At which time after clear-cutting does the ecosystem exhibit the greatest species richness?
50 years
100 years
150 years
200 years
Which tree species grows best with full sunlight?
Sweet gum
Dogwood
White oak
Hickory
Four islands, A, B, C, and D, differ only in distance from the mainland, area, and species diversity. Which island would be predicted to have the highest species diversity?
Distance from mainland (km) - 1,000 Area (hectares) - 1 x 106
Distance from mainland (km) - 50 Area (hectares) - 1 x 106
Distance from mainland (km) - 500 Area (hectares) - 1 x 102
Distance from mainland (km) - 50 Area (hectares) - 1 x 102
A one-hectare pond is sampled in early September. The sample yields 1 small catfish as well as 17 benthic invertebrates that represent 10 species.
If the pond is resampled a year later, which of the following would best indicate that the pond had been adversely affected by adjacent development?
An uncommon species has become more numerous
The biodiversity of the pond has decreased
An increase in low-tolerance species has occurred
A decrease in high-tolerance species has occurred
A one-hectare pond is sampled in early September. The sample yields 1 small catfish as well as 17 benthic invertebrates that represent 10 species.
Which of the following can be estimated from the sample for the invertebrates in the pond?
The pond’s productivity
The species richness
The degree of disturbance
The stability of the ecosystem
Which of the following is NOT an example of an adaptation to help organisms acquire energy from their environment?
The long neck of a giraffe
Dark, heat-absorbing coloration of a reptile
The light coloration of a peppered moth
The fangs and claws of a lion
In North America, native pollinators often increase the quantity and quality of crops of native plants that are insect-pollinated more effectively than European honeybees do. The most likely reason for the phenomenon is the native pollinators
Have coevolved with native plant species
Have no known native predators
Are unaffected by commercial pesticides
Are uniformly smaller than European honeybees
Which type of ecosystem services are resources such as timber and medicine?
Supporting services
Regulating services
Cultural services
Provisioning services
For which of the following reasons do small isolated islands have a greater rate of species extinction than larger, less isolated islands?
Because of their size, small isolated islands accumulate more species by chance
Small isolated islands are more likely to receive more migrating species
Small isolated islands have a lower availability of resources
Small isolated islands provide opportunities for greater species diversity
Small populations of animals, such as those typically found on islands, are prone to extinction because
They tend to have more predators
They are more vulnerable to unpredictable events
They contain a high degree of genetic variability
Their habitats are more stable
The table below shows measurements of the beak size of a sample of ten ground finches on each of two islands in the Galápagos archipelago. The two islands are about ten kilometers apart, and all the birds are the same species. Given that beak size is genetically determined, which of the following hypotheses is the most likely explanation for the differences in data between the islands?
The types of food found on the two islands exert selective pressure on beak size
Birds on Daphne Island live longer than birds on Santa Cruz Island
Beak size exerts selective pressure on prey size
Egg mortality differs on the islands
The diagrams above show the range of tolerance for soil moisture content for two different species of a terrestrial invertebrate: Species 1 and Species 2. The ranges represented are for each species where it occurs alone. Soil moisture content is a limiting factor for both species. If populations of both species are placed together in a new location, which of the following diagrams represents the most likely actual (realized) ranges of the species’ distribution of individuals with respect to soil moisture content after five generations?
Which of the following best shows the process of evolution?
A bear goes into hibernation
A population of foxes increases as more prey becomes available
A lizard’s color becomes brown as it sits on a log
A population of mosquitoes develops resistance to a pesticide
Which of the following can be used to assess the biological diversity of an area?
Genetic variation within each species and number of species present
Number of individuals under fifteen years old and number of individuals over sixty-five years old
Population size of each species and area occupied by each population
Minimum population area and minimum viable population size
Which of the following is most likely to be the direct result of a lack of genetic diversity in a food crop such as corn?
Decreased kernel size
Increased susceptibility on plant disease
Decreased dependence on chemical fertilizers
Decreased potential yield
Which type of ecosystem service are tourism and spiritual experiences?
Regulating services
Provisioning services
Supporting services
Cultural services
Which combination of factors would result in the highest biodiversity?
A large island, distant from a continent
A large island, close to a continent
A small island, distant from a continent
A small island, close to a continent
The abiotic conditions under which a species can survive and reproduce is
Fundamental niche/optimum zone
Zone of intolerance
Range of tolerance
Realized niche/zone of physilogical stress
Which statement about ecological succession is correct?
Succession is influenced by competition for limiting resources such as available soil, moisture, and nutrients
Forest fires and hurricanes lead to primary succession because a soil base still exists
Secondary succession begins in a community lacking soil
In forest succession, less shade-tolerant trees replace more shade-tolerant trees
Which sequence of secondary succession would be likely to occur in abandoned farmland in the eastern United States?
Bare soil, grasses and wildflowers, shrubs, sunlight-tolerant tress, shade-tolerant trees
Bare soil, lichens, mosses, grasses deciduous trees
Bare rock, lichens, mosses, grasses, shrubs, mixed shade- and sunlight-tolerant trees
Bare rock, grasses and wildflowers, lichens, mosses, shrubs, coniferous trees
Which is NOT true regarding keystone species?
Some keystone species are habitat engineers
Keystone species are most likely to be commensalists
Keystone species are often rare individuals in a community
Keystone species can be mutualists with other species
Which condition does NOT define the fundamental niche of a species?
Salinity
Predators
Humidity
Temperature
A researcher collects samples of aquatic insects from a variety of streams, as shown in the table.
Which stream has the greatest species richness?
Stream A
Stream B
Stream C
Stream D
A researcher collects samples of aquatic insects from a variety of streams, as shown in the table.
Scientists often use aquatic insect communities as indicators of water quality. Streams that are polluted can have low species evenness, and can be dominated by pollutant-tolerant taxa like midges and black flies. Based on this information, which of the four streams is most likely to be polluted?
Stream A
Stream B
Stream C
Stream D
The consumption of mosquitoes by bats and the control of flooding provided by tropical forests in mountainous areas of Central America are examples of