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Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
EquationListforExamI
rt
N =e N
t
N = λt N
t
o
o
l(x) = N(x)/N(0)
N(0) = (M X C) / R
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
PracticeQuestions
Thescienceofecology
Whichofthefollowinglevelsofecologicalorganizationisarrangedinthecorrectsequence
frommosttoleastinclusive?
A)community,ecosystem,organism,population
B)ecosystem,community,population,organism
C)population,ecosystem,organism,community
D)organism,population,community,ecosystem
E)organism,community,population,ecosystem
Answer:B
Whichofthefollowingareimportantbioticfactorsthatcanaffectthestructureand
organizationofbiologicalcommunities?
A)precipitation,wind
B)nutrientavailability,soilpH
C)predation,competition
D)temperature,water
E)lightintensity,seasonality
Answer:C
WhichofthefollowingisNOTanexampleofapopulation?
A)Sideblotchlizards(Utastansburiana)inthecityofRioRancho
B)Deserttarantulas(Aphonopelmachalcodes)intheSantaRitaMountains
C)Americancockroaches(Periplanetaamericana)inmycompostbin
D)BirdsoftheRioGrandebosque
E)Alloftheabovearepopulations
Answer:D
Whichofthefollowingisanexampleofacommunity?
A)TicksofBridgewater,Vermont
B)MuleDeer(Odocoileushemionus)ofthesouthernRockyMountains
C)Marinecopepods
D)TheSandiaMountains
E)Alloftheabovearecommunities
Answer:A
TrueorFalse?Energycannotberecycled.
A)True
B)False
Essay:Describetherelativeadvantagesanddisadvantagesofobservational,experimental,and
modelingapproachestothestudyofecology.
Shortanswer:DefinethetermEcology.
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Thephysicalenvironmentandbiomes
IftheEarthweretoreorientsuchthattheNorthPolealwaysreceiveddirectsunlight(always
facedtheSun),howwouldthatchangeEarth'sclimate?
A)Theequatorswouldnotchangeinclimate.
B)TheSouthPolewouldgetcolder.
C)Theequatorswouldgetwarmer.
D)TheNorthPolewouldgetmorewind.
Answer:B
WhatwouldhappentotheseasonsiftheEarthweretilted35degreesoffitsorbitalplane
insteadoftheusual23.5degrees?
A)Theseasonswoulddisappear.
B)Wintersandsummerswouldbemoresevere.
C)Wintersandsummerswouldbelesssevere.
D)Theseasonswouldbeshorter.
Answer:B
Whichofthefollowingstatementsregardingaltitudeandclimatearetrue?
I) Speciescompositionondifferentsidesofamountainrangeareoftendifferentfromeach
other.
II) Rainshadowsmayappearononesideofamountainrange.
III) Thehigherthealtitude,thewarmertheclimate.
IV) Bothsidesofamountainrangegenerallyreceiveequalamountsofprecipitation.
A)onlyIandII
B)onlyIIIandIV
C)onlyI,II,andIV
D)onlyII,III,andIV
E)onlyI,II,andIII
Answer:A
Asclimatechangesbecauseofglobalwarming,plantspecies'rangesinthenorthern
hemispheremaymovenorthward.Thetreesthataremostlikelytoavoidextinctioninsuchan
environmentarethosethat_____.
A)haveseedsthatareeasilydispersedbywindoranimals
B)havethinseedcoats
C)producewell-provisionedseeds
D)haveseedsthatbecomeviableonlyafteraforestfire
E)dispersemanyseedsincloseproximitytotheparenttree
Answer:A
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Thespecificabioticfactorsdefiningabiomeare_____.
I) seasonalvariationintemperatureandprecipitation
II) averageannualtemperatureandprecipitation
III) maximumannualtemperatureandprecipitation
IV) minimumannualtemperaturesandprecipitation
A)onlyIandII
B)onlyIIIandIV
C)onlyI,II,andIV
D)onlyII,III,andIV
E)onlyI,II,andIII
Answer:A
Inthefigureabove,whichnumberwoulddesignatethearctictundrabiome?
