Deck 3: Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology

Question 1

Which of the following would best represent a clumped population distribution pattern?

A)pine trees within a pine plantation
B)earthworms in the soil of a garden
C)a pod of 40 migrating gray whales in the Bering Sea
D)eagles nesting in the tallest trees in the Grand Canyon
E)oaks planted on city streets

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The carrying capacity is the .

A)limitation on numbers of species in a community
B)potential growth in the number of species in a given area
C)maximum sustainable population that a given environment can support
D)average number of offspring carried to term by a species
E)greatest number of different niches possible in a given area

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Density- dependent factors _ .

A)include the effects of a hard freeze on a single species within a community
B)include the effects of rainfall on an entire community
C)include the effects of a hard freeze on an entire community
D)include the effects of disease, predators, and food on a single species within a community
E)cause decreases in the number of species in an ecosystem

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is true?

A)Species on Earth today are but a fraction of all species that ever lived.
B)Bacteria represent a newer form of life, not present during the early prehistory of Earth.
C)The number of species existing at one time has decreased throughout history.
D)Until recent history, extinctions have always happened gradually and on a small scale.
E)Most organisms present early in Earth's prehistory were more complex than modern organisms.

Question 5

A coyote can alter its diet to match seasonal abundance of plants, fruits, or small animals, and would therefore be considered .

A)a generalist, able to be flexible
B)an organism with a type II survivorship curve
C)a specialist, able to specialize on whatever is available at the time
D)an endemic, able to be flexible
E)density independent and resource- neutral

Question 6

High population density can .

A)hinder organisms from finding mates
B)decrease competition
C)decrease biodiversity within a species
D)increase the incidence of disease transmission
E)decrease the use of resources

Question 7

Which of the following are the major factors that determine a population's growth rate?

A)survivorship, natural selection, mutation, extinction
B)adaptation, competition, birth rate, emigration
C)birth rate, death rate, emigration, immigration
D)limiting factors, carrying capacity, mutation rate, inbreeding
E)immigration, climate, emigration, biotic potential

Question 8

Groups of organisms with low biotic potential, such as gray whales, .

A)are r- selected
B)show the initial stages of the extinction process
C)are K- selected
D)have escaped from the processes of natural selection and adaptation
E)are not subject to density- dependent limiting factors

Question 9

The initial population of Kaibab deer in 1906 was about 4000. In an area of about 800,000 acres, this works out to an average density of one deer per 200 acres. What is the density in 1923?

A)one deer per 500 acres
B)one deer per 8 acres
C)one deer per 20 acres
D)one deer per 0.8 acre
E)one deer per 80 acres

Question 10

The functional role of a species in its community is its _.

A)place in the food chain
B)distribution
C)selection
D)habitat
E)niche

Question 11

Extinction is .

A)something that occurs only rarely
B)a natural process
C)proceeding more slowly now than at any other time
D)the loss of communities from the planet
E)always caused by human disturbance

Question 12

What is the key mechanism maintaining genetic variation in most populations?

A)inbreeding
B)sexual reproduction
C)mutation
D)biotechnology
E)asexual reproduction

Question 13

Which of the following is true?

A)When we damage ecosystems we lose both biodiversity and valuable ecosystem services.
B)Our understanding of genetics allows us to replace extinct species.
C)Humans can find and make their own resources if they destroy natural ecosystems.
D)Restoration ecology can completely restore any damaged ecosystem.
E)Zoos and gardens can replace most important species because breeding technologies are improving.

Question 14

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve on the Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona. Between 1907 and 1923, cattle grazing was greatly reduced, mule deer hunting was eliminated, and predators were killed. Over 800 cougars, 20 wolves (most had already been killed in the 1800s), and 7000 coyotes were trapped or shot. In response, the mule deer herd began to increase: By 1915, deer numbers were estimated at 25,000; 50,000 by 1920; and 100,000 by 1923.
Which of the following is likely to have occurred after 1923?

A)The government has continued the ban on deer hunting and has continued killing cougars and coyotes that immigrate into the preserve.
B)The deer overgrazed their environment, decreasing the carrying capacity of the habitat.
C)The deer population crashed, and no deer have been seen in the preserve since 1947.
D)The preserve was invaded by Eurasian collared doves in 1988.
E)The deer population continued to increase exponentially until 2002.

Question 15

An S- shaped population growth curve best describes .

A)rapid and steady rate growth
B)exponential growth
C)slow and constantly changing growth
D)unlimited growth
E)logistic growth

Question 16

At Hakalau Forest in , ranchland is being restored to forest, invasive plants are being removed and native ones are being planted, and néné are being protected while new populations of them are being established.

