Exam 27: Community Interactions

A protist lives in the gut of a termite, breaking down the cellulose that the termite ingests and providing glucose to benefit both of them. This kind of relationship is called ________.

Two weed species live in the same patch of ground. One has very deep roots to tap into ground water. The other has broad, shallow roots to take advantage of the frequent light rains that don't penetrate very deeply into the soil. This is an example of ________.

There are several species of plain-looking, brownish-gray moths that, when they spread their wings, have large bright red or orange eye-shaped circles on their hind wings. What is this adaptation called, and what advantage does it give to the moth?

Startle coloration is used to attract mates. True or False?

You suspect that the American alligator is a keystone species in specific habitats in Florida. How could you experimentally prove or disprove this hypothesis?

Two families of feral cats move into the same barn. One family preys on the mice; the other preys on the pigeons. This behavior is an example of:

Similar climax communities distributed over a very large geographical area are known as ________.

Which behavioral response to the threat of predation is most likely to be selected for in a species that uses camouflage for protection from predators?

A certain species of animal represents just 3% of the biomass in its ecosystem. We might classify this as a keystone species if its removal:

Succession after a disturbance such as forest harvest or a landslide is referred to as ________ succession.

-The succession shown in the illustration is:

On the slopes of the Washington Cascades, ecologists have studied some closely related vole species for decades. Many of these vole species, when they occur on separate mountains, tend to choose very similar food sizes. However, when these species occur together on the same mountain slope, their food choices tend to differ, with some species selecting small seeds and others feeding exclusively on larger seeds. This behavior may be an example of:

If an insect eats the lettuce seedlings in your yard, it is acting most like a(n):

Hawks that eat field mice are practicing mutualism. True or False?

What kinds of plant species are likely to be pioneers in secondary succession? Explain why.

The caterpillar in the illustration displays:

Many plants produce chemicals that are used as medicines. For example, the drug digitalis, which stimulates the human heart, is derived from foxglove, a poisonous plant. What advantage does producing toxic compounds have for the plant?

The physical home of a species is its ________.

Humans contract bacterial infections such as tuberculosis or syphilis. What is this ecological relationship called?

Succession after a catastrophic disturbance such as a volcanic eruption is referred to as ________ succession.