Download Ecology Fill-In Packet

Ecology Fill-In Packet
Ecology Unit – AP Biology
Name ________________________
Date ____________ Block _______
Biome Review  Match the biome with its description. Write the letter of the correct definition next to the
number in the chart.
are close to the equator, receive high amounts of rainfall and
1
Coniferous forests/
A
contain a great variety of plants and animals; these have a nearly
TAIGA
constant photoperiod and temperature
2
Tundra
B
are tropical grasslands with scattered trees that show distinct
seasons, particularly wet and dry; they have many types of plants
and animals; fire is an important abiotic factor.
3
Tropical forests
C
have low and unpredictable rainfall, and are generally hot;
vegetation is usually sparse, and includes cacti and succulents;
many animals are nocturnal, so they can avoid the heat.
4
Deserts
D
have mild, wet winters and dry, hot summers; they contain dense,
spiny, evergreen shrubs and have periodic fires.
5
Temperate grasslands
E
exhibit seasonal drought, maintained by fires, and are usually used
for grazing by large animals
6
Temperate deciduous
forests
F
contain dense stands of trees and have very cold winters and hot
summers; the trees lose leaves and go dormant in winter; this
biome includes a large variety of plants and animals that evolved
to deal with different photoperiods
7
Savannas
G
are the largest terrestrial biome on earth; very short growing
season because they exhibit long, cold winters and short, wet
summers.
8
Chaparrals
H
contains low-growing plants; this is the most northern-most area
for plant growth; the climate is windy and cold; there are two
types, arctic, which is found in areas of Alaska and the Arctic
Circle, and alpine, which is found on very high mountaintops.
Mark and Recapture Method Activity
1. In your own words, define the mark-recapture method.
2. What is the equation scientists use to estimate population size (pg 1185)?
3. Identify at least 2 reasons why ecologists would want to use a scientific technique of determining
population size rather than actually counting all the animals in that population.
4. Sample Problem:
A pest control technician captures and applies ear tags to 23 brown rats, which he then releases. A week
later he traps 29 brown rats, 11 of which have ear tags. What is the estimate of the total population of
brown rats?
Predator-Prey Relationships and Carrying Capacity: The Moose of Isle Royale
The sizes of populations in a community are regulated in many ways. Some of the controls acting on
populations are:
 the amount of food and water available to feed the population
 the amount of nesting sites available to support raising young
 the size of the predator population
 the amount of disease and parasites infecting the population
Because of these limitations a certain area can only support a certain size population of each type of organism.
The population size of each creature that the environment can support is called the carrying capacity (K) of that
community. This limit represents how many of a certain species that can survive in that area.
THE MOOSE OF ISLE ROYALE
Isle Royale is a forested island in the middle of Lake Superior in Michigan. The island is about 50 miles long
and about 8 miles wide and is a protected forest reserve. A herd of moose lives on the island, but there were no
moose-predators, like wolves, living on the island with them.
In 1970 the moose population of the island was about 2000 animals. Although the island had excellent
vegetation for feeding, the food supply obviously had limits. Thus the forest management personnel feared that
overgrazing might lead to mass starvation. Since the area was too remote for hunters, the wildlife service
decided to bring in natural predators to control the moose population. It was hoped that natural predation would
keep the moose population from becoming too large and also increase the moose quality (or health), as
predators often eliminate the weaker members of the herd. In 1971, ten wolves were flown into the island. The
results of this program are shown in the following table.
Table 1: Changes in population of moose and wolves on Isle Royale, Michigan 1971-1980
Year
Wolf
Moose
Moose
Predation Starvation
Moose
Population Population Offspring
Population
Change
1971
10
2000
800
400
100
+300
1972
12
2300
920
480
240
1973
16
2500
1000
640
500
1974
22
2360
944
880
180
1975
28
2244
996
1120
26
1976
24
2094
836
960
2
1977
21
1968
788
840
0
1978
18
1916
766
720
0
1979
19
1952
780
760
0
1980
19
1972
790
760
0
1. Calculate the population change for each year and enter it into the last column in the table above. The
population change is equal to the number of moose that were born minus the number of moose that dies
(predation and starvation) during the year.
2. Graph the moose and wolf populations on the graph below (you will have TWO lines). Use the left axis
for the moose population and the right axis for the wolf population (you can have two different SCALES
on each axis since the population are so far apart – you are looking for the shape of the graph). Plot each
line using a different color. Provide a key!
Graph 1:
Number of Moose
Number of Wolves
3. Describe what happened to the moose and wolf populations between 1971 and 1980.
4. What do you think would have happened to the moose on the island had wolves NOT been introduced?
Directions: Look at Table 2. It provides possible data if wolves were never introduced. Then, answer the
questions below.
