Biology 007 - General Biology II » Spring 2021 » Exam 2

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Question #1
Werner et al. (1983) conducted an experiment with bluegill sunfish of three different sizes: small, medium, and large. The bluegills were placed in experimental ponds with three food types: benthos (best food type), plankton, and vegetation (worst food type). Half of each pond had predators -- largemouth bass -- and the other half was free from predators. In the half without predators, all three sizes of bluegills fed on the benthos and used the pond habitat equally. In the half with predators: • Large bluegills stayed in the open water and did not change their diet. • Medium bluegills stayed in the open water and shifted to eating plankton. • Small bluegills shifted to hiding in and feeding on the vegetation. What conclusion(s) can you reasonably draw based on these results? [Select all that apply.]
A.   The fundamental and realized niches of the small bluegills are the same.
B.   The fundamental niche of the small bluegills has decreased in the presence of predators.
C.   The fundamental and realized niches of the small bluegills are different. The fundamental and realized niches of the medium bluegills are different. The fundamental and realized niches of the large bluegills are the same. The three sizes of bluegills all have the same fundamental niche as each other.
D.   The fundamental and realized niches of the small bluegills are different.
E.   The fundamental and realized niches of the large bluegills are different.
F.   The fundamental niche of the medium bluegills has decreased in the presence of predators. The fundamental niche of the large bluegills has decreased in the presence of predators.
Question #2
Select ALL options that describe why not all energy transfers across trophic levels:
A.   Energy is converted to dissipated heat from cellular respiration reactions. Energy lost in undigested feces. Biomass is not consumed.
B.   Energy returns to the lower trophic level.
C.   Energy is converted to dissipated heat from cellular respiration reactions.
D.   Energy lost in undigested feces and energy returns to the lower trophic level.
E.   Biomass is not consumed.
Question #3
Consider this food chain: phytoplankton → shrimp → eel → tuna → shark Which population will be the LEAST negatively impacted by biomagnification?
A.   shrimp
B.   shark
C.   phytoplankton
D.   eel
E.   tuna
Question #4
Consider this food chain: phytoplankton → shrimp → eel → tuna → shark Which member will be the MOST negatively impacted by biomagnification?
A.   phytoplankton
B.   shrimp
C.   eel
D.   tuna
E.   shark
Question #5
For a population of 600, there is a per capita birth rate of 0.1 and a per capita mortality of 0.04. What is the per capita rate of increase?
A.   .06
B.   -0.06
C.   0.06
Question #6
For a population of 600, there is a per capita birth rate of 0.1 and a per capita mortality of 0.04. What is the overall growth rate for the total population?
A.   33
B.   30
C.   36
Question #7
True or false: Species interactions can act as agents of natural selection.
A.   TRUE
B.   FALSE
Question #8
Select the best description for what it demonstrates. The venomous octopus Hapalochlaena lunulata has iridescent, bright blue rings all over its body:
A.   warning coloration
B.   mechanical defence
C.   cryptic coloration
Question #9
Select the best description for what it demonstrate. The feathers of the eastern screech owl match the bark on the tree it sits in:
A.   cryptic coloration
B.   mechanical defence
C.   warning coloration
Question #10
Select the best description for what it demonstrates. The frilled lizard expands large flaps of skin (which usually lie flat around its neck) to scare off predators:
A.   cryptic coloration
B.   mechanical defence
C.   warning coloration
Question #11
Which of these would have the biggest impact on distribution of terrestrial biomes?
A.   Precipitation
B.   Correct. Precipitation is a key abiotic factor influencing the distribution of biomes.
C.   Soil pH
D.   Depth
E.   Volcanic activity
Question #12
When an existing ecological community is disturbed, ________ describes the sequential reappearance of species in the community.
A.   demography
B.   secondary succession
C.   primary succession
D.   resiliency
Question #13
Which of the following is a K-selected species?
A.   Dandelions, which disperse small seeds long distances on wind currents
B.   Oak trees, which produce many offspring and mature late
C.   Jellyfish, which produce many offspring that do not receive parental care
Question #14
Match terrestrial biomes to their descriptions: Tundra
A.   cointains permafrost in the soil impacting plant life
B.   warm all year round with extended drought periods
C.   the largest terrestrial biome
D.   contains the highest amount of biodiversity per unit area
E.   the plant life here goes dormant, dropping leaves, during winter
Question #15
Match terrestrial biomes to their descriptions: Northern Coniferous Forest
A.   cointains permafrost in the soil impacting plant life
B.   warm all year round with extended drought periods
C.   the largest terrestrial biome
D.   contains the highest amount of biodiversity per unit area
E.   the plant life here goes dormant, dropping leaves, during winter
Question #16
Match terrestrial biomes to their descriptions: Temperate Broadleaf Forest
A.   cointains permafrost in the soil impacting plant life
B.   the largest terrestrial biome
C.   the plant life here goes dormant, dropping leaves, during winter
D.   contains the highest amount of biodiversity per unit area
E.   warm all year round with extended drought periods
Question #17
Match terrestrial biomes to their descriptions: Savanna
A.   the plant life here goes dormant, dropping leaves, during winter
B.   cointains permafrost in the soil impacting plant life
C.   warm all year round with extended drought periods
D.   contains the highest amount of biodiversity per unit area
E.   the largest terrestrial biome
Question #18
What level of ecological study focuses the most on abiotic factors?
