Download Part 2: For Questions 61-80, put your answers directly on

Cornell Invitational Science Olympiad 2015
Dynamic Planet - Ecology
Division C
SCHOOL NAME_______________________________
TEAM NUMBER____________
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Turn in all exam materials at the end of this event. Missing exam materials will
result in immediate disqualification of the team in question. There is an exam packet a
nd a blank answer sheet.
2. You may separate the exam pages. Re-staple them as you submit your materials to t
he supervisor. Keep the answer sheet separate.
3. Only the answers provided on the answer page will be considered. Do not write
outside the designated spaces for each answer. Write LEGIBLY.
4. Write your school name and team number in the appropriate locations on the
answer sheet as well as on the title page. Indicate the names of the participants at
the bottom of the answer sheet. Write LEGIBLY.
5. Point values for each question are given. Tiebreaker questions are identified with a
(T#) indicating the first, second, third, etc. There are 10, and they do not appear in
numerical order. Tiebreaker questions count toward the overall grade, and are only
used as tiebreakers in the event of a tie.
6. When the time is up, the time is up. Continuing to write after the time is up risks
immediate disqualification.
7. Mocking, inappropriate, and/or nonsensical answers WILL result in disqualification.
8. Resource is as per the Science Olympiad Student Manual. “Participants may bring
one 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper of computer generated or handwritten notes per team.”
Any type of calculator is permitted. No other resources are permitted.
Part 1: For questions 1-60, choose the correct choice and write it in on the line provided
next to the question. Only put one response, otherwise it will not count and will be
considered wrong. Write CLEARLY which letter you chose as your answer, all ineligible
answers will not count. All answers are worth TWO points in this section.
____1. Which of the following is a density independent factor that may act to limit wildlife population
size?
A. Space to live
B. Temperature
C. Predation
D. Disease
E. Food Availability
____2. The difference between geometric and exponential growth is:
A. Exponential growth describes conditions where resources are unlimited, whereas
geometric growth describes populations that reach carrying capacity (K)
B. Geometric growth models populations with discrete reproduction (individuals reproduce at
the same time), whereas exponential growth models populations with continuous
reproduction
C. Geometric growth is commonly observed in lab studies for organisms such as bacteria and
exponential growth is commonly observed in nature for organisms such as Dall sheep
D. No difference. In other words, geometric growth and exponential growth are two different
terms for the same population growth behavior
E. Answers A & B
____3. Which of the following statements is TRUE about Type 3 survivorship curves:
A. Never observed in plants
B. Typically the survivorship pattern displayed by humans
C. Juvenile mortality is high
D. Displays constant rates of survivorship for different age classes
E. None of the above
____4. When the net reproductive rate (R 0 ) in a population is equal to 2,
A. the population will be stable because on average a female will produce 1 female and 1 male
B. the population will have a sex ratio of 2 females to 1 male
C. the generation time of a population will be 2 years
D. the population carrying capacity will be two times the population size
E. None of the above
____5. In areas of permafrost, stands of black spruce are frequently observed in the landscape, while
other tree species are noticeably absent. Often these stands are referred to as "drunken forests"
because many of the black spruce are displaced from their normal vertical alignment.
What might be the adaptive significance of these unusual forests growing the way they do in this
marginal habitat?
A. Needles are adapted to withstand cold arctic temperatures.
B. Branches are adapted to absorb more CO₂ with this displaced alignment.
C. Taproot formation is impossible, so trees developed shallow root beds.
D. Trees are tilted so snow prevents them from breaking or tipping over.
E. Trees tip so that they do not compete with each other for sunlight.
____6. Which of the following investigations would shed the most light on the distribution of organisms
in temperate regions that are faced with climate change?
A. Remove, to the mineral soil, all of the organisms from an experimental plot and monitor the
colonization of the area over time in terms of both species diversity and abundance.
B. Look back at the changes that occurred since the Ice Age and how species redistributed as
glaciers melted, then make predictions on future distribution in species based on past trends.
C. Compare and contrast the flora and fauna of warm/cold/dry/wet climates to shed light on how
they evolved to be suited to their present-day environment.
D. Quantify the impact of man's activities on present-day populations of threatened and
endangered species to assess the rate of extirpation and extinction.
E. There is no scientific investigation that can help make predictions on the future distribution of
organisms.
____7. If global warming continues at its present rate, which biomes will likely take the place of the
coniferous forest (taiga)?
