Deck 12: Ecology

Question 1

All ecosystems need energy.What is the originating source for most of the energy that powers ecosystems on this planet?

A) Geothermal energy
B) Wind energy
C) Solar energy
D) Potential energy

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A community in ecology is defined as ________.

A) a group of organisms, all from the same species, and their surrounding environment
B) organisms from multiple species interacting in the same place
C) organisms from multiple species interacting in the same place, and their surrounding environment
D) the global ecosystem

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What is the difference between a community and an ecosystem?

A) A community and an ecosystem are the same thing in ecology.
B) A community includes abiotic factors, while an ecosystem does not.
C) A community includes interacting populations with their surrounding environment, while an ecosystem does not include the surrounding environment.
D) A community includes interacting populations without their surrounding environment, while an ecosystem includes the surrounding environment.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is not an example of an abiotic factor?

A) Temperature
B) Energy
C) Bacteria
D) Nutrients

Question 5

A wolf eats a rabbit that eats grass.The wolf is a(n)________.

A) consumer
B) detritivore
C) producer
D) autotroph

Question 6

A wolf eats a rabbit that eats grass.The grass is a ________.

A) consumer
B) detritivore
C) producer
D) heterotroph

Question 7

Ecology is a science that can be carried out by ________.

A) learning via discovery
B) having hypotheses that are then tested
C) both A and B
D) neither C nor D

Question 8

Imagine you were the manager of a national park with cheetahs.The cheetahs feed primarily on gazelles,while the gazelles eat grass.It takes an acre of grassland to feed one gazelle,and it takes ten gazelles to feed one cheetah.You have a maximum of ten cheetahs when the system is functioning optimally.You would like to increase the cheetah population because people pay money to see the cheetahs.How much grassland do you need to double the cheetah population supported by this grassland?

A) 500 acres
B) 200 acres
C) 100 acres
D) 10 acres

Question 9

Identify the biotic factor of an ecosystem among the following options.

A) Amount of nitrogen available for the moss to grow on cliffs
B) Nesting spots on the edge of a cliff that birds can use
C) Average wind forces that the cliffs withstand daily
D) Amount of moss available to the consumers

Question 10

An ecosystem is a collection of all the ________ in a given area.

A) abiotic factors
B) plants and animals
C) plants and climate
D) living and nonliving things

Question 11

Phytoplankton is an example of a ________.

A) producer
B) consumer
C) herbivore
D) decomposer

Question 12

Ecology is best defined as the study of ________.

A) the relationships between parasites and their hosts
B) the interactions between living organisms and their environments
C) plant succession
D) interactions between predator and prey populations

Question 13

Environmentalism is ________.

A) the study of ecosystems
B) a philosophical and social movement concerned with preserving the environment
C) a collection of citizens and scientists working together to support research and preserve biodiversity
D) the study of how energy flows through an ecosystem

Question 14

A population in ecology is defined as ________.

A) a group of organisms, all from the same species
B) a group of organisms, some from the same species, some from other species
C) a group of organisms, some from the same species, some from other species, and their surrounding environment
D) one organism and its surrounding environment

Question 15

All living things need carbon.How does carbon enter the living portion of an ecosystem?

A) Atmospheric CO₂ taken in by photosynthesis
B) Atmospheric CO₂ taken in by soil bacteria
C) Elemental carbon taken in by plant roots
D) Elemental carbon taken in by plant leaves

Question 16

Abiotic factors are ________.

A) living components of an ecosystem
B) nonliving components of an ecosystem
C) living and nonliving components of an ecosystem
D) None of the above

Question 17

Which of the following is not an example of goods and services provided by the environment?

A) Raw materials for goods we use every day, such as wood
B) Water treatment
C) The control of erosion
D) All of the above are examples of goods and services provided by the environment.

Question 18

All of the following are abiotic factors within an ecosystem except ________.

A) energy
B) fire
C) nutrients
D) All of the above are abiotic factors.

Question 19

All living things need nitrogen.How does nitrogen enter the living portion of an ecosystem?

A) Atmospheric N₂ taken in by photosynthesis
B) Atmospheric N₂ taken in by soil bacteria
C) Elemental nitrogen taken in by plant roots
D) Elemental nitrogen taken in by plant leaves

Question 20

Ecology and environmentalism are the same scientific discipline.

Question 21

If you put some water in a bucket and left it in your backyard, the water level would rise and fall over time with the weather. The table represents data collected from a bucket that was initially filled to the halfway mark with water. The water depth was measured on the first of the month for 2 years. Although the water never completely dried up, it also never overflowed during this time. Answer the following question(s) based on the data.

