Biosphere and Population Ecology Flashcards
Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of
a) allopatric speciation
b) convergent evolution
c) introgression
d) parallel evolution
e) gene flow
b) convergent evolution
The main reason polar regions are cooler than the equator is that
a) the polar atmosphere is thinner and contains fewer greenhouse gases
b) the poles are farther from the sun
c) the poles are permanently tilted away from the sun
d) sunlight strikes the poles at a lower angle
e) there is more ice at the poles
b) sunlight strikes the poles at a lower angle
Which of the following abiotic factors has the greatest influence on the metabolic rates of plants and animals?
a) temperature
b) wind
c) disturbances
d) water
e) rocks and soil
a) temperature
Which of the following can be said about light in aquatic environments?
a) water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light
b) photosynthetic organisms that live in deep water probably use red light
c) Most photosynthetic organisms avoid the surface where the light is too intense
d) longer wavelengths penetrate to greater depths
e) Light penetration seldom limits the distribution of photosynthetic species
a) water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light
Air masses formed over the Pacific Ocean are moved by prevailing westerlies where they encounter extensive north-south mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. Which statement best describes the outcome of this encounter between a landform and an air mass?
a) The cool, moist Pacific air heats up as it rises, releasing its precipitation as it passes the tops of the mountains, and this warm, now dry air cools as it descends on the leeward side of the range.
b) These air masses remain essentially unchanged in moisture content and temperature as they pass over these mountain ranges.
c) The warm, moist Pacific air rises and cools, releasing precipitation as it moves up the windward side of the range, and this cool, now dry air mass heats up as it descends on the leeward side of the range.
d) These air masses are blocked by the mountain ranges, producing high annual amounts of precipitation on the windward sides of these mountain ranges.
e) The cool, dry Pacific air heats up and picks up moisture from evaporation of the snowcapped peaks of the mountain range, releasing this moisture as precipitation when the air cools while descending on the leeward side of the range.
c) The warm, moist Pacific air rises and cools, releasing precipitation as it moves up the windward side of the range, and this cool, now dry air mass heats up as it descends on the leeward side of the range.
A population of white-footed mice becomes severely overpopulated in a habitat that has been disturbed by human activity. Sometimes intrinsic factors cause the population to increase in mortality and lower reproduction rates to occur in reaction to the stress of overpopulation. Which of the following is an example of intrinsic population control?
a) Clumped dispersion of the population leads to increased spread of disease and parasites, resulting in a population crash.
b) Because the individuals are vulnerable, they are more likely to die off if a drought or flood were to occur.
c) Females undergo hormonal changes that delay sexual maturation and many individuals suffer depressed immune systems and die due to the stress of overpopulation.
d) All of the resources (food and shelter) are used up by overpopulation and much of the population dies of exposure and/or starvation.
e) Owl populations frequent the area more often because of increased hunting success.
c) Females undergo hormonal changes that delay sexual maturation and many individuals suffer depressed immune systems and die due to the stress of overpopulation.
Which of the following is the most important assumption for the capture-recapture method to estimate the size of wildlife populations?
a) All females in the population have the same litter size
b) There is a 50:50 ratio of males to females in the population before and after trapping and recapture
c) Marked individuals have the same probability of being recaptured as unmarked individuals during the recapture phase
d) Over 50% of the marked individuals need to be trapped during the recapture phase
e) More individuals emigrate from, as opposed to immigrate into, a population.
c) Marked individuals have the same probability of being recaptured as unmarked individuals during the recapture phase
Which of the following is most likely to contribute to density-dependent regulation of populations?
a) the removal of toxic waste by decomposers
b) intraspecific competition for nutrients
c) floods
d) fires
e) earthquakes
b) intraspecific competition of nutrients
Which of the following groups would be most likely to exhibit uniform dispersion?
a) red squirrels, who actively defend territories
b) lake trout, which seek out cold, deep water high in dissolved oxygen
c) dwarf mistletoes, which parasitize particular species of forest tree
d) moths, in a city at night
e) cattails, which grow primarily at edges of lakes and streams
a) red squirrels, who actively defend territories
Which of the following is the best example of uniform distribution?
a) snails in an intertidal zone at low tide
b) a cultivated cornfield in the Midwest
c) mushrooms growing on the floor of an old growth forest
d) bees collecting pollen in a wildflower meadow
e) territorial songbirds in a mature forest during mating season
e) territorial songbirds in a mature forest during mating season
Iodine is added to table salt to help prevent deficiencies of an essential mineral needed for the proper function of the
a) thyroid glands
b) adrenal glands
c) the exocrine pancreas
d) parathyroid glands
e) the endocrine pancreas
a) thyroid glands
All hormones’
a) elicit the same biological response from all of their target cells
b) are produced by endocrine glands
c) are carried to target cells in the blood
d) are lipid-soluble molecules
e) are protein molecules
c) are carried to target cells in the blood
A reproductive difference between sea urchins and humans is
a) the sea urchin egg completes meiosis prior to fertilization, but meiosis in humans is completed after fertilization.
b) sea urchin eggs and sperm are of equal size, but human eggs are much bigger than human sperm.
c) sea urchins, but not humans, have a need to block polyspermy because only in sea urchins can there be more than one source of sperm to fertilize the eggs.
d) sea urchin eggs are produced by meiosis, but human eggs are produced by mitosis.
e) sea urchin zygotes get their mitochondria from the sperm but human zygotes get their mitochondria from the egg.
a) sea urchin egg completes meiosis prior to fertilization, but meiosis in humans is completed after fertilization
The outer-to-inner sequence of tissue layers in a post-gastrulation vertebrate embryo is
a) endoderm → mesoderm → ectoderm.
b) mesoderm → endoderm → ectoderm.
c) ectoderm → mesoderm → endoderm.
d) ectoderm → endoderm → mesoderm.
e) endoderm → ectoderm → mesoderm.
c) ectoderm → mesoderm → endoderm
Acidity in human urine is an example of
a) antibody activation.
b) innate immunity.
c) adaptive immunity.
d) cell-mediated immune responses.
e) acquired immunity.
b) innate immunity
A key part of the humoral immune response is
a) the production of antibodies by plasma cells
b) the attack of phagocytes on living pathogens
c) the attack of cytotoxic T cells on infected host cells
d) perforation of infected host cells by perforin
e) the initiation of programmed cell death in infected host cells
a) the production of antibodies by plasma cells