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Ecology Exam 1
EXAM 1 ANSWER KEY
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is Ecology? | The study of relationships among organisms and their environment |
| In examining a 4,000 year tree pollen profile cored from the bottom of an old and undisturbed pond in a forest, I found that pollen of the tree species Americanus seaglensis..... What can I conclude about the vegetation at this site? | The forest tree community composition at this site is dynamic and responds to changes in the environment |
| What physical factors primarily influence the global distribution of Earth’s biomes? | Temperature and precipitation |
| Pitch pine is common along ridge tops in the Appalachian Mountains. Why is this? | The species can thrive on shallow, unfertile soils and many other species cannot |
| What is the largest pool/reservoir of water in Earth’s hydrologic cycle? | Oceans |
| What type of biome would occur under the physical conditions shown in the left figure above? | Desert |
| Where would the biome depicted by the right figure commonly occur? | Near the equator |
| In the North American temperate grassland biome there is a strong east to west gradient of decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature. Which of the following patterns might occur in plant and animal species in the region? | All of the above |
| A thermocline is ________ | A water layer with a steep vertical gradient of temperature found in oceans and lakes |
| Peter and Rosemary Grant observed microevolution in beak size of finches in the Galapagos Islands, which are a chain of volcanic islands along the equator in the Pacific Ocean near South America. What might have caused these weather extremes? | El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) |
| In comparison to an oligotrophic lake, a eutrophic lake will generally be | All of the above |
| What happens to the primary food web energy source along the “river continuum” from first to fifth order streams? | Switches from CPOM input to the stream to phytoplankton production within the stream |
| For sessile (stationary) organisms the intertidal zone is particularly stressful physiologically because of | Cyclical desiccation and temperature changes |
| Deep ocean communities and food chains near thermal vents often depend on ________ as an energy source. | Chemosynthesis |
| The pychnocline is a layer of rapid increase in water _______ with water depth. | Density |
| Ecosystem services are processes or products from natural ecosystems that are needed by or are useful to humans. Why are salt marshes highly valued for ecosystem services? | They have high primary productivity, trap sediments, and stabilize coastlines |
| Which of the following is NOT a factor affecting microclimate? | Growing degree day heat sums |
| Equal selective pressure for more than one extreme phenotype can result in | Increased abundances of those extreme phenotypes |
| If the southern population had reverted to its previous cold tolerance level within the year after the cold snap, how would their conclusion have differed? | The population did not evolve and was displaying phenotypic plasticity |
| What type of selection does this research finding suggest occurred within the southern lizard population? | Directional |
| If these researchers could quantify the amount of phenotypic variation in their southern lizard population that is due to genetic variation, they would be measuring | Heritability |
| Riparian buffers along streams provide multiple benefits for water quality and ecosystem services. | True |
| Young trout do not possess phenotypic plasticity in regard to their thermal environment | Cannot determine from the information given |
| Tundra and boreal forest biomes store large amounts of carbon because | Low temperatures and low water availability limit decomposition of dead plant biomass by microbes |
| Genetic drift is a random change in allele frequencies in a population. Which of the following factors can facilitate the occurrence of genetic drift? | A population that has been exploited by humans and reduced to a small population size |
| Water has several characteristics that make it uniquely important to life on Earth. One of these is a high specific heat. This high specific heat means that | Water gains and loses heat relatively slowly |
| Magroves provide disproportionately high amounts of ecosystem services relative to the area of mangroves that occur on Earth, but many mangrove systems are being lost or degraded. Which of the following is NOT negatively impacting mangroves? | Increased sediment influx from continental runoff |
| Evolution is defined as a change in gene frequencies within a population. Which of the following statements is NOT a foundational concept for Darwin’s conceptualization of evolution? | Variation among offspring occurs but is not important for adaptation |
| Based on differential heating of Earth’s surface, explain why the desert biome is found largely at about 30° N and S latitude. | Air rising at the equator loses moisture as rain. Around 30° N and S, this dry air sinks and warms, creating high pressure and little precipitation, which produces deserts. |
| If you had a population of 500 white mice and knew that 320 were homozygous dominant, 160 were heterozygous, and 20 were homozygous recessive for a gene with only two alleles, what would be the allele frequencies for the dominant and recessive alleles? | Multiply 500 x 2 to get the total # of alleles, which is 1000. For the dominant alleles, multiply 320AA x 2, then multiply 160Aa x 1. Add them to get 800A. For Ressesive alleles, multiply 160Aa x 1 and multiply 20aa x 2. Add them to get 200a. |
| Diagram and explain the factors that go into determining plant heat balance. | A plant's heat balance is determined by heat gained from solar radiation and heat lost through radiation, convection, and transpiration. If heat gain is greater than heat loss, the plant warms. If heat loss is greater than heat gain, the plant cools. |
| Diagram and explain the concept of a topographic rain shadow. | Moist air rises on the windward side, cools, and produces rain. The air then descends on the leeward side, warms, and becomes dry, creating a rain shadow. |
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bbrdd