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Ecology > Ecology Real quizzes > Flashcards

Ecology Real quizzes Flashcards

1
Q

An ecologist interested in how the grazing activity of deer affects tree growth would study at the level of the

A

Community

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2
Q

An ecologist interested in world-wide distribution of freshwater and ice would study at the level of the ___

A

biosphere

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3
Q

The study of ecology could include___

A
  • how energy flows through a food web
  • why specific biomes are located at particular places around the planet
  • how water movees through a landscape
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4
Q

When Robert MacArthur studied how so many species of warbler birds could inhabit the same woodland, he used __

A

an observational approach

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5
Q

Why does the Earth have geographic variation in temperature___

A

the Earth is a sphere

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6
Q

Why does the Eath experience seasons?

A

The earth orbits around the sun

the Earth is tilted on its axis

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7
Q

At the equater_____

A

warm,moist air rises and rain falls

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8
Q

Between 30 degrees north and the equator, wind travels along the surface of the planet. Which direction does it travel?

A

from north to south

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9
Q

The Earth’s rain-forests are found at ___

A

0 degrees

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10
Q

This soil layer contains a mixture of minerals, clay, silts, and sand

A

A horizon

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11
Q

In the __, evaporation exceeds precipitation and soils are thin and nutrient poor

A

desert

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12
Q

___ is characterized by permafrost in the soils, a short growing season with very long day lengths, and very short plants with shallow roots

A

Tundra

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13
Q

Plants in the __ are tolerant of a long, hot, dry summer and are fire-adapted

A

Mediterranean woodland

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14
Q

__% of the surface of the planet is covered by water

A

71%

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15
Q

__% of the water on Earth is liquid, freshwater

A

1%

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16
Q

The average depth of the oceans is approximately

A

4,000m

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17
Q

80% of solar energy striking the ocean is absorbed in the Photic Zone, which is represented by the first ___

A

10m

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18
Q

Most of the ocean is ____,___,and___

A

dark
nutrient poor
comparatively oxygen-poor
cold

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19
Q

The chemical conditions in lakes, rivers, and streams relate most directly to ___

A

the surrounding landscape

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20
Q

Organisms living in ____ must be able to tolerate both wet and dry conditions

A

Intertidal zones

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21
Q

___marine habitats are some of the most biodiverse and productive on Earth

A

Nearshore

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22
Q

Temperate lakes exhibit a distinct thermocline with, warm floating at the surface, during ___

A

the summer

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23
Q

Organisms living in__ must be able to tolerate changing conditions of salinity

A

estuaries

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24
Q

Lake color is a direct result of __ and ___

A

biological activity, light absorption by particles

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25
Q

An adaptation gives an advantage in__

A

a specific environment

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26
Q

Charles Darwin’s work on evolution did NOT focus on __, __, or ___

A

genetic drift, mutation, or immigration and emigration

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27
Q

An ecologist notices that side-botched lizards seem to have larger body sizes in some populations and smaller body sizes in other populations. This oculd be evidence of ___, ___,___, or __

A

selection by predators, response to differences in local climate, ecotypes, inbreeding depression in some populations

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28
Q

Which of these are conditions required for Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium?

A

All genotypes equally fit

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29
Q

If a hawk always targets the largest voles in the population as prey, what kind of natural selection do you think will occur in the population of voles?

A

Directional

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30
Q

In a population of butterflies, the genetic variance is extremely low but each butterfly’s pattern looks different from the next. The heritability of pattern is

A

Probably very low

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31
Q

Sticky cinquefoil (Potentilla glandulosa) platns found at three elevations have different body forms. These are known as

A

Ecotypes

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32
Q

Seastar twins were separated as larvae. Once was raised in normal seawater and the other in reduced salinity salt water. At sexual maturity, each was tested for levels of stress hormones, first in the water in which it was raised and then in opposite environment. Both seastars showed elevated stress in the environment different than the one it was raised in. This could be an example of ___

A

acclimation

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33
Q

In general, less generic variation can be associated with___,___,___,____

A

island populations, small populations, isolated populations, higher extinction rates

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34
Q

Symptoms of inbreeding depression in a population can include____,____,___

A

low fertility, small offspring, low juvenile survival

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35
Q

Microclimate can be influenced by ___,__,and____

A

what vegetation is present, the color of the soil, elevation

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36
Q

Rainbow trout fish have two different forms of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. What is the utility of this?

A

they function at different temperatures

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37
Q

Average monthly daytime temperatures in Monterey, CA range between 15 C to 20 C but in Turlock, CA they range from 12 C to 34 C. The two cities are only 86 miles apart. What best explains this?

