Questions Flashcards
Ecology is not
the study of interactions among organisms and their environments.
environmental science.
a subdiscipline of biology.
a basic science.
environmental science.
Which of the following is not necessary for formation of prevailing easterly and westerly winds on a planet (the trade winds)?
The planet is round.
The planet is spinning.
The sun’s differential heating of earth, causing air near the equator to heat up and rise, and eventually fall back down
The tilt of the planet on its axis.
The tilt of the planet on its axis.
If ____ is strong, an allele that decreases an individual’s fitness has a chance of becoming fixed in the population. This is more likely if the population size is ____.
genetic drift; small
genetic drift; large
natural selection; small
gene flow; large
genetic drift; small
Selective pressure can come from:
Group of answer choices
(a) the environment
(b) other organisms
(c) both a and b
(c) both a and b
Pick whether each of the following items describe a pool of carbon or a flux of carbon. Units for each variable are in parentheses.
Atmoshpere (g C per m3)
Respiration (g C per day)
Herbivory (mg C per m² per day)
A longhorn (kg C)
Pool
Flux
Flux
Pool
If the NPP of a grassland is 200 gC m-2 yr-1 and autotrophic respiration is 80 gC m-2 yr-1, what is the GPP of the grassland?
NPP=GPP-AR
200=GPP-80
280=GPP
Which of the following is part of the calculation of NEE (net ecosystem exchange) but is not part of the calculation of NPP (net primary productivity)?
Autotrophic respiration
Heterotrophic respiration
Photosynthesis
Heterotrophic respiration
Which of the following are general plant adaptations that might be found in dry environments? Choose all that apply.
Sclerophyllous leaves
Evergreen broad leaves
Tall-statured trees
Succulent leaves
Sclerophyllous leaves
Succulent leaves
In general, more trees are found in biomes with ________ rainfall. In addition, fewer trees are found in biomes with __________ fire.
higher; less
lower; more
lower; less
higher; more
higher; more
When the precipitation line drops below the temperature line on a climate diagram, this generally means:
There is insufficient water to support plant growth
It is too cold to support plant growth
There is insufficient water to support plant growth
What is the main new source of phosphorus (P) as well as many other micronutrients to ecosystems? (That is, not recycled phosphorus, but new P that enters an ecosystem.)
Precipitation
Bedrock
Atmosphere
Bedrock
The river continuum concept describes how the dominant organisms in streams shift from ______ to _____ and ____ with increasing stream order.
collectors, grazers, shredders
grazers, collectors, shredders
shredders, grazers, collectors
collectors, shredders, grazers
shredders, grazers, collectors
In an ecosystem nutrient cycle, mineralization is:
the transformation of organic molecules to inorganic molecules
the transformation of inorganic molecules to organic molecules
the process of bacteria incorporating nutrients into their cells
a pathway of nutrient loss from an ecosystem
the transformation of inorganic molecules to organic molecules
How each of factors below apply to this process of adaptive evolution in speed up, slow down, or have mixed effects on the pace of evolution?
Big population size
Very high mutation rate
Immigration/ emigration
Environmental heterogeneity
Big population size: speeds up
Very high mutation rate: mixed effects (mostly disadvantegous alleles and favorable alles)
Immigration/ emigration: slow down
Environmental heterogenity: slow down
Which factor would be most helpful in speeding pace of adaptive evolution?
Big population size
More beneficial mutations, effective natural selection
