Download Principles of Ecology BL / ENVS 402 Exam I 9-22-2008

Principles of Ecology
BL / ENVS 402
Exam I
9-22-2008
Name:_________________________________________
There are three parts to this exam. Use your time wisely as you only have 50 minutes.
Part One: Circle the BEST answer. Each question is worth 2 points
1. Why do ecologists studying seed production assign plots of land to either the control group or
treatment group at random?
a. It increases the chance that the study will be able to be scaled to a higher level.
b. It makes it less likely another scientist will contradict the study.
c. It makes it less likely that plots that receive a particular treatment share other characteristics that
might influence seed production.
d. It increases the chance that the treatment group will show a difference from the control group.
e. All of the above
2. The decline in amphibian populations has been attributed to which of the following factors?
a. Habitat loss
b. Climate change
c. Increase of ozone in the atmosphere
d. Both a and b
e. All of the above
3. Which of the following terms refers to all living organisms on Earth plus the environments in which
they live?
a. Population
b. Community
c. Ecosystem
d. Biosphere
e. None of the above
4. Which of the following is an example of an adaptation?
a. A feature of an organism that improves its ability to survive and reproduce in its environment
b. A feature of an organism that is not inherited, but is learned from the older members of the group
c. A feature of an organism as it develops into adulthood
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
5. Which of the following statements about climate is false?
a. The distribution of organisms tends to reflect extremes in the climates of particular locales rather
than the averages.
b. The timing of changes to the physical environment is often ecologically important.
c. Climate influences the rates of abiotic processes that affect organisms.
d. Climate usually has little effect on the rate of periodic disturbances in an area.
e. All of the above are true.
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6. Compared with land at the same latitude, ocean waters tend to be _______ in the winter and
_______ in the summer because water has a _______ heat capacity than land has.
a. warmer; warmer; higher
b. warmer; warmer; lower
c. warmer; colder; higher
d. colder; warmer; higher
e. colder; colder; lower
7. The sides of mountain ranges that face away from the prevailing winds are called the _______ side.
These usually receive _______ precipitation than the other side of the mountain.
a. leeward; more
b. leeward; less
c. starboard; more
d. windward; more
e. windward; less
8. Deforestation in the tropics should result in a(n) _______ in the land’s ability to reflect solar energy
and ______ evapotranspiration.
a. increase; increased
b. increase; decreased
c. decrease; increased
d. decrease; more variable
e. decrease; decreased
9. Which of the following is a major cause of the periodic glacial advances and retreats that have
occurred over the last two million years?
a. The Pacific Decadal Oscillation
b. ENSO
c. Periodic changes of Earth’s orbit from more circular to more elliptical
d. Changes in the rate of continental drift
e. Both a and b
10. On what time scale does El Niño occur?
a. Daily
b. Monthly
c. Seasonal
d. Between 2 and 10 years
e. Centuries
11. Which of the following is characteristic of a Mediterranean-type climate?
a. Precipitation mainly in the summer
b. Vegetation dominated by plants with deciduous leaves
c. Regular fire disturbances
d. Both a and b
e. Both b and c
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Use the graph above to answer questions 11 and 12.
12. Based on the climate data shown in the diagram, this location is most likely in a
a. temperate evergreen forest.
b. seasonal tropical forest.
c. temperate grassland.
d. boreal forest.
e. temperate shrubland.
13. According to the diagram, precipitation is usually the highest in Denison, Nebraska, in
a. January and February.
b. March and April.
c. June and July.
d. September and October.
e. November and December.
14. Which of the following is characteristic of temperate deciduous forests?
a. Extended periods of subfreezing temperature
b. Moderate to high precipitation
c. Low soil fertility
d. Both a and b
e. Both b and c
15. The seagrasses in seagrass beds are
a. flowering plants.
b. green algae.
c. brown algae.
d. red algae.
e. fungi.