A)2
B)3
C)4
D)5
E)Thearctictundraisnotdesignatedbyanumberinthefigureabove.
Answer:D
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Whichofthefollowingstatementsbestdescribestheeffectofclimateonbiomedistribution?
A)Averageannualtemperatureandprecipitationaresufficienttopredictwhichbiomewillbe
foundinanarea.
B)Seasonalfluctuationoftemperatureisnotalimitingfactorinbiomedistributionifareashave
thesameannualtemperatureandprecipitationmeans.
C)Theaverageclimateandseasonalpatternofclimateareimportantindeterminingbiome
distribution.
D)Temperateforestsandgrasslandsaredifferentbiomesbecausetheyreceiveadifferent
qualityandquantityofsunlight,eventhoughtheyhaveessentiallythesameannual
temperatureandprecipitation.
E)Correlationofclimatewithbiomedistributionissufficienttodeterminethecauseofbiome
patterns.
Answer:C
Inanexperimentwithtwospeciesofbarnacles,C.stellatus(aspeciesofbarnacle)is
competitivelyexcludedfromthelowerintertidalzonebyB.balanoides(anotherspeciesof
barnacle),butC.stellatushasnoeffectonthedistributionofB.balanoides.Whatcouldbe
concludedaboutthetwospecies’niches?
A)ThefundamentalandrealizednichesofB.balanoidesandC.stellatusareidentical.
B)ThefundamentalandrealizednichesofB.balanoidesandC.stellatusaredifferent.
C)ThefundamentalnicheofB.balanoidesisdifferentfromtherealizednicheofB.balanoides,
butthefundamentalnichesofC.stellatusisidenticaltotherealizednicheofC.stella.
D)ThefundamentalnicheofB.balanoidesisidenticaltotherealizednicheofB.balanoides,but
thefundamentalnicheofC.stellatusisdifferentfromtherealizednicheofC.stellatus.
Answer:D
Essay:Explainhowglobalclimatewouldbealterediftheearthwereacylindershaperather
thanasphereandwasnotatalltiltedonitsaxis.Includeacomparisonofhowthiswould
changebothlatitudinalandseasonalpatternstemperatureandprecipitationcomparedto
currentglobalpatterns.
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Whichofthefollowingmightaffecttheforagingbehaviorofananimalinthecontextofoptimal
foraging?
I) riskofpredation
II) preysize
III) preydefenses
IV) preydensity
A)onlyIandIII
B)onlyIIandIV
C)onlyII,III,andIV
D)onlyI,II,andIII
E)I,II,III,andIV
Answer:E
Plantscanbenefitfrommycorrhizalfungi,whichgrowintheirroots.Thesefungiexchange
nitrogenandphosphorus(thatthefungiforagefromthesoil)forplantcarbon.Belowisa
graphshowingthecosts(filledcircles)andbenefits(opensquares)oftheinteractionbetween
plantsandmycorrhizalfungusasafunctionoftheamountofcarbontheplantgivestothe
fungus.Iftheplantisbehavingoptimally,whatwouldbeitsoptimalcarboninvestmentinthe
fungus?
Carbon remaining for plant growth and reproduction
Benefit to plant of nutrients provided by fungus
12
12
10
10
8
8
6
6
4
4
2
2
0
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
Amount of carbon allocated to fungus (mg)
A)
10mg
B)
5mg
C)
7mg
D)
Optimaldecisioncannotbedeterminedfromthisfigure
E)
Plantsdonotexhibitbehavior,onlyanimalsdo.
Answer:B
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Whatistheprimarylimitingfactorthatdetermineswhynofemaleanimalcanproduceavery
largenumberofverylargeeggs?
A)Timeislimited.
B)Thereareenergyconstraints.
C)Temperatureconstraintswillpreventfemalesfromcarryingtoomanyeggs.
D)Maleavailabilityislimited.
E)Therewillbeanincreaseinpredationpressureifthefemalescarrytoomanylargeeggs.
