
D)Didinium prey on Paramecium.
E)Paramecium is a parasite that feeds on Didinium.

Question 31

In India,golden jackals that have been expelled from their pack have been known to attach themselves to a particular tiger,trailing it at a safe distance in order to feed on the big cat's kills.What type of relationship exists between the jackal and the tiger?

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

Question 32

Which of the following is an example of commensalism?

A)a tapeworm living in the intestines of a mule deer
B)barnacles hitching a ride on the skin of a whale
C)a female mosquito sucking blood from a musk oxen
D)wood-digesting flagellates living in the gut of termites
E)acacia trees and their ants

Question 33

Which statement correctly interprets the graph?

A)Paramecium caudatum drives Paramecium aurelia to near extinction.
B)Paramecium aurelia drives Paramecium caudatum to near extinction.
C)Paramecium caudatum and Paramecium aurelia are able to compete for the same resource and their population densities are not affected.
D)Paramecium caudatum and Paramecium aurelia are unable to exist and both populations go extinct after 24 days.

Question 34

Which of the following factors could be important in determining a species' fundamental niche? Check all that apply.

A)salinity
B)presence of a commensalist
C)soil type
D)presence of a predator/parasite
E)seasonal temperatures

Question 35

The difference in the fundamental niche and the realized niche is

A)the fundamental niche is the actual niche that a species occupies while the realized niche is the potential area that the species is capable of inhabiting.
B)the fundamental niche is the entire niche that a species is capable of using while the realized niche is just what is being occupied.
C)the fundamental niche is smaller than the realized niche.
D)the realized niche is theoretical while the fundamental niche is the entire niche that an organism can use.

Question 36

Alligators excavate holes in the bottom of bodies of water.During times of severe drought these holes act as refugia for various aquatic organisms that might perish if there were no water available.Thus,alligators in this system can be classified as a(n)

A)keystone species.
B)symbiotic species.
C)sympatric species.
D)allopatric species.
E)refugistic species.

Question 37

Which of the following examples would be undergoing secondary succession? Check all that apply.

A)an abandoned potato farm
B)a coastal grassland damaged by a hurricane
C)an abandoned landfill
D)rocks in a national park covered by mosses and lichens
E)a garden bed that has been weeded

Question 38

Which of the following statements about the fundamental and realized niche are true? Check all that apply.

A)A species' realized niche could be the same size as its fundamental niche.
B)A species' realized niche could be smaller than its fundamental niche.
C)A species' fundamental niche can be smaller than its realized niche.
D)The extent of the realized niche is determined,in part,by interspecific competition.
E)The extent of the fundamental niche is determined,in part,by conditions of the physical environment.

Question 39

Two of Darwin's finches display a character displacement when they occur as sympatric species.Which of the statements correctly interprets the graph?

A)Both species have the same size beak on Santa Maria Island.
B)Both species have the same size beaks on Daphne Major.
C)Both species have the same size beaks on Los Hermanos Island.
D)The two species have different beak sizes when they occur on the same island.
E)The two species feed on different food resources; one feeds on seeds while the other feeds on insects.

Question 40

In studies of two species of barnacles in the marine intertidal zone it was observed that Chthamalus can live in the upper intertidal zone and the lower intertidal zone if Semibalanus is absent,and Semibalanus can only live in the lower zone because it is more subject to dehydration.Based on this,which of the following statements are true? Check all that apply.

A)The realized niches of the two species differ.
B)The fundamental niche of Chthamalus is larger than its realized niche.
C)The fundamental niche of Chthamalus is larger than the fundamental niche of Semibalanus.
D)The fundamental and the realized niches of Chthamalus are the same.
E)The fundamental and the realized niches of Semibalanus are the same.

Question 41

Following their respective breeding seasons,several species of hummingbirds occur at the same locations in North America and several hummingbird flowers bloom simultaneously in these habitats.These flowers seem to have converged to a common morphology and color.Birds are most visually sensitive to the color red.Hummingbird flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds.Which of the following features of these flowers would indicate they have coevolved with hummingbirds? (Check all that apply)

A)long tubular flowers
B)flowers are colored violet and blue
C)blooming time of the flowers coincides with the arrival of the hummingbirds
D)flowers produce a high volume of nectar and sugar
E)flowers are low to the ground

Question 42

Interspecific competition can affect the phenotypic characteristics of organisms.

