Deck 11: Community Ecology

Question 1

In primate communities, smaller-bodied species:

A) Can avoid competition with larger species by feeding on terminal branches
B) Stick to the upper level of the canopy to avoid avian predators
C) Devote a larger proportion of their feeding time to abundant leaves than larger species
D) Avoid polyspecific associations

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Assemblages of species:

A) Coordinate their activities
B) Have higher biomasses than large groups of conspecifics
C) Aggregate at clumped resources
D) Demonstrate triadic awareness

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Polyspecific associations are initiated and maintained by:

A) The smallest species involved
B) One or more of the species involved
C) The largest species involved
D) The distribution of food resources

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is not a possible benefit of polyspecific associations?

A) Greater detection of predators
B) Increased access to foods that would otherwise be inaccessible
C) Greater detection of mutual food resources
D) Increased access to conspecific mates

Question 5

Red colobus monkeys and Diana monkeys in the Täi National Forest:

A) Avoid particular partner groups
B) Spend very little of their time together
C) Associate without altering their respective behavior
D) Associate because of the mutual benefits in avoiding predators

Question 6

Chimpanzees at Gombe National Park:

A) Form polyspecific associations with red colobus monkeys
B) Are responsible for up to 35% of red colobus monkey mortalities
C) Lose out to red colobus monkeys in contests over food
D) Are rarely successful in their efforts to hunt red colobus monkeys

Question 7

Nocturnal lemurs:

A) Are responsible for most seed dispersal in Madagascar
B) Compete with abundant bats and marsupials for food
C) Play an important role in pollinating flowers
D) Feed on dull, inconspicuous flowers

Question 8

Nectar is a potentially high source of:

A) Protein
B) Fiber
C) Fat
D) Easy-to-digest energy

Question 9

Seed predators:

A) Generally also possess abilities to detoxify seeds
B) Swallow seeds intact
C) Are responsible for long-distance seed dispersal
D) Increase the speed with which seeds germinate

Question 10

The probability of seed survival is greater when:

A) Fruits are left alone
B) Seeds are chewed before being spit out
C) Seeds are defecated intact by frugivores
D) Seeds are secondarily dispersed

Question 11

A good example of the positive impact of primates in their communities is:

A) Frugivores that disperse seeds over long distances
B) Frugivores that are also seed predators
C) Folivores that avoid eating mature leaves
D) Folivores that also eat flowers

Question 12

Ecosystems in which primates occupy a large number of niches:

A) Are more buffered from the impact of primate extinctions than ecosystems in which primates are rare
B) Are more likely to be affected by primate extinctions than ecosystems in which primates are rare
C) Are more likely to also include large numbers of other nonprimate terrestrial mammals than ecosystems in which primates are rare
D) Are more likely to have large predators that keep primate densities down than ecosystems in which primates are rare

Question 13

Which of the following pairs of primates are found in polyspecific associations?

A) Red colobus monkeys and chimpanzees
B) Moustached tamarins and Diana monkeys
C) Howler monkeys and lorises
D) Squirrel monkeys and capuchin monkeys

Question 14

The negative effects of habitat disturbances on primate populations:

A) Are likely to be more severe for specialists than generalists
B) Affect small bodied primates more than large bodied primates
C) Are likely to be more severe for generalists than specialists
D) Affect folivores more than frugivores

Question 15

One of the most important criteria used to identify "hotspots" is:

A) The economic value of the area for agriculture
B) The proximity of the region to the equator
C) The number of endemic species found in them
D) The number of ecological niches primates occupy

Question 16

Describe two factors that reduce the risk of infectious parasite transmissions among primates.

Question 17

List three ways in which sympatric species of primates can avoid direct competition with one another over food.

Question 18

Explain the major difficulty in identifying coevolutionary relationships between primates and plants.

Question 19

Discuss the relationship between projected primate extinctions and the impact of their extinctions on the ecosystems these primates inhabit.

Question 20

Select at least two primates that are known to form polyspecific associations with one another. Explain which species is/are responsible for maintaining the association, and the costs and benefits of the association to each species.

Question 21

Define the criteria used to identify ecological hotspots, and discuss the role of hotspots in primate conservation.

Question 22

How do primate ranging patterns and passage rates affect the survival of seeds they disperse? Be sure to consider the trade-offs (costs and benefits, from the plant's perspective) in your answer.

Question 23

List two of the hypotheses advanced for why male chimpanzees share the meat they hunt, and provide a brief description of the kind of data one would need to test each hypothesis

Question 24

Describe the behavioral adaptations primates are thought to have evolved to protect themselves from predation.