Practice Questions Flashcards
1
Q
1. Which of the following is both an autotroph, and a prokaryote? A. a mushroom B. a cyanobacterium C. a fern D. E. coli E. none of the above
A
B- a cyanobacterium
2
Q
2. What is the best current estimate for the number of species on Earth, not counting prokaryotes? A) 100,000 B) 2 million C) 8.7 million D) 100 million E) none of the above.
A
C- 8.7 million
3
Q
- What was the conclusion of the experiments with Zonosemata flies conducted by Eric Greene?
A. Exclosure of birds had no effect on insect populations.
B. Exclosure of flies decreased pollinator efficiency.
C. The wing banding pattern and behavior represent a threat display to deter jumping spiders.
D. The wing banding pattern and behavior must have evolved by sexual selection.
E. There was no purpose to the experiment.
A
C-The wing banding pattern and behavior represent a threat display to deter jumping spiders.
4
Q
6. About how many species of snakes occur in California? A. 700 B. 14 C. 5000 D. 73 E. impossible to tell
A
D-73
5
Q
7. Which of the following would you expect of a flower pollinated by hummingbirds? A. Open at night B. Red color C. Very long corolla D. Scented flowers E. None of the above
A
B-Red color
6
Q
- Which of the following questions would be of most interest to an ecosystems ecologist?
A) How does the density of gypsy moths affect their rate of population growth?
B) How does the availability of phosphorus affect the transfer of nitrogen from herbivorous insects to predatory birds?
C) How do desert lizards find water?
D) How do predatory wasps influence the diversity of herbivorous insects in temperate forests?
E) none of the above.
A
B) How does the availability of phosphorus affect the transfer of nitrogen from herbivorous insects to predatory birds?
7
Q
- Which of the following is true about scientific paradigms?
A) A scientific paradigm encompasses key observations and experiments, and theories in a field of science that are generally thought to be well-established and valid.
B) They are usually accepted as articles of faith-and the point of science is to find evidence to support them.
C) The word “paradigm” is used by stupid people trying to seem smarter, and they have no place in science.
D) They accept the validity of supernatural explanations, if no non-supernatural explanation is available.
E) A and B
A
A) A scientific paradigm encompasses key observations and experiments, and theories in a field of science that are generally thought to be well-established and valid.
8
Q
- Which of the following statements about the benthos of ocean basins would you expect to be true?
A) Net primary productivity is essentially zero due to lack of photosynthesis.
B) Decomposition forms the base of nearly every food chain.
C) Net primary productivity is high because of the rain of organisms from the photic regions near the surface.
D) Most of the organisms here have a high reproductive rate, and short lifespans, because of high energy flux.
E) A and B
A
E- A and B
9
Q
16. For terrestrial plant communities, which of the following is most important in determining biological productivity? A) Amount and timing of rainfall B) Its place in the “circle of life.” C) Amount and timing of temperature D) Presence of predators E) A and C
A
E- A and C
10
Q
- What happens to a population when it has exceeded its carrying capacity?
A) Rmax decreases.
B) The population declines in numbers.
C) The population increases in numbers.
D) Intraspecific competition among members of the population decreases.
E) A and B
A
B- The population declines in numbers
11
Q
- Which of the following are significant advantages of parental care, as an evolutionary strategy?
A) It frees up resources that can be spent on more offspring, ie., larger clutch size.
B) It ensures the availability of resources that can be invested the survival of the species.
C) The parental care reduces their early mortality, and makes them more able to survive in competitive environments.
D) B and C
E) None of the above.
A
C) The parental care reduces their early mortality, and makes them more able to survive in competitive environments.
12
Q
- In terms of their life histories, why do salmon migrate?
A) Adults cannot survive in freshwater for more than a few days.
B) They eggs are heavy, must be laid in a shallow, well-oxygenated stream to have any chance of survival.
C) The open ocean offers abundant resources for juvenile fish to grow into a large adult size.
D) B and C
E) All of the above
A
C) The open ocean offers abundant resources for juvenile fish to grow into a large adult size.
13
Q
- What statements about predators are true?
A) They live in harmony with the “circle of life”, killing the old and the sick and never driving their prey extinct.
B) They are often engaged in an “evolutionary arms race” with their prey species.
C) They facilitate energy transfer to within ecosystems.
D) A and B
E) B and C
A
B) They are often engaged in an “evolutionary arms race” with their prey species.
14
Q
32. Which of the following processes removes CO2 from the atmosphere? A. Combustion of fossil fuels B. Respiration C. Photosynthesis D. Photo-dissociation of water E. None of the above.
A
C. Photosynthesis
15
Q
The 700 strains of tomato rise from genetic variation in how many species? This is an example of what kind of biodiversity
A
1 species. Genetic biodiversity.
