58 Flashcards
1
Q
- Community ecology is best defined as the study of
A. plant distributions in a given region.
B. mutual benefits between organisms at all scales in a region.
C. the relationship between abiotic and biotic factors.
D. how groups of species interact in the same place at the same time
E. global scale influences of major disturbances such as volcanos.
A
D. how groups of species interact in the same place at the same time
2
Q
2. The individualistic model of a community as an assemblage coexisting primarily of species similar in their physiological requirements was proposed by A. Frederic Clements. B. Charles Darwin. C. Henry Allan Gleason. D. David Tilman. E. Joseph Connell.
A
C. Henry Allan Gleason.
3
Q
- What is the general global pattern of species richness?
A. Increasing from east to west across continental land masses.
B. Increasing from polar areas towards the tropics.
C. Increasing from tropical seas into temperate forests.
D. Increasing from the tropics towards polar areas.
E. Increasing from clay soil types into organic soils.
A
B. Increasing from polar areas towards the tropics
4
Q
- You discover a narrow subterranean river in the outback of Australia and estimate that it is at least 50 million years old, traveling through caves undisturbed by humans. You gather a crew of scientists to perform species sampling of the river as well as metagenomics techniques to calculate microbial diversity. The results indicate that although short in length, the river is extremely diverse. You even get to name a new species of shrimp after yourself! During one of your many interviews, you are asked to explain the high diversity of the subterranean river. What hypothesis would you cite?
A. The time hypothesis.
B. The area hypothesis.
C. The productivity hypothesis.
D. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis.
A
A. The time hypothesis.
5
Q
5. The idea that most ecological communities do not have sharp boundaries, but rather intergrade with one another, is consistent with what concept(s) of community ecology? Check all that apply. \_\_\_\_\_ organismic model \_\_\_\_ principle of species individuality \_\_\_\_ individualistic model \_\_\_\_\_ productivity model \_\_\_\_\_ species-area effect
A
2,3
6
Q
6. If you (incorrectly) proposed that tundra, the world's largest land biome, contains high species richness, your proposal would be consistent with the A. area hypothesis. B. time hypothesis. C. productivity hypothesis. D. intermediate disturbance hypothesis.
A
A. area hypothesis.
7
Q
7. The species richness of insects on trees can be predicted by which of the following? Check all that apply. \_\_\_\_\_ the time hypothesis \_\_\_\_ the evapotranspiration rate \_\_\_\_ the area hypothesis \_\_\_\_\_ the average body size of insects
A
2,3
8
Q
8. The productivity and area hypotheses together suggest that a large, tropical continent would likely have \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ species richness. A. low B. mature C. poor D. cyclical E. high
A
E. high
9
Q
9. The intermediate-disturbance hypothesis predicts that the most species rich communities would contain A. both r- and K-selected species. B. high rates of evapotranspiration. C. predominantly K-selected species. D. intermediate biomass. E. predominantly r-selected species.
A
A. both r- and K-selected species.
10
Q
- Metagenomics offers a DNA-based method to understand
A. the history of species diversity.
B. microbial stability
C. microbial diversity.
D. the organismic model of communities.
E. the Shannon Diversity Index.
A
C. microbial diversity.
11
Q
- Which of the following is true about temporal variation in community biomass?
A. It cycles faster in communities with low species richness.
B. It increases with increases in species richness.
C. It decreases with increases in species richness.
D. It cycles faster in communities with high species richness.
E. It is usually low because community biomass is very stable over time.
A
C. It decreases with increases in species richness.
12
Q
- What information is used to mathematically calculate species diversity? Select all that apply.
____ Number of species in the community
____ Relative abundance of species in the community.
_____ Spatial distribution of species in the community.
_____ Frequency of disturbance in the community.
_____ Net reproductive rates of species in the community.
A
1,2
13
Q
- What is an area of the Earth’s surface currently undergoing primary succession?
A. Orange groves in Florida
B. Redwood forests along the northwestern U.S. coast
C. Volcanoes in Iceland.
D. Shallow seas with low productivity
A
C. Volcanoes in Iceland.
14
Q
14. No matter what model is used to show community succession, the final stage is always A. a climax community. B. a secondary community. C. a sere. D. a resilient community.
A
A. a climax community.
15
Q
15. In succession, the ability of one species to make the area suitable for another species is called A. secondary succession. B. climax succession. C. inhibition. D. facilitation. E. primary succession.
A
D. facilitation.
16
Q
- Which scenario(s) would provide support for the intermediate disturbance hypothesis? Select all that apply.
_____ High species richness in a valley that is sheltered from extreme weather and has very infrequent fires.
____ High species diversity in a bay that is sheltered from the effects of most storms, but is affected by hurricanes and extreme storm surges.
____ Low species diversity on a savannah with frequent fires, high predation, and human encroachment.
_____ High species diversity on a large, ancient mountain in the tropics that is well-protected as a nature preserve and covered in lush rainforest.
