Q&A Hero

Q: An ecosystem is a(n) ________ system in terms of energy, and a(n) ________ system in terms of matter. A) open; open B) open; closed C) closed; open D) closed; closed

Q: A self-regulating association of living plants and animals and their nonliving physical environment is termed a(n) A) ecosystem. B) ecotone. C) community. D) niche.

Q: What is biodiversity? How does biodiversity arise. Why is biodiversity important.

Q: Provide a hypothetical or a historical example of both primary and secondary succession.

Q: Using outside forces, describe the limiting factor of an organism and how it affects this organisms distribution.

Q: Using outside sources, provide an example of each of the following symbiotic relationships: mutualism, parasitism, commensalism, and amensalism.

Q: Consider the ecology of the region in which you live. Which organisms are the primary producers, the primary consumers, the secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.

Q: Using Figure 19.4 and Table 19.1 as your guide, describe the net primary productivity of the area in which you live. How does this net primary productivity vary across your state (or equivalent) and broader region?

Q: Describe the main abiotic ecosystem components. Give at least two regional examples of how these elements combine to form ecosystems.

Q: What is biogeography? What subjects do biogeographers study? What is ecology? How does biogeography vary from ecology?

Q: What is an ecosystem? What is the spatial scale of an ecosystem? Provide some examples of an ecosystem.

Q: Increased atmospheric CO2 may lead to increased foliage cover.

Q: There is little evidence supporting the contention that synthetic fertilizers disrupt natural biogeochemical cycles.

Q: Addressing and mitigating climate change may become an essential component of species conservation.

Q: Habitat loss, pollution, resource exploitation, climate change, and introduction of non-native species are among the biggest threats to biodiversity.

Q: Bacteria are the largest (i.e. number of species) group of organisms.

Q: Most of the Earth's organisms have been identified and classified.

Q: Species extinctions have occurred throughout Earth's history, so the recent loss of species is likely something of little concern.

Q: A resilient species or ecosystem is one that can recover quickly from disturbance.

Q: A stable ecosystem is one that is not undergoing any change.

Q: Greater biological diversity in an ecosystem leads to greater long-term stability and productivity.

Q: An orogeny that separates a once continuous population of a species is an example of vicariance.

Q: The term biodiversity encompasses not only the number and variety of different species, but also genetic variations within a species and even the varieties of ecosystems, habitats, and communities in an area.

Q: Within a lake, eutrophic conditions predominate in deep, open water.

Q: A lake classified as oligotrophic has high nutrient content.

Q: Different patches across a landscape may be at different successional stages.

Q: Contemporary biogeographic and ecological thinking posits that disturbance constantly disrupts ecosystems and a community may never reach the stage of climax community.

Q: Primary succession is more common than secondary succession.

Q: Plants colonizing bare rock after a volcanic eruption denudes the area is an example of primary succession.

Q: Altitudinal community assemblages at a constant latitude are often similar to latitudinal community assemblages at a constant elevation.

Q: The distribution of species is based on both biotic and abiotic factors.

Q: Lichen, which is a composite organism consisting of an alga and fungus, is an example of mutualism.

Q: According to the competitive exclusion principle, no two species can occupy the same niche.

Q: An ecological niche is essentially the same thing as a habitat.

Q: Communities are not static, rather they undergo changes over time due to various natural disturbances.

Q: Plants remove a relatively insignificant amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Q: A leech that sucks blood from an animal is in an example of commensalism.

Q: Some harmful chemicals that are long-lived, stable, and soluble in fatty tissues become increasingly concentrated at each higher trophic level.

Q: Approximately half of the cultivated acreage in the United States and Canada is planted for animal consumption.

Q: As energy moves through trophic levels is increases from lower to higher levels.

Q: Atmospheric nitrogen is readily available to living organisms.

Q: Hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon together make up more than 99% of the Earth's biomass.

Q: On average, algal beds and reefs have higher net primary productivity than tropical rain forests.

Q: Net primary productivity is a measurement of how much each individual plant photosynthesizes.

Q: Respiration is essentially the reverse of the photosynthetic process.

Q: Of the total energy intercepted at the Earth's surface and available for work, about 25% is fixed by photosynthesis as carbohydrates in plants.

Q: Biogeography is the study of the spatial distribution of plants, whereas zoogeography is the study of the spatial distribution of animals.

Q: The term ecology literally means "the study of the household."

Q: An ecosystem is a self-regulating association of living plants and animals and their nonliving physical environment.

Q: Increased foliage cover in parts of Australia has been attributed to which of the following climate change related phenomena.?A) sea level riseB) cloud albedo forcingC) CO2 fertilization effectD) cloud greenhouse forcing

Q: Which of the following is not considered among the greatest anthopogenic threats to biodiversity? A) habitat loss B) introduction of non-native species C) air, water, and soil pollution D) climate change E) habitat loss, non-native species, pollution, and climate change all represent threats to biodiversity

Q: Which of the following has the highest number of known species? A) plants B) insects C) chordates D) bacteria

Q: Approximately what percentage of plant and animal species have been classified overall. A) 1% B) 13% C) 67% D) 92%

Q: Since life arose on Earth, ________ major extinctions have occurred. A) one B) two C) six D) ten

Q: A monocultural agriculture community is ________ vulnerable to disturbance than an area with high biodiversity. A) less B) more C) equally

Q: The ability of an ecosystem to recover quickly from a disturbance and return to its original state is known as A) resilience. B) vicariance. C) punctuated equilibrium. D) succession.

