Exam 4: Life: What Shapes Biodiversity

As a member of your school's environmental science club, you are concerned about the widespread loss of wildlife habitat and the corresponding population declines of pollinators such as monarch butterflies. You learn that monarch butterflies are found throughout North America and pollinate many types of wildflowers. Monarchs require milkweed to lay their eggs, and the loss of milkweed plants has contributed to steep declines in monarch populations. Milkweed seeds are inexpensive and can be purchased in bulk. Develop an action plan to raise awareness and create habitat at your school and surrounding community. Don't forget that creativity increases engagement and participation.

Which of answer choice describes genetic drift?

Select the description of exponential growth.

The invasive emerald ash borer selectively feeds on and kills ash trees. At your campus, several infected trees have been cut down and a decision is made to remove all of the ash trees as a way to slow the spread of this invasive species. You join a committee tasked with selecting replacement trees. The group favors replacing the ash trees with maple trees because the autumn leaf colors would be stunning in a group of such large numbers. What advice can you offer this committee, based on what you've learned in this chapter?

In a community, sea otters prey on sea urchins, which in turn consume kelp. Kelp forests make up the habitat for many types of fish, such as rockfish, and a wide range of other species. Identify the keystone species in this community.

In desert areas covered with black rock from ancient lava flows, rock pocket mice with darker fur are common. In other areas of habitat with lighter-colored rock, the rock pocket mice tend to have lighter-colored fur. For rock pocket mice, fur color is an example of

Ramon applies a chemical pesticide to his corn crop to help protect against yield loss due to insect pests. Initially, the treatment is successful as most of the insect pests are killed off. However, after a few seasons of growing the same crop and applying the same pesticide, Ramon observes that the treatment is losing its effectiveness against these pests. Use your understanding of evolutionary principles to explain to Ramon what has happened.

Members of the same species are each other.

On Isle Royale in Lake Superior, moose are prey for wolves and hosts for a parasite known as the moose tick that causes them to lose fur. In this community, how does predation differ from the parasitic relationship?

The formation of the Isthmus of Panama prevented gene flow between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean populations of snapping shrimp. This reproductive isolation allowed the populations to diverge enough genetically that they were no longer capable of interbreeding. What is this process called?

A temperate grassland is dominated by grasses. Its climate features cold winters, hot summers, relatively minimal precipitation, and seasonal drought.

Select the true statement regarding Earth's biodiversity.

Alternate forms of a gene are produced by

The population size of American bison decreased from tens of millions in the 1800s to just a few thousand currently. The bison population today is especially susceptible to

A creek provides habitat and breeding sites for several different amphibian species. Which scale of life represents the interactions between the amphibians and the creek?

All the wolves in Yellowstone Park represent a(n)

Select the example mutualism in a community.

Five different warbler species can coexist on the same spruce tree because each species

Select the hypothetical forest with the greatest species evenness.

List five characteristics that all living things share. Which of these characteristics does a car display? Why is a car not considered to be alive?