How many trophic levels does an omnivore feed on within an ecosystem?
3
Omnivores feed at all trophic levels.
None, because the various trophic levels do not apply
2
Intraspecific competition usually gives rise to which of the following dispersion patterns?
Random
Either uniform or clumped
Uniform
Clumped
Which of the following is a density-independent factor that does not become more limiting as the population increases?
Reproductive rate
Flash flood from a thunderstorm
Available habitat
Water
If a mosquito feeds on a bird that is infected with the West Nile Virus and then feeds on a human being who then contracts the virus, what role is the mosquito playing in the infection of the person?
The vector
The parasite
The symbiont
The host
Within the biogeochemical cycle, where do consumers get most of their elements from, not including oxygen and hydrogen?
Other organisms
The air in the atmosphere
The soil
The pool of unavailable organic compounds
What is a niche?
A area thats suitable for a particular organism to live in
The type of prey that a predator hunts.
A role thats played by a particular species in an ecosystem
The area where a predator hunts.
What is niche differentiation?
When more than one species with almost the same fundamental niche adapt to become specialists in different aspects of the fundamental niche.
The lowest, most basic level at which ecology is studied is:
the biosphere
the cellular level
the organismal level
the population level
Which of the following is not a component of the phosphorus cycle?
Phosphate bound to soil
Phosphate is incorporated into sedimentary rocks
Atmospheric phosphate
Phosphate is absorbed from the soil by plants
When a bee gathers nectar from a certain type of flower to make honey and in the process pollinates the flower, what kind of relationship exists between the bee and the flower?
Parasitic
Serendipitous
Mutualistic
Amensalistic
What is a modern human intervention in the phosphorus cycle?
Replacing phosphate with magnesium
Mining phosphate for use as a fertilizer
Planting crops that release a lot of phosphate
Capturing atmospheric phosphate for use as a fertilizer
What type of mimicry occurs when a harmless animal mimics a dangerous or unpalatable animal?
Mullerian mimicry
Batesian mimicry
Coloration mimicry
Chemical mimicry
What usually happens in a natural population as it approaches its carrying capacity?
Niche differentiation.
The population drops dramatically.
The growth rate of the population slows down.
The population will migrate to an area with more resources.
What is an ecosystem?
Production of a large number of small offspring, each of which receives little parental investment.
The prickly pear cactus is a producer. Which of the following organisms is a primary consumer of a prickly pear cactus?
Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Rattlesnake
Harris's Antelope Squirrel
A chaparral plant that is usually only seen in the first couple of years after a fire is also called what?
A fire-follower
Ash vegetation
A smoke germinator
A fire germinator
Which type of factors has the biggest impact on an organism's life history?
Factors unique to the organism's survival and fitness
Factors related to the predators of that species
Environmental factors
Physiological factors
Which of the following events is likely to precede primary succession?
A wildfire
Deforestation
A volcanic eruption that creates a new island
A tsunami
Which of the following is true about amensalism?
Amensalism can happen when a bigger, more established organism out competes a smaller organism for resources.
What does the term colonization mean in terms of organisms?
When a species starts to populate a habitat where the species was not already present
Which of the following is an indirect indicator that biologists can use to estimate a population's density?
The number of previously tagged animals they trap
All of the answers are correct.
Counting the number of nests in an area
Counting the number of organisms in an area
According to this graph, at which elevation is the population density of Species A the highest?
5,000 ft
6,000 ft
4,000 ft
3,000 ft
What is coevolution?
Coevolution occurs when the fitness of two different species is tightly linked and these two species evolve in response to evolutionary changes in each other.
Which term is used to describe how plants spread their seeds?
Dispersal
Migration
Colonization
Biogeography
What is a population?
All of the ecosystems on the planet combined.
The individual organisms belonging to the same species.
All of the communities within a geographical area.
All of the individual organisms of all the different species
The chaparral biome is characterized by what?
Dense evergreen shrubs mild, wet winters; and hot dry summer
Dense, rich soil and a very long growing season
Sparse evergreen shrubs; cold, dry winters; and mild, wet
Large perennial plants that can only grow in the dry summer
Which specific field of science gave rise to the theoretical idea of island biogeography and its counterpart, island biodiversity?
Ecology
Biology
Paleontology
Zoology
In a typical ecosystem, what percentage of the energy produced by the autotrophs then consumed by the primary consumers will be passed along to the secondary consumers?
7%
0.7%
10%
1%