Question 1

Niches are dynamic, and are affected by interactions among species.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

_____ can have similar effects on population sizes as predators; that is, keeping populations below carrying capacity and limiting competitive exclusion.

Accepted Answer

A) Parasites 
B) Interspecific competitors 
C) Facultative mutualists 
D) Commensals 
E) Obligate mutualists 
A) Parasites 
B) Interspecific competitors 
C) Facultative mutualists 
D) Commensals 
E) Obligate mutualists

Question 3

What is the difference between evolution and coevolution?

Accepted Answer

A) These concepts are not different; they only differ on time scale. 
B) Coevolution is the only way speciation can occur. 
C) Coevolution results when two or more species influence adaptation in the other species. 
D) Evolution of one species only occurs in response to natural selection based on the changing environment that species lives in at a particular time. 
A) These concepts are not different; they only differ on time scale. 
B) Coevolution is the only way speciation can occur. 
C) Coevolution results when two or more species influence adaptation in the other species. 
D) Evolution of one species only occurs in response to natural selection based on the changing environment that species lives in at a particular time.

Question 4

Competition for resources occurs often within communities. The black line represents the change in fitness for one species, and the gray line represents the change in fitness for another species. Which of the following graphs represents the change in fitness when there is competition for the same resource?

Accepted Answer

A) graph M 
B) graph H 
C) graph K 
A) graph M 
B) graph H 
C) graph K

Question 5

In a successional community, some kinds of organisms like fungi or beetles are present in every stage of succession. However, the particular species of fungi or beetles that may be there at the earliest stages of succession are often not the same species present in the last successional stage. This is a result of:

Accepted Answer

A) changes in plant communities during succession that support different animal communities. 
B) biogeochemical cycles that change with each stage of succession. 
C) the fact that predators and herbivores are not a part of the community until the last stage of succession. 
D) the fact that species in an early successional community will always be in their fundamental niche, and later stages only allow species to occupy their realized niche. 
A) changes in plant communities during succession that support different animal communities. 
B) biogeochemical cycles that change with each stage of succession. 
C) the fact that predators and herbivores are not a part of the community until the last stage of succession. 
D) the fact that species in an early successional community will always be in their fundamental niche, and later stages only allow species to occupy their realized niche.

Question 6

Over the winter the hibiscus plants in your garden were killed by cold winter temperatures. Much to your surprise sunflowers sprouted on their own. That second summer you see lots of goldfinches (small yellow birds) visit the garden to eat the sunflower seeds. What is the ecological relationship between the goldfinches, who eat the sunflower seeds, and the sunflowers?

Accepted Answer

A) predation 
B) commensalism 
C) mutualism 
D) competition 
A) predation 
B) commensalism 
C) mutualism 
D) competition

Question 7

When sea otters are present in a kelp forest community, there are more than 12 species in the community. If sea otters are removed, there are 5-7 species that remain in the community. These data suggest that sea otters are:

Accepted Answer

A) a keystone species. 
B) top predators. 
C) primary consumers. 
D) secondary consumers. 
A) a keystone species. 
B) top predators. 
C) primary consumers. 
D) secondary consumers.

Question 8

Measuring its costs and benefits in terms of energy spent and/or gained, competition among individuals results in:

Accepted Answer

A) a loss for both individuals. 
B) gain for both individuals. 
C) a gain for one individual and a loss for the other. 
D) a gain for one individual and neither a gain nor a loss for the other. 
E) None of the answer options is correct. 
A) a loss for both individuals. 
B) gain for both individuals. 
C) a gain for one individual and a loss for the other. 
D) a gain for one individual and neither a gain nor a loss for the other. 
E) None of the answer options is correct.

Question 9

Measuring its costs and benefits in terms of energy spent and/or gained, mutualism:

Accepted Answer

A) is a lose-lose interaction. 
B) results in gain for both individuals. 
C) results in a gain for one individual and a loss for the other. 
D) results in a gain for one individual and neither a gain nor a loss for the other. 
E) None of the answer options is correct. 
A) is a lose-lose interaction. 
B) results in gain for both individuals. 
C) results in a gain for one individual and a loss for the other. 
D) results in a gain for one individual and neither a gain nor a loss for the other. 
E) None of the answer options is correct.

