Question 1

What is the role of decomposers in the cycling of carbon? What would eventually occur if decomposers lost the ability to break down plant and fungal matter?

Accepted Answer

Decomposers play a crucial role in the c

Question 2

Natural populations are controlled by density-dependent and density-independent forces.What is an example of a density independent factor?

Accepted Answer

A) Adverse weather 
B) Food supply 
C) Supply of nest sites 
D) Supply of mates 
A) Adverse weather 
B) Food supply 
C) Supply of nest sites 
D) Supply of mates

Question 3

Ecologists have found that

Accepted Answer

A) life as we know it does not match the energy laws of physics. 
B) ecology cannot be explained using principles from chemistry and physics. 
C) it is possible to capture all the photosynthetic energy absorbed as molecules of glucose. 
D) energy flows one way through ecosystems and requires external input. 
A) life as we know it does not match the energy laws of physics. 
B) ecology cannot be explained using principles from chemistry and physics. 
C) it is possible to capture all the photosynthetic energy absorbed as molecules of glucose. 
D) energy flows one way through ecosystems and requires external input.

Question 4

What is the difference between a species' fundamental niche and its realized niche? Why is this important to the study of ecology?

Accepted Answer

A species' fundamental niche refers to t

Question 5

Describe the functioning and possible patterns associated with metapopulation dynamics.

Accepted Answer

Metapopulation dynamics refer to the pat

Question 6

A series of steps in which plants are eaten by consumers,which are themselves eaten by other consumers,is called the ______ ______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A series of steps in which plants...

Question 7

Discuss how the following terms are interrelated: niche overlap,competitive exclusion,character displacement,and guild.How do all these terms relate to the concept of competition?

Accepted Answer

Niche overlap, competitive exclusion, ch

Question 8

Explain the concept of "competitive exclusion." Give several examples that clearly illustrate this concept.

Accepted Answer

Competitive exclusion is a concept in ec

Question 9

Discuss how the extinction of a keystone species can affect an ecosystem.

Accepted Answer

The extinction of a keystone species can

Question 10

In tidal pools,a food pyramid is inverted with a small base of phytoplankton supporting zooplankton consumers.How can this be explained?

Accepted Answer

A) The pyramid is an energy pyramid and the trophic level occupied by zooplankton contains more energy than the level occupied by phytoplankton. 
B) The pyramid is a numbers pyramid showing that only few phytoplankton support many zooplankton. 
C) These phytoplankton are actually deriving their food from dying animals,thus the pyramid is inverted. 
D) The pyramid is a pyramid of biomass and the standing crop of phytoplankton has less biomass than the standing crop of zooplankton. 
A) The pyramid is an energy pyramid and the trophic level occupied by zooplankton contains more energy than the level occupied by phytoplankton. 
B) The pyramid is a numbers pyramid showing that only few phytoplankton support many zooplankton. 
C) These phytoplankton are actually deriving their food from dying animals,thus the pyramid is inverted. 
D) The pyramid is a pyramid of biomass and the standing crop of phytoplankton has less biomass than the standing crop of zooplankton.

Question 11

Compare logistic growth with exponential growth.Would a pest insect species more likely exhibit a logistic growth curve or an exponential growth curve? Explain your reasoning.

Accepted Answer

Logistic growth and exponential growth a

Question 12

If severe floods reduced the amount of agricultural land in China,which term in the logistic growth formula will change?

Accepted Answer

A) r 
B) N 
C) K 
A) r 
B) N 
C) K

Question 13

The term "ecology" was first introduced by whom?

Accepted Answer

A) George Gaylord Simpson 
B) Charles Elton 
C) Ernst Haeckel 
D) Lawrence J.Henderson 
E) E.O.Wilson 
A) George Gaylord Simpson 
B) Charles Elton 
C) Ernst Haeckel 
D) Lawrence J.Henderson 
E) E.O.Wilson

Question 14

Almost all life depends on the energy from the _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Almost all life depends on the energy...

Question 15

How does mutualism differ from commensalism? How would you experimentally determine if two species are living in a commensal or mutualistic relationship?

Accepted Answer

Mutualism and commensalism are both type

Question 16

What prevents all species from evolving toward a survivorship curve where most individuals live to old age?

Accepted Answer

Several factors prevent all species from

Question 17

Only ______ are able to purposely and directly increase their carrying capacity.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Only ______ are able to purposely and...

