Question 1

Explain a difference between hibernation and aestivation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain a difference between hibernation and aestivation....

Question 2

What form of dormancy do mammals use to conserve energy and survive seasons during which they are unable to obtain food?

Accepted Answer

A)  diapause 
B)  hibernation 
C)  torpor 
D)  aestivation

Question 3

Describe how a desert iguana can survive high summer temperatures.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe how a desert iguana can survive...

Question 4

This figure shows the tail shape developed by three tadpole genotypes (M, N, and O) when raised in an environment with predators and an environment without predators. In the presence of predators, tadpoles with large tails have high fitness and tadpoles with small tails have low fitness. When predators are not present, tadpoles with large tails have low fitness and tadpoles with small tails have high fitness.  Which genotype(s) would have the highest average fitness across both environments?

Accepted Answer

A)  M only 
B)  N only 
C)  O only 
D)  both M and N 
E)  both N and O

Question 5

Different species of birds found feeding in different parts of the same forest canopy at the same time may be an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  microhabitat differences. 
B)  climate-induced variation. 
C)  environmental cue response. 
D)  temporal variability.

Question 6

The time required to subdue and consume a prey item is called

Accepted Answer

A)  traveling time. 
B)  searching time. 
C)  handling time. 
D)  foraging time.

Question 7

The average annual rainfall measured in a desert over 10 years is which type of variation?

Accepted Answer

A)  weather 
B)  climate 
C)  spatial 
D)  phenotypic

Question 8

Some individuals exhibit adaptive phenotypic plasticity in response to competition from members of their own species. Why would food availability probably be a more reliable cue than the number of conspecifics about the amount of competition for food?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some individuals exhibit adaptive phenotypic plasticity in...

Question 9

Desert tortoises shut down metabolic processes for long periods during very hot and dry summer conditions. What form of dormancy is this?

Accepted Answer

A)  diapause 
B)  hibernation 
C)  torpor 
D)  aestivation

Question 10

A heron, a large wading bird, is hunting in a pond that contains three types of prey: fish, frogs, and snakes. All three types of prey are abundant and provide the same amount of energy to the heron. The heron has the highest handling time capturing fish, an intermediate handling time capturing snakes, and the lowest handling time capturing frogs. What prey item would foraging theory predict that the heron should catch most frequently?

Accepted Answer

A)  fish 
B)  snakes 
C)  frogs 
D)  fish and frogs equally frequently

Question 11

Which shows the order of phenotypically plastic traits from those that typically respond most rapidly to those that typically respond least rapidly?

Accepted Answer

A)  behavior, morphology, physiology 
B)  physiology, morphology, behavior 
C)  behavior, physiology, morphology 
D)  morphology, behavior, physiology 
E)  morphology, physiology, behavior

Question 12

Which statement about predator and prey phenotypic plasticity is accurate?
I. Prey can change morphology to avoid predators.
II. Predators can change morphology to capture prey.
III. Both predators and prey exhibit phenotypic trade-offs.

Accepted Answer

A)  I only 
B)  II only 
C)  III only 
D)  I and II only 
E)  I, II, and III

Question 13

A type of dormancy found in insects in response to unfavorable environmental conditions is called

Accepted Answer

A)  diapause. 
B)  hibernation. 
C)  torpor. 
D)  aestivation.

Question 14

Describe the difference between a plastic and nonplastic genotype.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the difference between a plastic and...

Question 15

An ecologist is studying the relationship between a beetle species and a flower species. She examines six plants and counts the number of beetles and the number of flowers on each plant. $$\begin{array} { | l | l | } 
\hline \text { Number of flowers } & \text { Number of beetles } \
\hline 1 & 1 \
\hline 2 & 4 \
\hline 3 & 9 \
\hline 4 & 16 \
\hline 5 & 25 \
\hline 6 & 36 \
\hline
\end{array}$$
What can we conclude from the data?

Accepted Answer

A)  Flowers cause beetles to be more abundant. 
B)  Beetles cause plants to grow more flowers. 
C)  A third unmeasured variable causes both beetles and flowers to increase. 
D)  There is no way to determine causation in the relationship between flowers and beetles based solely on this data set.

Question 16

When humans move from low elevations to high elevations, it typically takes one or more weeks for their bodies to improve their ability to carry oxygen. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  microhabitat use. 
B)  acclimation. 
C)  aestivation. 
D)  migration.

Question 17

An active hummingbird maintains its resting body temperature at approximately 40°C, while a torpid hummingbird maintains its resting body temperature at approximately 20°C. Explain how torpor allows hummingbirds to survive cold periods with little available food.

Accepted Answer

The answer of An active hummingbird maintains its resting body...

Question 18

The phenotypic plasticity that allows a copepod to survive being moved from salt water to fresh water is similar to the phenotypic plasticity of a human moved from low elevation to high elevation because both are

Accepted Answer

A)  examples of behavioral phenotypic plasticity. 
B)  examples of morphological phenotypic plasticity. 
C)  examples of physiological phenotypic plasticity. 
D)  changes that cannot be reversed.

Question 19

A fox that catches prey in several fields but brings the prey back to a single den to feed its young is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  optimal diet composition. 
B)  diet mixing. 
C)  risk-sensitive foraging. 
D)  central-place foraging.

Question 20

Consider an area in which plants change from one group of species to another group of species over a distance of 20 cm. How might this scale of variation affect two herbivores-aphids (very small insects) and moose (large mammals)?

Accepted Answer

A)  Aphids would be more strongly affected by this gradient. 
B)  Moose would be more strongly affected by this gradient. 
C)  Neither would be affected by this gradient. 
D)  They would be equally affected by this gradient.

Exam 4: Adaptations to Variable Environments