©EMILLECT 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
[UCSB] EEMB 2 - Midterm 1 Questions and
Answers
What is ecology? - ANSWER✔✔-The distribution and abundance of organisms and WHY (what factors,
interactions, etc.)
What book did Aristotle write that contributed to ecology? What did he contribute? - ANSWER✔✔-
Historia Animalium; he was able to explain 'divine' events with natural processes
What book triggered the environmental movement of the 60's, and the first time ecology was seen as
rigorous and serious? - ANSWER✔✔-Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Any environment is made up of its ________________ and ________________ components. -
ANSWER✔✔-Biotic and abiotic
What are abiotic components? Give examples. - ANSWER✔✔-Nonliving components of an environment,
e.g. temperature, soil composition, etc.
What are biotic components? Give examples. - ANSWER✔✔-Living components of an environment, e.g.
competition, predation, etc.
We learn less and less as we move (lower/higher) on the biological scales. - ANSWER✔✔-Higher
Page 1/24
, ©EMILLECT 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
What is a population? - ANSWER✔✔-Two or more individuals of the same species in a defined
geographical location
What is a community? - ANSWER✔✔-Two or more populations of two or more different species living in
a defined geographical location
What is an ecosystem? - ANSWER✔✔-A collection of communities and their physical environment
What 3 'spheres' make up the biosphere? - ANSWER✔✔-Lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
We gain _________ but lose ___________ when making experiments to study ecology (rather than
studying ecology out as it is naturally) - ANSWER✔✔-We gain accuracy but lose authenticity
What is the purpose of ecology? - ANSWER✔✔-To predict, manage, and control the environment
How do we use statistics to estimate the size of a population? - ANSWER✔✔-By taking a random sample
to act as a small representative subset and basing our estimate off of that
P-value - ANSWER✔✔-The probability value; how much 'confidence' we have in our conclusions (if less
than 5%, generally acceptable)
What do we use frequency distribution for? - ANSWER✔✔-To find probability
Is biological data generally distributed in a 'normal' curve? - ANSWER✔✔-Yes
Page 2/24
, ©EMILLECT 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
What does the Z-test in statistics tell us? - ANSWER✔✔-How much above or below the mean something
is
What is Graunt the father of? - ANSWER✔✔-Demography (1662)
What kind of growth was Leeuwenhoek interested in? - ANSWER✔✔-Population growth (ie, insects)
(1687)
What did Malthus believe? Was he right or wrong? - ANSWER✔✔-That populations grow exponentially
but food grows linearly, this was wrong (1798)
What did Quetelet believe? - ANSWER✔✔-That growth (population, food, etc.) is somehow controlled by
the environment (logistic growth)
What did Verhulst do? - ANSWER✔✔-Came up with an equation (describes the logistic growth of
populations) to prove Quetelet's theory of logistic growth
What is Farr's rule? - ANSWER✔✔-As population density increases, so do mortality rates
What were Forbes and Cowles the first to study? - ANSWER✔✔-Community regulation and succession
(species replacement)
What did Robert Ross study? - ANSWER✔✔-Systems analysis (mathematical modeling of the spread of
infectious disease)
Page 3/24
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
[UCSB] EEMB 2 - Midterm 1 Questions and
Answers
What is ecology? - ANSWER✔✔-The distribution and abundance of organisms and WHY (what factors,
interactions, etc.)
What book did Aristotle write that contributed to ecology? What did he contribute? - ANSWER✔✔-
Historia Animalium; he was able to explain 'divine' events with natural processes
What book triggered the environmental movement of the 60's, and the first time ecology was seen as
rigorous and serious? - ANSWER✔✔-Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Any environment is made up of its ________________ and ________________ components. -
ANSWER✔✔-Biotic and abiotic
What are abiotic components? Give examples. - ANSWER✔✔-Nonliving components of an environment,
e.g. temperature, soil composition, etc.
What are biotic components? Give examples. - ANSWER✔✔-Living components of an environment, e.g.
competition, predation, etc.
We learn less and less as we move (lower/higher) on the biological scales. - ANSWER✔✔-Higher
Page 1/24
, ©EMILLECT 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
What is a population? - ANSWER✔✔-Two or more individuals of the same species in a defined
geographical location
What is a community? - ANSWER✔✔-Two or more populations of two or more different species living in
a defined geographical location
What is an ecosystem? - ANSWER✔✔-A collection of communities and their physical environment
What 3 'spheres' make up the biosphere? - ANSWER✔✔-Lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
We gain _________ but lose ___________ when making experiments to study ecology (rather than
studying ecology out as it is naturally) - ANSWER✔✔-We gain accuracy but lose authenticity
What is the purpose of ecology? - ANSWER✔✔-To predict, manage, and control the environment
How do we use statistics to estimate the size of a population? - ANSWER✔✔-By taking a random sample
to act as a small representative subset and basing our estimate off of that
P-value - ANSWER✔✔-The probability value; how much 'confidence' we have in our conclusions (if less
than 5%, generally acceptable)
What do we use frequency distribution for? - ANSWER✔✔-To find probability
Is biological data generally distributed in a 'normal' curve? - ANSWER✔✔-Yes
Page 2/24
, ©EMILLECT 2024/2025 ACADEMIC YEAR. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
FIRST PUBLISH OCTOBER 2024
What does the Z-test in statistics tell us? - ANSWER✔✔-How much above or below the mean something
is
What is Graunt the father of? - ANSWER✔✔-Demography (1662)
What kind of growth was Leeuwenhoek interested in? - ANSWER✔✔-Population growth (ie, insects)
(1687)
What did Malthus believe? Was he right or wrong? - ANSWER✔✔-That populations grow exponentially
but food grows linearly, this was wrong (1798)
What did Quetelet believe? - ANSWER✔✔-That growth (population, food, etc.) is somehow controlled by
the environment (logistic growth)
What did Verhulst do? - ANSWER✔✔-Came up with an equation (describes the logistic growth of
populations) to prove Quetelet's theory of logistic growth
What is Farr's rule? - ANSWER✔✔-As population density increases, so do mortality rates
What were Forbes and Cowles the first to study? - ANSWER✔✔-Community regulation and succession
(species replacement)
What did Robert Ross study? - ANSWER✔✔-Systems analysis (mathematical modeling of the spread of
infectious disease)
Page 3/24
