Deck 5: Species Interactions, Ecological Succession and Population Control

Question 1

Scientists hypothesize that some southern sea otters might be dying because coastal area cat owners flush cat litter containing parasites in feces down their toilets or dump it in storm drains that empty into coastal waters.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

One disadvantage of having a dense population is that disease and parasites can spread more easily than in a less dense population.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

A late loss population typically has high survivorship to a certain age and then high mortality.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The venom of a venomous snake is an example of secondary ecological succession.

Question 5

Southern sea otters were hunted to extinction in the early 1900s.

Question 6

Following a disturbance such as a forest fire, secondary ecological succession can occur.

Question 7

Resource partitioning reduces the number of species that can share a given resource.

Question 8

Epiphytes are parasitic plants that grow on trees.

Question 9

A population's age structure is usually defined in terms of organisms in the pre-reproductive stage, reproductive stage, and post-reproductive stage.

Question 10

K-selected species tend to be opportunists.

Question 11

Interspecific competition only occurs as a result of predation.

Question 12

When populations of two different species interact over a long period of time, changes in the gene pool of populations of one species can lead to changes in the gene pool of the other. This process is called commensalism.

Question 13

Ecological succession is generally a slow process.

Question 14

Bacteria in the digestive systems of animals that help to break down the animals' food, and in return receive a sheltered habitat and food. This is an example of mutualism.

Question 15

A trout population thrives within a certain range of temperatures, known as its range of tolerance for temperature.

Question 16

One important limiting factor in aquatic ecosystems is salinity.

Question 17

When two species compete with one another for the same resource, their niches must overlap.

Question 18

Different limiting factors are important for different kinds of environments.

Question 19

A population's growth rate will increase after the population reaches its carrying capacity.

Question 20

Prey species are those species that feed directly on all or part of another organism.

Question 21

Some prey species use ____ to scare off predators by puffing up (blowfish), spreading their wings (peacocks), or mimicking a predator.

A) camouflage
B) chemical warfare
C) parasitism
D) commensalism
E) behavioral strategies

Question 22

One threat to kelp forests is ____.

A) polluted water running off the land and into coastal waters
B) increasing human consumption
C) increasing forest fires
D) growing populations of sharks in coastal areas
E) soil erosion causing large quantities of soil in coastal runoff

Question 23

Tapeworms live inside and may harm their hosts by drawing nourishment from them. This interaction is an example of ____.

A) commensalism
B) parasitism
C) carrying capacity
D) mutualism
E) resilience

Question 24

A relationship in which both species benefit best illustrates ____.

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

Question 25

When an owl consumes a mouse, this is an example of ____.

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

Question 26

A K-selected species usually has a population size that is ____.

A) very stable but very low
B) variable, with boom and bust cycles
C) unaffected by changes in limiting factors
D) close to its carrying capacity
E) unpredictable at any particular time

Question 27

Giant African millipedes often serve as the home for small mites that scavenge organic matter, but the millipedes do not appear to be affected by the interaction. This is an example of ____.

A) commensalism
B) mutualism
C) parasitism
D) interspecific competition
E) intraspecific competition

Question 28

A relationship, in which one organism benefits by living on or in a member of another species, which is harmed by the interaction, best illustrates ____.

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

Question 29

Competition within a species is called ____.

A) specific competition
B) interspecific competition
C) intraspecific competition
D) commensal competition
E) restricted competition

Question 30

You are an evolutionary entomologist. You have observed beetles that can raise their abdomens and give off a defensive chemical that generally repels predators. You discover a new species of beetle that raises its abdomen in a threatening way similar to the first species, but no defensive chemical is given off. You are most likely to characterize this defensive strategy in the new beetle as a form of ____.

A) camouflage
B) chemical warfare
C) mimicry
D) flight mechanism
E) warning coloration

Question 31

Sea otters play a role in maintaining the biodiversity of which ecosystem?

A) Tidal pools
B) Coastal kelp forests
C) Coastal sandy beaches
D) Open ocean areas
E) Estuaries

Question 32

Poison dart frogs have bright coloration that is easily visible to other animals. This is an example of ____.

A) mutualism that allows them to coexist with other species in dense forests
B) deceptive appearance to make them appear threatening when they are not
C) deceptive behavior that makes them appear threatening when they are not
D) warning coloration that advertises their ability to harm predators
E) mimicry because they resemble other organisms in their habitat

Question 33

Species that are r-selected are often____.

