Deck 10: Community Ecology- What the Stork Says: a Bird Species in the Everglades Reveals the Intricacies of a Threatened Ecosystem- Biodiversity and Evolution

Question 1

Phytoplankton live on the ocean surface, capturing sunlight and converting it to energy. Tiny shrimp eat the phytoplankton as a food source. Small fish eat the shrimp as food. The interaction between the phytoplankton, shrimp, and fish is a good example of ________________.

A) a food web
B) a food chain
C) trophic levels
D) both b and c
E) none of the above

Answer 1

both b and c

Question 2

Organisms that eat dead organic matter are known as ________________.

A) producers
B) decomposers
C) detritivores
D) consumers
E) both c and d

Answer 2

both c and d

Question 3

The concept of the trophic pyramid reflects ________________.

A) the fact that each transfer of energy as you move up the food web results in a loss of about 90%
B) the fact that each transfer of energy as you move up the food web results in a loss of about 10%
C) the fact that biomass increases as you move up the food web
D) the number of decomposers found in a system
E) none of the above

Answer 3

the fact that each transfer of energy as you move up the food web results in a loss of about 90%

Question 4

Which of the following options includes two of the other options?

A) species evenness
B) edge effects
C) core species
D) species diversity
E) species richness

Question 5

In terms of energy transfer, why can't trophic levels be in the shape of an inverted pyramid, that is, more quaternary consumers and less producers?

Question 6

The field that addresses how a given ecosystem is structured and how the species living in it interact is known as ________________.

A) population ecology
B) community ecology
C) nutrient cycles
D) ecosystem services
E) resilience ecology

Question 7

Why are decomposers and detritivores essential members of any ecosystem?

Question 8

All of the following are abiotic factors that affect the Everglades ecosystem except ________________.

A) flooding
B) forest fires
C) "dry down"
D) decomposing microbes
E) volcanic eruptions

Question 9

What is the term given to the amount of primary productivity available for energy transfer up the food web-gross primary productivity or net primary productivity-and how do they differ?

Question 10

Which of the following groups feed on all of the other groups?

A) decomposers
B) producers
C) primary consumers
D) secondary consumers
E) tertiary consumers

Question 11

What is an indicator species, and why is it easier for scientists to study them as a measure of the health of an ecosystem rather than an entire ecosystem as a whole?

Question 12

The difference between a food chain and a food web is that ________________.

A) a food web only includes a single line of species consuming other organisms among trophic levels
B) a food chain always shows how much energy is passed from one organism to the next
C) producers are the first species in a food web, while secondary consumers begin a food chain
D) a food web shows interactions between all the species of a community, instead of just a single line of energy transfer among trophic levels
E) There is no difference between a food chain and a food web.

Question 13

In a study comparing the trophic interactions in two streams, you discover that a Florida stream has 12 different fish species at the secondary consumer level, while an Ohio stream has only six. Compared to the Ohio stream, you hypothesize that the Florida stream shows________________.

A) greater resilience
B) greater ecological complexity
C) greater connectivity in the food web
D) a higher number of trophic levels
E) all of the above

Question 14

The sensitivity of a species to changes in the environment is often what makes them a useful _________________ for the management of an ecosystem.

A) keystone species
B) consumer species
C) indicator species
D) apex predator
E) edge species

Question 15

The total amount of energy created by producers is known as ________________.

A) net primary productivity
B) gross primary productivity
C) the top trophic level
D) the lowest trophic level
E) none of the above

Question 16

Regions of distinctly different physical areas that serve as boundaries between different communities are called __________________.

A) ecotones
B) ecological zones
C) buffers
D) core habitat
E) none of the above

Question 17

Human alterations of the Everglades system resulted in ________________.

A) a reduction in the sheet flow of water
B) changes in food webs
C) reductions in wading bird populations
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 18

Humans drained the Everglades in the early 20th century because ________________.

A) they were seen as having no utility to humans
B) they wanted to develop cities and towns in the region
C) they thought it would prevent flooding
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 19

_____________ are all of the organisms living in a given area plus the physical environment in which they interact.

A) Ecoregions
B) Populations
C) Ecosystems
D) Communities
E) Abiotic

Question 20

Which of the following groups can undergo photosynthesis to generate energy?

A) secondary consumers
B) primary consumers
C) producers
D) both a and b
E) none of the above

Question 21

Which community do you think would be more resilient to a perturbation: a community with high species richness and low species evenness or one with low species richness and high species evenness? Why?

Question 22

Gray squirrels and fox squirrels competing for the same resources are an example of ________________.

A) predation
B) intraspecific competition
C) interspecific competition
D) commensalism
E) symbiosis

Question 23

Organisms living in an ecosystem that are particularly sensitive to changes in that ecosystem are known as________________.

A) keystone species
B) indicator species
C) consumers
D) producers
E) none of the above

Question 24

A chemical leaks into a pond that selectively kills off the phytoplankton (a producer). Many of the other organisms in the pond die over a short period of weeks, and the overall species diversity declines. The phytoplankton in this pond could be considered a good example of ________________.