A)Japan
B)Tuvalu
C)Marshall Islands
D)Hawaii
E)Guam

Question 17

A type I survivorship curve, with higher death rates at older ages, is typical of _.

A)large open- water ocean fish, such as tuna
B)dandelions
C)redwood trees
D)large mammals such as gorillas
E)large reptiles such as alligators

Question 18

Heavy rains and mudslides cause a river to change course, isolating two groups of lizards from one another. If they remain isolated for a long period of time, .

A)the groups will probably diverge genetically, and speciation may occur
B)one group will probably become an endemic species
C)one or both groups will probably become invasive species
D)both groups will probably become native species
E)one or both groups will probably emigrate

Question 19

Which of the following pairs lists an r- selected organism followed by a K- selected organism?

A)elephant; pine tree
B)pine tree; dandelion
C)elephant; whale
D)dandelion; pine tree
E)grasshopper; whale

Question 20

One example of artificial selection is .

A)humans placing a gene for human insulin into a flower
B)the generation of broccoli and Brussels sprouts from a single ancestral species
C)crossing a lion and a tiger to get a sterile animal called a liger
D)pet dogs that have gone wild, are mating with coyotes, and live in packs
E)gypsy moths as an invasive species

Question 21

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve on the Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona. Between 1907 and 1923, cattle grazing was greatly reduced, mule deer hunting was eliminated, and predators were killed. Over 800 cougars, 20 wolves (most had already been killed in the 1800s), and 7000 coyotes were trapped or shot. In response, the mule deer herd began to increase: By 1915, deer numbers were estimated at 25,000; 50,000 by 1920; and 100,000 by 1923.
The removal of the livestock and predators, and the cessation of hunting in 1907 .

A)decreased the carrying capacity for the Kaibab deer
B)increased r, allowing more births among Kaibab deer
C)increased the carrying capacity for the Kaibab deer
D)removed the limits on immigration, allowing more deer into the area
E)decreased r, allowing more births among Kaibab deer

Question 22

Biodiversity is _ .

A)the total number of species in a location
B)difference in variety and abundance of species from place to place
C)the relative abundance of the different species in a community
D)the three- dimensional distribution of species and biological features
E)the variety of life in all its forms and combinations and at all levels of organization

Question 23

When populations approach their carrying capacity, their resources .

A)increase because populations are decreasing
B)become more scarce as growth rate decreases to zero
C)decrease in supply but are more accessible to competitors
D)are not a concern as they are usually infinite in supply
E)increase in supply as the population size decreases to zero

Question 24

Match the following.

A)population density
B)population
C)habitat
D)niche
E)convergent evolution
F)community
G)artificial selection
H)ecotones
I)r- selected
J)population potential
K)ecosystems
L)endemic
Specific environment in which an organism lives

Question 25

Scientists often depict their understanding of an organism's evolutionary ancestry in diagrams called .

A)ancestral trees
B)classification trees
C)taxonomic trees
D)hierarchical trees
E)phylogenetic trees

Question 26

Endemic species .

A)are found only in one place on the planet
B)are generalist organisms
C)are invasive species that cause extinction
D)have high rates of mutations that lead to large numbers of offspring species
E)cause disease

Question 27

Which of the following would be most vulnerable to extinction?

A)a healthy plant, such as a pine tree, that completely dominates its native environment
B)a mold that attacks wheat in the field
C)a moth, brought to the United States for silk production, escaping into the wild and becoming established
D)a migratory flock of warblers stopping along its winter route to feed on local resources that are now gone and replaced by a suburb
E)an orchid endemic to a forest where logging is occurring

Question 28

Match the following.

A)population density
B)population
C)habitat
D)niche
E)convergent evolution
F)community
G)artificial selection
H)ecotones
I)r- selected
J)population potential
K)ecosystems
L)endemic
Communities and the abiotic material with which their members interact

Question 29

Match the following.

A)population density
B)population
C)habitat
D)niche
E)convergent evolution
F)community
G)artificial selection
H)ecotones
I)r- selected
J)population potential
K)ecosystems
L)endemic
Many interacting species that live in the same area

Question 30

Populations in which the probability of dying is constant at every age exemplify _ .

A)type I survivorship
B)type II survivorship
C)type III survivorship
D)natural selection
E)arithmetic growth

Question 31

Match the following.

