Exam 1: The Nature of Ecology

Light intensity is considered a biotic factor.

An abstract, simplified representation of a real system is referred to as a(n)________.

The most common method for displaying a single data set is to construct a frequency distribution.

The term "ecology" is defined as the study of the

A population refers to all the individuals of the same species that occupy a given area.

The real goal of hypothesis testing is to

Bird wingspan would be considered ________ data.

Identify the sources of variation in ecology that make prediction difficult.

In a histogram, the x-axis represents the number of individuals with a particular characteristic while the y-axis represents the category intervals.

Explain why current and past human activity is now considered part of the "natural world" by many ecologists. How might this change the field of ecology?

To be valid, a hypothesis must be testable.

Which of the following questions is most appropriate to investigate at the population level?

Ambient temperature and concentration of carbon dioxide

Explain why it is difficult for ecologists to give definitive answers.

If x and y have a positive relationship as shown by a scatterplot, then the value of y will

A biotic community and its abiotic environment is referred to as a(n)

At the ________ level, an ecologist might focus on the factors that affect the relative abundance of various populations in the area.

The basic units in ecology are the

The community of a pine forest would include all living organisms and nonliving components.

Ecology is the same as environmentalism.