module 2

Question 1

Which of the following subdisciplines of ecology primarily focuses on interactions between
species in a specific area?
a. Behavioral Ecology
b. Population Ecology
c. Community Ecology
d. Biogeography Ecology
e. Geosystems Ecology

Answer 1

c. Community Ecology

Question 2

Hadley Cells are formed due to sun shining directly overhead on which area of the planet?
a. The North and South Pole
b. The Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer
c. The Prime Meridian
d. The Equator
e. The Ocean

Answer 2

d. The Equator

Question 3

Which of the following organisms exhibit behavior?
a. Humans
b. Maple Trees
c. E. Coli
d. Starfish
e. All of the above

Answer 3

b. A proximate cause for the territorial behavio

Question 4

A population of chipmunks is under non-limiting conditions where the birth rate is 5.0 over the
course of a week and the death rate is 1.0. The starting population of chipmunks is 50. What is
the change in population over time?
a. The population is shrinking by 200 chipmunks a week
b. The population is shrinking by 250 chipmunks a week
c. The population is growing by 250 chipmunks a week
d. The population is growing by 200 chipmunks a week
e. The population is stable

Answer 4

d. The population is growing by 200 chipmunks a week

Question 5

Male birds with showy tails are more likely to be eaten by predators. However they also are
much more likely to attract mates than birds with less showy tails thus producing more
offspring. The benefit of sexual selection outweighs the cost of predation. Male birds with more
showy tales thus have:
a. Higher fitness than less showy birds
b. Lower fitness than less showy birds
c. Equal fitness to less showy birds

Answer 5

a. Higher fitness than less showy birds

Question 6

Elijah’s nephew is trapped in a burning building. Elijah has an opportunity to run into the
burning building and try an save his nephew, Sean. There is a 10% chance Elijah will die in the
fire trying to save Sean. The amount of projected offspring for Elijah is 2. The amount of
projected offspring for Sean is also 2. Elijah and Sean have a coefficient of relatedness (r) of .25
due to their Uncle-Nephew relationship. What is the benefit and is it greater than the cost?
According to Hamilton’s Rule, will the action of saving his nephew be evolutionarily favored?
a. rB=0.5 and C=0.2 this action would be evolutionarily favored
b. rB=0.2 and C=0.5 this action would be evolutionarily favored
c. rB=0.5 and C=0.2 this action would be evolutionarily un-favored
d. rB=0.2 and C=0.5 this action would be evolutionarily un-favored
e. Not enough information to determine

Answer 6

a. rB=0.5 and C=0.2 this action would be evolutionarily favored

Question 7

When N is close to K what effect does this have on the logistic equation?
a. Population growth approximates rN
b. The population will experience no new births
c. Resources are exhausted due to population size
d. Growth of the population will approach zero
e. Population size is at carrying capacity

Answer 7

d. Growth of the population will approach zero

Question 8

A metapopulation is defined as:
a. A subpopulation within another population
b. A population at a stable growth rate
c. A population where deaths outnumber births
d. A group of different but interlinked populations
e. An isolated population

Answer 8

d. A group of different but interlinked populations

Question 9

A population of a given species is in a stable environment under K selection. Which of the
following are traits this species is likely to possess?
a. Short lifespan
b. Low survivorship
c. Small offspring size
d. Low competitive ability
e. Low number of offspring

Answer 9

e. Low number of offspring

Question 10

A coral reef is home to large populations of 3 similar species of fish. Each fish species could eat
a variety of foods, but in actuality, each species eats just one food source found in the reef
(brain coral, smaller fish, OR crabs). These fish are experiencing
a. resource partitioning
b. character displacement
c. mimicry
d. predation
e. intraspecific competition

Answer 10

a. resource partitioning

Question 11

This pairwise ecological interaction that positively affects fitness for both parties is
a. Competition
b. Predation/parasitism/herbivory
c. Mutualism
d. Commensalism
e. Amensalism

Answer 11

c. Mutualism

Question 12

Kudzu is a plant native to eastern and southeast Asia. It is a common invasive species in North
America that can rapidly overgrow all the native species no matter the environment. In an area
where Kudzu has outgrown all the native species and the only species present is Kudzu,
Kudzu’s:
a. Fundamental niche is smaller than native species’
b. Realized niche is smaller than native species’
c. Fundamental niche is larger than native species’
d. Realized niche is larger than native species’
e. Both C and D