A)population density
B)population
C)habitat
D)niche
E)convergent evolution
F)community
G)artificial selection
H)ecotones
I)r- selected
J)population potential
K)ecosystems
L)endemic
Number of individuals within a population per unit area

Question 32

An example of a density- independent factor would be _.

A)blight (a mold disease)in a wheat field
B)record cold temperatures that kill subtropical plants in northern Florida
C)a specialist searching for the one species of plant that is its food
D)wolves that prey on elk in Yellowstone National Park
E)suitable nest sites for a flock of Kirtland's warblers

Question 33

A species has evolved an asexual mode of reproduction by having offspring develop from unfertilized eggs. Which of the following will be true of this species' response to natural selection?

A)There will be less genetic variation from recombination and a risk of not adapting quickly to environmental change.
B)There will be more deaths from natural selection because there is no mutation.
C)There will be fewer deaths from natural selection because sexual recombination always leads to extinction.
D)The species will compensate for loss of genetic variation by hybridizing with other species.
E)The species will increase in numbers because genetic variation is increased.

Question 34

Unregulated populations tend to increase by .

A)exponential growth
B)pyramidal growth
C)immigration
D)linear growth
E)emigration

Question 35

A population is _ _.

A)a group of individuals of a single species that live and interact in one area
B)a group of individuals of several interacting species that live in one area
C)a group of cells that have similar function
D)the sum of all individuals of a species in all locations
E)a group of individuals of several interacting species that interact in multiple ecosystems

Question 36

An ecosystem .

A)is a grouping of plants and animals that interacts with one another in a way that causes the grouping to die
B)is a regional grouping of plants, animals, and other biotic factors
C)is a collection of interacting species living in a specific area
D)is the total population of a specific kind of plant, animal, or microbe and all members of which do or potentially can interbreed and produce young
E)encompasses all the organisms and the physical and chemical environment within an area

Question 37

Match the following.

A)population density
B)population
C)habitat
D)niche
E)convergent evolution
F)community
G)artificial selection
H)ecotones
I)r- selected
J)population potential
K)ecosystems
L)endemic
The process by which unrelated species acquire similar traits

Question 38

Match the following.

A)population density
B)population
C)habitat
D)niche
E)convergent evolution
F)community
G)artificial selection
H)ecotones
I)r- selected
J)population potential
K)ecosystems
L)endemic
Species occurring in only one area

Question 39

Population distribution describes _.

A)the spatial arrangement of individuals of a single species within a particular area or ecosystem
B)the placement of a species around the globe
C)the spatial arrangement of multiple species within a particular area
D)how near or far away individuals in a population are from a resource, such as water
E)the placement of a species within a country's boundaries

Question 40

Read the following scenario and answer the questions below.
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve on the Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona. Between 1907 and 1923, cattle grazing was greatly reduced, mule deer hunting was eliminated, and predators were killed. Over 800 cougars, 20 wolves (most had already been killed in the 1800s), and 7000 coyotes were trapped or shot. In response, the mule deer herd began to increase: By 1915, deer numbers were estimated at 25,000; 50,000 by 1920; and 100,000 by 1923.
Which of the following describes a graph of the Kaibab deer population between 1900 and 1923?

A)a J- shaped upward curve with a very rapid increase
B)a straight line slanting upward, showing a steady increase over time
C)a "sine wave" curving up, down, up, down
D)an S- shaped curve that shows a smooth, rapid increase and then levels off
E)a rapidly decreasing slope from left to right

Question 41

Is a carrying capacity a fixed entity? Discuss the role of humans in regulating carrying capacity for the human species and in altering the carrying capacity for other species.

Question 42

Differentiate between exponential and logistic growth curves. Give examples of the conditions under which each would occur.

Question 43

Briefly describe the process of speciation, and define allopatric speciation.

Question 44

A species of bird had an original range covering the entire eastern half of the United States from New England down to Florida, west to the Rocky Mountains. During a period of glaciation, the eastern part of the range was cut off from the western part for 2000 years. Then the glaciers melted and the birds' original range was reestablished. During the separation, the western birds evolved a slightly different song and a darker wing color. Ornithologists are now studying this species to determine whether speciation has taken place. What evidence will they look for in their study?

Question 45

A population of quail lives in an area of prairie grasslands. In good years, a pair of quail can have four clutches of young, with as many as 12 to 14 eggs in each clutch. Despite this, the population size remains stable over the long term. Discuss the population structure, its potential for growth, and its possible limiting factors, using at least four of the terms you learned in this chapter.

Question 46

Describe the sixth mass extinction event, and its specific causes.