Answer:B
Whichofthesetermsdefineshowtheorganismallocatesresourcestogrowth,reproduction,
andactivitiesorstructuresrelatedtosurvival?
A)survivorship
B)lifehistory
C)energybudget
D)demography
Answer:B
Essay/Shortanswer:
Whatisthekeyassumptionofoptimalforagingtheory?
Answer:Assumesthatevolutionhas“optimized”thebehavioroforganisms.
Drawagraphthatrepresentsalifehistorytrade-offbetweentwotraitsofa(real)organismof
yourchoice.
Answer:Manypossibilities,hereisone
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Populationdynamics
Apopulationiscorrectlydefinedashavingwhichofthefollowingcharacteristics?
I) inhabitingthesamegeneralarea
II) belongingtothesamespecies
III) possessingaconstantanduniformdensityanddispersion
A)Ionly
B)IIIonly
C)IandIIonly
D)IIandIIIonly
E)I,II,andIII
Answer:C
Anecologistrecordedtwelvewhite-taileddeer,Odocoileusvirginianus,persquarekilometerin
onewoodlotandtwentypersquarekilometerinanotherwoodlot.Whatwastheecologist
comparing?
A)density
B)dispersion
C)carryingcapacity
D)cohorts
E)range
Answer:A
Whichofthefollowinggroupswouldbemostlikelytoexhibituniformdispersion?
A)redsquirrels,whoactivelydefendterritories
B)cattails,whichgrowprimarilyatedgesoflakesandstreams
C)dwarfmistletoes,whichparasitizeparticularspeciesofforesttree
D)moths,inacityatnight
E)laketrout,whichseekoutcold,deepwaterhighindissolvedoxygen
Answer:A
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Inthefigureabove,whichofthelinesrepresentsthehighestper-capitarateincrease(r)?
A)lineA
B)lineB
C)lineC
D)lineD
Answer:A
Inthefigureabove,whichofthearrowsrepresentsthecarryingcapacity?
A)arrowA
B)arrowB
C)arrowC
D)Carryingcapacitycannotbefoundinthefigurebecausespeciesunderdensity-dependent
controlneverreachcarryingcapacity.
Answer:C
31)Inthefigureabove,whichofthearrowsrepresentsthemostrapidpopulationgrowth?
A)arrowA
B)arrowB
C)arrowC
Answer:B
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
AsNapproachesKforacertainpopulation,whichofthefollowingispredictedbythelogistic
equation?
A)Thegrowthratewillnotchange.
B)Thegrowthratewillapproachzero.
C)ThepopulationwillshowanAlleeeffect.
D)Thepopulationwillincreaseexponentially.
E)Thecarryingcapacityoftheenvironmentwillincrease.
Answer:B
Duringexponentialgrowth,apopulationalways_____.
A)growsbythousandsofindividuals
B)growsatitsmaximumpercapitarate
C)quicklyreachesitscarryingcapacity
D)cyclesthroughtime
E)losessomeindividualstoemigration
Answer:B
Itisestimatedthataflockofwoodbuffalocraneshouldbeabletosustainanrof0.085forthe
foreseeablefuture.Iftheflockcurrentlycontains350individuals,howlongwillittakeforthat
populationtodouble?
A)between7.0and9.0years
B)between9.0and11.0years
C)between11.0and13.0years
D)lessthan7years
E)morethan13years
Answer:A
Whichstatementistruewithregardtohumanpopulationgrowth?
A)Itisatazeroreproductionrate.
B)Itsrateofincreasecontinuestogrowatanexponentialrate.
C)Itsrateofgrowthisslowing.
D)Itsrateofgrowthisincreasing.
E)Thereisnoscientificpredictionthatcanbemadeabouthumanpopulationgrowth.
Answer:C
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Oftenthegrowthcycleofonepopulationhasaneffectonthecycleofanother.Asmoose
populationsincrease,forexample,wolfpopulationsalsoincrease.Thus,ifweareconsidering
thelogisticequationforthewolfpopulation,
dN/dt=rN
,
whichofthefactorsaccountsfortheeffectofthemoosepopulation?