Answer 12

e. Both C and D

Question 13

Two species of closely-related birds originally colonize an island. Both bird species use the
same resources for food and breeding grounds, and species A is better at accessing those
resources. Over time, species B disappears from the island. You have discovered an example of:
a. character displacement
b. mimicry
c. competitive exclusion
d. coexistence
e. resource partitioning

Answer 13

c. competitive exclusion

Question 14

A population capuchins and spider monkeys live in the same area of the Amazon Rainforest and
compete for resources. What is the population growth rate over time for capuchins given there
are 100 capuchins in the population initially with an intrinsic rate of growth is 2? There are 200
spider monkeys in the population. The carrying capacity for the capuchins is 250 while the
carrying capacity for spider monkeys is 300 and the competition coefficient is 0.5.
a. 40
b. -50
c. 80
d. 200
e. 120

Answer 14

a. 40

Question 15

Which of the following does not explains how predators exert strong selection on prey?
a. Predation affects prey abundance
b. Predation affects prey competition
c. Predation restricts prey distribution
d. Predation affects population dynamics
e. Predation influences community structure

Answer 15

b. Predation affects prey competition

Question 16

Wolf spiders prey on crickets. Given the following information calculate the change in predator
population over time. There are 500 crickets and 10 wolf spiders. The growth rate (r) of the
crickets without predators is 10. The death rate of the crickets due to predation is 0.5 (a). For
the wolf spiders the efficiency of converting cricket into spider biomass is 0.2 (f) and the
mortality of wolf spiders is 1 (q).
a. 0
b. 450
c. 2,500
d. 5,000
e. 500

Answer 16

b. 450

Question 17

You are comparing two communities, A and B, with species composition ratios of 1:1:1 for A
and 3:3:3 for B. When comparing species richness of A and B, A is ________.
a. Less rich than B
b. More rich than B
c. Equally as rich as B
d. More diverse than B
e. Less diverse than B

Answer 17

c. Equally as rich as B

Question 18

In a forest, a food web collapsed completely after one species was removed. The species
removed was likely
a. A facilitator species
b. A keystone species
c. A dominant species
d. An invasive species
e. A mutualist species

Answer 18

b. A keystone species

Question 19

According to the Theory of Island Biogeography, a species has the highest chance of successful
immigration when ______, due to the number of niches available to organisms.
a. The island is large and remote (far from mainland)
b. The island is small and remote (far from mainland)
c. The island is small and close to the mainland
d. The island is large and close to the mainland
e. The island is medium sized and a medium distance from the mainland

Answer 19

d. The island is large and close to the mainland

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of a density independent ecosystem component?
a. Average rainfall
b. Competition
c. Sexual Selection
d. Predation
e. Species evenness

Answer 20

a. Average rainfall

Question 21

Why would gross primary production (GPP) vary during an annual cycle?
a. There would be no change in GPP in an annual cycle
b. Increased respiration at the equator
c. Decrease in photosynthesis during winter months
d. Increased photosynthesis during winter months
e. Decreased respiration at the equator

Answer 21

c. Decrease in photosynthesis during winter months

Question 22

Which of these is a way in which matter is cycled back into the food chain?
a. Carbon dioxide from respiration is fixed into sugar by plants
b. Energy is given off as heat
c. Nitrogen is destroyed by primary consumption
d. Plants absorb sunlight
e. Carbon is sequestered in oceanic crust

Answer 22

a. Carbon dioxide from respiration is fixed into sugar by plants

Question 23

Which of the following is a reason why food chains are so short?
a. Predators must be larger than their prey and there is a maximal size limit for organisms
b. Trophic levels lose energy each transfer, so too little remains
c. Too many organisms can weaken the ecological interactions in a community
d. Toxins accumulate at higher levels in the food chain
e. All of the above

Answer 23

b. Trophic levels lose energy each transfer, so too little remains

Question 24

One reason biomass pyramids in the open ocean are inverted in comparison to most terrestrial
ecosystems is because
a. Primary production is generally lower in the open ocean
b. There are fewer consumers than there are producers in the open ocean
c. Most of the biomass is found among the producers in the open ocean
d. The producers reproduce much more rapidly than herbivores in the ocean
e. The biomass of a consumer in the ocean is generally less than that on land