Q: Studies have shown that ________ biodiversity in an ecosystem leads to ________ long-term stability and productivity. A) greater; greater B) greater; less C) less; greater D) less; slightly more

Q: Continental drift separating a once continuous population is an example of A) Lamarckian evolution B) punctuated equilibrium C) mutation D) vicariance

Q: When a random occurrence produces altered genetic material and inserts new traits into the inherited stream, ________ has occurred. A) Lamarckian evolution B) punctuated equilibrium C) mutation D) vicariance

Q: The notion that the traits that help a species survive and reproduce are passed along more frequently than those that do not (i.e. differential reproduction and adaptation) is known as A) Lamarckianism. B) punctuated equilibrium. C) natural selection. D) gradualism.

Q: The origin of the Earth's biological diversity is embodied in A) the life zone concept. B) the theory of evolution. C) ecological succession principle. D) competitive exclusion principle.

Q: Which of the following is not a measure of biological diversity? A) species diversity B) genetic diversity C) ecosystem diversity D) species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity are all measures of biodiversity.

Q: Human caused eutrophication is known as A) oligotrophication. B) mesotrophication. C) cultural eutrophication. D) anthropotrophication.

Q: In which portion of a lake would oligotrophic conditions most likely occur? A) along the shore B) in shallow bays C) in deep water D) in areas where high nutrient inputs occur.

Q: Which of the following is the correct order of lake succession, from lowest to highest nutrient levels? A) oligotrophic, mesotrophic, eutrophic B) eutrophic, oligotrophic, mesotrophic C) mesotrophic, eutrophic, oligotrophic D) oligotrophic, eutrophic, mesotrophic

Q: If a forest fire destroyed the vegetation in an area, but left some vestiges of the previously functioning community and the soil intact, what type of succession would follow? A) primary B) secondary C) tertiary D) quaternary

Q: The first species to colonize previously disturbed or damaged ecosystems are called a(n) A) sere. B) pioneer community. C) successor. D) establishment.

Q: If a lava flow completely denudes a mountain, leaving only bare rock, what type of succession will follow? A) primary B) secondary C) tertiary D) quaternary

Q: When a community is disturbed to the point that most or all of its species are eliminated, a process called ________ occurs in which the area undergoes a series of changes in species composition as newer communities replace older ones. A) rejuvenation B) mass extinction C) ecological succession D) patch dynamics

Q: Which of the following would not be a limiting factor for a plant species? A) soil phosphorus content B) daily precipitation values C) number of preadors D) days below freezing

Q: The snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) is a specialist that feeds on only one specific type of snail. By comparison, the Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a generalist that feeds on diverse food sources. Whereas the snail kite has a very limited range, the Mallard Duck has a very broad range. The snail kite's diet is an example of a(n) A) limiting factor. B) range of tolerance. C) ecological niche. D) habitat.

Q: ________ refers to the biotic and abiotic characteristics in the environment that determine species distribution. A) Limiting factor B) Range of tolerance C) Ecological niche D) Habitat

Q: The zonation of flora and fauna along an altitudinal transect similar to that found along latitudinal transects is known as the A) altitude-latitude hypothesis. B) vegetation similarity theory. C) the life zone concept. D) altitudinal zonation principle.

Q: A black walnut (Juglans nigra) emits a chemical that may kill or inhibit the growth of other nearby shrubs or trees. However, the black walnut is unaffected by this interaction. This is an example of which symbiotic relationship? A) parasitism B) mutualism C) commensalism D) amensalism

Q: Epiphytic plants, such as various species of orchids (Orchidaceae), grow upon another plant, using the plants for physical support, but bringing no harm to the host plant. This is an example of which symbiotic relationship? A) parasitism B) mutualism C) commensalism D) amensalism

Q: Mistletoe (Phoradendron) infest many taxa of plants, often causing the branches of the host species to become swollen and distorted and making the trees more susceptible to insect infestations. This is an example of which symbiotic relationship? A) parasitism B) mutualism C) commensalism D) amensalism

Q: In coral reefs, clownfish live unharmed among the poisonous tentacles of sea anemones. The sea anemones protect the clownfish from predation, while the clownfish scare off predators, such butterfly fish, which would otherwise eat the anemones. The clownfish may also provide important nutrients to the anemones. This is an example of which symbiotic relationship? A) parasitism B) mutualism C) commensalism D) amensalism

Q: Lichen are made up of algae and fungi living together. In this relationship, the alga is the produce and for source for the fungus and the fungus provides structure and physical support for the alga. This is an example of which symbiotic relationship? A) parasitism B) mutualism C) commensalism D) amensalism

Q: The proposition that no two species can occupy the same ecological niche is known as the A) symbiosis. B) competitive exclusion principle. C) trophic pyramid theory. D) ecological niche theory.

Q: The specific, unique role that a species performs within a given area is known as a(n) A) ecotone. B) habitat. C) community. D) niche.