A)r
B)N
C)rN
D)K
E)dt
Answer:D
Apopulationofnon-nativetoadswasrecentlyintroducedtotheeastcoastofAustralia.The
toadsbreedonceperyearinthespring.Whichpopulationmodelwouldbebestusedto
projecttheirpopulationgrowth?
A)
B)
C) Nt = λt N0
D)l(x) = N(x)/N(0)
E)Noneoftheabove
Answer:C
Essay/ShortAnswer:
Listthe4assumptionsoftheexponentialgrowthmodel.Whichoftheseassumptionsdoesthe
discreteexponentialmodelconfront,andhowdoesitchangethemodel?Giveanexampleofa
speciesthatwouldbebestmodeledwiththediscreteexponential.
Answer:
1) Closedpopulation(nomigration)
2) Constantbirthanddeathrates(unlimitedresources)
3) Noage,sizeorstagestructure(individualsinthepopulationareidentical)
4) Continuouspopulationgrowth(notimelagsorpulsedbirths/deaths)
Thediscreteexponentialmodelconfrontsassumption4bymodelingpopulationgrowthover
discretetimesteps,suchasayearlyinterval.
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Demography
Thestudyoffactorsthatdeterminethesizeandstructureofpopulationsthroughtimeiscalled
_____.
A)communityecology
B)immigrationbiology
C)demography
D)logisticgrowth
Answer:C
Thefollowingisapartiallifetableforapopulationoffrogs.Determinethesurvivorship
schedule.(seelectureforanswer)
x
N(x)
m(x)
0
500
0
1
400
2
2
200
3
3
50
1
4
0
0
Whichofthefollowingcouldbeadensity-independentfactorthataffectshumanpopulation
size?
A)socialpressureforbirthcontrol
B)earthquakes
C)plagues
D)famines
Answer:B
TrueorFalse:Onlydensity-dependentfactorscanregulatepopulationgrowthrates.
A)True
B)False
Answer:A
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Usingthelifetableabove,calculatethenetreproductiverate(R0)forthispopulation.
A)2.00
B)3.26
C)1.30
D)2.31
Answer:B
Usingthetableabove,howwouldyoudescribethepopulationdynamicsofL.vivipara?
A)Thepopulationisincreasing.
B)Thepopulationisdecreasing.
C)Thepopulationisstable.
D)Thefiguredoesnotprovidethisinformation.
Answer:A
Usingthetableabove,determinewhichageclassyearwouldhurtthepopulationgrowthmost
ifitwerewipedoutbydisease.
A)ageclassyear1
B)ageclassyear2
C)ageclassyear3
D)ageclassyear4
E)ageclassyear5
Answer:A
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Supposeresearchersmarked800turtlesandlaterwereabletotrapatotalof300individualsin
thatpopulation,ofwhich150weremarked.Whatistheestimatefortotalpopulationsize?
A)200
B)1050
C)1600
D)2100
Answer:C
Whichofthefollowingisthemostimportantassumptionforthemark-recapturemethodto
estimatethesizeofwildlifepopulations?
A)Allfemalesinthepopulationhavethesamelittersize.
B)Moreindividualsemigratefrom,asopposedtoimmigrateinto,apopulation.
C)Over50%ofthemarkedindividualsneedtobetrappedduringtherecapturephase.
D)Thereisa50:50ratioofmalestofemalesinthepopulationbeforeandaftertrappingand
recapture.
E)Markedindividualshavethesameprobabilityofbeingrecapturedasunmarkedindividuals
duringtherecapturephase.
Answer:E
Whichdescriptionbestdescribesthisgraphforalizardpopulation?
A)TypeI
B)TypeII
C)TypeII
D)Exponentialgrowth
E)Logisticgrowth
AnswerB
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Refertothefigureabove.Whichcurvebestdescribessurvivorshipinhumanswholivein
developednations?