A) organisms with very low reproductive rates
B) present in very low densities, but never at high densities
C) slow to colonize new areas
D) opportunists
E) capable of acting as K-selected species in the right conditions

Question 34

Which of the following could be considered a density-dependent limiting factor?

A) temperature
B) precipitation
C) dissolved oxygen content of water
D) disease
E) water depth

Question 35

Species that have a capacity for a high rate of population increase are called ____.

A) logistic species
B) s-curve species
C) commensal species
D) r - selected species
E) K-selected species

Question 36

Hawks typically forage for their rodent prey species during the daytime. Although owls may eat similar prey species, and live in the same area, they forage during the night. This is best described as an example of ____.

A) interspecific competition
B) mutualism
C) parasitism
D) predation
E) resource partitioning

Question 37

Some bats prey on certain moths, hunting them using echolocation. Some of those moths have evolved ears sensitive to the sound frequencies bats use to locate them, helping them to avoid being caught. The bats, in turn, have evolved to change the frequency they use. This interaction is an example of ____.

A) resource partitioning
B) intraspecific competition
C) parasitism
D) coevolution
E) mutualism

Question 38

A relationship in which one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed to any significant degree best illustrates ____.

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

Question 39

As a population approaches the carrying capacity of its habitat, the ____-shaped curve of its exponential growth is converted to a(n) ____-shaped curve of logistic growth that fluctuates around a certain level.

A) J; S
B) S; J
C) I; L
D) L; V
E) I; U

Question 40

Carrying capacity refers to ____.

A) reproductive rate
B) the relationship between birth rate and mortality
C) the maximum population size that a particular habitat can sustain indefinitely
D) the proportion of males to females
E) the intrinsic rate of increase

Question 41

The carrying capacity of a population is ____.

A) able to rise and fall
B) fixed and unchanging
C) not affected by the presence of limiting factors
D) not affected by changes in the available resources
E) relatively stable, although small changes are possible

Question 42

A species of snake has evolved resistance to a poisonous newt, allowing the snakes to prey on the newts. The newts have become more poisonous over time, as a result, leading to a kind of evolutionary arms race. This is an example of ____.

A) commensalism
B) mimicry
C) coevolution
D) ecological succession
E) environmental resistance

Question 43

The collective term for factors that act to limit the growth of populations is ____.

A) carrying capacity
B) death
C) emigration
D) environmental resistance
E) environmental capacity

Question 44

Which of the following is an example of an r-selected species?

A) Most tropical rainforest trees
B) Humans
C) Whales
D) Most insects
E) Elephants

Question 45

Which of the following is an example of a species with a late loss survivorship curve?

A) Squirrel
B) Elephant
C) Annual plant
D) Songbird
E) Praying mantis

Question 46

Inertia can also be referred to as ____.

A) resilience
B) persistence
C) a lack of ecological succession
D) both persistence and resilience
E) a faster rate of ecological succession

Question 47

Most opportunist species ____.

A) are nonnative
B) tend to mature slowly after birth
C) are especially vulnerable to extinction
D) tend to do well in competitive conditions when their population size is near the carrying capacity of their environment
E) go through irregular and unstable boom-and-bust cycles in their population sizes

Question 48

A glacier retreats, exposing bare rock and allowing communities of organisms to move in. This is an example of ____.

A) secondary ecological succession
B) primary ecological succession
C) persistence
D) J-curve populations
E) environmental resistance

Question 49

A population of deer suddenly decreases dramatically in number. This most likely occurred because ____.

A) the was a gradual decrease in environmental resistance
B) the number of resources increased steadily
C) the population approached its carrying capacity
D) the population increased beyond its carrying capacity
E) population crashes are common and expected on a regular basis regardless of population size

Question 50

In a desert environment, the amount of plant growth is controlled by the amount of precipitation. In this case, precipitation is a(n) ____.

A) K-selection factor
B) overshoot
C) carrying capacity
D) succession
E) limiting factor

Question 51

A population crash is also known as ____.

A) environmental resistance
B) a dieback
C) r-selection
D) inertia
E) succession

Question 52

A fox catches and eats a mouse. In this interaction, the fox is the ____.

A) parasite
B) predator
C) prey
D) herbivore
E) mimic

Question 53

Hummingbirds consume nectar from flowers, and transfer pollen in the process. This is an example of ____.

A) mutualism
B) mimicry
C) parasitism
D) commensalism
E) chemical warfare

Question 54

The number of individuals in a population found within a defined area or volume is the ____.

A) limiting factor
B) carrying capacity
C) population density
D) resource partition
E) growth maximum

Question 55

Which of the following examples represents primary ecological succession?

