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AP Environmental Science
NYOS School
Name____________________
Date ____________________
Quiz 3
1. Which of the following best describes the word niche?
a. the adaptability of an organism to its environment
b. where an organism lives
c. the role of an organism in its ecosystem
d. the ability of an organism to produce offspring
2. True or false (circle one): limiting factors are always biotic
3. List 2 ways that a genotype can change from one generation to the next
a.
b.
4. Consider the Barton Springs Blind Salamander. List 3 biotic and 3 abiotic features of this organism’s
ecosystem which you think might be critical to its survival.
Biotic
a.
b.
c.
Abiotic
a.
b.
c.
5. If your mother has genes for both brown eyes and blue eyes, and yet exhibits brown eyes, which of the
following is a true statement:
a. her genotype is homozygous; her phenotype is brown eyes
b. her genotype is heterozygous; her phenotype is brown eyes
c. her genotype is homozygous; her phenotype is blue eyes
d. her genotype is heterozygous; her phenotype is blue eyes
6. An organism has two main objectives if it is to propagate the species: survive and reproduce. Why
then do we not use the term “reproduction of the fittest” (instead of “survival of the fittest”) to describe the
process of trait-based species survival?
7. Please provide a definition for the word “ecology”.
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8. Suppose you are a high jumper and you have taught yourself over many years of practice how to clear
a 7.5 foot bar despite the fact you are only 5 foot 10 inches tall. Which of the following is most likely
and/or true:
a. your offspring will also be able to excel at the high jump, but they wont need training because
they will be born with the trait of being able to jump high in the air due to all the practice time you put in.
b. your offspring will also be able to excel at the high jump, but only if you mate with another
over-achieving, short-stature high jumper such as yourself.
c. your genetic makeup will have no bearing whatsoever on the abilities of your offspring to
duplicate your athletic feats.
d. Mating with a 6 foot 10 inch fellow high jumper will increase your chance of producing
offspring who are also proficient high jumpers.
9. Please explain why sexual reproduction is such a successful strategy for species survival in a constantly
changing environment.
10. True or false (circle one): once adapted to its environment, most species continue indefinitely.
11. It is known that certain garter snakes have developed a resistance to the toxin found in the skin of
their prey, a newt. As the newt evolves ever more potent toxins to ward off predators, the snakes become
more and more resistant to the toxin. This is best described as:
a. fitness
b. adaptation
c. coevolution
d. speciation
12. What is the best definition for the point at which an organism can be considered a new species?
a. when it can no longer interbreed with the original species
b. when competition between the organism for resources ceases
c. once they are physically separated by a geographical boundary
d. once its DNA has changed
13. One of the factors that drive natural selection is the competition of offspring for limited resources in
order to survive. Explain how phenotypic variation among numerous offspring (due to sexual
reproduction) leads to survival of a ‘fit few’.
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14. Which statement is correct?
a. gametes are haploid (i.e., cells with a single copy of a chromosome vs a pair) and are genetically
different than the parent’s DNA
b. gametes are haploid and genetically identical to the parent’s DNA
c. both the parents DNA and its gametes are diploid (having sets of chromosomes vs a single copy)
d. only the female gametes (eggs) undergo genetic recombination during meiosis
15. Consider the case of the interplay of pecan trees, squirrels, and foxes as told by Marly in which a
greater yield of pecans was available once foxes were observed in the habitat containing the pecan trees.
Let’s assume for the moment that the squirrels’ only food source is pecans. Further assume a tree fungus
has wiped out the pecan trees in the squirrels’ habitat. What can be said of the pecan trees?
a. they are a limiting factor for only the fox
b. they are a limiting factor for both the squirrel and the fox
c. they are a limiting factor for only the squirrel
d. they are not a limiting factor for either the fox or the squirrel.
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