Exam 1: The Nature of Ecology

All populations of different species living and interacting within an ecosystem are referred to collectively as a(n)________.

A valid scientific hypothesis must be testable.

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

An ecologist who focuses on the individual could study all of the following,except

In Figure 1.8,Available N is the

Because ecology relies on many different branches of science (e.g.,geology),it is considered

A group of individuals of the same species that occupies a given area is referred to as a(n)________.

Ecology is the same as environmentalism.

A(n)________ is an abstract,simplified representation of a real system,allowing us to predict some behavior or response using a set of explicit assumptions.

________ is activism with a stated aim of protecting the natural environment,particularly from the negative impacts of human activities.

A freshwater pond ecosystem includes only the living organisms within the pond.

Which of the following is considered an abiotic component of the ecosystem?

In a field experiment,an ecologist measures the effects of nitrogen on productivity,plotting data for nitrogen on the x-axis and productivity on the y-axis.In this experiment,the dependent variable is ________.

The basic unit in ecology is the

Broad scale regions dominated by similar types of ecosystems are called

All science begins with ________,which is the first step in the process known as the scientific method.

An ecologist measured the length and weight of different individuals of a species of bird.The most common method of graphically displaying the data is a

Figure 1.5 represents which type of plot?

Moisture and concentration of oxygen

A field experiment gives the investigator much more control over the environmental conditions than does a laboratory experiment.