A) a keystone species
B) an edge species
C) an indicator species
D) a core species
E) none of the above

Question 25

Small woodland wetlands can be very diverse, productive communities. In a study comparing the food webs of a wetland in Alabama with one in Michigan, you collect the following data:
Which wetland would you predict to show the greatest resilience, and why?

Question 26

A study examined the bird community composition of four different mangrove forests. Which forest community would you conclude shows a high species diversity in birds?

A) high richness, high evenness
B) high richness, low evenness
C) low richness, high evenness
D) low richness, low evenness

Question 27

A survey of morphological diversity among three weasel species in Minnesota showed some interesting patterns in skull size, with the length of skulls ranging from 25 mm to 55 mm and little to no overlap between species. The assumption in the study was that skull size is related to the size of prey a weasel can handle (primarily small rodents). This appears to be a good example of________________.

A) resilience
B) trophic pyramids
C) niche differentiation
D) edge effects
E) none of the above

Question 28

The American alligator is considered a keystone species in the Everglades system because its presence leads to an increase in the ________________.

A) availability of aquatic habitat
B) abundance and diversity of fish
C) abundance and diversity of wading birds
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 29

In mutualism, one organism is ________________ and the other organism is ________________.

A) harmed; harmed
B) harmed; benefited
C) benefited; benefited
D) benefited; harmed
E) neither benefited nor harmed; neither benefited nor harmed

Question 30

How does the introduction of an exotic predator species circumvent the natural predator-prey relationship?

Question 31

A long-term field study in a natural English grassland looked at the effects of an annual nitrogen fertilizer addition on the species' composition of the grassland. Throughout the experiment the total abundance of all grasses together remained roughly constant, and the following data were observed: Compared to 1872, the 1949 grassland community shows________________.

A) an increase in productivity
B) an increase in species evenness
C) a decrease in productivity
D) a decrease in species evenness
E) none of the above

Question 32

The cowbird is a nest parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of other species in the trees along the boundaries of forests and meadows. Nest parasitism (the number of nests with cowbird eggs) declines dramatically as you move deeper into the forest. Cowbirds would be considered a ________________.

A) core species
B) keystone species
C) edge species
D) indicator species
E) ecological zone species

Question 33

What is it called when two species use different parts of a resource instead of competing directly for that resource?

A) predation partitioning
B) habitat partitioning
C) resource sharing
D) resource symbiosis
E) resource partitioning

Question 34

One example of commensal interaction could be ________________.

A) snail kites and apple snails
B) gray squirrels and humans
C) bees and daffodils
D) leeches and alligators
E) gray squirrels and fox squirrels

Question 35

The American honeybee population has been decimated by colony collapse disorder. What impact will the removal of the American honeybee have?

Question 36

Increased fertilizer inputs into the Everglades system from sugar plantations and other agriculture have resulted in________________.

A) an increase in cattails and a decrease in sawgrass
B) a decrease in cattails and an increase in sawgrass
C) a shift in cattails from being a core species to an edge species
D) both A and C
E) both B and C

Question 37

A tick attaches itself to a human to feed but harms the human in the process. The tick and human have a ________________.

A) parasitic relationship
B) mutualistic relationship
C) commensal relationship
D) competitive relationship
E) symbiotic relationship

Question 38

Owls hunt for field mice in a field at night. Foxes hunt for field mice in the same field during the day. The term that best describes the interaction between the owls and the foxes is ________________.

A) mutualism
B) commensalism
C) parasitism
D) resource partitioning
E) predation

Question 39

A comparison of the diets of two snake species, a native species and a newly introduced species, yields the following data: The introduced species is aggressive and the superior competitor. What is your prediction for the long-term future of this interaction?

A) local extirpation of the native species
B) a shift in the diet composition of the native species
C) dispersal from the community by the native species
D) All of the above are possible outcomes of the interaction over time.
E) None of the above are possible outcomes of the interaction over time.

Question 40

Why are invasive species so damaging to ecosystems?

Question 41

Professionals involved in a restoration ecology project would probably include all of the following except a _________.

A) psychologist
B) engineer
C) politician
D) biologist
E) ecologist

Question 42

A key goal of the Everglades restoration is to increase the amount of water flowing through the Everglades. This should lead to the restoration of the wood stork population, in part through the increase in the availability of nesting trees due to restoring the ____________ relationship between alligators and storks.

A) predator-prey
B) mutualistic
C) parasitic
D) commensal
E) competitive

Question 43

After decades of human-caused disturbance in the Everglades, the species diversity is __________ than/as it was before human involvement.

A) higher
B) lower
C) the same

Question 44

The process by which one community replaces another is known as ________________.

A) species regression
B) ecological succession
C) successive diversification
D) pioneer colonization
E) ecological replacement

Question 45

Human activities in the Everglades has:

A) reduced species richness.
B) reduced species evenness.
C) fragmented habitats.
D) polluted natural water sources.
E) All of these options are correct.

