Download Chapter Objective Essays These must be in complete sentences. BE

Chapter Objective Essays
These must be in complete sentences. BE DETAILED IN YOUR RESPONSES!!!!! Draw graphs or
diagrams if necessary. Your summer homework MUST be typed. A digital version of this is available
online so you do not have to retype the questions.
Chapter 36 Essays (40 points) DUE: July 24th
36.1 Define a population. Describe the general type of work performed by population ecologists.
(2pts)
36.2 Define population density and describe different types of dispersion patterns. (4pts)
36.3 Explain how life tables are used to track mortality and survivorship in populations.
Compare Type I, Type II, and Type III survivorship curves. (5pts)
36.4 Describe and compare the exponential and logistic population growth models, illustrating
both with examples. Explain the concept of carrying capacity. (5 pts)
36.5 Describe the factors that regulate growth in natural populations. (2pts)
36.6 Define boom-and-bust cycles, explain why they occur, and provide examples. (4 pts)
36.7 Explain how life-history traits vary with environmental conditions and with population
density. Compare r-selection and K-selection and indicate examples of each. (6pts)
36.8 Describe the major challenges inherent in managing populations. (2pts)
36.9 Explain how the structure of the world’s human population has changed and continues to
change. Describe the key factors that affect human population growth. (4pts)
36.10 Explain how the age structure of a population can be used to predict changes in
population size and social conditions. (4 pts)
36.11 Explain the concept of an ecological footprint. Describe the uneven use of natural
resources in the world. (2pts)
Chapter 37 Essays (60 points) DUE: Aug. 7th
37.1
37.2
37.3
37.4
37.5
37.6
37.7
37.8
37.9
37.10
37.11
37.12
37.13
37.14
37.15
37.16–37.17
37.18–37.21
37.22
37.23
Define a biological community. Explain why the study of community ecology is
important. (2 pts)
Define interspecific competition, mutualism, predation, herbivory, and parasitism,
and provide examples of each. (10 pts)
Define an ecological niche. Explain how interspecific competition can occur
when the niches of two populations overlap. (2 pts)
Describe the mutualistic relationship between corals and dinoflagellates. (2 pts)
Define predation. Describe the protective strategies potential prey employ to
avoidpredators. (2 pts)
Explain why many plants have chemicals, spines, or thorns. Define coevolution
and describe an example. (5 pts)
Explain how parasites and pathogens can affect community composition. (2 pts)
Identify and compare the trophic levels of terrestrial and aquatic food chains. (2
pts)
Explain how food chains interconnect to form food webs. (2 pts)
Describe the two components of species diversity. Explain why large fields of a
single crop are vulnerable to devastating disease. (3 pts)
Define a keystone species. Explain why the long-spined sea urchin is considered
akeystone species. (3 pts)
Explain how disturbances can benefit communities. Distinguish between primary
and secondary succession. (4 pts)
Explain how invasive species can affect communities. (2 pts)
Compare the movement of energy and chemicals through ecosystems. ( 2 pts)
Compare the primary production of tropical rain forests, coral reefs, and open
ocean. Explain why the differences between them exist. (5 pts)
Describe the movement of energy through a food chain. Explain why there are
more producers than consumers and why eating meat counts as a great luxury. (3
pts)
Explain how carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycle within ecosystems. (4 pts)
Describe the results of the long-term study of the Hubbard Brook Experimental
Forest. Explain why this ecosystem is particularly useful for this sort of
experimentation. (2 pts)
Define cultural eutrophication and explain its causes. Describe the experiment
conducted by Dr. David Schindler that demonstrated the impact of phosphorus
pollution in aquatic ecosystems. (3 pts)
Chapter 38 Essays (40 points) DUE: Aug 21st
38.1
38.2
38.3
38.4
38.4
38.5–38.8
38.9
38.10
38.11
38.12
38.13
38.14
38.15
Explain why biodiversity is vital to human welfare. Explain the biological
significance of the island of Madagascar. (2 pts)
Describe the three components of biodiversity. Explain how human activities can
threaten biodiversity. Distinguish between endangered species and threatened
species. (10 pts)
Describe the three greatest current threats to biodiversity, providing examples of
each. ( 6 pts)
Explain how human activity has polluted the environment and contributed to the
thinning of the ozone layer. Describe the consequences of these actions. (4 pts)
Describe the process of biological magnification. (2 pts)
Describe the causes and consequences of global warming. (1 pts)
Explain why the efforts to save the red-cockaded woodpecker from extinction are
a good model for future conservation efforts. (2 pts)
Describe the goals of landscape ecology. Describe the significance of edges and movement corridors in maintaining biodiversity. (2 pts)
Describe the significance of biodiversity hotspots. Describe the challenges of
protecting species that migrate or otherwise require great ranges. (2 pts)
Explain how zoned reserves are being used to protect ecosystems. Describe the
success and ongoing challenges of such reserves in Costa Rica. (2 pts)
Describe the goals of the Yukon to Yellowstone Initiative. Explain why wolves
are considered a keystone species and how their return to Yellowstone National
Park has impacted the ecosystem there. (2 pts)
Describe the goals and methods of restoration ecology. Describe the goals and
expected outcomes of the Kissimmee River Project. (2 pts)
Explain why sustainable development should be the ultimate goal for the longterm maintenance of human societies and the ecosystems that support them. (2
pts)