A. tundra and polar ice
B. temperate broadleaf forest and grassland
C. desert and chaparral
D. tropical forest and savanna
E. chaparral and temperate broadleaf forest
____8. The growing season would generally be shortest in which of the following biomes?
A. savanna
B. temperate broadleaf forest
C. temperate grassland
D. tropical rain forest
E. coniferous forest
____9. In some instances, introduction of individuals into a local population increases genetic diversity
but negatively impacts fitness because the new genes break apart locally-adapted gene complexes. This
phenomenon is called what?
A. Founder’s Effect
B. Inbreeding Depression
C. Outbreeding Depression
D. Extinction Vortex
E. Bottleneck Effect
____10. In the development of terrestrial biomes, which factor is most dependent on all the others?
A. the species of colonizing animals
B. prevailing temperature
C. prevailing rainfall
D. mineral nutrient availability
E. soil structure
____11. In much of conservation biology, the ecologically and evolutionary functional unit (i.e., the focus
of our management) is typically the:
A. Gene
B. Individual
C. Population
D. Community
E. Ecosystem
____12. (T#1) Which act provides the majority of Federal funding for wildlife management in state
agencies?
A. Pittman-Robertson Act
B. Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act
C. Wetland Loan Act
D. Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act
E. Lacey Act
____13. Which of the following assumptions are generally easy to meet when determining Maximum
Sustained Yields?
A. Carrying capacity is known
B. Population size is estimated fairly well
C. Environment is stable
D. Harvest is spread equally across the population
E. None of the above
____14. Which is not a demographic factor influencing population size?
A. Birth Rate
B. Immigration
C. Emigration
D. Food Supply
E. Death Rate
____15. Which of the following statements is most correct? Genetic diversity:
A. Always makes individuals healthier
B. Always increases population growth
C. Increases the evolutionary potential of the population or species
D. Should be increased whenever possible (in every population) through translocations
E. Is not important in conservation biology
____16. Which of the following can reduce effective population size (Ne)?
A. Low variation in reproductive success
B. Short life span
C. Strong interspecific interactions
D. Biased sex ratio
E. None of the above
____17. What is the limiting factor for the growth of trees in the tundra?
A. low precipitation
B. cold temperatures
C. insufficient minerals in bedrock
D. pH of soils
E. permafrost
____18. Which of the following statements best describes the effect of climate on biome distribution?
A. Average annual temperature and precipitation are sufficient to predict which biome will be
found in an area.
B. Seasonal fluctuation of temperature is not a limiting factor in biome distribution if areas
have the same annual temperature and precipitation means.
C. Not only is the average climate important in determining biome distribution but so is the
pattern of climatic variation.
D. Temperate forests and grasslands are different biomes because they receive a different
quality and quantity of sunlight, even though they have essentially the same annual
temperature and precipitation.
E. Correlation of climate with biome distribution is sufficient to determine the cause of biome
patterns.
____19. Each of the following statements is true of carrying capacity except:
A. territoriality or competition for space can lower carrying capacity
B. carrying capacity varies over time because resource levels vary
C. carrying capacity is defined as the maximum number of individual a habitat can sustain
D. r-selected species tend to maintain stable population levels close to carrying capacity
E. None of the above
____20. As climate changes because of global warming, species' ranges in the northern hemisphere may
move northward, using effective reproductive adaptations to disperse their seeds. The trees that are
most likely to avoid extinction in such an environment are those that:
A. have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals.
B. have thin seed coats.
C. produce well-provisioned seeds.
D. have seeds that become viable only after a forest fire.
E. disperse many seeds in close proximity to the parent tree
____21. In the logistic growth model, the term [(K-N)/K] represents:
A. The proportion of the environment that is empty
B. Amount of empty space in a habitat
C. Rate of population growth
D. Interspecific competition
E. None of the above
____22. Which of the following choices includes all of the others in creating global terrestrial climates?
A. differential heating of Earth's surface
B. ocean currents
C. global wind patterns
D. evaporation of water from ocean surfaces
E. Earth's rotation on its axis
____23. Which of the following might be an investigation of microclimate?
A. the effect of ambient temperature on the onset of caribou migration
B. the seasonal population fluctuation of nurse sharks in coral reef communities
C. competitive interactions between various species of songbirds during spring migration
D. the effect of sunlight intensity on species composition in a decaying rat carcass
E. the effect of different nitrogen applications on corn productivity
____24. Which of the following statements about ecological footprints is most true?
A. Ecological footprints are always largest for those with many children
B. Improvements in human well-being will always cause increases in ecological footprint size
C. Per capita ecological footprint generally increases with population of a nation
D. Affluent nations generally have higher ecological footprints than poor nations
E. There is a direct correlation between population size and ecological footprint
____25. Which of the following is true about the application of ecosystem services to conservation?
A. Linking specific ecosystem attributes to the service can be difficult
B. Protecting the desired service always results in protecting biodiversity
C. All services can be economically “valued” in some way
D. Values of services do not fluctuate widely in response to changing market prices
E. All of the above
____26. You are studying a population of canvasbacks in years with high and low harvest levels. From
your banding data, you show that survival rates are similar among years irrespective of the harvest level.
Based on this, you conclude that harvesting acts in what manner?
A. Additive
B. Compulsory
C. Adductive
D. Compensatory
E. It is impossible to make any generalizations
____27. In the tundra, permafrost extends up to how much below the surface?
A. 10 Meters
B. 90 Meters
C. 210 Meters
D. 330 Meters
E. 450 Meters
____28. Close interaction between organisms of different species over an extended period of time, in
which one individual benefits while the other individual neither benefits nor is harmed by the
relationship, is known as:
A. Predation
B. Competition
C. Commensalism
D. Mutualism
E. Parasitism
____29. All of the following are migratory birds of the tundra except:
A. Ravens
B. Snow Buntings
C. Falcons
D. Sandpipers
E. None of the above
____30. The Great Smoky Mountains national park is a representation of which type of forest biome?
A. Boreal Forest
B. Temperate Deciduous Forest
C. Temperate Coniferous Forest
D. Tropical Rainforest
E. None of the above
____31. (T#2) There is a small transition region located between the tundra and the forest. What are the
possible names of this region? Select all that apply. To receive any points at all, all correct answers must
be selected. (5 points)
A. Tundra-Forest Line
B. Ecotone
C. Transitional Growth
D. Ecological Boundary Line
E. Timber Line
F. Sub-Growth Region
G. Tree Line
H. Transition Line
____32. Which of the following is not a true statement regarding the tundra?
A. Southern animals, such as the red fox, are migrating into the tundra as it gets warmer.
B. Animals living in the tundra are highly vulnerable to reduced snow cover.
C. Flora survive by use of allelopathy, allowing them to survive on minimal nutrients.
D. Lichen is a significant food source for many species.
E. None of the above
____33. Which of the following organisms would you not see in a Tundra Ecosystem?
A. Caribou
B. Voles
C. Chamois
D. Marmots
E. Musk-oxen
____34. Excess acidity caused by acid rain can be neutralized by adding:
A. More fertilizers
B. Less acidified soil
C. P2O5
D. Lime
E. None of the above
____35. (T#7) Gradual accumulation of non-degradable pollutants from lower to higher trophic levels is
called:
A. Biological magnification
B. Biological intensification
C. Unscientific industrialization
D. Ecosystem degradation
E. All of the above
____36. Which of the following statements about genotypes and phenotypes is FALSE?
A. Changes in the expression of genotype acquired during an individual’s lifetime can
sometimes be passed to subsequent generations
B. Different genotypes can produce the same phenotype
C. The environment can affect the expression of genotype
D. A change in phenotype that improves fitness is an adaptation
E. All of the above are true
___37. Approximately what percentage of exotic species introduced to North America become invasive
species?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
1%
14%
28%
53%
74%
____38. (T#6) What theory states that, within a species, populations in colder climates have larger body
masses?
A. Darwin’s Law
B. Bergmann’s Rule of Ecogeography
C. Theory of Succession
D. Leopold’s Law of Distribution
E. Allen’s Rule of Ecogeography
____39. Top predators significantly affect populations of lower trophic levels, including herbivores and
plants. The term for this phenomenon is:
A. Dynamic biomass forcing
B. Community shock
C. Ecological efficiency
D. Trophic cascade
E. None of the above
____40. (T#4) In the taiga, there is a large range of temperatures that inhabiting organisms must
tolerate. An organism that can only tolerate a small range of temperatures is called:
A. Eurythermal
B. Poikilothermic
C. Stenothermal
D. T-selected species
E. None of the above
____41. According to an ecologist of the mid-20th century, “a population will grow (or decline)
exponentially as long as the environment experienced by all individuals in the population remains
constant.” Who is the ecologist that stated this law?