Answer 24

d. The producers reproduce much more rapidly than herbivores in the ocean

Question 25

Which of these statements is untrue about the nitrogen cycle?
a. Nitrogen fixing bacteria convert nitrogen gas to ammonia
b. Industrial factories can convert nitrogen gas to ammonia
c. Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrate into nitrogen gas
d. Decomposers take nitrogen from dead matter and deposit it back in the soil as ammonia
e. Plants take nitrogen gas from the air for their biological functions

Answer 25

e. Plants take nitrogen gas from the air for their biological functions

Question 26

Which of these sources is the largest carbon reservoir on the planet?
a. Atmosphere
b. Deep ocean water
c. Marine sediments and sedimentary rock
d. Terrestrial vegetation
e. Organic matter in soils

Answer 26

c. Marine sediments and sedimentary rock

Question 27

1. Which of the following subdisciplines of ecology focuses on the growth/decline
   dynamics of one species within a particular area?
   a. Behavioral ecology
   b. Physiological ecology
   c. Population ecology
   d. Community ecology
   e. Ecosystems ecology

Answer 27

c. Population ecology

Question 28

Hadley cells cause air to cycle due to water and air being heated at the equator and rising
into the atmosphere. Which of the following statements is true about Hadley Cells?
a. Deserts are often located at 30° latitude due to a lack of moisture in the air
b. Air heats as it rises into the atmosphere due to being closer to the sun
c. Increased air pressure from cold air pushes air below it towards the equator
d. All of the above are true
e. Only A and C are true

Answer 28

e. Only A and C are true

Question 29

hich of these would NOT be an example of a heritable behavior?
a. A songbird singing due to the egr1 gene
b. Foraging in honeybees due to the for gene
c. Courtship communication in fruit flies due to the per gene
d. A human riding a bike
e. All of the above are examples of heritable behavior

Answer 29

d. A human riding a bike

Question 30

Fireflies emit bioluminescence from their abdomen to attract mates, this is an example of:
a. An original cause for the territorial behavior
b. A proximate cause for the territorial behavior
c. An ultimate cause for the territorial behavior
d. An adaptive cause for the territorial behavior
e. An experimental cause for the territorial behavior

Answer 30

c. An ultimate cause for the territorial behavior

Question 31

Natural selection shapes optimal foraging patterns when organisms seek food resources.
Evidence consistent with these patterns should include all but which of the following:
a. When choosing between two equivalent resources, animals should choose the
nearer option.
b. Predation risk does not influence foraging decisions when food resources are
abundant.
c. How far an animal will travel to forage will depend on the quality of the resource.
d. Animals with lower fat stores would be more likely to forage under riskier
conditions.
e. All of the above are consistent with optimal foraging strategies.

Answer 31

b. Predation risk does not influence foraging decisions when food resources are
abundant.

Question 32

Kim is stuck in the middle of fast-moving flood waters. Their sister Layla is safely on an
embankment but has an opportunity to swim out and save Kim. There is a 40% chance
that Layla will die trying to save Kim. The amount of projected offspring for both of
them is 2. Kim and Layla have a coefficient of relatedness (r) of 0.5 due to their sibling
relationship. What is the benefit and is it greater than the cost? According to Hamilton’s
Rule, will the action of saving his nephew be evolutionarily favored?
a. rB=1 and C=0.8 this action would be evolutionarily favored
b. rB=0.8 and C=1 this action would be evolutionarily favored
c. rB=1 and C=0.8 this action would be evolutionarily un-favored
d. rB=0.8 and C=1 this action would be evolutionarily un-favored
e. Not enough information to determine

Answer 32

a. rB=1 and C=0.8 this action would be evolutionarily favored

Question 33

An aardvark named Stripes has 8 offspring, 4 of which go on to survive and reproduce.
His brother Antony has 4 offspring 3 of which go on to survive. Because they are
brothers their coefficient of relatedness is 0.5. Which of the two brothers has a higher
inclusive fitness?
a. Stripes
b. Antony
c. They have the same inclusive fitness
d. Not enough info to tell