____ High species diversity in an area of coral reefs with a number of shipwrecks.
A
2,3,5
17
Q
17. In 1992, mangrove forests along the southern Florida coast and the Florida Keys were severely damaged by Hurricane Andrew. Up to 94% mortality was recorded in some areas, with only the shortest individuals surviving. Scientists have monitored the region and by 2001, the forest canopy had closed and the main species were rapidly gaining biomass. This is an example of: A. island biogeography B. inhibition. C. the diversity-stability hypothesis D. primary succession. E. secondary succession.
A
E. secondary succession.
18
Q
- What is true of the Shannon diversity index? Select all that apply.
____ Within a community, Its value increases as the number of species sampled increases.
_____ Its value is independent of species relative abundance.
_____ It does not take into account very rare species.
____ Its value increases when individuals are more evenly distributed among species
A
1,4
19
Q
- Diversity indices such as the Shannon diversity index are very valuable to
A. agricultural economists who study crop production.
B. researchers calculating evapotranspiration rates.
C. the formation of climax communities.
D. conservation biologists who study rare species.
E. scientists studying microbial diversity.
A
D. conservation biologists who study rare species.
20
Q
21. Each phase of succession is called a A. series. B. stage. C. inhibitor. D. sere. E. facilitator.
A
D. sere.
21
Q
22. In Frederic Clements' view, succession proceeds to an end point called a(n) A. S1. B. S2. C. equilibrium community. D. climax community. E. tolerant stage.
A
D. climax community
22
Q
- The moraines left when glaciers retreat are characterized by
A. year-round ice.
B. low nitrogen content and little organic matter.
C. rich, fertile soil.
D. high levels of nitrogen, phosphate and carbon.
A
B. low nitrogen content and little organic matter
23
Q
24. What is considered to be the primary method of succession in the marine intertidal zone? A. facilitation. B. submission. C. logistic growth. D. tolerance. E. inhibition.
A
E. inhibition.
24
Q
25. In MacArthur and Wilson's island biogeography model, species richness is a balance between A. immigration and extinction. B. inhibition and facilitation. C. emigration and speciation. D. tolerance and inhibition. E. speciation and extinction.
A
25. In MacArthur and Wilson's island biogeography model, species richness is a balance between A. immigration and extinction. B. inhibition and facilitation. C. emigration and speciation. D. tolerance and inhibition. E. speciation and extinction.
25
```
26. In island biogeography, larger islands support ______ species than smaller islands.
A. more
B. fewer
C. larger
D. more recently evolved
E. more ancient
```
A. more
26
27. Which of these types of islands is predicted to have the lowest number of species?
A. small island near mainland
B. large island near mainland
C. large island far from mainland
D. small island far from mainland
E. the island closest to mainland regardless of size
D. small island far from mainland
27
```
28. Extinction rates on islands are predicted, based on island biogeography, to be lowest
A. on small islands.
B. on large islands.
C. near islands.
D. far islands.
```
B. on large islands.
28
29. The model of island biogeography predicts that species richness will increase with decreasing distance from a species source pool. Which do you think would be considered the two most important source pools for a particular island? Select two options.
_____ A small, distant island.
_____ A nearby island undergoing primary succession.
____ The closest mainland area.
____ A nearby, large island.
_____ A distant, large island with similar habitats
2,3
29
```
30. How are species-area relationships traditionally plotted?
A. on a log-linear plot
B. on a bar graph.
C. on a log-log plot
D. on a linear plot
E. as a function of distance
```
C. on a log-log plot
30
31. Species turnover on islands has been observed to be low. What does this suggest about succession on islands?
A. Facilitation is of minor importance on islands.
B. The species that initially colonize islands are random.
C. Succession on most islands proceeds in a relatively predictable manner.
D. The dominant, more important species tend to go extinct during succession on islands.
C. Succession on most islands proceeds in a relatively predictable manner.
31
32. Simberloff and Wilson carried out a famous experiment to study the recolonization by arthropods of small mangrove by islands after the islands were fumigated. One of their findings was
A. The islands never recovered to their pre-fumigation levels of arthropod species richness.
B. Species turnover was high following recolonization.
C. Recolonization rates were identical on all of the islands regardless of distance to the mainland.
D. Arthropod species richness on the islands changed little following recolonization.
D. Arthropod species richness on the islands changed little following recolonization
32
```
33. The number of bird species on islands near Papua New Guinea __________ as one gets farther from Papua New Guinea.
A. increases
B. decreases
C. stays relatively constant
D. does not show a consistent pattern
```
B. decreases
33
34. Support for the succession mechanism of tolerance is found in research on plant communities that shows
A. that plants release toxins that prevent other species from establishing.
B. succession is random and cannot be predicted by existing species.
C. climax communities never form as predicted by Clements.
D. succession is determined largely by species that exist in the ground as seeds or old roots.
E. competition-tolerant species colonize first.
D. succession is determined largely by species that exist in the ground as seeds or old roots.
34
```
35. Alders are trees with symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria in their roots. This enables alders to be a key part of _________ in recently glaciated areas in Alaska.