Question 46

The United States has some of the strictest laws on the harvesting of timber. Timber companies, however, have realized that even though they are required to replant after harvesting, they can just plant pine trees. What problems does this cause, and how would you change the regulation?

Question 47

To effectively plan restoration projects, scientists and engineers must be ________________.

A) innovative
B) flexible
C) adaptive
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 48

In 2000, Congress enacted the _________, the most comprehensive ecological repair project to restore some of the natural flow of water through the Everglades.

A) Complete Everglades Restoration Plan
B) Complete Everglades Restoration Project
C) Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan
D) Healthy Everglades Remediation Project
E) Developing Everglades Resources Project

Question 49

Why is the lowered species diversity and availability of healthy habitat a problem for the continued survival of the Everglades ecosystem?

Question 50

Some species, like trees that thrive in the shade, can survive as long as their environment remains unchanged. As a climax species, ________________.

A) will survive until a disturbance causes a new ecosystem to move in
B) will survive any ecosystem disturbances
C) will decline after reaching the climax stage
D) will be the first things to grow in that area after a disturbance
E) are r-adapted species

Question 51

Effective restoration plans must be responsive as conditions change and allow for experimentation. This type of restoration plan would be an example of ________________.

A) reactive management
B) retroactive management
C) adaptive management
D) hydrological management
E) intuitive management

Question 52

The historic flow of water in south Florida was from Lake Okeechobee, with the main flow moving ________________.

A) south through the Everglades and into Florida Bay
B) east-west across Florida
C) southeast through the Everglades to Miami and the Atlantic Ocean
D) north to Orlando
E) east through West Palm Beach and into the Atlantic Ocean

Question 53

Which species would you often find in areas of primary succession?

A) grasses
B) shrubs
C) moss
D) trees
E) herbs

Question 54

The Hawaiian Islands are a chain formed by volcanic activity about 1-3 million years ago. Which pattern of ecological succession would have occurred soon after the formation of the Big Island, Hawaii?

A) late stage
B) secondary
C) primary
D) none of the above

Question 55

What was the purpose of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan?

A) introduce new species to the area for increased biodiversity
B) give scientists a place to test the impacts of disturbances in ecosystems
C) restore the flow of water back to the wetlands and raise water levels
D) silence environmentalists by vowing to no longer interfere with the Everglades
E) take over the U.S. sugar industry

Question 56

The difference between primary succession and secondary succession is ________________.

A) primary succession occurs when a species moves into an area that starts as bare rock
B) secondary succession begins with the entrance of a pioneer species
C) primary succession involves repopulating a previously damaged ecosystem
D) secondary succession occurs when a species moves into an area that starts as bare rock

Question 57

______________ ecology is the science that deals with the repair of damage or disturbed ecosystems

A) Restoration
B) Remediation
C) Adaptive
D) Landscape
E) Corrective

Question 58

An example of secondary succession is ________________.

A) an old agricultural field that has been abandoned
B) the extirpation of mangrove forests
C) a tropical rainforest being cleared and replanted with non-native grasses for cattle grazing
D) coastal erosion due to lost wetland
E) succession on a recent volcanic lava flow

Question 59

Species that move into areas at later stages of ecological succession are called ________________.

A) edge species
B) climax species
C) pioneer species
D) colonizing species
E) indicator species

Question 60

Human impact has reduced the original Everglades by approximately _____.

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 75%
E) 90%

Question 61

Along the southeast coast, an important part of the Gullah culture (African American descendants of slaves brought through South Carolina and Georgia) has been the weaving of sawgrass and other marsh grass baskets (called sweetgrass baskets). How could you use your knowledge of ecological succession in wetland habitats to maintain sawgrass communities as a natural and cultural resource?

Question 62

The red-cockaded woodpecker is an endangered species with highly specific niche requirements. They prefer longleaf pine forests in the southeast with open understories and few to no deciduous trees. Longleaf pines are a fire-adapted species, and periodic natural wildfires would kill other trees and select for open, longleaf pine forests. How would knowledge of ecological succession help you conserve red-cockaded woodpeckers?

Question 63

Early in primary succession, lichens and mosses colonize bare rock and become the first ecological community. Why are they critical to later stages of succession?

A) They deplete nutrients.
B) Decomposing lichen and moss biomass create soil.
C) They outcompete pioneer species, allowing succession to progress.
D) They limit the ability of climax species to colonize the area.
E) None of the above are correct.

Question 64

Trees whose seeds can grow under low-light conditions would most likely be found ________________.

A) early in primary succession
B) late in primary succession
C) early in secondary succession
D) late in secondary succession
E) All of the above are correct.

Question 65

During ecological succession in the Everglades, __________________ will move in as the sediment layer becomes thicker through time, outcompeting the ________________.

A) floating and submerged plants; cypress and willow trees
B) floating and submerged plants; sawgrass
C) cypress and willow trees; floating and submerged plants
D) cypress and willow trees; sawgrass
E) none of the above