Question 43

Geographical allopatry between species is definitive evidence of interspecific competition.

Question 44

Adaptation that enables organisms to blend into their environment thereby avoiding predation.

Question 45

Garlic mustard is an invasive plant species in North American temperate forests.Garlic mustard secretes an allelochemical that interferes with relationships between native tree roots and their mycorrhizal fungi.This would be an example of

A)interference competition.
B)exploitative competition.

Question 46

Following their respective breeding seasons,several species of hummingbirds occur at the same locations in North America and several hummingbird flowers bloom simultaneously in these habitats.These flowers seem to have converged to a common morphology and color.Birds have the most visual sensitivity to the color red.Following their breeding season,these species of hummingbirds are

A)allopatric.
B)sympatric.

Question 47

Which of the following statements about mimicry are true? Check all that apply.

A)Generally,the number of mimics in a Müllerian mimicry system must be less than the number of models
B)Only Batesian mimicry depends on the ability of the predator to learn.
C)In Müllerian mimicry,the participants are both mimics and models.
D)In Batesian mimicry,the participants are either mimics or models.
E)A Müllerian mimic is "a sheep in wolf's clothing."

Question 48

Which of the following statements about symbiotic relationships are true? Check all that apply.

A)Plant-pollinator interaction is a good example of mutualism.
B)Both mutualisms and commensalisms result from the process of coevolution.
C)It is sometimes difficult to determine if a specific relationship is mutualism,commensalism,or parasitism.
D)Parasites can sometimes influence the behavior of their hosts to facilitate completion of their life cycles.
E)Mutualists sometimes become parasites.

Question 49

In general,communities in early succession will be dominated by fast-growing species with r-selected life histories.

Question 50

Which of the following statements about the intermediate disturbance hypothesis are true? Check all that apply.

A)The intermediate disturbance hypothesis predicts that most communities eventually reach an end-state or climax community.
B)Intermediate disturbance should lead to increases in species richness.
C)Disturbances tend to lead to the dominance of K-selected species.
D)An example of intermediate disturbance would be a tree fall in a mature rain forest.
E)Intermediate disturbance should lead to all successional stages being present in the community at the same time.

Question 51

Chemical compounds produced by plants that are not components of major metabolic pathways.

Question 52

In which habitat would you expect to encounter community assemblages that are most similar?

A)Freshwater streams in North America and Europe.
B)A savannah and a tropical rain forest.
C)The pelagic and intertidal zones of the same ocean.
D)A freshwater lake within a deciduous forest.

Question 53

Forests,like other ecological systems,are subject to the species succession process.Which of the following would be characteristics of pioneer plant species facilitating the early stages of forest succession? (Check all that apply)

A)slow-growing
B)pollinated by animals
C)seedling growth requires direct sunlight
D)seeds germinate in the shade
E)plants produce great quantity of seeds

Question 54

Mimicry is a form of camouflage.

Question 55

Resource partitioning would be most likely to occur between allopatric populations of species with similar ecological niches.

Question 56

Communities with a high level of bacterial diversity are found in many habitats including soil and aquatic environments.Recent studies indicate this diversity is crucial to the functioning of these communities.The same studies have also found that phage abundance plays a critical role in the maintenance of the bacterial diversity within these communities.Are phages a density-dependent or a density-independent regulating factor?

A)density-dependent
B)density-independent

Question 57

When there are high levels of disturbance in a community,the number of K-selected species should increase along with the overall diversity of the community.

Question 58

It is a situation in which a palatable organism resembles another kind of organism that is distasteful or toxic.

Question 59

Which of the following statements about predation are true? Check all that apply.

A)Cycling of predator and prey populations is not commonly observed.
B)Removal of a predator often leads to increased community stability.
C)Animal predation on plants is called herbivory.
D)Predation can induce coevolutionary changes in prey species.
E)Batesian mimicry is not a coevolutionary adaptation to predation.