A. species extinction
B. emigration
C. primary succession
D. inhibition
E. secondary succession
```
C. primary succession
35
36. Based on the principle of species individuality, how would you predict that climate change would affect the geographical range of species within a community?
A. Each species would shift its range in a unique manner, according to its physiological needs.
B. All species in the community would migrate together as a "superorganism", because all species are connected.
C. Assemblages of species would migrate together in predictable groups.
D. Only the competitively dominant species would shift their ranges; less competitive species cannot adapt to climate changes.
A. Each species would shift its range in a unique manner, according to its physiological needs.
36
```
37. Who developed the organismic model?
A. Daniel Simberloff
B. Frederic Clements
C. Henry Allan Gleason
D. Joseph Connell
E. E. O. Wilson
```
B. Frederic Clements
37
38. In the organismic model, communities are viewed as superorganisms.
T/F
T
38
39. A forest community consists of not only the trees and shrubs, but also the animals and microorganisms T/F
T
39
40. Community A and Community B both have 54 beetle species, but Community A has more total individuals than Community B. If you were to calculate the Shannon diversity index for both communities, what would be the result?
A. Community B would have a higher Shannon index value.
B. Community A would have a higher Shannon index value.
C. Community A and B would have equal values for the Shannon index.
D. Cannot predict the result based on this information.
D. Cannot predict the result based on this information.
40
41. The time hypothesis suggests communities diversify with age. T/F
T
41
43. The island biogeography model of Robert MacArthur and E.O. Wilson predicts a higher value of Ŝ, the equilibrium number of species, for larger islands close to a source pool and a lower value of Ŝ for small islands far from the source pool. Their reasoning for these predictions is that larger islands support larger populations, lowering the risk of extinction, while closer islands have higher immigration rates because the immigrants do not have to travel as far. What other reasons could you give to justify their predictions? Check all that apply.
_____ Larger islands tend to support species that are more adaptable and therefore, less prone to extinction.
____ Larger islands tend to have a more varied physical environment, creating more ecological niches.
_____ Closer islands are more likely to have intermediate levels of disturbance, increasing diversity.
____ Larger islands act as larger "targets" for colonization; immigrants are more likely to land on a larger island than a smaller one
____ Closer islands are more likely to receive immigrants of species already present on the island, and this continued immigration can rescue species that might have otherwise gone extinct.
2,4,5
42
44. Predict the rank order of the following locations from lowest species richness to highest species richness, using the latitudinal gradient of species richness to form your prediction:
temperate forest in North Carolina, steppe in Patagonia (southern tip of South America), rainforest in Costa Rica, boreal forest in Ontario (east-central Canada)
A. Steppe in Patagonia, Boreal Forest in Ontario, Temperate Forest in North Carolina, Rainforest in Costa Rica
B. Rainforest in Costa Rica, Temperate Forest in North Carolina, Boreal Forest in Ontario, Steppe in Patagonia
C. Boreal Forest in Ontario, Rainforest in Costa Rica, Temperate Forest in North Carolina, Steppe in Patagonia
D. Steppe in Patagonia, Temperate Forest in North Carolina, Rainforest in Costa Rica, Boreal Forest in Ontario
A. Steppe in Patagonia, Boreal Forest in Ontario, Temperate Forest in North Carolina, Rainforest in Costa Rica
43
45. In the Shannon diversity index, communities with a very uneven distribution of individuals will tend to have a higher H. T/F
F
44
46. Joseph Connell proposed that at low rates of disturbance, a community will become dominated by K-selected species. T/F
T
45
47. You decide to volunteer at a community garden and are assigned to tend six equally sized vegetable beds. Three of the beds contain only tomato plants, while the other three contain tomatoes as well as snow peas, bell peppers, cucumbers, okra, and broccoli. You work hard all summer and fall, tending the plants through insect attacks, diseases, and severe summer storms. You harvest vegetables every three days and start to notice a pattern. The mixed vegetable plots consistently produce 4 pecks (a unit of dry goods measurement) each at every harvest, while the tomato only plots produce between 1-6 pecks each at every harvest. The garden director notices the pattern as well, and knowing you are a biology student, she asks you for an explanation. What concept or hypothesis do you cite in your response?
A. The model of island biogeography
B. The diversity-stability hypothesis
C. The tolerance model
D. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis
E. The productivity hypothesis
B. The diversity-stability hypothesis
46
. The productivity hypothesis would predict that there would be more species per unit area in the southwestern U.S. than in the Amazon rainforest. T/F
F
47
. A metagenomic library is a typical tool for analyzing diversity of flowering plants. T/F
F
