Exam 16: Community Structure

To which category or trophic level does a typical plant belong?

In a forest community, the layer in which most photosynthesis occurs is the

In a forest, the primary site of photosynthesis is in the midstory.

The identification of all the species present within a community is a measure of species

Explain how ecologists define species diversity. What data must be collected to determine the diversity of a community?

The characteristics of a community are generally not dependent on the spatial scale at which the community is examined because communities are tightly integrated groups of species.

________ or functional groups are groups of species in a community that are thought to have similar roles in the community.

Which statement best describes a keystone species?

Interspecific interactions often

Summarize the "world is green" hypothesis of Hairston, Smith, and Slobodkin. Is this an example of bottom-up or top-down control?

The herb layer of a forest is where most of the decomposition takes place.

The percentage of individuals in a community that belong to one species is called the relative ________ of that species.

All the hummingbirds and other nectar-feeding birds in a community could be considered a guild.

In a well-stratified lake during summer, the upper layer of freely circulating water is called the ________.

In a well-stratified lake in summer, the second layer of water, characterized by a steep and rapid decline in temperature with depth, is called the

The two major determinants of regional and global patterns of vegetation distribution include

Explain the potential relationship between the physical structure of a plant community and the diversity of an animal community in the same habitat. Give a real or hypothetical example to support your answer.

In a well-stratified lake in summer, the bottom zone, in which decomposition is most active, is called the ________ zone.

Explain the difference between bottom-up and top-down control of community structure. Do you think one or the other is most important, or some combination of both? Why?

Changes in the physical and biological structure of a community across the landscape are called