A

Water’s high specific heat capacity

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38
Q

A fish that is not tolerant of changing temperatures would most likely live in __

A

a deep pool in a river

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39
Q

Photosynthesis rates in the desert are most directly limited because____

A

water is very limited

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40
Q

Species that live in the ____ would most likely have a narrow thermal neutral zone

A

Tropical savannah

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41
Q

On a hot summer day in the desert (37C), a desert tortoise is able to stay relatively cool (30C). Whih of these could be related to how this happens?___and___

A

The tortoise hides in a burrow underground, the tortoise slows its metabolic rate

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42
Q

Big pelagic fish, like tunas and sharks, are able to ____ by having counter-current heat exchange

A

Reduce heat loss

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43
Q

Plants can reduce heat loss by__and__

A

retaining dead leaves, growing fuzzy hairlike pubescence

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44
Q

Which terms describe the skunk cabbage, the bloom, of which is able to melt through the snow in the earliest spring days?

A

Homeotherm and Endotherm

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45
Q

Which term describes the period of time when a ground squirrel lowers its metabolic rate and becomes dormant for the long, cold winter?

A

Hibernation

46
Q

An organism that has its best performance at very cold temperatures would be called

A

Psychophilic

47
Q

In general, ecologists might study populations by considering___,_____,and___

A

number of individuals, density of individuals,distribution of individuals, or growth rates

48
Q

The geographic distribution of population could be restricted because of__

A

ability to tolerate environmental extremes, presence of competitors

49
Q

A species of oropendula birds birds build their long, woven nests in just one particular species of tree. After building a nest, the pair of birds tends the eggs and then the young. Based on this information, during the breeding season, you would expect to see a ____ distribution for the population.

A

Clumped

50
Q

A potential reason why young seedling plants could show a clumped distribution is because____,___, and___

A
  • they only germinate in spots where the physical conditions are perfect
  • an animal buried a large number of seeds in one spot
  • they all fell to the ground directly under the parent plant, which died during the winter
51
Q

In general, the larger an aquatic invertebrate species is___

A

the lower its density in the stream

52
Q

While walking on a trail through the rain forest, you hear an insect with an interesting call. It seems to you that you walk past an individual insect every ten steps. What is an ecologist’s most likely explanation?

A

the insect is territorial and aggressive

53
Q

Three considerations are made when placing a species into a “Rarity” category. Which are they?

A
  • local population sizes
  • geographical range
  • habitat tolerance
54
Q

Which factors played into the eventual distribution of adult barnacles in the intertidal zone __,__,and__

A
  • abiotic factors
  • competition
  • predation
55
Q

Of these organisms, which do you predict has the greatest disperal ability in its natural habitat?

A

-Coconut palm

56
Q

Dispersal is very important in stream-associated insects like dragonflies because___,___,and___

A
  • the aquatic larva is constantly being pushed downstream
  • during high flow, animals are washed downstream in spates.
  • this phase (dispersal) completes the colonization cycle.
57
Q

California Quail birds have a large number (12 to 16) of small chicks. Because it is difficult to keep track of so many young, many will fall prey to predators in their first to weeks. Once they are larger, they have excellent survival and most live to an old age. This is typical of Type____survivorships

A

|||

58
Q

Which of these is not a method for estimating patterns of survival?

A

distribution-abundance curve

59
Q

An age of distribution for a population of wild organisms can warn of future extinction risk if __,___,__, and___

A
  • the vast majority of indviduals are sexually mature.
  • many age categories are missing from the distribution
  • there are very few young individuals
  • there are mostly males in the population
60
Q

Which of these plants most likely has a longer generations time than a pine tree does?

A

Giant redwood

61
Q

A calculation of the net reproductive rate of a population takes into account___and___

A

survivorship and number of offspring produced at different age categories

62
Q

Organisms with geometric populations growth have discrete generations. MAny of these have individuals that___

A

live only for one year

63
Q

Exponential population growth

A
  • requires continuous generations

- occurs when resources are not limited

64
Q

The carrying capacity

A
  • limits population size
  • can be influenced by resource availability
  • can be influenced by pathogens
65
Q

Which of these is an example of a density-independent factor that could influence a population’s growth?

A

a tsunami

66
Q

Growth rates, as measured by the per capita rate of increase, should be highest in which organism?

A

Escherichia coli bacteria

67
Q

In Galapagos finches, during drought years___

A

Feeding activity in the wetter season reduces food abundance in the dry season

68
Q

Taking the number of births in a population and subtracting the number of deaths is one way calculate a ___

A

Population growth rate

69
Q

Which statement is true about the global human population?