A.   organismal ecology
B.   population ecology
C.   ecosystem ecology
D.   none of these options considers abiotic factors
E.   community ecology
Question #19
What statement is accurate about extinctions?
A.   Background extinction can result from particularly strong competition or predation.
B.   The largest mass extinction event is considered the end-Cretaceous extinction.
C.   Mass extinction is the term used when 25% of the species present are wiped out.
D.   There have been 5 or 6 documented background extinction events in the current eon.
Question #20
An overlap in the niches of two species will most frequently result in:
A.   intraspecific competition
B.   interspecific competition
C.   a hybridization of species
D.   a mutualistic symbiotic relationship
E.   a predator-prey relationship
Question #21
As a developing country passes through the demographic transition, which of the following will occur?
A.   Its birth and death rates will decrease simultaneously.
B.   First, its birth rate will decrease, followed by its death rate.
C.   Its growth rate will first fall, but later recover.
D.   Its age structure will change, but its growth rate will remain unchanged.
E.   First, its death rate will decrease, followed by its birth rate.
Question #22
The population numbers of predator and prey in the same ecosystem tend to cycle in a way that appears to be related or interdependent.
A.   FALSE
B.   TRUE
Question #23
In Orange County, the Santa Ana River connects to the Pacific Ocean via the Newport Back Bay. The plankton, algae, and fish of the bay are adapted to these transitional waters. What type of biome is the Newport Back Bay?
A.   ecosystem ecology
B.   estuary, estuaries
C.   marine biome
Question #24
Complete this sentence with one word: The process of ________ is responsible for moving nutrients from the bottom of a lake, as well as circulating oxygen to greater depths.
A.   precipitation
B.   upwelling
C.   turnover or seasonal turnover
Question #25
Which of the following best explains why there are seldom more than five trophic levels in a food chain?
A.   Top carnivores are too few in number to prey effectively.
B.   Energy is lost from each trophic level.
C.   The ecosystem contains too much biomass.
D.   Trophic levels above this number contain too many individuals.
E.   Most carnivores function at more than one trophic level.
Question #26
Air masses formed over the Pacific Ocean are moved by prevailing westerlies where they encounter extensive north-south mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. Which statement best describes the outcome of this encounter between a landform and an air mass?
A.   The cool, moist Pacific air heats up as it rises, releasing its precipitation as it passes the tops of the mountains. This warm, now dry air cools as it descends on the leeward side of the range.
B.   The cool, dry Pacific air heats up and picks up moisture from evaporation of the snowcapped peaks of the mountain range, releasing this moisture as precipitation when the air cools while descending on the leeward side of the range.
C.   The warm, moist Pacific air rises and cools, releasing precipitation as it moves up the windward side of the range. This cool, now dry air mass heats up as it descends on the leeward side of the range.
D.   These air masses are blocked by the mountain ranges, producing high annual amounts of precipitation on the windward sides of these mountain ranges.
Question #27
What does net primary production measure?
A.   energy invested in any offspring
B.   energy stored in new biomass of producers
C.   energy consumers invest in finding prey
D.   energy invested in finding a mate
Question #28
What does the competitive exclusion principle tell us?
A.   two species cannot share the same niche in a habitat
B.   species will work together to exclude invaders
C.   competition between two species always causes extinction of one species
D.   only the strong survive
E.   two species will stop reproducing until one species leaves the habitat
Question #29
Species X lays many eggs with the same probability of dying each year of life. What type of survivorship curve does species X exhibit?