A. Aldo Leopold
B. Thomas Malthus
C. Leonhard Euler
D. Charles Darwin
E. Joseph Connell
____42. While forests sequester carbon dioxide, mitigating the greenhouse effect, some also
_____________, causing short term local warming effects, according to Yakir and Rotenberg.
A. Reduce albedo
B. Have net positive greenhouse gas emissions
C. Increase infrared diffraction
D. Prevent the spread of more productive wetlands
E. None of the above
____43. Many species of Acacia trees have large numbers of ants living on or near them. In the mid1960s, Dan Janzen began a series of studies on ants and bullhorn Acacias in Costa Rica. Janzen was able
to remove ants from Acacias and found strong responses in Acacia tree survival, as shown in the figure
below (left panel). He also found that the % of plants with herbivorous insects differed for trees with vs.
without ants. This work suggests that Janzen was studying an example of a:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Defensive mutualism
Dispersive mutualism
Competitive interaction
Predator-prey interaction
Parasitic relationship
____44. An ecological niche includes all of the following except:
A. How much water the species needs
B. How much sunlight the species needs
C. How much space the species needs
D. Temperatures the species can tolerate
E. The place where the species lives
____45. The typical percentage of loss of energy in transfers from one trophic level to the next is about:
A. 1%
B. 15%
C. 35%
D. 60%
E. 90%
____46. An ecosystem can survive without:
A. Producers
B. Consumers
C. Decomposers
D. Autotrophs
E. Detritivores
____47. The graph below represents two species of Paramecium (P. Aurelia and P. caudatum) raised in
two different treatments: 1) the top graph shows data when the two species are placed in separate
cultures but maintained under the same environmental conditions, 2) the bottom graph shows data
when both species are placed together in the same culture. Which concept best describes the data on
Day 20 in the bottom graph?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Intraspecific competition
Competitive exclusion
Predator-prey cycles
Allelopathy
Niche partitioning
____48. All of the following are environmental concerns for trees in the Taiga except:
A. Mining
B. Clear Cutting
C. Forest Fires
D. Poaching
E. None of the above
____49. Winds in the tundra often reach speeds of _______ mph.
A. 70-100
B. 50-80
C. 30-60
D. 10-40
E. 5-20
____50. Why are fires beneficial to the Taiga?
A. They remove invasive grasses
B. They allow seeds that only open at certain temperatures to spread
C. Allows for primary succession to occur
D. Fire kills off the older trees allows the younger ones to grow up in place of the old ones.
E. None of the above
____51. (T#9) What is an acidic soil type common in Arctic and boreal areas?
A. Humus
B. Muskeg
C. Alluvial soil
D. Laterite soil
E. Serpentine soil
____52. Species introduced by humans to new geographic locations __________
A. Can outcompete and displace native species for biotic and abiotic resources.
B. Increase the diversity and therefore the stability of the ecosystem.
C. Are usually successful in colonizing the area.
D. Always spread because they encounter none of their natural predators.
E. Are always considered pests by ecologists.
____53. The process of successful establishment of the species in a new area is called:
A. Sere
B. Climax
C. Invasion
D. Ecesis
E. None of the above
____54. The formation of a climax community from an abandoned farm land is an example of:
A. Autogenic Succession
B. Allogenic Succession
C. Primary Succession
D. Secondary Succession
E. Tertiary Succession
____55. Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species
are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of _____________.
A. Convergent evolution
B. Allopatric speciation
C. Gene flow.
D. Introgression
E. Parallel evolution
____56. The primary factor that determines whether a geographic area will support temperate
deciduous forest is:
A. The severity of the winters
B. The depth of the soil
C. The kinds of animals present
D. The biodiversity present
E. The amount of rainfall
____57. All of these are NOT deciduous trees except:
A. Spruce
B. Fir
C. Palm
D. Elephant
E. Oak
____58. The Taiga is the _______forest in the world.
A. Second smallest
B. Largest
C. Second largest
D. Smallest
E. None of the above
____59. Global warming is causing concern for the tundra biome. Compared to the rest of the planet,
the global warming in the tundra is occurring:
A. Twice the rate of more temperate regions
B. Half as quickly as more temperate regions
C. At the same rate as temperate regions
D. Three times the rate of more temperate regions
E. Four times the rate of more temperate regions
____60. (T#10) The term ‘ecology’ was first coined by ___________.
A. Charles Darwin
B. Ernst Haeckel
C. Antoni Leeuwenhoek
D. Richard Bradley
E. Thomas Malthus
Part 2: For Questions 61-80, put your answers directly on the test packet and CLEARLY
write your answer. Point values for all questions in this section will be placed next to
the number of the question. There are 2 extra sheets if you need them. Please make
sure I can follow your response to the question.
