Question 1

Character displacement differs from resource partitioning because character displacement ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  is a fundamental difference in feeding behaviors of individuals 
B)  is directly linked to the evolution of genotypes that have allowed alternate resource use 
C)  is a difference in the niche within a habitat that is preferred to be used by a species 
D)  is not the result of competition 
A)  is a fundamental difference in feeding behaviors of individuals 
B)  is directly linked to the evolution of genotypes that have allowed alternate resource use 
C)  is a difference in the niche within a habitat that is preferred to be used by a species 
D)  is not the result of competition B

Question 2

Red-cheeked salamanders are partially protected from predators because of cardiac glycosides they produce from glands on their back. When ingested, cardiac glycosides disrupt normal heart rhythms. A different salamander species, the imitator salamander, also has red cheek patches, but does not produce cardiac glycosides. It does gain protection from predators that have learned to avoid red-cheeked salamanders. This relationship has which of the following effects on the population dynamics of both species?

Accepted Answer

A)  Both species are negatively affected. 
B)  Both species are positively affected. 
C)  The red-cheeked salamander is positively affected; the imitator is negatively affected. 
D)  The red-cheeked salamander is not affected; the imitator is positively affected. 
A)  Both species are negatively affected. 
B)  Both species are positively affected. 
C)  The red-cheeked salamander is positively affected; the imitator is negatively affected. 
D)  The red-cheeked salamander is not affected; the imitator is positively affected. D

Question 3

Use the following diagram of five islands formed at around the same time near a particular mainland, as well as the principles of MacArthur and Wilson's island equilibrium model, to answer the question.   Which island would likely have the lowest extinction rate?

Accepted Answer

A)  1 
B)  3 
C)  4 
D)  5 
A)  1 
B)  3 
C)  4 
D)  5 A

Question 4

Which of the following studies would provide a community ecologist with the most pertinent data with which to investigate competitive interactions?

Accepted Answer

A)  selectivity of nest sites among cavity-nesting songbirds 
B)  the grass species preferred by grazing pronghorn antelope and bison 
C)  stomach analysis of brown trout and brook trout in streams where they coexist 
D)  all of these 
A)  selectivity of nest sites among cavity-nesting songbirds 
B)  the grass species preferred by grazing pronghorn antelope and bison 
C)  stomach analysis of brown trout and brook trout in streams where they coexist 
D)  all of these

Question 5

Which of the following would be the best experiment for an ecologist to conduct to test whether a species is occupying all of its fundamental niche or only a portion of it?

Accepted Answer

A)  Study the temperature range and humidity requirements of the species. 
B)  Observe if the species expands its range after the removal of a competitor. 
C)  Measure the change in reproductive success when the species is subjected to environmental stress. 
D)  Observe if the niche size changes after the introduction of a similar non-native species. 
A)  Study the temperature range and humidity requirements of the species. 
B)  Observe if the species expands its range after the removal of a competitor. 
C)  Measure the change in reproductive success when the species is subjected to environmental stress. 
D)  Observe if the niche size changes after the introduction of a similar non-native species.

Question 6

Which of the following best explains why food chains are sometimes short?

Accepted Answer

A)  only a single species of herbivore feeds on each plant species 
B)  local extinction of a species causes extinction of the other species in its food chain 
C)  the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next higher level is inefficient 
D)  predator species tend to be less diverse and less abundant than prey species 
A)  only a single species of herbivore feeds on each plant species 
B)  local extinction of a species causes extinction of the other species in its food chain 
C)  the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next higher level is inefficient 
D)  predator species tend to be less diverse and less abundant than prey species

Question 7

Use the figure to answer the following question.   Treehoppers (a type of insect) produce honeydew, which ants use for food. Treehoppers have a major predator, the jumping spider. Researchers hypothesized that the ants would protect the treehoppers from the spiders. During the first part of July, researchers found no difference between treehopper populations in any of their control and experimental groups. Which of the following measurements, if subsequently completed, would provide data to explain the researchers' result?

