Question 1

The first phase of decomposition is

Accepted Answer

A)  dry decay. 
B)  autolysis. 
C)  primary succession. 
D)  wet decay. 
E)  putrefaction. 
A)  dry decay. 
B)  autolysis. 
C)  primary succession. 
D)  wet decay. 
E)  putrefaction.

Question 2

Although ecologists often diagram the interactions of who eats whom by means of a food chain, depicting the complexity of real-life interactions often requires the construction of a _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although ecologists often diagram the interactions of...

Question 3

Beavers affect communities by

Accepted Answer

A)  what they eat. 
B)  altering patterns of vegetation as they preferentially cut down certain trees. 
C)  creating meadows and ponds by means of their dams. 
D)  All of the above 
E)  None of the above 
A)  what they eat. 
B)  altering patterns of vegetation as they preferentially cut down certain trees. 
C)  creating meadows and ponds by means of their dams. 
D)  All of the above 
E)  None of the above

Question 4

Suppose that you are responsible for managing community succession to provide suitable habitat for an endangered animal species that is long-lived and has a low reproductive rate. Would you expect this species to be adapted to early or late successional stages?

Accepted Answer

As explained in Chapter 55, long life sp

Question 5

The theory of _______ biogeography was developed to explain _______ relationships.

Accepted Answer

island; sp

Question 6

Where do biomass pyramids like the one shown below occur, and what are the conditions that create them?

Accepted Answer

In most aquatic ecosystems, the dominant

Question 7

In comparison with temperate regions at higher latitudes, tropical communities show greater species richness. Which of the following is a hypothesis that has been proposed to explain this difference?

Accepted Answer

A)  Tropical regions have had more time to diversify under stable climatic conditions. 
B)  Tropical regions have more habitat types. 
C)  Higher levels of interspecific competition in the tropics have led to narrower niches and hence a greater number of more specialized species. 
D)  Higher predation intensity in the tropics prevents interspecific competition among prey species and thus allows rare species to persist. 
E)  All of the above 
A)  Tropical regions have had more time to diversify under stable climatic conditions. 
B)  Tropical regions have more habitat types. 
C)  Higher levels of interspecific competition in the tropics have led to narrower niches and hence a greater number of more specialized species. 
D)  Higher predation intensity in the tropics prevents interspecific competition among prey species and thus allows rare species to persist. 
E)  All of the above

Question 8

Which of the following represents the correct chronological order (from earliest to latest) in which the organisms below appear on a dead body?

Accepted Answer

A)  Spider beetles, blowflies, flesh flies 
B)  Spider beetles, flesh flies, blowflies 
C)  Blowflies, flesh flies, spider beetles 
D)  Flesh flies, blowflies, spider beetles 
E)  Flesh flies, spider beetles, blowflies 
A)  Spider beetles, blowflies, flesh flies 
B)  Spider beetles, flesh flies, blowflies 
C)  Blowflies, flesh flies, spider beetles 
D)  Flesh flies, blowflies, spider beetles 
E)  Flesh flies, spider beetles, blowflies

Question 9

For most communities, species richness will _______ if fertilizer is added when productivity is low, and it will _______ if fertilizer is added when productivity is high.

Accepted Answer

A)  increase; increase 
B)  increase; decrease 
C)  remain the same; increase 
D)  decrease; increase 
E)  decrease; decrease 
A)  increase; increase 
B)  increase; decrease 
C)  remain the same; increase 
D)  decrease; increase 
E)  decrease; decrease

Question 10

Species such as beavers, which create structures in the environment that serve as habitat for other species, are called _______.

Accepted Answer

ecosystem

Question 11

In the open ocean, the biomass of a community is usually highest at the _______ trophic level because the _______ have a high reproductive rate.

