Deck 16: Species Abundance and Diversity

Question 1

A simple tree community consists of 4 maples, 3 oaks, and 1 alder. The species richness of this community is

A) 0.42.
B) 0.97.
C) 1.5.
D) 3.
E) not possible to calculate from the data given.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Prairie dog disturbances maximize plant diversity

A) by burrowing and grazing.
B) by creating patches open for dispersal.
C) by allowing good competitors and good colonizers to coexist in the grassland.
D) at intermediate levels.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

A simple tree community consists of 4 maples, 3 oaks, and 1 alder. The Shannon-Wiener diversity of this community is

A) 0.42.
B) 0.97.
C) 1.5.
D) 3.
E) not possible to calculate from the data given.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Joseph Connell's "intermediate disturbance hypothesis" proposes that

A) species diversity is highest at intermediate frequencies of disturbance.
B) species diversity is lowest at intermediate frequencies of disturbance.
C) population growth rates are highest at intermediate frequencies of disturbance.
D) competitive exclusion is fastest at intermediate levels of disturbance.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 5

In most ecological communities, we find

A) more rare species than moderately common or very common ones.
B) more very common species than moderately common or rare ones.
C) no rare species-apparently "rare" species are artifacts of incomplete sampling.
D) roughly equal proportions of rare, moderately common, and very common species.
E) more moderately common species than rare or very common ones.

Question 6

In the Amazon forest, slight changes in soil properties tend to be correlated with

A) similarly slight differences in plant communities.
B) no detectable differences in plant communities.
C) dramatic differences in plant communities.
D) dramatic differences in plant communities only if the soil property in question is moisture.
E) dramatic differences in plant communities only if the soil property in question is bedrock type.

Question 7

A community is defined as

A) a group of organisms that all make their living in a similar way.
B) a group of individuals of a single species inhabiting a defined area.
C) the portion of a defined area that supports life.
D) a group of subpopulations living in separate locations with active exchange of individuals among subpopulations.
E) an association of interacting species inhabiting a defined area.

Question 8

Higher species evenness in a community can be measured by a shallower slope on a rank-abundance curve.

Question 9

Winter storms can affect diversity on intertidal boulders because

A) cold water temperatures kill algae and invertebrates.
B) some invertebrates are more vulnerable than others to being dislodged by currents.
C) dessication of exposed invertebrates by unusually high winds is an important source of mortality.
D) strong storm waves overturn boulders and thereby accelerate competitive exclusion.
E) strong storm waves overturn boulders and thereby remove competitive dominants.

Question 10

In Leon Creek there are 5 species of fish. The species and the number of individuals in each species are as follows: 20 catfish, 15 gar, 12 large-mouth bass, 10 perch, and 2 striped bass. Calculate the Shannon-Wiener index value (H') for this fish community.

A) -0.63
B) 0.63
C) 4.20
D) 67.2
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 11

In soil and water fertilization experiments, increasing fertilization tends to reduce the number of limiting resources for plant growth until a single resource limits growth of all species. This "ultimate" limiting resource tends to be

A) carbon.
B) oxygen.
C) phosphorus.
D) nitrogen.
E) light.

Question 12

Niches of single-celled algae, such as diatoms, seem most often to be distinguished by their requirements for

A) different combinations of inorganic nutrients.
B) different light environments.
C) different water-flow environments.
D) different water temperatures.
E) Most single-celled algae have indistinguishable niches.

Question 13

Robert MacArthur's study of forest warblers suggested that

A) fewer warbler species can survive in more complex habitats.
B) warbler species diversity increases with habitat complexity.
C) warbler species diversity decreases with habitat complexity.
D) most warblers have rather similar foraging niches.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 14

Disturbances can alter a community's stable environmental conditions, also called its

A) frequency.
B) intensity.
C) heterogeneity.
D) equilibrium.
E) niche space.

Question 15

Odegaard's study estimating the number of tropical forest beetles illustrates that sampling from multiple sites

A) is not affected by the sampling effort devoted to estimation.
B) usually requires only limited effort by ecologists.
C) can usually be made more easily by sampling only a single indicator taxon.
D) is intensively all that is necessary to calculate species diversity.
E) must, to be useful, be based on standardized sampling techniques.

Question 16

In the Grass Park Experiment, researchers have fertilized a grassland at the Rothamsted Experimental Station in Great Britain since 1856. Sampling for species diversity through time shows that rank-abundance curves have gotten __________ over time, indicating _________ species evenness.

A) steeper; increasing
B) steeper; decreasing
C) more shallow; increasing
D) more shallow; decreasing
E) Rank-abundance curves have not changed through time.

Question 17

Concentrations of inorganic nutrients typically don't vary much across the surface of a single lake.

Question 18

The most serious human-caused threat to endangered species worldwide is

A) pollution.
B) the introduction of invasive species.
C) habitat destruction.
D) the pet trade.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 19

In Michael Huston's studies of Costa Rican forest diversity, the highest tree diversity was found on soils with

A) very high fertility.
B) moderate fertility.
C) very low fertility.
D) either high or low, but not moderate, fertility.
E) There was no relationship between diversity and soil fertility.

Question 20

Given two habitats, Habitat 1 and Habitat 2, which habitat would have greater species diversity? Habitat 1: Species A, 10; Species B, 10; Species C, 10
Habitat 2: Species A, 10; Species B, 10; Species C, 10; Species D, 10; Species E, 10

A) Habitat 1
B) Habitat 2
C) neither; Habitat 1 and Habitat 2 have equal diversity
D) neither; Habitat 1 and Habitat 2 have equal species richness
E) neither; Habitat 1 and Habitat 2 have equal species evenness

Question 21

In terrestrial soils, local patches with high water availability and local patches with high nitrate availability often show rather little overlap.

Question 22

A set of species that have similar ways of making their living make up a __________.

Question 23

A relatively discrete ecological event that kills or damages organisms or alters the physical or biological environment is called a __________.

Question 24

Urban centers tend to

A) be devoid of wildlife.
B) harbor rare species that can't survive elsewhere.
C) have higher species diversity than natural woodlands.
D) have more widespread, generalist species than natural woodlands.
E) have higher species richness than natural woodlands.

Question 25

In both northern California and southwestern Ohio, the greatest number of bird species was found

A) in urban centers.
B) in golf courses.
C) in rural areas.
D) in urban centers and rural areas but not in areas of intermediate land use intensity.
E) Bird species richness did not vary along gradients of land use intensity.