Accepted Answer

A)  Measure the number of ant females. 
B)  Measure the relative sizes of the treehoppers. 
C)  Measure the relative abundance of jumping spiders. 
D)  Measure the relative sizes of different ant species. 
A)  Measure the number of ant females. 
B)  Measure the relative sizes of the treehoppers. 
C)  Measure the relative abundance of jumping spiders. 
D)  Measure the relative sizes of different ant species.

Question 8

Which of the statements below best describes a zoonotic disease?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is caused by suborganismal pathogens such as viruses, viroids, and prions only. 
B)  It is caused by pathogens that are transferred from other animals to humans by direct contact or by means of a vector. 
C)  It can only be spread from animals to humans through direct contact. 
D)  It can only be transferred from animals to humans by means of an intermediate host. 
A)  It is caused by suborganismal pathogens such as viruses, viroids, and prions only. 
B)  It is caused by pathogens that are transferred from other animals to humans by direct contact or by means of a vector. 
C)  It can only be spread from animals to humans through direct contact. 
D)  It can only be transferred from animals to humans by means of an intermediate host.

Question 9

Use the figures to answer the following question.   In this experiment, Balanus balanoides (a species of barnacle), was removed from the habitat shown on the left. Which of the following statements is consistent with the experimental results (see the diagram on the right)?

Accepted Answer

A)  The fundamental and realized niches of B. balanoides and C. stellatus are identical. 
B)  The fundamental and realized niches of B. balanoides and C. stellatus are different. 
C)  The fundamental and realized niches of B. balanoides are different, but the fundamental and realized niches of C. stellatus are identical. 
D)  The fundamental and realized niches of C. stellatus are different. 
A)  The fundamental and realized niches of B. balanoides and C. stellatus are identical. 
B)  The fundamental and realized niches of B. balanoides and C. stellatus are different. 
C)  The fundamental and realized niches of B. balanoides are different, but the fundamental and realized niches of C. stellatus are identical. 
D)  The fundamental and realized niches of C. stellatus are different.

Question 10

Which of the following could qualify as a top-down control on a grassland community?

Accepted Answer

A)  limitation of plant biomass by rainfall amount 
B)  influence of temperature on competition among plants 
C)  influence of soil nutrients on the abundance of grasses versus wildflowers 
D)  effect of grazing intensity by bison on plant species diversity 
A)  limitation of plant biomass by rainfall amount 
B)  influence of temperature on competition among plants 
C)  influence of soil nutrients on the abundance of grasses versus wildflowers 
D)  effect of grazing intensity by bison on plant species diversity

Question 11

Which of the following studies would provide the most reliable evidence to understand the mechanism of spread of H5N1 virus from Asia to North America?

Accepted Answer

A)  Perform anal or saliva smears of migrating waterfowl to monitor whether any infected birds show up in Alaska. 
B)  Test fecal samples for H5N1 in Asian waterfowl that live near domestic poultry farms in Asia. 
C)  Test for the presence of H5N1 in poultry used for human consumption worldwide. 
D)  Locate and destroy birds infected with H5N1 in Asian open-air poultry markets. 
A)  Perform anal or saliva smears of migrating waterfowl to monitor whether any infected birds show up in Alaska. 
B)  Test fecal samples for H5N1 in Asian waterfowl that live near domestic poultry farms in Asia. 
C)  Test for the presence of H5N1 in poultry used for human consumption worldwide. 
D)  Locate and destroy birds infected with H5N1 in Asian open-air poultry markets.