Accepted Answer

primary co

Question 12

Early stages of succession are characterized by

Accepted Answer

A)  species that are good dispersers. 
B)  species with high intrinsic rates of reproduction. 
C)  simple food webs. 
D)  nutrients that are available primarily in abiotic sources. 
E)  All of the above 
A)  species that are good dispersers. 
B)  species with high intrinsic rates of reproduction. 
C)  simple food webs. 
D)  nutrients that are available primarily in abiotic sources. 
E)  All of the above

Question 13

Which of the following is a primary consumer?

Accepted Answer

A)  A predatory fish 
B)  A detritus-eating roundworm 
C)  An oak tree 
D)  A herbivorous beetle larva 
E)  None of the above 
A)  A predatory fish 
B)  A detritus-eating roundworm 
C)  An oak tree 
D)  A herbivorous beetle larva 
E)  None of the above

Question 14

Which of the following is not an example of succession?

Accepted Answer

A)  A pond changing to a meadow 
B)  The self-perpetuation of a climax community 
C)  Shrubs filling in a forest gap 
D)  The recolonization of Mount St. Helens after its eruption 
E)  A forest being clear-cut 
A)  A pond changing to a meadow 
B)  The self-perpetuation of a climax community 
C)  Shrubs filling in a forest gap 
D)  The recolonization of Mount St. Helens after its eruption 
E)  A forest being clear-cut

Question 15

Cows, which eat grass and other plant materials, belong to the _______ trophic level.

Accepted Answer

primary co

Question 16

Which of the following is a hypothesis generated by biologists to explain species richness gradients?

Accepted Answer

A)  Greater competition in the tropics has led to narrower niches and thus more species in the tropics than elsewhere. 
B)  The lack of mutualisms in the higher latitudes limits the number of species in high latitude communities. 
C)  Intense predation in the polar regions limits the number of species that can live there. 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  Both b and c 
A)  Greater competition in the tropics has led to narrower niches and thus more species in the tropics than elsewhere. 
B)  The lack of mutualisms in the higher latitudes limits the number of species in high latitude communities. 
C)  Intense predation in the polar regions limits the number of species that can live there. 
D)  Both a and b 
E)  Both b and c

Question 17

The ecological community of a pond comprises

Accepted Answer

A)  all the species living in the pond and the abiotic environment (water, sunlight, etc.) that supports them. 
B)  all the species living in the pond. 
C)  the invertebrates and vertebrate animals living in the pond. 
D)  all of the producers and consumers living in the pond, but not the decomposers. 
E)  None of the above 
A)  all the species living in the pond and the abiotic environment (water, sunlight, etc.) that supports them. 
B)  all the species living in the pond. 
C)  the invertebrates and vertebrate animals living in the pond. 
D)  all of the producers and consumers living in the pond, but not the decomposers. 
E)  None of the above

Question 18

David Tilman's experiments showed that as species richness increases, productivity _______ and the variation in productivity _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  decreases; increases 
B)  decreases; remains constant 
C)  decreases; decreases 
D)  increases; increases 
E)  increases; decreases 
A)  decreases; increases 
B)  decreases; remains constant 
C)  decreases; decreases 
D)  increases; increases 
E)  increases; decreases

Question 19

Refer to the graph below showing the effect of species number on arrival and extinction rates. According to the theory of island biogeography, which of the following statements about the graph is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Curve a is the arrival rate curve. 
B)  Curve b is the extinction rate curve. 
C)  The arrival rate equals the extinction rate at n1. 
D)  The extinction rate is zero at n1. 
E)  Both a and b 
A)  Curve a is the arrival rate curve. 
B)  Curve b is the extinction rate curve. 
C)  The arrival rate equals the extinction rate at n1. 
D)  The extinction rate is zero at n1. 
E)  Both a and b

Question 20

In which of the following ecosystems would you expect to observe the lowest biomass of primary consumers relative to the biomass of the primary producers?

Accepted Answer

A)  Tropical evergreen forest 
B)  Temperate grassland 
C)  Freshwater lake 
D)  Open ocean 
E)  Both c and d 
A)  Tropical evergreen forest 
B)  Temperate grassland 
C)  Freshwater lake 
D)  Open ocean 
E)  Both c and d

Exam 57: Community Ecology

The first phase of decomposition is

Although ecologists often diagram the interactions of who eats whom by means of a food chain, depicting the complexity of real-life interactions often requires the construction of a _______.

