1
ECOL111 Module 1 - functional ecology Questions with
Answers (100% Correct Answers)
Explain the ecosystem services bivalves supply Answer: - Food for
other creatures
-Filter particles (denitrification):
• Water quality
• Clarity
• Turbidity
-Benthic -pelagic coupling
•Bio-deposition
•Nutrient dynamics
-Bioturbation (reworking soils and sediments which creates more
inhabitable sea floors.)
Benthic zone Answer: the lowest level of a body of water
Pelagic Answer: meaning or relating to the open ocean
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,2
What type of feeder is the NZ cockle? Answer: Suspension feeder
Where do cockles live (in the ecosystem)? Answer: Intertidal zone
(harbour sandflats, estuaries in fine sand)
What makes NZ cockle special in NZ? Answer: They are endemic to
NZ and taonga in Māori culture (kai moana)
List the variable factors of the intertidal zone (affecting cockles)?
Answer: Tides (high/low)
Sediment type (rocky, sandy, muddy)
Exposure (lots of waves or sheltered)
List the abiotic factors which can cause stress in cockles. Answer:
Salinity
Light
Temperature
Food availability (due to variations caused by tides, weather changes,
seasons etc)
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, 3
How does stress impact the cockle's fitness? Answer: Because of the
energy used to manage stress (eg burrowing into the ground when
exposed by low tide), cockles will have less energy to use for
reproductive purposes - reproduction being the definition of success
for cockles.
What is the cockle's ecosystem engineering role? Answer: Cockle's
filter a huge volume of water; without them these estuarine systems
can collapse. They deliver food (organic matter) to the benthos and
also stabilise sediments. They provide food for many parts of the
estuarine ecosystem.
Why are cockles important in NZ's ecosystem? Answer: Because of
their abundance they are an accessible food source. Their abundance
also means that they could filter very large amounts of water and keep
the ecosystem clear of pollution.
Why does it matter to study cockles (or any important part of NZ's
ecosystems)? Answer: Evidence-based management
What defines fitness for cockles? Answer: Fecundity - as success for
cockles is producing offspring/passing on their genes.
© 2025 All rights reserved
ECOL111 Module 1 - functional ecology Questions with
Answers (100% Correct Answers)
Explain the ecosystem services bivalves supply Answer: - Food for
other creatures
-Filter particles (denitrification):
• Water quality
• Clarity
• Turbidity
-Benthic -pelagic coupling
•Bio-deposition
•Nutrient dynamics
-Bioturbation (reworking soils and sediments which creates more
inhabitable sea floors.)
Benthic zone Answer: the lowest level of a body of water
Pelagic Answer: meaning or relating to the open ocean
© 2025 All rights reserved
,2
What type of feeder is the NZ cockle? Answer: Suspension feeder
Where do cockles live (in the ecosystem)? Answer: Intertidal zone
(harbour sandflats, estuaries in fine sand)
What makes NZ cockle special in NZ? Answer: They are endemic to
NZ and taonga in Māori culture (kai moana)
List the variable factors of the intertidal zone (affecting cockles)?
Answer: Tides (high/low)
Sediment type (rocky, sandy, muddy)
Exposure (lots of waves or sheltered)
List the abiotic factors which can cause stress in cockles. Answer:
Salinity
Light
Temperature
Food availability (due to variations caused by tides, weather changes,
seasons etc)
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3
How does stress impact the cockle's fitness? Answer: Because of the
energy used to manage stress (eg burrowing into the ground when
exposed by low tide), cockles will have less energy to use for
reproductive purposes - reproduction being the definition of success
for cockles.
What is the cockle's ecosystem engineering role? Answer: Cockle's
filter a huge volume of water; without them these estuarine systems
can collapse. They deliver food (organic matter) to the benthos and
also stabilise sediments. They provide food for many parts of the
estuarine ecosystem.
Why are cockles important in NZ's ecosystem? Answer: Because of
their abundance they are an accessible food source. Their abundance
also means that they could filter very large amounts of water and keep
the ecosystem clear of pollution.
Why does it matter to study cockles (or any important part of NZ's
ecosystems)? Answer: Evidence-based management
What defines fitness for cockles? Answer: Fecundity - as success for
cockles is producing offspring/passing on their genes.
© 2025 All rights reserved