16. Which of the following statements about adaptations is true?
a. Adaptations evolve within individuals.
b. “Adaptation” is another word for “acclimatization.”
c. Genetic variation within a population is a requirement for the evolution of adaptations.
d. Both a and b
e. None of the above
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17. Suppose a plant is receiving 150 units of heat per minute due to solar radiation, and 45 units of
heat per minute due to infrared radiation. Sixty units per minute of solar radiation are reflected back by
the leaves, and it emits 30 units of infrared radiation. It also loses 50 units of heat per minute through
evapotranspiration. The temperature of a plant is not changing. Based on this, we can conclude that the
combined processes of conduction and convection are resulting in _______ of heat to the plant, and
that its temperature is currently _______ the ambient temperature.
a. a net input; warmer than
b. a net input; colder than
c. a net output; warmer than
d. a net output; colder than
e. a zero net change; the same as
18. In the summer, leaves of E. farinosa show _______ pubescence than in the winter. The change in
pubescence is an example of _______.
a. greater; adaptation
b. greater; acclimatization
c. greater; transpiration
d. less; acclimatization
e. less; adaptation
19. System 1 has a water potential of ‒65 MPa. System 2 has a water potential of ‒45 MPa. System 3
has a water potential of 15 MPa. Water will flow from _______ to _______.
a. system 1; system 2
b. system 2; system 3
c. system 3; system 1
d. Both a and b
e. None of the above
20. When a plant is using transpiration to cool off during the day, its stomata are _______ and its
water potential is _______ that of the soil. At night, the plant’s water potential will be _______ that of
the soil (assuming that the soil is receiving sufficient moisture).
a. open; more negative than; more positive than
b. open; more negative than; roughly the same as
c. open; less negative than; roughly the same as
d. closed; less negative than; more positive than
e. closed; more positive than; less positive than
21. Organisms that can convert energy from sunlight or from inorganic compounds in their
environment, without having to consume other organisms for their energy needs, are called
a. heterotrophs.
b. monotrophs.
c. decomposers.
d. herbitrophs.
e. autotrophs.
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22. The biochemical pathway most commonly used by plants and chemosynthetic bacteria to fix CO2
in order to synthesize carbohydrates is
a. glycolysis.
b. the rubisco cycle.
c. the Calvin cycle.
d. the Hatch‒Slack‒Kortschack pathway.
e. the Krebs cycle.
23. Rubisco, which is an important catalyst in photosynthesis, is also a catalyst in the process of
photorespiration. Photorespiration differs from photosynthesis in that in photorespiration _______ is
taken up, _______ is released, and there is _______ energy.
a. CO2; O2; a net loss of
b. CO2; O2; a net gain of
c. O2; CO2; a net loss of
d. O2; CO2; a net gain of
e. O2; CO2; no change in
24. In the process that takes place during the first step of photosynthesis, which is referred to as the
“light reaction,”
a. CO2 is fixed, producing carbohydrates.
b. CO2 is oxidized by solar radiation.
c. photons power electrons to synthesize ATP and NADPH.
d. chlorophyll is oxidized by water.
e. solar radiation directly stimulates the production of PGA.
Part Two: Short-answer questions. Please use ONLY the space provided. Answer all five questions,
which are worth six (6) points each.
25. Describe a Hadley Cell and its importance to ecology. Also, define Ferrell Cell and Polar Cell.
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26. Why are coral reefs important and how are they being harmed by human activities?
27. Describe adbiatic cooling and then describe an inversion. Use pictures if you like.
28. Define ecotype and give an example.
29. Define the optimal foraging theory and give and example of how it could be used to predict an
animal’s foraging behavior.
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Part Three: Longer-answer questions. Answer both questions and please use only the space
provided. These questions are worth eleven (11) points each.
30. Describe the biochemical and morphological specialization of the C4 and CAM photosynthetic
pathways. What are the ecological advantages of C4 and CAM photosynthesis over C3 photosynthesis?
31. Draw and discuss the three causes of seasons in the Northern Hemisphere. Why is this important
to ecology?
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