Beavers affect communities by

Suppose that you are responsible for managing community succession to provide suitable habitat for an endangered animal species that is long-lived and has a low reproductive rate. Would you expect this species to be adapted to early or late successional stages?

The theory of _______ biogeography was developed to explain _______ relationships.

Where do biomass pyramids like the one shown below occur, and what are the conditions that create them?

In comparison with temperate regions at higher latitudes, tropical communities show greater species richness. Which of the following is a hypothesis that has been proposed to explain this difference?

Which of the following represents the correct chronological order (from earliest to latest) in which the organisms below appear on a dead body?

For most communities, species richness will _______ if fertilizer is added when productivity is low, and it will _______ if fertilizer is added when productivity is high.

Species such as beavers, which create structures in the environment that serve as habitat for other species, are called _______.

In the open ocean, the biomass of a community is usually highest at the _______ trophic level because the _______ have a high reproductive rate.

Early stages of succession are characterized by

Which of the following is a primary consumer?

Which of the following is not an example of succession?

Cows, which eat grass and other plant materials, belong to the _______ trophic level.

Which of the following is a hypothesis generated by biologists to explain species richness gradients?

The ecological community of a pond comprises

David Tilman's experiments showed that as species richness increases, productivity _______ and the variation in productivity _______.

Refer to the graph below showing the effect of species number on arrival and extinction rates. According to the theory of island biogeography, which of the following statements about the graph is true?

In which of the following ecosystems would you expect to observe the lowest biomass of primary consumers relative to the biomass of the primary producers?

Studying Life

Small Molecules and the Chemistry of Life

Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Lipids

Nucleic Acids and the Origin of Life

Cells: the Working Units of Life

Cell Membranes

Cell Signaling and Communication

Energy, Enzymes, and Metabolism

Pathways That Harvest Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis: Energy From Sunlight

The Cell Cycle and Cell Division

Inheritance, Genes, and Chromosomes

Dna and Its Role in Heredity

From Dna to Protein: Gene Expression

Gene Mutation and Molecular Medicine

Regulation of Gene Expression

Genomes

Recombinent Dna and Biotechnology

Differential Gene Expression in Development

Development and Evolutionary Change

Evidence and Mechanisms of Evolution

Reconstructing and Using Phylogenies

Species and Their Formation

Evolution of Genes and Genomes

The History of Life on Earth

Bacteria and Archaea: the Prokaryotic Domains

The Origin and Diversification of Eukaryotes

Plants Without Seeds: From Water to Land

The Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi: Recyclers, Pathogens, Parasites, and Plant Partners

Animal Origins and the Evolution of Body Plans

Protostome Animals

Deuterostome Animals

The Plant Body

Transport in Plants

Plant Nutrition

Regulation of Plant Growth

Reproduction in Flowering Plants

Plant Responses to Environmental Challenges

Physiology, Homeostasis, and Temperature Regulation

Animal Hormones

Immunology: Animal Defense Systems

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons and Nervous Systems

Sensory Systems

The Mammalian Nervous System: Structure and Higher Function

Musculoskeletal Systems

Gas Exchange in Animals

Circulatory Systems

Nutrition, Digestion, and Absorption

Salt and Water Balance and Nitrogen

Animal Behavior

Ecology and the Distribution of Life

Population Ecology

Species Interaction and Coevolution

Ecosystems and Global Ecology

Conservation Biology

Filters

The theory of _ biogeography was developed to explain _ relationships.

For most communities, species richness will _ if fertilizer is added when productivity is low, and it will _ if fertilizer is added when productivity is high.

In the open ocean, the biomass of a community is usually highest at the _ trophic level because the _ have a high reproductive rate.

David Tilman's experiments showed that as species richness increases, productivity _ and the variation in productivity _.