Ecology Exam Biology 1010 Fall 2012

Name: ______________________________________________________________ Studio section:__

Instructions:
Please enter Last Name, First Name and your RIN on both, this page and the Scantron sheet.
Multiple choice questions: Read each question carefully, looking at all the suggested answers. Select the best answer and mark
it on the Scantron sheet using pencil. Check all your answers at least once to make sure you have chosen the best answer and
marked the corresponding place on the form.
Essay questions: please use pen, and write clearly below each question.

1.

In the pacific coast kelp bed ecosystem, otters play an important role because they eat sea urchins, which
graze on the kelp. In a sense the otters role resembles that of _______________ in ___________.
a. Ants .. Caribbean Islands
b. Herring..the Carolina river system
c. Wolf..Yellowstone Park
d. Mice.grass fields

2. The ecological footprint refers to

a. The amount of land required to sustain a population
b. Traces of prior biomes in the fossil record
c. The effect of an organism on its biome or community
d. The carrying capacity of a population in a given environment
3. Why do the seasons of the year occur, i.e. why is it warmer during the summer than in the winter?
a. The earths axis of rotation is tilted relative to the plane of earth's orbit around the sun
b. The earth is closer to the sun in the summer
c. The sun fluctuates regularly in temperature, causing heating and cooling in the surrounding space
d. In the winter, clouds block more of the incoming sunlight
4.

On islands and in lakes, biodiversity ________ as surface area __________.

a. Doublesdoubles
b. Increases fivefold .doubles
c. Doubles .increases by ten fold
d. Declines .increases

5.

Pioneer species on lava flows include

a. Mice
b. Moss
c. Moose
d. All of the above

6. Which of the following interactions is an example of mutualism?

a. Ants and Acacia trees
b. Gobi fish and blind shrimp
c. Photosynthetic algae and jellyfish
d. All of the above
7.

Suppose a species of bird has a per capita growth rate of 0.3 per year. How many birds will there be next year
if there are 20 this year?
a. There will be about 20 birds
b. There will be about 6 birds
c. There will be about 26 birds
d. There is insufficient information to make this calculation

8. The carrying capacity of the environment for a population is the number of individuals at which birth rate
equals death rate. As a population approaches the carrying capacity, it may overshoot and then undershoot the
average carrying capacity. This oscillatory behavior is due to
a. The inherent periodicity of reproduction and development
b. Positive and negative feedback effects on birth and death rates
c. Stochastic factors relative to mating behaviors
d. Chaotic relationships due to nonlinear population growth
9.

Consider a plant, somewhere near the bottom of the food chain. Which of the following would likely be the
most dangerous development for this plant?
a. A mutant of a virus that has long been a problem for the plant.
b. A deleterious mutation in the plant that might spread
c. A mutant herbivore that has long been a problem for the plant
d. A herbivore introduced from another continent by explorers

10. The primary source of energy for hydrothermal vent communities is

a. the heat of the water emerging from the vents.
b. oxidation of petroleum compounds in the vent water.
c. oxidation of hydrogen sulfide in the vent water.
d. reduction of carbon dioxide in the vent water.
11. Introduced species are animals that have been spread beyond their normal range by human activities. Many
introduced species prosper, causing environmental problems in their unnatural new homes. If the introduced
species were already well adapted for this new environment, why weren't they already living there?
a. In their new environment, the species suddenly find ways to cooperate with other organisms to survive.
They hadn't been able to do that before.
b. In their new environment, the introduced species quickly acquire the characteristics that they need for their
new location. They hadn't been able to do that before.
c. The introduced species did not evolve in the new location and were not naturally able to spread there due to
some type of barrier.
d. The introduced species used to live in the new environment and were recently killed off. The introduction
of introduced species simply represents repopulation of native species.
12. The major reason for tropical deforestation is
a. hurricane destruction of large regions.
b. governments of developing countries selling off land to earn cash.
c. people clearing forests to open up land for agriculture.
d. governments clearing forests to build cities.
13. When a New England farm is abandoned, its formerly plowed fields first become weedy meadows, then
shrubby areas, and finally forest. This sequence of plant communities is an example of
a. evolution.
b. a phylogenetic trend.
c. a trophic chain.
d. secondary succession.
14. A hypothetical community on a barren mid-Atlantic island consists of two fish-eating seabirds (the booby and
the noddy), the fungi and microorganisms that live on the birds' dung, a tick that feeds on these two birds, a
cactus, a moth that feeds on cast-off feathers, a beetle that lives on dung organisms, and spiders that eat the
other arthropods. There are no other plants and no lichens. Which of the following choices incorrectly pairs a
member of this assemblage with its position in the trophic structure?
a. fungi, detritivores
b. booby, primary consumer
c. moth, detritivore
d. cactus, producer

15. Habitat fragmentation

a. results from natural disasters.
b. favors animals that prefer large, open ranges.
c. often results from human activities.
d. results in a significant increase in diversity.
16. Camouflage typically evolves as a result of
a. predation.
b. interspecific competition.
c. mutualism.
d. herbivory.
17. The flow of ________ into ecosystems occurs in one direction only, while ________ are recycled within the
ecosystem itself.
a. minerals . . . energy compounds
b. genetic information . . . genotypes
c. organic compounds . . . minerals
d. energy . . . chemicals
18. CO2 in the atmosphere is absorbed by ________ and converted into biomass.
a. the ozone layer
b. other atmosphere gases
c. photosynthetic organisms
d. large land masses
Essay questions
1. Why is the equator the most productive region, or the region on Earth with the greatest biodiversity when
compared to all other areas? (4 points)

2.

Competition is a major factor influencing the composition of a community. Four different types of
competition have been defined. Describe two of these four types of competition and provide an example for
each to illustrate the type of competition. (6 points)

3. Explain why it is unusual to have more than 3-4 levels of consumers in an ecosystem? (4 points)