A) Cooled volcanic lava
B) An abandoned farm
C) A forest that has been clear-cut
D) Newly flooded land
E) A forest that has been burned

Question 56

K-selected species ____.

A) tend to be shaped by coevolution more than r-selected species
B) Usually behave in ways that benefit each by providing each other with food, shelter, or some other resource
C) have a capacity for a high rate of population increase
D) tend to reproduce later in life and have a small number of offspring with fairly long life spans
E) generally gain protection by looking and acting like other, more dangerous species

Question 57

Which term best describe the ability of a living system to be restored through secondary ecological succession after a severe disturbance?

A) Inertia
B) Persistence
C) Constancy
D) Resilience
E) Diversity

Question 58

Stinkbugs can release a foul smell when threatened. This is an example of ____.

A) warning coloration
B) camouflage
C) echolocation
D) chemical warfare
E) mimicry

Question 59

In a certain population of rabbits, 25 new rabbits are born and five move into the population from surrounding areas during a single year. However, 10 rabbits die, and five leave the population during the same time frame. What is the population change for that year?

A) No change
B) 10
C) 15
D) 25
E) 30

Question 60

Which of the following would undergo secondary ecological succession?

A) Cooled volcanic lava
B) An abandoned parking lot
C) A heavily polluted stream that has been cleaned up
D) A bare rock outcrop
E) A newly created shallow pond

Question 62

The cattle egret is a large North American bird that commonly sits on the backs of grazing cattle and eats insects that pester the cattle. This is an example of ____________________.

Question 63

Explain the difference between inertia and resilience in ecosystems.

Question 64

Explain how commensalism differs from mutualism.

Question 65

What are some benefits of kelp forests?

A) they support many other species and reduce erosion
B) they filter and clean heavily polluted water
C) they provide stable shelter and protection for organisms as they are rarely consumed
D) they help to promote algae and plant overgrowth
E) they reduce the risks of parasitism and predation for their inhabitants

Question 66

A(n) ____________________ shows the percentages of the members of a population surviving at different ages.

Question 67

Newborn young would fall under which category of a population's age structure?

A) Post-reproductive stage
B) Pre-reproductive stage
C) Reproductive stage
D) Non-reproductive stage
E) Para-reproductive stage

Question 68

A habitat's carrying capacity is largely determined by ____.

A) inertia
B) the environmental resistance
C) age structure
D) a population's survivorship curve
E) a population's reproductive capacity

Question 69

Explain how a population's age structure affects whether it will grow or decline.

Question 70

Fleas live on mammals, consuming their blood. As a result, they are considered to be ____________________.

Question 71

Considered together, all of the factors that act to limit the growth of a population are called ____________________.

Question 72

The interaction between a lion and a hyena fighting over a dead zebra on the African Savannah is best described as ____________________.

Question 73

When similar species live in the same geographic area but specialize on different foods or feeding areas, it is an example of _________________________.

Question 74

Which of the following is an example of emigration?

A) A river separates two populations of animals so that they can no longer interact.
B) During a severe storm, several birds arrive in a new forest in which that species has not previously been observed.
C) A snail is accidentally transported to a new island in a shipment of fruit.
D) Larger plants gradually appear in a meadow.
E) A deer successfully crosses the road and back in search of more food.

Question 75

If southern sea otters went extinct, then we would predict that ____.

A) there would be minimal effects on other species
B) the effects on other species would be unpredictable
C) many other species would be affected, especially sea urchins and kelp
D) sea urchin populations would dramatically decrease
E) abalone populations would dramatically decrease

Question 76

Figure 5.2
The diagram shows several species of birds and the trees on which they feed, with the parts of the trees in which each species lives highlighted in yellow. When organisms use different parts of the tree to feed like this, does it result in increased or decreased interspecific competition or decreased interspecific competition? What is the name for this pattern?

Question 77

Cowbirds are so named because they followed the large herds of cows that were driven throughout the American west before large tracts of land were fenced. Cowbirds consumed the insects that invariably followed the herds. There was no obvious benefit or other effect on the herds. This is an example of ____________________.

Question 78

Lions consume zebras for food. Therefore, the relationship between a lion and a zebra is a(n) ____________________.

Question 79

The bright red color of a monarch butterfly sends a signal to potential predators that it is bad-tasting and is therefore an example of ____________________.

Question 80

Some spiders and venomous snakes use venom to paralyze their prey and to deter their predators. This is known as __________________.