Exam 55: Species Interactions

Many dandelions produce seeds by a form of cloning called apomixis.Bees visit dandelions, feed on their nectar, and transport their pollen, but the pollen plays no role in dandelion reproduction.The relationship between bees and dandelions in this situation is

In the offshore kelp forests of the Pacific Northwest, sea stars feed on kelp.Sea otters, in turn, feed on sea stars, keeping their population in check.If the sea otter population shows an abrupt decline, what would be the likely effect on this community?

Character displacement, such as the evolution of different-sized beaks in Galápagos finches, relates most closely to which aspect of competition?

Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves, but they eat from many different species of eucalyptus.Therefore, in terms of feeding, koalas may be classified as

Certain birds follow swarms of foraging army ants and prey on the insects that the ants flush out; the ants also prey on these insects.The relationship between the birds and the ants is an example of two kinds of interactions, commensalism and _______.

A rabbit unwittingly carries a ladybug across a river at no cost to itself.This is an example of _______.

Which situation can be considered an example of an abiotic factor acting as an agent of natural selection?

Which situation in a community is least likely to lead to asymmetrical competition?

Which interaction is the clearest example of amensalism?

Hummingbirds transport pollen from flower to flower, providing an essential pollination service, while benefiting energetically from the flower nectar.Along with pollen, hummingbirds also transport mites.These tiny invertebrates crawl onto a hummingbird's beak to hitch a ride from one flower to the next.The tiny mites exert no significant impact on the hummingbirds.The hummingbird-flower interaction is _______; the hummingbird-mite interaction is _______.

Instead of developing mutualistic interactions with insects, hummingbirds, or bats to carry out pollination, some plants are wind-pollinated.Compared with plants that are pollinated by animals, the flowers of wind-pollinated plants will likely have

Most plants defend themselves against herbivory by means of

The distinctly recognizable black-and-white markings of a skunk, which can squirt foul-smelling spray onto a would-be predator, provides a mammalian example of

Malaria is caused by a protist parasite.During its life cycle, the protist lives and reproduces inside the human liver and blood cells.When the Anopheles mosquito bites an infected human, it ingests the parasites; it later injects them into another human when it feeds again.In this disease cycle, how would the malarial parasite and the mosquito be classified?

Which description is an example of character displacement?

The sea otter acts as a keystone species in the kelp (giant seaweed) forests of the ocean in the Pacific Northwest.Sea otters feed on sea urchins, which in turn feed on kelp.Crabs, snails, and geese also depend on kelp for food, and many types of fish use the kelp to hide from predators.Sea otter populations are declining in some areas because of increased predation by orca whales.What effect will the decline in sea otters likely have on the kelp community?

Blending into its dark background, the anglerfish waggles its head, which has a fleshy, shimmering protuberance resembling a worm to attract unsuspecting fish.In trying to eat the fake worm, the fish finds itself the one being eaten.The anglerfish is using which two predation tactics?

A group of plants has evolved a secondary metabolite that deters insect herbivores, followed by adaptive radiation of those plants and subsequently an adaptive radiation of herbivores resistant to the anti-herbivory chemical.The insect-plant interaction is very specific.The best description of this scenario involves

The monarch butterfly eats milkweed, a plant that contains toxic cardiac glycosides.Because it has evolved the ability to ingest milkweed and digest its chemicals, the monarch butterfly is also toxic to predators.Both the milkweed and the monarch are examples of

Sergeant majors are a type of damselfish that live near the edges of coral reefs.They form schools and feed on zooplankton, small invertebrates, smaller fish, and algae.When in danger from predators, sergeant majors dart into the protective cover of the coral branches.The interaction between sergeant majors and coral is best described as _______.