Deck 3: Evolution, Species Interactions, and Biological Communities

Question 1

In a biological community where diversity is great, such as a tropical rainforest, the abundance of any one species is likely to be

A) great.
B) small.
C) widely variable from year to year.
D) the same from year to year.
E) unrelated to diversity.

Answer 1

small.

Question 2

In the partnership of a lichen, the fungus provides _________ and the relationship is best described as _______.

A) most of the photosynthesis; symbiosis
B) poisons that deter predation; commensalism
C) structure and moisture-holding ability; mutualism
D) very little to the algal partner; parasitism
E) some of the photosynthesis; commensalism

Answer 2

structure and moisture-holding ability; mutualism

Question 3

Regular lawn mowing selects for dandelions with short heads rather than dandelions with tall heads because

A) tall flowers spread their seeds farther.
B) tall flowers cannot reproduce.
C) short flowers can reproduce.
D) short flowers spread their seeds farther.
E) short flowers have less competition when the lawn is mowed often.

Answer 3

tall flowers cannot reproduce.

Question 4

In the real world, many factors determine the numbers of organisms in any one population. Yet, a SUPERFLY with unlimited food and no mortality would show what type of growth?

A) carrying capacity geometric increase
B) irruptive growth
C) J-shaped curve
D) S-shaped curve
E) Malthusian growth

Question 5

Evolution occurs as a result of

A) the discovery of a desirable characteristic in a population.
B) an individual's physiological modification.
C) environmental change that forces modification in a resident species.
D) better survival or reproduction rates by individuals with a particular characteristic.
E) a population's physiological modification.

Question 6

An organism's biotic potential is the maximum number of offspring

A) that it can produce.
B) that survive to adulthood.
C) its habitat can support.
D) it produces at one time.
E) it actually produces over its lifetime.

Question 7

Use the following example for the question. A species of fish can withstand a narrow range of temperature. Above 100°F there are no individuals present. In the range from 97°F-100°F and 90°F-94°F there are a few individuals present. Below 90°F there are no individuals present. Between 95°F-96°F there are many individuals.
What is the difference in the adaptation of a sled dog's (such as a Husky) thick coat of hair to help it withstand the cold temperatures of Arctic winters and a dog that adapts to cold temperatures in the fall by growing a thickened coat? The adaptation of the sled dog best describes adaptation at the ____________ level while the dog exposed to seasonal colder temperatures has _____________.

A) regional; natural selection at the individual level
B) individual; physiological modifications at the population level
C) population; physiological modifications at the individual level
D) species; natural selection at the population level
E) ecosystem; physiological modifications at the individual level

Question 8

A titmouse and a chickadee are living in the same territory and are using some of the same resources. The best way to classify this interaction is as

A) mutualism.
B) intraspecific competition.
C) interspecific competition.
D) symbiosis.
E) commensalism.

Question 9

Primary succession occurs when a community develops ____________ while secondary succession occurs when one ________.

A) into a climax community; species replaces another
B) and replaces another; ecosystem becomes stable
C) on unoccupied ground; biological community replaces another
D) and then fails; niche changes
E) intraspecific competition; experiences interspecific competition

Question 10

Use the following example for the question. A species of fish can withstand a narrow range of temperature. Above 100°F there are no individuals present. In the range from 97°F-100°F and 90°F-94°F there are a few individuals present. Below 90°F there are no individuals present. Between 95°F-96°F there are many individuals.
What would you label the range of temperature from 90°F to 94°F for this particular species?

A) zone of intolerance
B) zone of physiological stress
C) tolerance limit range
D) optimal range
E) range of tolerance

Question 11

Use the following example for the question. A species of fish can withstand a narrow range of temperature. Above 100°F there are no individuals present. In the range from 97°F-100°F and 90°F-94°F there are a few individuals present. Below 90°F there are no individuals present. Between 95°F-96°F there are many individuals.
What would you label the range of temperature from 95°F to 96°F for this particular species?

A) zone of intolerance
B) tolerance limit range
C) zone of physiological stress
D) optimal range
E) range of tolerance

Question 12

An especially effective strategy for reducing intraspecific competition is

A) different ecological niches for juveniles and adults.
B) rapid reproduction.
C) eating prey before they are "ready" (ripe) for other species.
D) resource partitioning.
E) None of these since the examples given are for reducing interspecific competition.

Question 13

A community with hundreds of different types of primary producers, a few herbivores, and only one carnivore, has

A) little complexity.
B) little diversity.
C) a great deal of complexity.
D) low productivity.
E) a great deal of productivity.

Question 14

A dieback, or population crash, often occurs after a species ________ its environmental carrying capacity.

A) meets
B) overshoots
C) undershoots
D) oscillates around
E) decreases

Question 15

There is/are usually _______ tolerance limit(s) responsible for limiting the number and location of a species. However, some organisms have ____________ that limit(s) their distribution.

A) one; a specific critical factor
B) one; other environmental conditions
C) one specific; many factors
D) many; other environmental conditions
E) many; a specific critical factor

Question 16

Which of the following is not a common strategy for successful intraspecific competition?

A) Eating prey before they are "ready" (ripe) for other species.
B) Spreading seeds or offspring far and fast.
C) Producing substances that are toxic to competitors.
D) The life cycle of dragonflies (the larva live in the water).
E) All of these are strategies for successful interspecific competition.

Question 17

Complexity in an ecological community has to do with the number of

A) species in the population.
B) species at each trophic level.
C) genetic variations within a species.
D) primary producers available.
E) primary producers relative to the number of consumers.

Question 18

Natural selection will ultimately make a species

A) more intelligent.
B) physically bigger.
C) better adapted to its environment.
D) more aggressive.
E) less vulnerable to its predators.

Question 19

A biological community's productivity is a measure of

A) its number of species.
B) the number of individuals in the community.
C) available solar energy that can be converted to biomass.
D) the amount of biomass produced in the community.
E) number of species and biomass.

Question 20

Symbiosis means

A) a relationship in which both species benefit.
B) a parasitic relationship.
C) commensalism.
D) living together.
E) a relationship in which one species benefits and the other does not benefit.

Question 21

___________ is the place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives.

A) Adaptation
B) Habitat
C) Tolerance range
D) Resource partition
E) Niche

Question 22

Which of the following is not generally true of k-selected species compared to r-selected species?

A) They have shorter generation times.
B) They reach sexual maturity later.
C) They have fewer young.
D) They have longer life spans.
E) They have slower population growth rates.

Question 23

A climax community is one that

A) is relatively stable and long lasting.
B) lasts forever.
C) contains oaks or white spruce.
D) is impervious to disruption.
E) is adapted to periodic disruption.

Question 24

Which of the following are pioneer species?

A) wood warblers
B) dandelions
C) starlings
D) lichens
E) humans

Question 25

What term describes species which arise in non-overlapping geographic regions?

A) intraspecific competition
B) interspecific competition
C) sympatric speciation
D) allopatric speciation
E) invasive species

Question 26

As ecological development proceeds, a biological community

A) gradually stagnates.
B) becomes more diverse.
C) goes through repeated secondary succession stages.
D) goes through repeated primary succession stages.
E) becomes less complex.

Question 27

In general species diversity is higher near the poles than near the equator.

Question 28

Two unpalatable or dangerous species which have warning patterns or colors and appear similar are an example of _________________.

A) symbiosis
B) competitive exclusion
C) mutualism
D) Batesian mimicry
E) Mullerian mimicry

Question 29

The introduction of a predator onto an island originally free from predators is likely to cause the extinction of a native species.

Question 30

The most common reason that introduced species cause trouble is because they are larger than native species.