Which statement explains the general upward trend of the data over the 2-year time period?

A) Evaporation exceeded transpiration.
B) Transpiration exceeded precipitation.
C) Precipitation exceeded evaporation.
D) None of these statements explains the upward trend.

Question 22

Aquatic biomes cover most of the Earth's surface.

Question 23

If you put some water in a bucket and left it in your backyard, the water level would rise and fall over time with the weather. The table represents data collected from a bucket that was initially filled to the halfway mark with water. The water depth was measured on the first of the month for 2 years. Although the water never completely dried up, it also never overflowed during this time. Answer the following question(s) based on the data.

What is the most likely expectation during the third year?

A) The water level will return to 30 cm.
B) The water will overflow the bucket or nearly so.
C) The water in the bucket will dry up.
D) None of these are indicated by the data.

Question 24

Of the biomes listed,which is best adapted to seasonal fires?

A) Coniferous forests
B) Tundra
C) Broadleaf forests
D) Chaparral

Question 25

The distribution of terrestrial biomes on Earth depends mostly on ________.

A) temperature
B) rainfall
C) both temperature and rainfall
D) neither temperature nor rainfall; it depends on latitude and longitude

Question 26

Aquatic biomes are defined primarily by ________.

A) the animals that live there
B) the plants that live there
C) their temperature
D) their salinity

Question 27

The bird-rhino relationship is an example of ________.

A) parasitism
B) mutualism
C) predator-prey
D) commensalism

Question 28

Where would a coral reef most likely be found?

A) In the oceanic benthic realm below the continental shelf
B) In an estuary
C) In the deep sea
D) In the oceanic photic zone

Question 29

A biome characterized by warm,fairly dry climate that primarily contains grasses with scattered,isolated trees is a ________.

A) savanna
B) chaparral
C) tundra
D) temperate grasslands

Question 30

The bird-tick relationship is an example of ________.

A) parasitism
B) mutualism
C) predator-prey
D) commensalism

Question 31

Although freshwater biomes cover less than 1% of the Earth's surface,they are important because ________.

A) we depend on them for drinking water
B) they are home to lots of species
C) they are the source of our irrigation for agriculture
D) All of the above are reasons why freshwater biomes are important.

Question 32

How might the removal of a wetland affect a nearby city?

A) Wetlands cause flooding.
B) Wetlands reduce flooding.
C) Wetlands reduce water quality.
D) Wetlands support a rich supply of nutrients.

Question 33

Why is an estuary considered an intermediate biome?

A) It is the transition zone between freshwater and saltwater biomes.
B) It is intermediate in size, smaller than the largest biomes but larger than the smallest biomes.
C) It will seasonally dry up and cease to be a biome.
D) It is only a biome during high tide.

Question 34

The tick-rhino relationship is an example of ________.

A) parasitism
B) mutualism
C) predator-prey
D) commensalism

Question 35

Terrestrial biomes are defined in a large part by ________.

A) the animals that live there
B) the plants that live there
C) the altitude
D) the longitude

Question 36

The processes of chemical cycling would be studied mainly by ________.

A) an environmentalist
B) a community ecologist
C) a population ecologist
D) an ecosystem ecologist

Question 37

The tendency of toxins to accumulate in top predators is called biological ________.

A) magnification
B) remediation
C) mitigation
D) concentration

Question 38

Which principle states that no two species competing for the exact same resources can coexist?

A) Complex community network principle
B) Resource partitioning principle
C) Dominance species principle
D) Competitive exclusion principle

Question 39

Which month was the wettest? (Remember that the readings are taken at the first of each month.)

A) Month 19
B) Month 16
C) Month 22
D) Month 15

Question 40

Species diversity is highest when ________.

A) species richness is high and relative abundance is unevenly distributed
B) species richness is low and relative abundance is unevenly distributed
C) species richness is high and relative abundance is evenly distributed
D) species richness is low and relative abundance is evenly distributed

Question 41

Which is the dominant greenhouse gas leading to global warming?

A) CH₄
B) H₂O
C) NO₂
D) CO₂

Question 42

What type of species,if removed from the community,could lead to the collapse of the entire community?

A) Endemic species
B) Keystone species
C) Indicator species
D) Flagship species

Question 43

The Asian kudzu bug (Megacopta cribaria)arrived in Atlanta in 2009 and is quickly spreading across the South.In addition to eating kudzu,it also eats soybeans and can decimate entire crops.The kudzu bug is a type of ________ species.

A) control
B) keystone
C) umbrella
D) invasive

Question 44

What is the term used to describe relatively small areas with unusually high concentrations of species found there and nowhere else,including many species in high risk of extinction? These areas receive the focus of global conservation efforts.

