1.

A group oI interbreeding individuals occupying

the same area is best called
$ a community
% a population
& an ecosystem
' a society
( a symbiotic relationship
248
Part I: Subject Area Reviews
Questions 24 refer to the following age structure diagrams that represent five different populations.
A. B.
C. D. E.
Sample Questions and Answers
Multiple-Choice Questions
Directions: Each oI the Iollowing questions or statements is Iollowed by Iive possible answers or sentence completions.
Choose the one best answer or sentence completion.
2. Which oI the above populations is experiencing
the Iastest growth?
3. Which oI the above populations is most nearly
experiencing zero population growth over the time
period represented by the diagram?
4. Which oI the above populations is experiencing
the eIIect oI severe limiting Iactors?
5. All oI the Iollowing populations would likely
result in a uniIorm dispersion pattern EXCEPT:
$ nesting penguins on a small beach
% territories oI bears in a Iorest
& perennial shrubs (oI a given species) growing
in a desert habitat
' tropical trees (oI a given species) in a
tropical rain Iorest
( lions on the savanna
Questions 67 refer to a population of 500 that experi-
ences 55 births and 5 deaths during a one-vear period.
6. What is the reproductive rate Ior the population
during the one-year period?
$ 0.01/year
% 0.05/year
& 0.1/year
' 50/year
( 55/year
7. II the population maintains the current growth
pattern, a plot oI its growth would resemble
$ exponential growth
% Iluctuating growth
& K-selected growth
' logistic growth
( zero population growth (ZPG)
Use the following kev for Questions 813. Each answer
in the kev mav be used once, more than once, or not
at all.
$ Character displacement
% Commensalism
& Mutualism
' Batesian mimicry
( Mllerian mimicry
8. Burr-bearing seeds that are dispersed by clinging
to the Iur oI certain birds do not harm or help the
birds.
9. The monarch and viceroy butterIlies both have
orange wings with the same distinctive black
markings. When the monarch caterpillar Ieeds
on milkweed, a toxic plant, it stores the toxins,
making both the monarch caterpillar and butterIly
unpalatable and toxic. The viceroy caterpillar
Ieeds on nontoxic plants.
10. The mating calls oI two species oI Irogs are
diIIerent when they occupy the same island. On
separate islands, the mating calls are the same.
11. Oxpeckers are birds that ride rhinoceroses and
other ungulates and eat various skin parasites,
such as ticks.
12. Several species oI poisonous snakes bear bright
colors oI red, black, and yellow.
13. Several species oI brightly colored, harmless
snakes look like poisonous coral snakes.
14. All oI the Iollowing kinds oI plants or animals
characterize the initial stages oI succession
EXCEPT:
$ pioneer species
% r-selected species
& species with good dispersal ability
' species that can tolerate poor growing
conditions
( species that invest large amounts oI resources
or time into development oI progeny
15. Primary succession would occur on a
$ meadow destroyed by Ilood
% meadow destroyed by overgrazing
& newly created volcanic island
' section oI a Iorest destroyed by an avalanche
( section oI a Iorest destroyed by Iire
16. All oI the Iollowing increase the concentration oI
CO
2
in the atmosphere EXCEPT:
$ photosynthesis
% slash-and-burn clearing oI tropical rain
Iorests
& burning oI Iossil Iuels
' burning oI wood Ior cooking and heating
( burning oI gasoline
17. Nitrogen becomes available to plants by all oI the
Iollowing processes EXCEPT:
$ ammoniIication
% denitriIication by denitriIying bacteria
& nitriIication by nitriIying bacteria
' nitrogen Iixation in plant nodules
( nitrogen Iixation by soil prokaryotes
18. The transition Irom a tropical rain Iorest to a
savanna is marked by Iewer and Iewer trees.
This is most likely caused by changes in
$ temperature
% rainIall
& the length oI the growing season
' the average length oI daylight
( CO
2
concentration
Question 19 refers to the following food chain.
dinoflagellates oysters humans " "
19. In the above Iood chain, oysters represent
$ detritivores
% producers
& herbivores
' primary carnivores
( secondary consumers
249
Ecology
Question 20 refers to the following pvramid of biomass.
20. In which trophic level would the biological
magniIication oI the pesticide DDT be most
evident?
$ Phytoplankton
% Zooplankton
& Filter Ieeding Iish
' Predator Iish
( Pelicans
phytoplankton
zooplankton
filter feeding
fish
predator
fish
pelicans
250
Part I: Subject Area Reviews
Answering Multiple-Choice Questions
Directions: Choose the best possible answer, out of the five that are provided, for each
question.
1. Aphotic zones prominently feature all of the following except:
(A) Darkness
(B) Nutrient-rich detritus
(C) Squid
(D) Primary producers
(E) Complex food webs
2. Which of the following factors is not a major determinant of climate?
(A) Temperature
(B) Soil
(C) Water
(D) Sunlight
(E) Wind
3. Which of the following statements are true?
I. Energy transmission between trophic levels is efficient
II. All primary producers are plants
III. Detritivores support primary producers
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II only
(E) II and III only
Questions 48 refer to the following answer choices. Answers may be used more than once.
(A) Carrying capacity
(B) Biotic potential
(C) Density-dependent factor
(D) Density-independent factor
(E) Equilibrium
4. Disease
5. Intrinsic growth rate
6. No net change
7. Rainfall
8. Sustainable population
221
Chapter 18: Answering Questions About Ecology
9. Which of the following types of inter-species interaction can involve at least one organism
being harmed?
I. Predation
II. Competition
III. Symbiosis
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) III only
(D) I and II only
(E) I, II and III
10. A biodiversity index is a measure of the number of different species within an area and the
degree to which those species are interspersed. Higher numbers of different species and
greater intermixing of those species within an area lead to higher indices of biodiversity. A
three square-acre area was defined from global positioning coordinates, and the biodiver-
sity index of that area was measured every five years, four separate times over a 15-year
period, with the following results:
Year 0: Index = 289
Year 5: Index = 324
Year 10: Index = 13
Year 15: Index = 102
Which of the following best accounts for the observed changes in biodiversity?
(A) Primary succession
(B) A high percentage of K-selected species
(C) A low percentage of R-selected species
(D) Secondary succession
(E) Sustained growth near biotic potentials
222
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