A.   Type III
B.   Type II
C.   Type IV
D.   Type I
Question #30
Match aquatic zones to their best description: Photosynthetic organisms such as plants cannot sustain here
A.   Intertidal
B.   Pelagic
C.   Littoral
D.   Aphotic
Question #31
Match aquatic zones to their best description: This zone regularly experiences extreme changes in the habitat
A.   Aphotic
B.   Littoral
C.   Intertidal
D.   Pelagic
Question #32
Match aquatic zones to their best description: Open waters away from the land, containing phytoplankton
A.   Littoral
B.   Intertidal
C.   Aphotic
D.   Pelagic
Question #33
Match aquatic zones to their best description: Some plants can live here, if they are adapted to water saturation
A.   Aphotic
B.   Pelagic
C.   Littoral
D.   Intertidal
Question #34
A major consequence of human use of synthetic fertilizers, such as nitrogen compounds, is:
A.   bioremediation
B.   denitrification
C.   nitrification
D.   eutrophication
Question #35
What species would have the greatest influence on the diversity present in a community structure?
A.   r-selected
B.   Keystone
C.   K-selected
D.   Pioneer
E.   Dominant
Question #36
Complete the statement by filling in the blank: The pattern of ocean currents around the globe affects local terrestrial climates. The currents are driven by the combination of the wind and the ___________________ effect.
A.   Coriolis, coroilis, coreolis, corialis, corilis, corioles, coriolus, or corolis
B.   aphotic
C.   gravity
Question #37
  
A.   Without natural herbivores or competitors, C. taxifolia will grow rapidly and crowd out native species of producers.
B.   C. taxifolia will grow rapidly, leading to an increase in diversity of producers.
C.   C. taxifolia will have a hard time establishing itself because it will have to compete against native species of sea grasses, which are better adapted to the environment.
D.   Because it is not in the Indian Ocean, its natural environment, C. taxifolia will not be able to grow efficiently.
Question #38
The gray wolves of Yellowstone are pack animals, displaying cooperative hunting behavior, so they prefer to stay in groups. What type of dispersal pattern describes the wolf population?
A.   dominant
B.   unity
C.   pelagic
D.   clump, clumped
Question #39
Which of the following communities is likely to be the most stable?
A.   One with uniformly spaced vegetation
B.   One with relatively high species richness
C.   One with very high species diversity
D.   One where the keystone species has been removed
E.   One that lacks decomposers
F.   One with relatively low species richness
Question #40
Which of the following causes populations to shift most quickly from an exponential to a logistic population growth?
A.   favorable climatic conditions
B.   competition for resources
C.   removal of predators
D.   decreased death rate
Question #41
From this list, select ALL of the biotic factors that can impact the island foxes of the Channel Islands:
A.   parasitic worms in the digestive tract and salinity levels of drinking water
B.   territory marking behavior with urine
C.   intense heat in the summer months
D.   salinity levels of drinking water
E.   territory marking behavior with urine and parasitic worms in the digestive tract
Question #42
All ecosystems require ________ to form the foundation of energy flow in a food web.
A.   herbivores
B.   detritivores
C.   autotrophs
D.   heterotrophs
Question #43
What must occur before biological organisms, such as plants, can incorporate atmospheric nitrogen into their macromolecules?
A.   denitrification
B.   nitrogen fixation
C.   leaching
D.   eutrophication
Question #44
Barnacles that attach to whales have a constant available supply of food as the whale travels through the ocean. The whale experiences no effect, making this relationship a _______________ . If there are too many barnacles attached, this creates drag force and prevents the whale from swimming efficiently, making their relationship a ________________ .
A.   predation, commensalism
B.   commensalism, parasitism
C.   commensalism, mutualism
D.   parasitism, commensalism
Question #45
What is the connection between global latitude (North vs South) and the species-energy hypothesis behind biodiversity?
A.   The pattern of movement in the Ferrel cells drives the increased levels of biodiversity.
B.   The equator receives the highest concentration of light per unit area.
C.   The polar regions receive more light than the other latitudes due to the curvature of the globe.
D.   The latitudes tilted towards the Sun are able to support the highest amount of biodiversity.
Question #46
A trade-off for having many offspring would be...:
A.   that they would require a large amount of parental care.
B.   that they would likely be small in size.
C.   that they would have high survivorship.
D.   that they would likely be large in size.
Question #47
It was predicted during the early 1800s, that our human population would eventually reach a point where we cannot sustain ourselves. As you might guess, has not occurred, well beyond the population size that was thought to be unsistainable. Why?
A.   The two world wars and the AIDS crisis caused such massive mortality that the human population has stabilized.
B.   Humans continue to find ways to enhance environmental quality, thus enabling more people to be supported.
C.   Dramatic reductions in fertility rates ended population growth before the crisis point was reached.
D.   Technological advances unforeseen at that time increased the carrying capacity to a greater extent and faster than predicted.
E.   The prediction was wrong; human populations can grow indefinitely.
Question #48
Human population worldwide is currently experiencing ________ growth.