Question 12

Resource partitioning would be most likely to occur between ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  sympatric populations of species with similar ecological niches 
B)  sympatric populations of a flowering plant and its specialized insect pollinator 
C)  allopatric populations of the same animal species 
D)  allopatric populations of species with similar ecological niches 
A)  sympatric populations of species with similar ecological niches 
B)  sympatric populations of a flowering plant and its specialized insect pollinator 
C)  allopatric populations of the same animal species 
D)  allopatric populations of species with similar ecological niches

Question 13

As you study two closely related predatory insect species, the two-spot and the three-spot avenger beetles, you notice that each species seeks prey at night when present in an area where the other beetle species is absent. However, where their ranges overlap, the two-spot avenger beetle hunts at night and the three-spot hunts in the morning. When you bring them into the laboratory and isolate the two different species, you discover that the offspring of both species are found to be nocturnal. Which of the following conclusions is best supported by this scientific evidence?

Accepted Answer

A)  the two-spot beetle species may be competitively displacing the three-spot beetle species 
B)  the three-spot beetle species may be competitively displacing the two-spot beetle species 
C)  the two beetle species do not compete for prey when sharing an area 
D)  the two beetle species prefer to feed during the daytime 
A)  the two-spot beetle species may be competitively displacing the three-spot beetle species 
B)  the three-spot beetle species may be competitively displacing the two-spot beetle species 
C)  the two beetle species do not compete for prey when sharing an area 
D)  the two beetle species prefer to feed during the daytime

Question 14

Which of the following behaviors results in keystone predators maintaining species diversity in a community?

Accepted Answer

A)  competitively exclude other predators 
B)  prey on the community's competitively dominant species 
C)  allow immigration of other predators 
D)  prey only on the least abundant species in the community 
A)  competitively exclude other predators 
B)  prey on the community's competitively dominant species 
C)  allow immigration of other predators 
D)  prey only on the least abundant species in the community

Question 15

Bouchard and Brooks studied the effect of insect flight on dispersal and speciation in rain forest insects. They sampled all of the insects in the study area and found that 60 insect species are flightless and 19 are able to fly. These results indicate which of the following?
(P. Bouchard and D. R. Brooks, Effect of vagility potential on dispersal and speciation in rainforest insects, Journal of Evolutionary Biology 17: 994-1006 [2004].)

Accepted Answer

A)  Flightless insects have a greater dispersal potential from this study area. 
B)  Flightless insects are more numerous in the study area. 
C)  Flightless insects have a higher species richness in the study area. 
D)  Flightless insects are better suited for the tropics. 
A)  Flightless insects have a greater dispersal potential from this study area. 
B)  Flightless insects are more numerous in the study area. 
C)  Flightless insects have a higher species richness in the study area. 
D)  Flightless insects are better suited for the tropics.

Question 16

According to the island equilibrium model, species richness would be lowest on an island with which of the following characteristics?

Accepted Answer

A)  large and close to a mainland 
B)  large and remote 
C)  small and remote 
D)  small and close to a mainland 
A)  large and close to a mainland 
B)  large and remote 
C)  small and remote 
D)  small and close to a mainland

Question 17

Use the graph to answer the following question.   Which of the following is the best conclusion about the effect of a keystone species, based on the graphed data?

Accepted Answer

A)  A keystone species has little interaction with other species in an environment. 
B)  Removing a keystone species from the community drastically reduces species richness. 
C)  Adding a keystone species to the community will make it more diverse. 
D)  Removing a keystone species from the community will eventually allow for the invasion of a new species. 
A)  A keystone species has little interaction with other species in an environment. 
B)  Removing a keystone species from the community drastically reduces species richness. 
C)  Adding a keystone species to the community will make it more diverse. 
D)  Removing a keystone species from the community will eventually allow for the invasion of a new species.

Question 18

According to bottom-up and top-down control models of community organization, which of the following expressions would imply that an increase in the size of a carnivore (C) population would negatively impact its prey (P) population, but not vice versa? In this particular scenario, the arrows between species indicate the direction of control between the populations of organisms.

Accepted Answer

A)  P ← C 
B)  P → C 
C)  C ↔ P 
D)  P ← C → P 
A)  P ← C 
B)  P → C 
C)  C ↔ P 
D)  P ← C → P

Question 19

Determining which of the following would be most helpful in understanding the structure of an ecological community?