Table 2: Possible changes in population of moose on Isle Royale, Michigan 1971-1980
if wolves were not introduced
Year
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
Moose
Population
2000
2200
2246
2381
2400
2437
2478
2500
2492
2476
Moose
Offspring
Predation
Starvation
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
714
874
865
925
959
795
766
766
788
806
800
920
1000
944
996
836
788
766
780
790
Moose
Population
Change
+86
+46
+135
+19
+37
+41
+22
0
-8
-16
5. What is the carry capacity for moose on Isle Royale?
6. Does the data in Table 2 reflect exponential or logistic growth? How can you tell?
7. What happens to population growth as population size (N) approaches the carrying capacity (K)?
8. What might have caused the population change to become negative? What factors other than predation
could have caused this?
9. What type of feedback is controlling the moose population in this fictitious scenario?
Survivorship Curves
1. Which curve would fit
organisms that care for its
young and reproduces late
in life?
2. Which curve would be
typical of an organism that
experiences high predation
as infants but avoids
predation as adults?
Population Growth Math Problems
1. Write the equation for EXPONENTIAL population growth and include a key for all variables (pg 1191).
In your key, include the equation for r.
2. There are 190 grey tree frogs in a swamp. If r= -0.093 frogs/ year, how many fewer tree frogs would you
expect next year?
3. A population of 265 swans is introduced to Circle Lake. The population’s birth rate is 0.341 swans/year,
and the death rate is 0.296 swans/year. What is the rate of population growth, and is it increasing or
decreasing?
4. 780 turkeys live in Merriam Township, which is 92 acres in size. The birth rate is 0.472 turkeys/ year.
The death rate is 0.331 turkeys/ year.
a. What is the population growth?
b. Predict N after one year, assuming
stays constant.
5. One dandelion plant can produce many seeds, leading to a high growth rate for dandelion populations. If
a population of dandelions is currently 40 individuals, and rinst= 80 dandelions/month, predict
after one month if these dandelions would grow exponentially. What would
be after two months?
6. Write the equation for LOGISTIC population growth and include a key for all variables (pg 1192)
7. Imagine the dandelions mentioned in #5 cannot grow exponentially, due to lack of space. The carrying
capacity for their patch of lawn is 70 dandelions. What is the
in this logistic growth situation?
Interpreting Ecological Data
Graph 1: Rabbits over Time
1. What type of growth curve is the
graph to the left?
2. What is the carrying capacity for
rabbits?
3. During which month were the
rabbits in exponential growth?
Graph 2: World Population Growth
1. Which country/region appears to be experiencing exponential growth?
2. Which country/region appears to have reached its carrying capacity?
a. Because it has reached its carrying capacity, describe the relationship between its birth rates and
death rates.
Graph 3: Age Structure Graph
1. This age structure diagram shows the human population in India.
What percent of the population is under 20?
2. Is the population in India stable, growing or shrinking?
Interspecific Interactions  Match each interaction with TWO descriptors.
1. __________ Competition
A. Interaction is beneficial to one and detrimental to the other species.
B. +/+
2. __________ Predation
C. -/D. Interaction is beneficial to both species.
3. __________ Mutualism
E. -/0
F. Interaction is detrimental to both species
4. __________ Commensalism G. +/H. Interaction is beneficial to one and does not affect the other species.
Primary Productivity
1. Write the equation for net primary productivity and include a key for all variables (pg 1235).
2. The net annual primary productivity of a particular wetland ecosystem is found to be 9,000 kcal/m2. If respiration
by the aquatic producers is 10,000 kcal/m2 per year, what is the gross annual primary productivity for this
ecosystem, in kcal/m2 per year?
3. If you measure the available biomass for a patch of forest as 10 kg C/ m2-year, and the amount of CO2 given off
into the atmosphere as 5 kg C/ m2-year, what is the GPP?
4. Imagine we run an experiment on the algae Cladophora glomerata. We place equal amounts of algae into a light
bottle and a dark (covered) bottle. We measure the dissolved oxygen in both bottles and find it is at 10 mg/L. We
let both bottles sit for a week. In one week, the light bottle has a dissolved oxygen value of 11 mg/L and the dark
bottle has a value of 5 mg/L. CALCULATE the amount of respiration, the NPP and the GPP for the species of
algae. Hint: GPP – resp = NPP can be restated as: GPP – (change in dark) = (change in light)
Food Webs
The figure below represents a food web in a particular ecosystem. Each letter represents a species. The arrows
indicate the direction of energy flow.
1. A photosynthetic organism would be
represented by which species?
2.
Members of which species are
herbivores?
3. Members of which species are most
likely to be omnivorous?
A food or energy pyramid begins with producers and ends with tertiary consumers.
1. If the producers produce 25,000kJ and the pyramid
follows the 10% rule, then how much energy gets
transmitted to the tertiary consumers?
Energy Flow in a Hardwood Forest
1. What percentage of the biomass in the
forest community represented is tied up in
the grass layer?
Calculate the amount of energy for:
a)
b)
c)
d)