Questions and CORRECT Answers
Ecology - CORRECT ANSWER - Scientific study of interactions among organisms and
between organisms and their environment
(offers information key to the survival of all species present and future, and helps make informed
decisions)
Ecology involves the study of several levels of biological organization - CORRECT
ANSWER - True
Orgnaisms - CORRECT ANSWER - focus on adaptations to an environment
Population - CORRECT ANSWER - describes changes in population over time
Community - CORRECT ANSWER - All the different populations that live together in an
area
locale - CORRECT ANSWER - study interactions between populations
Ecosystem - CORRECT ANSWER - Living organisms interacting with each other and
their physical environment. presence of suspended particles affecting photosynthesis in algae
Biosphere - CORRECT ANSWER - - portion of earths surface where living things exist-
understand how various ecosystems contribute to biodiversity and dynamics of biosphere
Ecology - CORRECT ANSWER - - Began as a part of natural history- observing and
describing organisms in their enviroment
- now an experimental and observational science
,- Central goal to develop models that explain and predict distribution and abundance of
populations based on their interactions within an ecosystem
- achieving such a goal involves testing hypotheses
- information can be applied to making more informed decisions
- ecologists might formulates and test hypotheses about the role fire plays in maintaining a
lodgepole pine forest
- could compare characteristics of a community before and after a prescribed burn.
Environmental Science - CORRECT ANSWER - Applies ecological principles to practical
human concerns
conservation biology - CORRECT ANSWER - - new discipline that studies all aspects of
biodiversity
- goal of conserving natural resources including wildlife for benefit of future generations
various characteristics of populations change over time? - CORRECT ANSWER - true
populations - CORRECT ANSWER - are periodically subject to environmental instability
individuals are under the pressure of - CORRECT ANSWER - natural selection
Better adapted individuals - CORRECT ANSWER - leave behind more offspring
Less adapted individuals tend to - CORRECT ANSWER - leave less offsprings
population growth - CORRECT ANSWER - - population grows when births exceed deaths
- population shrinks when deaths exceed births
,growth rate depends on? - CORRECT ANSWER - the number of individuals that born and
die each year
Demographics - CORRECT ANSWER - - characteristics of a population
- availability of resources and demographics influences growth of population
biotic potential - CORRECT ANSWER - Highest potential rate of increase for a
population when resources are unlimited
whether potential is high if low depends on demographic characteristics of a population -
CORRECT ANSWER - 1. availability of resources
2. Number of offspring per reproduction
3. chances for survival until age of reproduction
4. how often each individual reproduces
5. age at which reproduction begins
mice have a high biotic potential - CORRECT ANSWER - produce many offspring that
reach maturity quickly (5-10 litters/year with 3-14 pups)
Rhinos have a low biotic potential - CORRECT ANSWER - only 1 or 2 offspring per
infrequent reproductive event (2 1/12 to 5 years)
population growth is dependent on - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Biotic potential and
species and other demographics
2. Availability of resources
Two fundamental patterns of population growth are - CORRECT ANSWER - 1.
Exponential growth
2. logistic growth
, applications of logistic growth knowledge - CORRECT ANSWER - - if humans using a
fish population as a food source want to maintain fish population in exponential growth rate
phase (overfishing may push populations into lag phase that takes years to recover)
if people are trying to reduce the number of pests - CORRECT ANSWER - it is best to
reduce carrying capacity rather than reproduce population size (encourages exponential growth)
factors that regulate population growth - CORRECT ANSWER - Both Biotic (living) and
abiotic (nonliving) components regulate population size.
density-independent factors - CORRECT ANSWER - - abiotic factors, such as weather or
natural disasters
- can cause sudden and catastrophic reproductions in population size
- cannot in and of itself regulate population size
- intensity of effect does not increase with increased population size
density-dependent factors - CORRECT ANSWER - - Biotic factors
Competition, predation, parasitism
- percentage of population affected does increase as population density increases
intensity of effect increases as density increases
competition - CORRECT ANSWER - - members of a species compete to utilize resources-
light, food, or space- that are in limited supply and necessary for survival
- not all members can have access to a necessary degree
Density-dependent factors - CORRECT ANSWER - predation- predator eats prey
Predation- Predatory eats prey - CORRECT ANSWER - Lions kills zebra, blue whales
strain krill, and deer eat leaves