Deck 4: Ecosystems Are Dynamic

Question 1

Ecosystem change can be caused by ________.

A) climate change under natural conditions
B) rapid climate change due to greenhouse gases
C) rapid changes, such as forest fires
D) All of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Primary succession occurs ________.

A) following a forest fire
B) where glaciers have recently retreated
C) following a clear-cut
D) on abandoned agricultural land

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Lichens ________.

A) are the same as mosses
B) are partnerships between fungi and photosynthetic algae
C) are partnerships between a moss and a plant
D) only grow on bare rocks

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The theoretical final stage in the successional process is called a ________.

A) secondary community
B) disturbance
C) climax community
D) seral stage

Question 5

________ occurs where a community frequently returns to earlier seral stages due to disturbance.

A) Cyclic succession
B) Primary succession
C) Re-succession
D) Seral succession

Question 6

The richer zones that occur between communities and have the highest species diversity are known as ________.

A) ecotones
B) seral stages
C) biomes
D) climax zones

Question 7

The phenomenon of seed release due to the high temperatures associated with fire is termed ________.

A) albedo
B) germination
C) positive feedback
D) serotiny

Question 8

In an edaphic climax, vegetation type is limited by ________.

A) wind speed
B) precipitation
C) temperature
D) soil type

Question 9

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis suggests that ________.

A) ecosystems with high levels of disturbance will have lower levels of diversity
B) ecosystems with moderate levels of disturbance will maintain high levels of diversity
C) diversity levels in ecosystems do not increase indefinitely
D) All of the above

Question 10

Areas where underlying geology is more important than climate in determining plant cover are ________.

A) fire driven
B) edaphically driven
C) detritally driven
D) rainfall driven

Question 11

Serpentine is ________.

A) a region in the deep ocean
B) a type of forest
C) a mountain biome
D) a type of bedrock

Question 12

Mature ecosystems are NOT characterized by ________.

A) efficient nutrient cycling
B) high species diversity
C) high net productivity
D) high community organization

Question 13

Resilience is _________. a) the slow pace of ecosystem succession
b) the ability of an ecosystem to repel invasive species
c) the ability of an ecosystem to withstand change
d) the ability of an ecosystem to recover to its original state following a disturbance

Question 14

Inertia is ________.

A) the ability of an ecosystem to repel invasive species
B) the slow pace of ecosystem succession
C) the ability of an ecosystem to recover to its original state following a disturbance
D) the ability of an ecosystem to withstand change

Question 15

Ecosystems with ________ can best withstand human interference without experiencing serious damage.

A) high inertia and low resilience
B) high inertia and high resilience
C) low inertia and low resilience
D) low inertia and high resilience

Question 16

Organisms found outside their normal range are called ________.

A) alien species
B) introduced species
C) non-native species
D) All of the above

Question 17

According to the text, ________ proportion of species in Canada are now alien?

A) 12 per cent
B) 7 per cent
C) 19 per cent
D) 3 per cent

Question 18

In Canada, ________ species of alien plants have developed into agricultural pests.

A) 27
B) 650
C) 500
D) 180

Question 19

________ is an invasive species.

A) Purple loosestrife
B) Rainbow trout
C) Spiny water fleas
D) All of the above

Question 20

Allelopathic species ________.

A) are usually animals
B) are used to control agricultural pests
C) produce chemicals that inhibit the growth of surrounding species
D) All of the above

Question 21

Canada has experienced a serious alien invasion of ________.

A) zebra mussel
B) Dutch elm disease
C) knapweed
D) All of the above

Question 22

Sitka black-tailed deer were deliberately introduced to ________.

A) control vegetation
B) provide recreational hunting
C) provide food for local people
D) provide food for wolves

Question 23

Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS) is a serious threat to ________.

A) phytoplankton
B) humans
C) waterfowl
D) fish

Question 24

Many aquatic invasive species are introduced ________.

A) in firewood transport
B) in ballast water
C) intentionally
D) in food shipments

Question 25

The following is often a reason that a native species may become hyperabundant: ________.

A) environmental protective legislation that designates conservation areas
B) the species habitat has remained untouched, allowing the population to grow rapidly
C) adaptation that allows for rapid reproduction
D) the removal of the native species predators from the area

Question 26

Sea otters help control the populations of other species by ________.

A) building dams that result in ponds and habitat for other species
B) helping to maintain food and habitat sources for other species by reducing kelp numbers
C) preying on key lower trophic level predators
D) helping to protect spawning grounds from predators

Question 27

The sea otter was extirpated from the BC coast due to ________.

A) disease
B) overhunting
C) predation by killer whales
D) habitat loss

Question 28

A feedback loop that exacerbates existing change is a ________.

A) neutral feedback loop
B) negative feedback loop
C) stable feedback loop
D) positive feedback loop

Question 29

Polar amplification will lead to ________.

A) a cooler climate
B) higher albedo
C) greater snowpack
D) greater snow melt

Question 30

A feedback loop that mitigates existing change is a ________.

A) neutral feedback loop
B) positive feedback loop
C) negative feedback loop
D) neutral feedback loop

Question 31

A synergistic relationship occurs when ________.

