BSC2011 Exam 5: Animal Diversity and
Development Questions and Answers
2026-2027 Updated.
A disease that severely reduces a population of bats is an example of a... - Answer density-
dependent process: mortality rates are higher at higher population densities
Which two factors are most important in determining the type of biome that develops in a given
area of ocean? - Answer light and nutrients
Phosphate is the nutrient limiting primary production in a small lake in northern Michigan. In
which way could new phosphate be made available to the primary producers in this lake? -
Answer Through rivers flowing to the lake
A test tube is inoculated with 100 cells of a bacterial strain that has a generation time of 30
minutes. The carrying capacity of the test tube for this strain is 6 billion cells. What will the
bacterial population be after 90 minutes of culturing? - Answer ~10,000
Mercury is a toxic metal that builds up in the tissues of organisms. If your goal was to avoid
consuming mercury, which of the following meals would you MOST want to avoid... - Answer
apex predators: yellowfin tuna fillet
Which of the following organisms is LEAST likely to play the role of producer in an ecosystem? -
Answer Nematode
When lichens grow on bare rock, they may eventually accumulate enough organic material
around them to supply the foothold for later rooted vegetation. These early pioneering lichens
can be said to do what to the later arrivals? - Answer Facilitate
Which of the following ecological problems might result from applying phosphorus-rich fertilizer
to a golf course? - Answer overabundance of algae and cyanobacteria in nearby lakes and
rivers caused by phosphorus runoff
During exponential growth, a population always ________. - Answer grows at its maximum
per capita rate population growth rate, also called the intrinsic capacity for increase
You buy an island and stock it with 1000 ground squirrels. There is no emigration or immigration
to the island and the squirrels die at a rate of 120 per year. What is the maximum number of
new daughters that can be born each year on average and still have the population shrink? -
Answer 59
, Which of the following is NOT a likely effect of global warming on organisms? - Answer Some
species of birds and frogs now begin their breeding seasons later in the year.
Which of the following is an example of primary succession? - Answer plants growing on a
newly-formed volcanic island
Which of the following is an example of a commensalism? - Answer cattle egrets eating insects
stirred up by grazing bison
Assuming that the additional heat from global warming is relatively evenly distributed around
the Earth, which species is most likely to see their geographic range shrink? - Answer One that
lives on the top of a mountain.
As you study two closely-related bird species, the yellow and orange warblers, you notice that
each species seeks many different types insect prey (midges, caterpillars, beetles, leafhoppers,
and wasps) in areas without the other species. However, where their ranges overlap, the yellow
warbler mostly eats caterpillars, midges and leafhoppers and the orange warbler mostly eats
beetles and wasps, as well as some spiders. You have discovered an example of ________. -
Answer resource partitioning
On a tropical Pacific island, warm temperatures lead to extensive bleaching and mortality of
coral. A year later, much of the area previously occupied by coral is now covered by seaweed
and coral larvae have little available substrate to settle on. Five years later, the reef is still
dominated by seaweed. This situation would be an example of... - Answer secondary
succession and inhibition
Great white sharks are at the top of their food web. The total amount of energy at this trophic
level.. - Answer must be lower than the energy of the lower trophic levels
Which of the following levels of ecological organization is arranged in the correct sequence from
most to least inclusive? - Answer ecosystem, community, population, individual
Red Mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) are a local species of tree that exhibits a high amount of
parental investment in each seed. The seeds each have a relatively high chance of surviving to
adulthood, and the adults occupy almost all of the area available to them. This plant is a good
example of... - Answer a K-selected species.
A population of emus has an annual per capita birth rate of 0.07 and an annual per capita death
rate of 0.01. Calculate an estimate of the overall change in population size over one year, for a
given starting population of 1,000 individuals. - Answer 60 individuals added
Development Questions and Answers
2026-2027 Updated.
A disease that severely reduces a population of bats is an example of a... - Answer density-
dependent process: mortality rates are higher at higher population densities
Which two factors are most important in determining the type of biome that develops in a given
area of ocean? - Answer light and nutrients
Phosphate is the nutrient limiting primary production in a small lake in northern Michigan. In
which way could new phosphate be made available to the primary producers in this lake? -
Answer Through rivers flowing to the lake
A test tube is inoculated with 100 cells of a bacterial strain that has a generation time of 30
minutes. The carrying capacity of the test tube for this strain is 6 billion cells. What will the
bacterial population be after 90 minutes of culturing? - Answer ~10,000
Mercury is a toxic metal that builds up in the tissues of organisms. If your goal was to avoid
consuming mercury, which of the following meals would you MOST want to avoid... - Answer
apex predators: yellowfin tuna fillet
Which of the following organisms is LEAST likely to play the role of producer in an ecosystem? -
Answer Nematode
When lichens grow on bare rock, they may eventually accumulate enough organic material
around them to supply the foothold for later rooted vegetation. These early pioneering lichens
can be said to do what to the later arrivals? - Answer Facilitate
Which of the following ecological problems might result from applying phosphorus-rich fertilizer
to a golf course? - Answer overabundance of algae and cyanobacteria in nearby lakes and
rivers caused by phosphorus runoff
During exponential growth, a population always ________. - Answer grows at its maximum
per capita rate population growth rate, also called the intrinsic capacity for increase
You buy an island and stock it with 1000 ground squirrels. There is no emigration or immigration
to the island and the squirrels die at a rate of 120 per year. What is the maximum number of
new daughters that can be born each year on average and still have the population shrink? -
Answer 59
, Which of the following is NOT a likely effect of global warming on organisms? - Answer Some
species of birds and frogs now begin their breeding seasons later in the year.
Which of the following is an example of primary succession? - Answer plants growing on a
newly-formed volcanic island
Which of the following is an example of a commensalism? - Answer cattle egrets eating insects
stirred up by grazing bison
Assuming that the additional heat from global warming is relatively evenly distributed around
the Earth, which species is most likely to see their geographic range shrink? - Answer One that
lives on the top of a mountain.
As you study two closely-related bird species, the yellow and orange warblers, you notice that
each species seeks many different types insect prey (midges, caterpillars, beetles, leafhoppers,
and wasps) in areas without the other species. However, where their ranges overlap, the yellow
warbler mostly eats caterpillars, midges and leafhoppers and the orange warbler mostly eats
beetles and wasps, as well as some spiders. You have discovered an example of ________. -
Answer resource partitioning
On a tropical Pacific island, warm temperatures lead to extensive bleaching and mortality of
coral. A year later, much of the area previously occupied by coral is now covered by seaweed
and coral larvae have little available substrate to settle on. Five years later, the reef is still
dominated by seaweed. This situation would be an example of... - Answer secondary
succession and inhibition
Great white sharks are at the top of their food web. The total amount of energy at this trophic
level.. - Answer must be lower than the energy of the lower trophic levels
Which of the following levels of ecological organization is arranged in the correct sequence from
most to least inclusive? - Answer ecosystem, community, population, individual
Red Mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) are a local species of tree that exhibits a high amount of
parental investment in each seed. The seeds each have a relatively high chance of surviving to
adulthood, and the adults occupy almost all of the area available to them. This plant is a good
example of... - Answer a K-selected species.
A population of emus has an annual per capita birth rate of 0.07 and an annual per capita death
rate of 0.01. Calculate an estimate of the overall change in population size over one year, for a
given starting population of 1,000 individuals. - Answer 60 individuals added
