grad student presentations diversity and ecology

Question 1

1) What is the phyllosphere?
a. Every part of the plant that lies above the soil surface
b. Just the upper leaves of the plant
c. The soil around the roots of the plant
d. The stem of the plant

Answer 1

a

Question 2

2) What are some pulse disturbances found in the phyllosphere?
a. Rising average temperature of the habitat
b. Nutrient deficiency of the host
c. Long-term drought
d. Heavy rain or wind

Answer 2

d

Question 3

3) What do the microbes on the plant’s surface (phyllosphere) do to benefit the habitat?
a. Increase light absorption of the leaves
b. Fix nitrogen and prevent pathogenic microbes
c. Decrease microbial diversity of the soil
d. None of the above

Answer 3

b

Question 4

1. Streptomyces spp. belongs to:
   a. Proteobacteria
   b. Acidobacteria
   c. Actinobacteria
   d. Verrucomicrobia

Answer 4

c

Question 5

The structure for nutrient exchange between EMF (Ectomycorrhizal Fungi) and plant roots occurs at:

a. Arbuscles
b. Fungal mantle
c. Hartig Net
d. None

Answer 5

c

Question 6

Glomus spp. of fungi is:

a. Ectomycorrhizal Fungi (EMF)
b. Free Living Fungi
c. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)
d. Ericoid Mycorrhizae

Answer 6

c

Question 7

Which best characterizes the relationship b/w humans and their skin microflora?
Parasitism
Mutualism
Predation
There is no relationship

Answer 7

b

Question 8

Many microbes in the human microflora are dependent on their human host for what?
Iron
Lipids
Glucose
Nitrogen

Answer 8

b

Question 9

What species of bacterium in the Actinobacteria phylum can cause acne vulgaris?
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Staphylococcus epidermis
Corynebacterium jeikium
Cutibacterium acnes

Answer 9

d

Question 10

What characteristic makes glaciers unique?

a) their ability to move over large distances
b) their extremely hot internal temperature
c) large microbial diversity within the center of the glaciers

Answer 10

a

Question 11

What part of glaciers houses the best conditions for microbial growth and survival?

a) the surface
b) the edge/terminus
c) the center

Answer 11

b

Question 12

What element is present on the surface of glaciers to provide microbes with favorable environmental conditions?

a) cryoconite holes
b) extreme winds
c) high nutrient availability

Answer 12

a

Question 13

Which of the following abiotic factors were not found in the deep ocean? 
high pressure
High levels of oxygen
mostly freezing temps
little to no light

Answer 13

b

Question 14

Proteobacteria in the deep ocean mostly use \_\_\_  nutrient cycling to obtain its energy?
Sulfur
carbon
nitrogen
oxygen

Answer 14

a

Question 15

Microbes in the deep ocean play a role in the carbon cycle by?
decomposing carbon
consuming the carbon and respiring as CO2
Both A and B
neither A or B

Answer 15

c

Question 16

What is a salt marsh?

a. A coastal region that experiences regular tidal flooding and draining cycles
b. A coastal region that is always underwater.
c. A salt deposit in a mountainous region.
d. A salt deposit in a dry region.

Answer 16

a

Question 17

Which biogeochemical cycles occur in salt marshes?

a. Carbon
b. Nitrogen
c. Sulfur
d. All of the above

Answer 17

d

Question 18

Which microbe is a common sulfur-reducing bacteria in salt marshes?

a. Phaeosphaeria spartinicola
b. Desulfomicrobium baculatus
c. Escherichia coli
d. Spartina alterniflora

Answer 18

b

Question 19

How do social bees and solitary bees differ in their acquisition of microbial symbionts?
Social bees acquire microbial symbionts through social contracts with other colony members, whereas solitary bees acquire their microbes solely from their environments.
Social bees and solitary bees do not differ in their acquisition of microbes.
Social bees acquire their microbial symbionts from their environment, whereas solitary bees acquire microbes from their colony.
Social bees acquire microbes by interacting with other insects and bees of different colonies, whereas solitary bees acquire their microbes primary from their individual colony.

Answer 19

a

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT one of the phyla present in the honey bee microbiome?
Proteobacteria 
Actinobacteria
Bacteroidetes
Chloroflexi

Answer 20

d

Question 21

In what way do G. apicola and S. alvi interact with each other?
G. apicola utilizes the carboxylates produced from the fermentation of carbohydrates by S. alvi.
S. alvi utilizes the carboxylates produced from the fermentation of carbohydrates by G. apicola.
G. apicola and S. alvi do not interact with each other.
G. apicola synthesizes pyridines to pass to S. alvi, who cannot synthesize their own pyridines.

Answer 21

b