Exam 1: Introduction: Ecology, Evolution, and the Scientific Method

If you wanted to understand the impact of an introduced species on existing species in an area, what ecological level should you examine?

Why are protists suited for symbiotic relationships with other species?

The first law of thermodynamics states that

An experimental control is

Most scientific investigations begin with a set of facts about nature. These facts are obtained by

The word ecology is derived from the Greek oikos, which means

The relationship between a burdock plant and a fox is

Why are two species unable to share exactly the same niche?

Scientists ask questions about how the natural world works. These can usually be classified as how questions or why questions. A scientist observes that an owl species can fly silently. Give an example of a how and a why question that the scientist might study and what the differences would be.

Explain how studying a community can provide insight into population changes.

Explain the potential difficulties of using a natural experiment to test a hypothesis.

A scientist hypothesizes that the larvae of a particular species of swallowtail butterfly uses olfaction (the sense of smell) to locate their preferred host plants in the carrot family. To test the hypothesis, the scientist uses extracts from various plants-including some from the carrot family-to moisten small pieces of paper arranged randomly under a wire screen. Swallowtail larvae are released on the wire screen but cannot come into direct physical contact with the pieces of paper. What is the advantage of this experiment compared with simply presenting the larvae with a choice among various plants?

Which level of ecological hierarchy includes the movement of water and air?

Which of the following systems is composed of assemblages of organisms together with their physical and chemical environments?

Describe one specific successful solution to an environmental problem caused by human activity.

What is the mean of these data: 22, 19, 34, 24, 27, 20?

Use the example of the California sea otter to explain why ecologists must study multiple hierarchical levels to understand most environmental problems.

An ecologist who studies populations would most likely be interested in

In evolution by natural selection, which of the following is true? I. Individuals have varied traits. II. Some individuals have higher fitness because of their traits. III. Some traits cannot be passed on to the offspring.

How might the use of pesticides to control insects that feed on wheat affect how the insects evolve?