A) Natural wildlife reserve
B) Biodiversity hot spot
C) Protective wilderness refuge
D) Protective conservation zone

Question 45

What category describes a species that,while not presently at risk of extinction,could likely be at risk of extinction in the near future?

A) An endangered species
B) A species of concern
C) A threatened species
D) An endemic species

Question 46

The responsible management (use and conservation)of the earth's resources indefinitely is called ________.

A) the maximum sustainable yield
B) landscape ecology
C) an environmental conservation trust
D) sustainable development

Question 47

An age pyramid with a broad base that quickly slopes up to a narrow top would be indicative of ________.

A) an industrialized nation
B) a developing nation
C) a population with a high average age
D) a population with a low survivorship of children

Question 48

The use of multiple forms of pest control including biological,chemical,and the planting of pest-resistant crops is a strategy commonly called ________.

A) intermediate species control
B) integrated pest management
C) multilevel systems approach
D) none of the above

Question 49

A sudden natural catastrophe resulting in massive die-offs would be categorized as a density-________ limiting factor.

A) independent
B) dependent
C) reliant
D) autonomous

Question 50

There have been several mass extinctions in the planet's history,such as the extinction of the dinosaurs,but the current mass extinction is different.Greater numbers of species are now going extinct faster than ever before.Also unique to the current mass extinction is the cause.What is causing the current mass extinction?

A) Man's direct activities
B) Climate change
C) Rising sea levels
D) Solar flares

Question 51

Human birth rate peaked in the 1980s and has been slowly declining ever since.How is this expected to affect our population size over the next several decades?

A) The human population size will begin to decline.
B) The human population size will continue to increase, but not as fast as before.
C) The human population size will level off.
D) The human population size will continue to increase at the same rate it has for the past 100 years.

Question 52

How does an increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases increase global temperatures?

A) By preventing some of the heat from escaping the planet's surface
B) By decreasing the ozone layer in the atmosphere
C) By increasing the amount of heat from the sun that reaches the planet's surface
D) By reacting with each other

Question 53

What can a human population's age pyramid tell you about current and future needs?

A) How many schools to build or to close down
B) How many workers will be needed to support retirees
C) Neither of these
D) Both of these

Question 54

A dispersion pattern refers to ________.

A) the density of organisms in a habitat
B) the extinction rates of a species
C) the spacing of organism throughout a habitat
D) the diversity of species found in a habitat

Question 55

What are the main causes of biodiversity loss?

A) Habitat destruction, overharvesting, and invasive species
B) Invasive species, pollution, and climate change
C) Habitat destruction, invasive species, and climate change
D) Habitat destruction, overharvesting, invasive species, pollution, and climate change

Question 56

Which growth model would you expect to see in a stable population?

A) Logistic
B) Speculative
C) Factorial
D) Exponential

Question 57

Using sunflower plants to naturally remove heavy toxins from contaminated soil is an example of ________.

A) land conservancy
B) bioremediation
C) the green revolution
D) biomagnification

Question 58

The buildup of soil on bare rock by the decomposition of early colonizers is characteristic of ________ succession.

A) primary
B) ecological
C) opportunistic
D) secondary

Question 59

What is the name of the model of maximum rate of population growth?

A) Logistic
B) Speculative
C) Factorial
D) Exponential

Question 60

At what level is biodiversity often studied and measured?

A) The diversity of genes in a population
B) The diversity of species in a community
C) The diversity of ecosystems on the planet
D) All of the above

Question 61

Describe two ways (immediate and long term)in which burning a forest leads to an increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Question 62

Why do some nonnative species spread so quickly and inflict so much devastation when introduced to a new area?

Question 63

Imagine a hypothetical population of elephants and rabbits in which both species remain at carrying capacity over many generations.Who would have more offspring that survive to be adults and reproduce during their lifetime,a mating pair of elephants or a mating pair of rabbits? Explain your answer.

Question 64

Some species require a large and diverse range.Although it may not significantly decrease the overall size of the range,how might fragmenting the range with a freeway or neighborhood lead to the extinction of the entire population,even if sufficient food is available in either region to sustain two smaller populations? Suggest a compromise that would allow the population to survive and allow for the road project or neighborhood.

Question 65

Disturbances to an ecosystem,such as fires and floods,are often seen as negative.Describe a situation where regular disturbances are not only beneficial but are also required to sustain the ecosystem.

Question 66

The practice of "eating down the food chain" refers to eating more plant material and less herbivores.Explain how this is a more efficient use of energy.