Question 10

Glacier Bay in Alaska is a fjord whose lowlands were covered by glacial ice until around 230 years ago. As the glacier retreated, it left behind sediment that was exposed to plant colonization; remarkably (and fortunately for generations of ecologists), the location of the tip of the retreating glacier has been frequently documented since the late 1700s. This means that scientists have been able to develop a detailed timeline of the changes in the plant community, or _____ in Glacier Bay over time.

Accepted Answer

A) ecological succession 
B) niche diversification 
C) niche divergence 
D) competitive exclusion 
E) None of the answer options is correct. 
A) ecological succession 
B) niche diversification 
C) niche divergence 
D) competitive exclusion 
E) None of the answer options is correct.

Question 11

Competition can only occur between members of the same species.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

A community of organisms and the physical environment it occupies are known together as a(n):

Accepted Answer

A) ecosystem. 
B) community. 
C) population. 
D) species. 
A) ecosystem. 
B) community. 
C) population. 
D) species.

Question 13

Compared to the sunflowers, birch trees are:

Accepted Answer

A) r-selected. 
B) K-selected. 
C) less competitive. 
D) more competitive. 
E) None of the answer options is correct. 
A) r-selected. 
B) K-selected. 
C) less competitive. 
D) more competitive. 
E) None of the answer options is correct.

Question 14

In ponds where there are southern toads, eastern spadefoot toads, and spring peeper toads they all eat the same food source. When red-spotted newts are also present in the ponds, they preferentially eat the tadpoles of southern toads and eastern spadefoot toads. What happens to the ecological niche of spring peeper toad tadpoles when newts are in the pond?

Accepted Answer

A) Their fundamental niche expands. 
B) Their realized niche expands. 
C) Their ecological niche stays the same. 
A) Their fundamental niche expands. 
B) Their realized niche expands. 
C) Their ecological niche stays the same.

Question 15

A _____ affects other members of the community in ways that are disproportionate to its abundance or biomass.

Accepted Answer

A) primary producer 
B) predator 
C) keystone species 
D) detritivore 
A) primary producer 
B) predator 
C) keystone species 
D) detritivore

Question 16

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be transformed from one state to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. Taking this into consideration, what can be said about the energy transferred between levels in a trophic pyramid?

Accepted Answer

A) Some of the energy in a trophic level is converted to heat and is unavailable to the next level of the trophic pyramid. 
B) All the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next because components that have no energy, that is, light, are used to create the energy in the chemical bonds of carbohydrates. 
C) All the energy necessary for a trophic level is transferred to the next one. Because there is less biomass at each trophic level, less energy needs to be transferred. 
D) Some of the energy is held in one trophic level, and only the energy needed to support the smaller biomass at a higher level is transferred. 
E) Organisms at higher trophic levels only consume the energy they need from lower trophic levels, leaving a "bank" of energy to support the higher level when food is scarce. 
A) Some of the energy in a trophic level is converted to heat and is unavailable to the next level of the trophic pyramid. 
B) All the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next because components that have no energy, that is, light, are used to create the energy in the chemical bonds of carbohydrates. 
C) All the energy necessary for a trophic level is transferred to the next one. Because there is less biomass at each trophic level, less energy needs to be transferred. 
D) Some of the energy is held in one trophic level, and only the energy needed to support the smaller biomass at a higher level is transferred. 
E) Organisms at higher trophic levels only consume the energy they need from lower trophic levels, leaving a "bank" of energy to support the higher level when food is scarce.

Question 17

While biodiversity includes the number of species in a given area, it also includes:

Accepted Answer

A) abiotic factors that define the community. 
B) overall number of trophic levels in a food web. 
C) unique phylogenetic lineages. 
D) amount of primary productivity. 
A) abiotic factors that define the community. 
B) overall number of trophic levels in a food web. 
C) unique phylogenetic lineages. 
D) amount of primary productivity.