Question 18

A study of both a living community and all of its physical factors would focus on what level of organization?

Accepted Answer

A) Trophic levels 
B) Various biomes 
C) The biosphere 
D) Ecosystem 
A) Trophic levels 
B) Various biomes 
C) The biosphere 
D) Ecosystem

Question 19

Whether most young of an animal die soon after they are born or grow up such that most of the population dies in old age is called

Accepted Answer

A) carrying capacity. 
B) intrinsic rate of growth. 
C) cohort. 
D) survivorship. 
E) the limiting resource. 
A) carrying capacity. 
B) intrinsic rate of growth. 
C) cohort. 
D) survivorship. 
E) the limiting resource.

Question 20

The carrying capacity of the environment is determined by

Accepted Answer

A) the limiting resource in the environment. 
B) the reproductive rate of an animal group. 
C) the occurrence of disease. 
D) a complex "balance of nature" that remains to be explained in terms that scientists can calculate. 
E) the resources that are in surplus in the environment. 
A) the limiting resource in the environment. 
B) the reproductive rate of an animal group. 
C) the occurrence of disease. 
D) a complex "balance of nature" that remains to be explained in terms that scientists can calculate. 
E) the resources that are in surplus in the environment.

Exam 38: Animal Ecology

What is the role of decomposers in the cycling of carbon? What would eventually occur if decomposers lost the ability to break down plant and fungal matter?

Natural populations are controlled by density-dependent and density-independent forces.What is an example of a density independent factor?

Ecologists have found that

What is the difference between a species' fundamental niche and its realized niche? Why is this important to the study of ecology?

Describe the functioning and possible patterns associated with metapopulation dynamics.

A series of steps in which plants are eaten by consumers,which are themselves eaten by other consumers,is called the ______ ______.

Discuss how the following terms are interrelated: niche overlap,competitive exclusion,character displacement,and guild.How do all these terms relate to the concept of competition?

Explain the concept of "competitive exclusion." Give several examples that clearly illustrate this concept.

Discuss how the extinction of a keystone species can affect an ecosystem.

In tidal pools,a food pyramid is inverted with a small base of phytoplankton supporting zooplankton consumers.How can this be explained?

Compare logistic growth with exponential growth.Would a pest insect species more likely exhibit a logistic growth curve or an exponential growth curve? Explain your reasoning.

If severe floods reduced the amount of agricultural land in China,which term in the logistic growth formula will change?

The term "ecology" was first introduced by whom?

Almost all life depends on the energy from the _______.

How does mutualism differ from commensalism? How would you experimentally determine if two species are living in a commensal or mutualistic relationship?

What prevents all species from evolving toward a survivorship curve where most individuals live to old age?

Only ______ are able to purposely and directly increase their carrying capacity.

A study of both a living community and all of its physical factors would focus on what level of organization?

Whether most young of an animal die soon after they are born or grow up such that most of the population dies in old age is called

The carrying capacity of the environment is determined by

Life: Biological Principles and the Science of Zoology

The Origin and Chemistry of Life

Cells As Units of Life

Cellular Metabolism

Genetics: a Review

Organic Evolution

The Reproductive Process

Principles of Development

Architectual Pattern of an Animal

Taxonomy and Phylogeny of Animals

Unicellular Eukaryotes

Sponges and Placozoans

Cnidarians and Ctenophores

Acoelomorpha, Platyzoa, and Mesozoa

Polyzoa and Kryptrochozoa

Molluscs

Annelids and Allied Taxa

Smaller Ecdysozoans

Trilobites, Chelicerates, and Myriapods

Crustaceans

Hexapods

Chaetognaths, echinoderms, and Hemichordates

Chordates

Fishes

Early Tetrapods and Modern Amphibians

Amniote Origins and Nonavian Reptiles

Birds

Mammals

Support, Protection, and Movement

Homeostasis: Osmotic Regulation, Excretion, and Temperature Regulation

Homeostasis: Internal Fluids and Respiration

Digestion and Nutrition

Nervous Coordination: Nervous System and Sense Organs

Chemical Coordination: Endocrine System

Immunity

Animal Behavior

Animal Distribution

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A series of steps in which plants are eaten by consumers,which are themselves eaten by other consumers,is called the .