Download Final Exam Topics: 1) Basic Ecological Principles a) Biomes

Final Exam Topics:
1) Basic Ecological Principles
a) Biomes, ecosystems, communities and populations
i) Biomes: know the major ones and where they occur
ii) Ecosystem: communities and physical environment
iii) Population interactions
b) Trophic levels
i) primary producers,
ii) primary consumer,
iii) secondary consumer etc.
c) Energy flow
i) One way flow of energy source through trophic levels
ii) Gross primary productivity (GPP) versus net (NPP)
d) Material cycles
i) Carbon, nitrogen and water cycles
e) Communities- interacting populations
i) Types of interactions
(1) Predation, competition
(2) Symbiotic
(a) Mutualism- both organisms benefit
(b) Commensalism- symbiont benefits, no harm to host
(c) Parasitism- symbiont benefits, harms host
ii) Niche- specific task in community or ecosystem
f) Community Dynamics
i) Keystone species- exert a strong influence on community structure
ii) Ecological Succession
(1) Primary - “clean slate” occurs in new environments and involves foundation species
(2) Secondary- recovery of disturbed habitat; soil intact, no foundation species
g) Populations
i) Size, Density, carrying capacity, biotic potential
ii) J- shaped and S- shaped curves
iii) Density-dependent and density-independent factors
Bio 112 Ecology: Final Practice Exam
Multiple Choice
1) The vegetation types which characterize specific biomes are shaped by
a. topography, climate and plant shape
b. climate, topography and soil type
c. latitude
d. climate, soil type and grazers
e. soil color and time of day
2) The typical percentage of high quality energy loss in transfers from one trophic level to the next is about
a. 1%
b. 90%
c. 5%
d. 35%
e. 60%
3) When plotting the number of individuals in a population against time, a J-shaped curve indicates which of the
following?
a. biotic potential
b. carrying capacity
c. exponential growth
d. logistic growth
e. environmental resistance
4) The rate of increase for a population (r) refers to what kind of relationship between birth rate and death rate?
a. reduction in each of them
b. their product
c. the difference between them
d. the doubling time between them
e. their sum
5) Carbon is introduced into the atmosphere by all EXCEPT which of the following means?
a. wind erosion
b. respiration
c. burning of fossil fuels
d. volcanic eruptions
e. combustion
6) Which of the following is not one of the major processes of the water cycle?
a. precipitation
b. evaporation
c. transpiration
d. lunar tides
e. all of these are major processes
7) Each trophic level in a food chain or food web contains a certain amount of organic matter, called
a. organisms
b. food
c. biomass
d. decomposition
e. energy
8) In itself, a flood that washes away an entire population of rabbits is
a. an intrinsic limiting factor.
b. a density-dependent factor.
c. density-independent.
d. a consequence of exponential growth.
e. all of these
9) Detritus specifically includes
a. organic wastes plus dead and partially decayed material.
b. organic produce
c. toxic materials.
d. living and partially decayed material.
e. living bacteria and fungi.
10) Kelp forests are a very important ecosystem in marine waters by supporting important biodiversity. These
kelp forests are threatened by all of the following except
a. water pollution containing herbicides
b. water pollution containing fertilizers
c. global warming
d. southern sea otters
e. sea urchins
11) The term which best describes a nutrient-poor lake is...
a. benthic.
b. oligotrophic.
c. eutrophic.
d. pelagic.
e. profundal.
12) Aerobic respiration requires
a. glucose and carbon dioxide
b. carbon dioxide and oxygen
c. glucose and oxygen
d. oxygen and water
e. carbon dioxide and water
13) At the top of a pyramid of biomass are the
a. secondary consumers.
b. primary consumers.
c. secondary producers.
d. tertiary consumers (third level).
e. primary producers.
14) The interaction in which one species benefits and the second species is neither harmed nor benefited is
a. commensalism.
b. predation.
c. competition.
d. parasitism.
e. mutualism.
15) Competition among guild predators can be reduced by which of the following?
a. resource expansion
b. camouflage
c. resource partitioning
d. mimicry
e. cooperation
16) Most organisms exhibit what pattern of distribution?
a. random
b. stratified or layered
c. uniform
d. bimodal
e. clumped
17) A relationship in which a symbiont lives on, or in, its host while feeding on it is
a. parasitism.
b. neutral relationship.
c. competitive exclusion.
d. commensalism.
e. obligate mutualism.
18) Which of the following biomes is most in danger of desertification is
a. tropical rain forest.
b. grassland.
c. desert.
d. deciduous forest.
e. taiga.