A

it continues to grow

70
Q

Which of the following is NOT included in the study of life histories

A

Proportion that survives to maturity

71
Q

A bird that produces large eggs most probably also produces ___

A

fewer eggs

72
Q

In fishes, there are differences in life history__,___,__

A
  • between different species
  • between populations of the same species
  • within a population
73
Q

Very large seeds most likely are dispersed by

A

Being carried and buried by vertebrate animals

74
Q

The advantage to having large seeds is___,__, and__

A

greater likelihood of survival of the seedlings, larger seedlings, increased recruitment

75
Q

Which of these is not a characteristics r-selected species

A

late age of sexual maturity

76
Q

Male side-blotched lizards display at one another, and if necessary, physically fight to win ownership of a rock to bask on. This describes ____

A

Interference competition

77
Q

If one creosote bush in the desert absorbs a volume of water during a rain, that water is not available for other creosote bushes to take up. This describes____compeitition

A

Intraspecific competition

78
Q

If two species are in competition for the same resource for many, many generations, the end result could be___

A
  • one species goes locally extinct
  • both species undergo directional selection
  • character displacement
79
Q

When two species are in competition for the same resource___

A

both experience a negative effect

80
Q

Intraspecific competition can result in___

A

lower survivorship

  • longer time to develop
  • smaller body size
  • fewer or smaller offspring
81
Q

The outcome of competition between the two species of Tribolium flour beetles was___

A

partly dependent on whether the parasite, Adelina, was present

82
Q

Which of the following does not provide a refuge for prey?

A

parasite resistance

83
Q

Which of these factors play a role in population cycles of snowshoe hares?

A
  • solar radiation
  • disease
  • lynxes
84
Q

An ecological relationship where one species gets a benefit and the other is negatively impacted is called__

A

exploitation

85
Q

Gause (the paramecium guy) was able to establish prey population cycling in the lab when___

A

he provided a refuge

86
Q

Size can be a refuge, because for the predator___

A

the potential benefit of a meal is not worth the risk of injury

87
Q

What do we need in order to show mutualism between corals and zooxanthellae?

A

Zooxanthellae receive a benefit from corals and corals receive a benefit from zooxanthellae

88
Q

Termites cannot digest wood without their endosymbiont protozoans, and these species of protozoans do not live anywehre else except in the gut of termites. This is an example of __

A

obligate mutualism

89
Q

What benefits do ants receive from bullshorn acacia__

A
  • a place to live
  • Beltian bodies for food
  • nectar for food
90
Q

What evidence showed that bullshorn acacia receive a benefit from ants?

A

Plants with ants grew much gaster

91
Q

The ant mutualism with aspen sunflowers cannot become obligate due to

A

Periodic late frost that destroys all the flowers for that year

92
Q

The evidence presented showing that crabs get a benefit from protecting corals was

A

coral lipids in the crab digestive tract

93
Q

The interacting (and potentially interacting) species occupying a given area are described as a __

A

community

94
Q

The number of different species in an area is the __

A

species richness

95
Q

Most species in a community are ___

A

intermediate in abundance

96
Q

Diversity takes into account

A
  • number of species

- relative abundances

97
Q

Disturbance events can impact the diversity in a community. Disturbance can__,___,__, and ___

A
  • increase diversity
  • decrease diversity
  • result in a change in the parrticular species present
  • initiate succession
98
Q

The dominant species in a community__

A
  • has high biomass

- has a big influence

99
Q

Which of these describes an indirect interactions

A

-When ranchers kill gopher snakes, the gopher population increases

100
Q

A keystone species has__biomass and___impact

A

low, high

101
Q

In a trophic cascade,__and___

A

top-down influences occur, a predator can influence the entire community

102
Q

Primary succession starts from__

A

bare rock

103
Q

In general, during succession ___,___,__,___

A

the species in the community change over time, soil overall and soil horizons individually become deeper, moisture is better and better retained, organic content in soil increases

104
Q

In succession, the climax community___and ___

A

is relatively stable and can resist further change, unless there is a disturbance

105
Q

Which of the following is not one of the important factors relating to habitat space?

A

H’

106
Q

The shape of a habitat can be very important if the species of interest either relies on or avoids ___ and__

A

the edge of the habitat type and ecotones

107
Q

Current landscape structure can be the result of __, ___, ___,and__

A

the activities of living things, abiotic events, disturbances, and human influences

108
Q

The besst predictor of species richness on an island or a continent is ___

A

area

109
Q

The predicted equilibrium number of species found on an island is dependent on__ and__

A

extinction rate, immigration rate

110
Q

What is true of greenhouse gases?

A

All of em:

  • they include water vapor, CO2, and methane
  • the hold heat near the surface of the Earth
  • they are currently increasing in the atmosphere
  • human activities are contributing to their increase in the atmosphere
  • Human activities are contributing to their increase in the atmosphere
111
Q

The primary reason so many species are currently at risk of endangerment or extinction is ___

A

habitat loss

Ecology (5 decks)

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