Question 18

The _____ of a species is usually the result of predation, competition, and other types of interaction between species.

Accepted Answer

A) habitat 
B) fundamental niche 
C) realized niche 
D) abiotic environment 
E) resource partitioning 
A) habitat 
B) fundamental niche 
C) realized niche 
D) abiotic environment 
E) resource partitioning

Question 19

When a species competes for resources its niche will change from _____ to _____.

Accepted Answer

A) fundamental; realized 
B) realized; fundamental 
A) fundamental; realized 
B) realized; fundamental

Question 20

An interaction that benefits both participants is called a:

Accepted Answer

A) mutualism. 
B) predation. 
C) parasitism. 
D) niche overlap. 
E) commensalism. 
A) mutualism. 
B) predation. 
C) parasitism. 
D) niche overlap. 
E) commensalism.

Exam 47: Species Interactions, Communities, and Ecosystems

Niches are dynamic, and are affected by interactions among species.

_____ can have similar effects on population sizes as predators; that is, keeping populations below carrying capacity and limiting competitive exclusion.

What is the difference between evolution and coevolution?

When sea otters are present in a kelp forest community, there are more than 12 species in the community. If sea otters are removed, there are 5-7 species that remain in the community. These data suggest that sea otters are:

Measuring its costs and benefits in terms of energy spent and/or gained, competition among individuals results in:

Measuring its costs and benefits in terms of energy spent and/or gained, mutualism:

Competition can only occur between members of the same species.

A community of organisms and the physical environment it occupies are known together as a(n):

Compared to the sunflowers, birch trees are:

A _____ affects other members of the community in ways that are disproportionate to its abundance or biomass.

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be transformed from one state to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. Taking this into consideration, what can be said about the energy transferred between levels in a trophic pyramid?

While biodiversity includes the number of species in a given area, it also includes:

The _____ of a species is usually the result of predation, competition, and other types of interaction between species.

When a species competes for resources its niche will change from _____ to _____.

An interaction that benefits both participants is called a:

Life: Chemical, Cellular, and Evolutionary Foundations

The Molecules of Life

Nucleic Acids and Transcription

Translation and Protein Structure

Organizing Principles: Lipids, Membranes, and Cell Compartments

Making Life Work: Capturing and Using Energy

Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Energy From Carbohydrates and Other Fuel Molecules

Photosynthesis: Using Sunlight to Build Carbohydrates

Cell Signaling

Cell and Tissue Architecture: Cytoskeleton, Cell Junctions, and Extracellular Matrix

Cell Division: Variations, Regulation, and Cancer

Dna Replication and Manipulation

Genomes

Mutation and Dna Repair

Genetic Variation

Mendelian Inheritance

Inheritance of Sex Chromosomes, Linked Genes, and Organelles

The Genetic and Environmental Basis of Complex Traits

Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation

Genes and Development

Evolution: How Genotypes and Phenotypes Change Over Time

Species and Speciation

Evolutionary Patterns: Phylogeny and Fossils

Human Origins and Evolution

Cycling Carbon

Bacteria and Archaea

Eukaryotic Cells: Origins and Diversity

Being Multicellular

Plant Structure and Function: Moving Photosynthesis Onto Land

Plant Reproduction: Finding Mates and Dispersing Young

Plant Growth and Development

Plant Defense: Keeping the World Green

Plant Diversity

Fungi: Structure, Function, and Diversity

Animal Nervous Systems

Animal Sensory Systems and Brain Function

Animal Movement: Muscles and Skeletons

Animal Endocrine Systems

Animal Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems

Animal Metabolism, Nutrition, and Digestion

Animal Renal Systems: Water and Waste

Animal Reproduction and Development

Animal Immune Systems

Animal Diversity

Animal Behavior

Population Ecology

Biomes and Global Ecology

The Anthropocene: Humans As a Planetary Force

Filters

When a species competes for resources its niche will change from _ to _.