19) Groups of different species living together in a particular place with a potential for interacting with one
another is called a(n)
a. ecosystem
b. population
c. biosphere
d. community
e. organism
20) Which of the following is an example of a density-independent population control?
a. predation
b. competition for resources
c. habitat destruction
d. infectious disease
e. parasitism
21) Which of the following is said to occur when members of two or more species interact to gain access to the
same limited resources?
a. predation
b. interspecific competition
c. parasitism
d. mutualism
e. intraspecific competition
22) Which of the following is not an end product of anaerobic respiration?
a. methane
b. oxygen
c. ethyl alcohol
d. hydrogen sulfide
e. acetic acid
23) Population size is determined by which of the following?
a. deaths
b. births
c. emigration
d. immigration
e. all of these
24) Which of the following represent an early stage in primary succession?
a. weedy annual plants in an open field
b. climax species in succession
c. fields of food crops
d. pine trees
e. moss and lichens on bare rock
25) Which of the following is not a method prey species use to avoid capture?
a. camouflage
b. highly developed sense of sight or smell
c. ambush
d. spines and thorns
e. chemical warfare
26) In which of the following locations does carbon remain for the shortest time?
a. tropical forests
b. peat bogs
c. sea shells
d. fossil fuels
e. marshes
27) Humans intervene in the nitrogen cycle in several ways. Which of the following is not one of those ways?
a. Agriculture releases nitrous oxides.
b. Burning fossil fuels adds nitric oxide.
c. Destruction of forests releases nitrogen.
d. Agriculture using fertilizers adds nitrogen to aquatic systems.
e. We store nitrogen in the topsoil when we harvest nitrogen rich crops.
28) In biological magnification,
a. sediments fill in aquatic environments so that succession will occur if organisms disturb
the aquatic habitat.
b. more highly evolved forms are able to build large populations under favorable conditions.
c. there is a tendency for an environment to change when organisms first invade.
d. parasites spread rapidly through congested populations.
e. materials build up in food chains and webs so that the concentration increases
exponentially at the higher trophic levels.
29) The climax community
a. is formed by species with the least range of environmental tolerance.
b. is the final, stable community in ecological succession.
c. is the initial collection of species in an area.
d. is not well adapted to the present climate conditions.
e. always remains unchanged once it is established.
30) The greatest concentration of nitrogen on Earth is found in
a. fossil fuels.
b. soil minerals.
c. living organisms, including bacteria.
d. oceans.
e. the atmosphere.
31) Which of the following are NOT heterotrophs?
a. decomposers
b. detritivores
c. herbivores
d. primary carnivores
e. All of these are heterotrophs.
32) What is a possible outcome when populations of two different species impart selective pressures upon each
other?
a. coincidence
b. predation
c. competition
d. commensalism
e. coevolution
33) Photoautotrophs are
a. primary producers.
b. primary consumers.
c. secondary consumers.
d. secondary producers.
e. tertiary consumers.
34) A keystone species is
a. rare and endangered.
b. a predator on sea otters.
c. one with a disproportionate control over community diversity.
d. always a prey species.
e. exemplified by the sea anemone.
Completion
Complete each statement.
35) Ecologists assign every type of organism in an ecosystem to a feeding level or ____________________.
36) Organisms that cannot produce their own food and, therefore, must eat other organisms, are called
____________________.
37) A group of individuals of the same species living in the same place at the same time is a(n)
____________________.
38) Organisms that convert simple inorganic compounds into nutrients, without sunlight, are called
____________________ organisms.
39) The major reservoir for nitrogen is the ____________________.
40) Decomposers are mainly bacteria and ____________________.
41) A sequence of organisms, each of which serves as a source of food or energy for the next, is called a(n)
____________________.
42) Nitrogen fixation is accomplished by specialized ____________________ in the soil and
____________________ in aquatic environments.
43) Destruction of tropical rain forests will help accelerate ____________________.
44) ____________________ from the sun is captured, converted into chemical energy, and stored as biomass in
the tissues of the producer.
45) Carbon cycles through the biosphere and depends on the process of ____________________ and
____________________.
Bio 12 Ecology: Final Practice Exam
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
B
B
C
C
A
D
C
C
A
D
B
C
D
A
C
E
A
COMPLETION
35) trophic level
36) heterotrophs
consumers
37) population
38) chemosynthetic
39) atmosphere
40) fungi
41) food chain
42) bacteria; cyanobacteria
43) global warming
44) Energy
45) photosynthesis; respiration
respiration; photosynthesis
18)
19)
20)
21)
22)
23)
24)
25)
26)
27)
28)
29)
30)
31)
32)
33)
34)
B
D
C
B
B
E
E
C
A
E
E
B
E
E
E
A
C