A.   high rate of
B.   differential
C.   exponential
Question #49
The carbon footprint of humanity connected to the climate change problem is mostly influenced by:
A.   fossil fuel use
B.   wood burning
C.   agricultural practices
D.   land management
Question #50
The main source that can lower carbon dioxide levels by pulling carbon out of the atmosphere is:
A.   decomposition
B.   respiration
C.   combustion
D.   photosynthesis
Question #51
Schistosomiasis is a medical condition in humans where a flatworm lives in a human's bladder, feeding on the human's blood and potentially causing bladder cancer. What is the best description of the relationship of the flatworm to the human?
A.   Predator
B.   Commensalist
C.   Mutualist
D.   Endoparasite
E.   Ectoparasite
Question #52
A population of black mustard (Brassica nigra) is dying due to a severe drought, which is a density______________ factor affecting the population.
A.   relevant
B.   similar
C.   dependent
D.   independent
Question #53
What event necessarily had to immediately precede the Oxygen Revolution?
A.   The origin of life
B.   The evolution of photosynthesis
C.   The origin of multicellularity
D.   The formation of Earth's oceans
E.   The Cambrian Explosion
Question #54
Consider a standard trophic pyramid with primary producers at the bottom and tertiary consumers at the top. If there are 100,000 J of energy available in the primary consumers, how much will transfer to the secondary consumers?
A.   10,000J
B.   90,000J
C.   100J
D.   9,000J
E.   900J
F.   1,000J
Question #55
Select the time period when you would most likely find each of the following major events: First unicellular photosynthetic eukaryotes
A.   Mesozoic era
B.   Paleozoic era
C.   Proterozoic eon
D.   Cenozoic era
Question #56
Select the time period when you would most likely find each of the following major events: Large herbivorous mammals, such as mammoths
A.   Paleozoic era
B.   Proterozoic eon
C.   Cenozoic era
D.   Mesozoic era
Question #57
Select the time period when you would most likely find each of the following major events: Insects first spreading onto land
A.   Proterozoic eon
B.   Cenozoic era
C.   Paleozoic era
D.   Mesozoic era
Question #58
Carnivore skull morphology is directly related to the type of prey that the carnivore is able to hunt down and eat. If a scientist finds significant differences in skull morphology between the different carnivore species of a certain community, what can you most logically infer from these results?
A.   The differences in skull morphology are due to character displacement.
B.   The realized and the fundamental niches are the same for all of the carnivore species in this community.
C.   One of the carnivore species in this community will eventually competitively exclude the others.
D.   The carnivores in this community all occupy the same realized niche.
E.   There is a high degree of overlap in prey preference between the carnivores in this community.
Question #59
What can directly result from eutrophication of an aquatic system, such as a lake?
A.   algal blooms
B.   coral bleaching
C.   flood
D.   zooplankton blooms
E.   decline in limiting nutrient levels
Question #60
You would expect to find sand and cacti as the dominant flora at _____ degrees latitude.
A.   30north, 30, 30 south, 30 north and south, 30N, thirty, 30N/S, 30 S, 30 north, or 30northandsouth
B.   20north, 20, 20 south, 20 north and south, 20N, twenty, 20N/S, 20 S, 20 north, or 20northandsouth
C.   60north, 60, 60 south, 60 north and south, 60N, sixty, 60N/S, 60 S, 60 north, or 60northandsouth
Question #61
When does a population grow exponentially?
A.   The birth rate and the death rate are equal.
B.   Emigration exceeds immigration and the birth rate equals the death rate.
C.   The birth rate exceeds the death rate and immigration exceeds emigration.
D.   The death rate equals the birth rate and immigration is equal to emigration.
E.   The carrying capacity is exceeded.
Question #62
Select the best way to finish this statement: The continents we know today were once fused together as one supercontinent, Pangaea…
A.   at the end of the Paleozoic era
B.   at the end of the Mesozoic era
C.   during the beginning of Earth's history, at the start of the Hadeon eon.
D.   throughout the Mesozoic era.
E.   throughout the Paleozoic era.
Question #63
Based on the timeline we have built, 541 mya corresponds to what geological event/era?
A.   the end of the Paleozoic era
B.   the end of the Cenozoic era
C.   the end of the Mesozoic era
D.   the middle of the "Precambrian" time
E.   the beginning of the Paleozoic era
Question #64
EXTRA CREDIT: If individuals from a species occupy many small patches of habitat so that they form many independent populations connected to each other by migration, this is specifically referred to as a:
A.   metapopulations, meta-populations, metapopulation, or meta-population
B.   multipopulations, multi-populations, multipopulation, or multi-population

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