Accepted Answer

A)  which and how many species are present overall 
B)  which particular species are absent 
C)  the kinds of interactions that occur among individuals of the same species 
D)  the abundance of resources available for one species 
A)  which and how many species are present overall 
B)  which particular species are absent 
C)  the kinds of interactions that occur among individuals of the same species 
D)  the abundance of resources available for one species

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of a commensalism?

Accepted Answer

A)  fungi residing in plant roots, such as endomycorrhizae 
B)  bacteria fixing nitrogen on the roots of some plants 
C)  rancher ants that protect aphids in exchange for sugar-rich honeydew 
D)  cattle egrets eating insects stirred up by grazing bison 
A)  fungi residing in plant roots, such as endomycorrhizae 
B)  bacteria fixing nitrogen on the roots of some plants 
C)  rancher ants that protect aphids in exchange for sugar-rich honeydew 
D)  cattle egrets eating insects stirred up by grazing bison

Exam 54: Biodiversity and Communities

Character displacement differs from resource partitioning because character displacement ________.

Use the following diagram of five islands formed at around the same time near a particular mainland, as well as the principles of MacArthur and Wilson's island equilibrium model, to answer the question. Which island would likely have the lowest extinction rate?

Which of the following studies would provide a community ecologist with the most pertinent data with which to investigate competitive interactions?

Which of the following would be the best experiment for an ecologist to conduct to test whether a species is occupying all of its fundamental niche or only a portion of it?

Which of the following best explains why food chains are sometimes short?

Which of the statements below best describes a zoonotic disease?

Use the figures to answer the following question. In this experiment, Balanus balanoides (a species of barnacle), was removed from the habitat shown on the left. Which of the following statements is consistent with the experimental results (see the diagram on the right)?

Which of the following could qualify as a top-down control on a grassland community?

Which of the following studies would provide the most reliable evidence to understand the mechanism of spread of H5N1 virus from Asia to North America?

Resource partitioning would be most likely to occur between ________.

Which of the following behaviors results in keystone predators maintaining species diversity in a community?

According to the island equilibrium model, species richness would be lowest on an island with which of the following characteristics?

Use the graph to answer the following question. Which of the following is the best conclusion about the effect of a keystone species, based on the graphed data?

Determining which of the following would be most helpful in understanding the structure of an ecological community?

Which of the following is an example of a commensalism?

Biology and Its Themes

Atoms and Molecules

The Chemistry of Water

Carbon: the Basis of Molecular Diversity

Biological Macromolecules and Lipids

Energy and Life

Cell Structure and Function

Cell Membranes

Cellular Signaling

Cell Respiration

Photosynthetic Processes

Mitosis

Sexual Life Cycles and Meiosis

Mendelian Genetics

Linkage and Chromosomes

Nucleic Acids and Inheritance

Expression of Genes

Control of Gene Expression

Dna Technology

The Evolution of Genomes

How Evolution Works

Phylogenetic Reconstruction

Microevolution

Species and Speciation

Macroevolution

Introduction to Viruses

Prokaryotes

The Origin and Evolution of Eukaryotes

Nonvascular and Seedless Vascular Plants

Seed Plants

Introduction to Fungi

An Introduction to Animal Diversity

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Plant Structure and Growth

Transport in Vascular Plants

Plant Nutrition

Reproduction of Flowering Plants

Plant Signals and Behavior

The Animal Body

Chemical Signals in Animals

Animal Digestive Systems

Animal Transport Systems

Animal Excretory Systems

Animal Reproductive Systems

Development in Animals

Animal Defenses Against Infection

Electrical Signals in Animals

Neural Regulation in Animals

Sensation and Movement in Animals

An Overview of Ecology

Behavioral Ecology

Populations and Life History Traits

Energy Flow and Chemical Cycling in Ecosystems

Conservation and Global Ecology

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