A) one individual benefits from another
B) each party benefits from the other
C) one organism preys on the other
D) two or more separate entities together are greater than the sum of the individuals

Question 32

________ is population growth factor.

A) Birth rate
B) The ability to migrate to new habitats
C) The presence of competitors
D) All of the above

Question 33

Density-dependant organisms have a population growth curve that ________.

A) is S-shaped
B) is unsustainable
C) increases in growth rate as population increases
D) is straight

Question 34

R-strategists ________.

A) develop rapidly
B) develop slowly
C) have long lives
D) have stable populations

Question 35

K-strategists ________.

A) have a low level of parental care
B) produce few offspring
C) live in unpredictable environments
D) reproduce at an early age

Question 36

________ are NOT an r-strategist.

A) Annual plants
B) Dolphins
C) Algae
D) Mosquitoes

Question 37

________ is the process in which a population has undergone so much change that it is no longer able to interbreed with the original population.

A) Evolution
B) Coevolution
C) Phyletic evolution
D) Natural selection

Question 38

Phyletic evolution leads to ________.

A) radiation
B) natural selection
C) special selection
D) speciation

Question 39

The process by which new species are formed when a part of a population adapts to a new food source is called ________.

A) genetic radiation
B) co-evolution
C) adaptive radiation
D) contemporary evolution

Question 40

Coevolution occurs when ________.

A) changes in one species cause changes to occur in another species
B) two species evolve in the same time frame but go in different directions
C) two species that were once unable to breed together become able to breed together
D) changes in one species lead to the decline in another species

Question 41

Rapid evolution of species in response to human activities is called ________.

A) adaptive radiation
B) natural selection
C) co-evolution
D) contemporary evolution

Question 42

________ refers to the process whereby a species is eliminated because it can no longer survive under new conditions.

A) Range of tolerance
B) Exspeciation
C) Extinction
D) Adaptive radiation

Question 43

The fossil record suggests that almost ________ of species that have lived on Earth are now extinct.

A) 75 per cent
B) 89 per cent
C) 82 per cent
D) 99 per cent

Question 44

The process of extinction tends to be ________.

A) more impactful on larger species, with smaller species rarely being affected
B) a constant process
C) relatively sudden and results in catastrophic changes
D) a more recent occurrence on Earth

Question 45

________ was the major factor in the extinction of camels in North America prior to European colonization.

A) Disease
B) Predation by wolves
C) Drought
D) Overhunting by Indigenous peoples

Question 46

The Burgess Shales fossils date to the ________.

A) Paleozoic era
B) Cambrian era
C) Cretaceous era
D) Mesozoic era

Question 47

The Cambrian era is known for ________.

A) unicellular life
B) blue-green algae
C) flourishing of multicellular species
D) bacteria

Question 48

The following is NOT a predicted effect of climate change: ________.

A) a reduction in forested areas
B) species extinction
C) earlier spring migrations
D) shift of life zones towards the equator

Question 49

Phenology refers to ________.

A) the atmospheric circulation patterns that influence precipitation levels
B) the study of Phenol, a form of acid, and the impacts this has on ecosystems
C) the ways in which climate affects the seasonal patterns of plants and animals
D) the reproductive strategies used by different species

Question 50

The primary goal of rewilding is to ________.

A) bring extinct species back to life using clonal technologies
B) restore the ecological processes that underlie natural systems
C) remove alien species from ecosystems
D) reintroduce a species that is only found in captivity

Question 51

Without human intervention, ecosystems remain unchanged over time.

Question 52

Ecological succession is a rapid process.

Question 53

Lichens are often the first colonizers in primary succession.

Question 54

Succession associated with natural aging of aquatic environments is called eutrophication.

Question 55

Net primary productivity in mature ecosystems is lower than in immature ecosystems.

Question 56

All alien species are invasive.

Question 57

Alien species are not a large problem in Canada.

Question 58

Many of the most serious invasions of alien species are in aquatic ecosystems.

Question 59

Native species can attain undesirable numbers and cause harm in their own ecosystems.

Question 60

The effect of increased temperatures in Northern Canada would increase polar amplification.

Question 61

The biotic potential of K-strategists is higher than that of r-strategists.

Question 62

K-strategists produce many offspring early in their lives.

Question 63

Extinction is the opposite of evolution.

Question 64

Climate change will lead to a shift in biomes towards the equator.

Question 65

Evolution illustrates the benefits of larger, stronger, more complex organisms over smaller, simpler ones.

Question 66

What are the ecological roles of fire?

Question 67

What is driving treeline change in Northern Canada?

Question 68

What is an edaphic climax and why has it occurred on Table Mountain, Newfoundland?

Question 69

Humans often seek to maintain ecosystems in early successional stages. Why do they do this and what are the implications?

Question 70

Outline the impacts of one invasive alien species in Canada.

Question 71

Define positive and negative feedback loops and provide one example of each.

Question 72

What is carrying capacity, and how does it affect population growth?

Question 73

Differentiate between coevolution and speciation.

Question 74

Did European colonization cause the first extinctions in North America? Explain why or why not.