A)A
B)B
C)C
D)D
E)E
Answer:A
Essay/ShortAnswer:
TheNewMexicomeadowjumpingmousewasrecentlylistedasanendangeredspecies.You
workforthestatefishandwildlifesurveytogetbetterdataonpopulationgrowthratesofthis
mouse.Designasurveytocollectinformationontheage-structureofonepopulationofthe
mouse,includingwhatmethodoflifetabledatacollectionyouwoulduse(cohortvs.static)and
why.Whatarethetwokeycolumnsofdataneededtoconstructyourlifetable?
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
SpeciesinteractionsI
Accordingtothecompetitiveexclusionprinciple,twospeciescannotcontinuetooccupythe
same_____.
A)habitat
B)niche
C)territory
D)range
E)biome
Answer:B
WhichwouldbethebestwaytodirectlytestthehypothesisthatC.stellatus(aspeciesof
barnacle)iscompetitivelyexcludedfromthelowerintertidalzonebyB.balanoides(another
speciesofbarnacle)?
A)Placeindividualsofeachspeciesinajarandseewhichspeciessurvives.
B)RemoveallB.balanoidesfromthelowerintertidalzone.
C)TransplantB.balanoidestotheupperintertidalzone.
D)Clearrocksinanentireareaanddocumentrecolonizationevents.
E)RemoveallC.stellatusfromtheuppertidalzone.
Answer:B
Thesymbols+,-,andoaretobeusedtoshowtheresultsofinteractionsbetweenindividuals
andgroupsofindividualsintheexamplesthatfollow.Thesymbol+denotesapositive
interaction,-denotesanegativeinteraction,andodenoteswhereindividualsarenotaffected
byinteracting.Thefirstsymbolreferstothefirstorganismmentioned.
Whatinteractionsexistbetweenalionprideandahyenapack?
A)+/+
B)+/o
C)+/-
D)o/o
E)-/-
Answer:E
Inbiology,anarmsraceoccurswhen_____.
A)predatorsbecomedominantovertheirpreyspeciesleadingtothelocalextinctionofthe
prey
B)anewspeciesevolvesintotwoseparatespecies
C)anewnicheiscreatedbecauseofinteractionsbetweenspecies
D)thereisarepeatingcycleofreciprocaladaptation
E)apreyspeciesadaptsandisabletocoexistwithitspredators
Answer:D
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Inthefigureabove,whichspeciesisthestrongercompetitor?
A)species1
B)species2
C)Bothspeciescompeteequally.
D)Itisnotpossibletotellfromthisfigure.
Answer:A
Treehoppers(atypeofinsect)producehoneydew,whichantsuseforfood.Treehoppershavea
majorpredator,thejumpingspider.Researchershypothesizedthattheantswouldprotectthe
treehoppersfromthespiders.Inanexperiment,researchersfollowedstudyplotswithants
removedfromthesystemandcomparedthemtoacontrolplot.Inthefigureabove,whatcan
youconclude?
A)Antsdosomehowprotectthetreehoppersfromspiders.
B)Antseatthehoneydewproducedbytreehoppers
C)Antsreducethenumbersoftreehoppers.
D)Nospecificconclusionscanbedrawnfromthisfigure.
E)TreehoppersdonotproducehoneydewinJulyandarenotprotectedbytheants.
Answer:A
Biology203–Ecology/Exam1PracticeQuestions(Spring2017)
Somebirdsfollowmovingswarmsofarmyantsinthetropics.Astheantsmarchalongthe
forestfloorhuntinginsectsandsmallvertebrates,birdsfollowandpickoffanyinsectsorsmall
vertebratesthatflyorjumpoutofthewayoftheants.Thissituationisanexampleofwhatkind
ofspeciesinteractionbetweenthebirdsandtheants?
A)cooperation
B)consumption
C)commensalism
D)parasitism
E)mutualism
Answer:C
Essay/Shortanswer:Designanexperimenttotestforcompetitionbetweencattleand
elephants.Makesureyourexperimentaddressesthethreecriteriayoumustshowto
demonstratecompetition.Whatcouldhappenoverevolutionarytimetoelephanttraitsif
cattleareapersistentsourceofcompetition?