61. Define in situ and ex situ conservation and provide 2 pros and 2 cons for each (6 points).
62. What are 3 keys to success for a reintroduction project? (3 points)
63. Describe the extinction vortex (2 points)
64. Provide 2 examples of each of the following types of ecosystem services (3 points)
-
Provisioning:
-
Supporting/Regulating:
-
Cultural:
65. List 4 reasons/traits that explain why a species might be especially vulnerable to extinction (8 points)
66. (T#8) Distinguish between bottleneck and Founder’s effect (2 points)
67. Complete the following chart that contrasts r vs k-selected species (4 points).
Trait
Age at first reproduction
r-selected
k-selected
# young per breeding attempt
Time between breeding attempts
Longevity
68. Explain the following two concepts as they relate to the conservation of migratory species (4 points)
-
Migratory Connectivity:
-
Seasonal carryover effects
69. What is the difference between stored and instantaneous renewable energy? Give an example of
each. (4 points)
70. Climate diagrams are convenient tools for classifying different biomes around the world. Using
the information below, draw a climate diagram (depict temperature with a solid line and
precipitation with a dashed line). To receive full credit, you need to approximately scale the
temperature and precipitation axes so that you can interpret these data in a meaningful way (hint:
keep in mind PET) (5 points)
Temperature
(℃)
Jan
-27
Precipitation 3
(mm)
Jan
Feb
Feb
-25
Mar
-22
Apr
-12
May
-8
Jun
4
Jul
10
Aug
9
Sep
3
Oct
-10
Nov
-19
Dec
-25
2
4
10
8
21
40
44
32
19
8
4
May
Jun
Mar
Apr
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
What biome from Whittaker’s classification is represented by the climate diagram above? (3 points)
a) Where might this biome be located on Earth? Justify your answer for full credit. (2 points)
b) How many months is the growing season in this biome? Explain in a few words. (2 points)
71. Using the diagram and the word bank below, match each number to the best possible blank
corresponding place on the diagram. (1 pt for each correct answer…7 pts in total)
1. Caribou
2. Lichen
3. Hawk
4. Grasses
5. Wolf
6. Sun
7. Arctic Hare
F
G
D
E
C
B
A
A) _____ B)______ C)_____ D)_______ E)______ F)______ G)______
72. Briefly define biodiversity, and give at least two examples of threats to biodiversity specific to the
Tundra and Forest ecosystems, and explain why these threats are detrimental. One threat should
pertain to the Tundra, and the other threat should pertain to the Forest. (5 pts)
73. (T#3) Toyota wants to determine the factors that influence the amount of gasoline they burn in their
automobiles. They want to know what impact 64 Toyota Camry’s, which have all been driven 26,500
miles and has 28 MPG (miles per gallon), have on the environment. The CEO’s of Toyota brought you, an
expert, in to see if these cars exceed the impact limit of 50 million. First, calculate the impact the Toyota
Camry’s have on the environment and then determine whether or not it exceeds the limit or not. (6
points).
74. A) As of 1995, the human population was expected to double within 50 years. Calculate r for the
human population. (2 points)
B) If the human population size in 1993 was 5.4 billion, what is the projected population size in the
year 2000? (4 points)
75. (T#5) Name the treaty that protects the native fauna and flora of the Antarctic tundra (2 points).
76. How does acid rain affect trees and fish and name 2 ways that we can help stop acid rain (4 points).
77. Identify the following organisms of the taiga by their common names: (8 points)
A
C
B
D
A. ___________________
B. ___________________
C. ___________________
D. ___________________
78. Taiga fragmentation occurs when roads are built through the forest, breaking the ecosystems’
species up into smaller metapopulations. These are more likely to go extinct because of chance
extinction. Describe this effect. (2 points)
79. List 3 adaptations of trees in the taiga and why they have it. (6 points)
80. Taiga on inorganic soil may shift to a peatland as a thick forest floor accumulates and the water table
rises. What is the specific term for this process? (2 points)