Answer 33

a. Stripes

Question 34

Which of the following indicates the fastest changing population:
a. r = 0.5
b. r = 5
c. r = -5.5
d. r = 1.5
e. r = -2.5

Answer 34

c. r = -5.5

Question 35

A population of a given species is in a unstable environment under r selection. Which of
the following are traits this species is likely to possess?
a. Short lifespan
b. High survivorship
c. Large offspring size
d. High competitive ability
e. Low number of offspring

Answer 35

a. Short lifespan

Question 36

This pairwise ecological interaction that negatively affects fitness for both parties is
a. Competition
b. Predation/parasitism/herbivory
c. Mutualism
d. Commensalism
e. Amensalism

Answer 36

a. Competition

Question 37

When European rabbits were introduced to Australia they reduced the geographic range
of the local bandicoot populations. Rabbits and bandicoots utilized the same resources.
Given this information which of these statements about bandicoots is true?
a. Fundamental niche is smaller than the rabbits’
b. Realized niche is smaller than the rabbits’
c. Fundamental niche is larger than the rabbits’
d. Realized niche is larger than the rabbits’
e. Both C and D

Answer 37

b. Realized niche is smaller than the rabbits’

Question 38

You are comparing two communities, A and B, with species composition ratios of 1:1:1
for A and 3:2:1 for B. When comparing species evenness of A and B, A is ________.
a. Less even than B
b. More even than B
c. Equally as even as B
d. More rich than B
e. Less rich than B

Answer 38

b. More even than B

Question 39

Which of these is an example of how predators exert strong selection on prey?
a. Batesian mimicry
b. Cryptic coloration
c. Aposematic coloration
d. All of the above

Answer 39

d. All of the above

Question 40

Keystone predators maintain species diversity in a community because they
a. Competitively exclude other predators
b. Reduce the number of disruptions in the community
c. Prey on the community’s dominant species
d. Compete better than other species for resources in the community
e. Are the most abundant species in the community

Answer 40

c. Prey on the community’s dominant species

Question 41

Predation reduces the number of prey in a population which part of the formula for
population growth represents the predators affect on prep population growth?
a. aNP
b. faNP
c. qP
d. rN
e. αN

Answer 41

a. aNP

Question 42

According to the Theory of Island Biogeography, a species has the lowest chance of
successful immigration when ______, due to the number of niches available to
organisms.
a. The island is large and remote (far from mainland)
b. The island is small and remote (far from mainland)
c. The island is small and close to the mainland
d. The island is large and close to the mainland
e. The island is medium sized and a medium distance from the mainland

Answer 42

b. The island is small and remote (far from mainland)

Question 43

Which of the following is an example of a density dependent ecosystem component?
a. Average rainfall
b. Amount of sunlight
c. Humidity
d. Predation
e. Temperature

Answer 43

d. Predation

Question 44

One reason biomass pyramids in the open ocean are inverted in comparison to most
terrestrial ecosystems is because
a. Primary production is generally lower in the open ocean
b. There are fewer consumers than there are producers in the open ocean
c. Most of the biomass is found among the producers in the open ocean
d. The producers reproduce much more rapidly than herbivores in the ocean
e. The biomass of a consumer in the ocean is generally less than that on land

Answer 44

d. The producers reproduce much more rapidly than herbivores in the ocean

Question 45

What is the largest C flux?
a. Photosynthesis
b. Fossil fuel burning
c. Vegetation respiration
d. Oceanic outgassing
e. Deep ocean water

Answer 45

a. Photosynthesis

Question 46

If 10% of the energy is transferred between trophic levels how much total energy is
available at the secondary consumer level from the 100% energy available at the primary
producer level?
a. 0%
b. 0.1%
c. 1%
d. 10%
e. 100%

Answer 46

c. 1%

Question 47

Which of these is a way in which matter is cycled back into the food chain?
a. Carbon dioxide from respiration is fixed into sugar by plants
b. Energy is given off as heat
c. Nitrogen is destroyed by primary consumption
d. Plants absorb sunlight
e. Carbon is sequestered in oceanic crust

Answer 47

a. Carbon dioxide from respiration is fixed into sugar by plants

Question 48

Behavior of an animal that benefits another, usually related individual, at its own expense.
r = relatedness
b = projected # of offspring
c = projected offspring * risk of dying

Answer 48

Altruism