EEB 2244 Final Exam Questions And
Correct Answers
ecology - Answer the study of where living things are found and why; the study of the
distribution of and abundance of organisms and the interactions of organisms with their
biotic and abiotic environment
Levels of organization - Answer individual, population, community, ecosystem,
biosphere
first law of conservation of energy - Answer Energy cannot be created or destroyed
law of conservation of matter - Answer states that matter can neither be created nor
destroyed, but can only change form
dynamic steady state - Answer losses and gains of an ecological system are in balance
evolution - Answer change in the genetic composition of a population over time
natural selection - Answer - one of the mechanisms behind evolution
- survival of the fittest
- requires heritable trait variation corresponding with variation in fitness
genotype - Answer genes determining the attribute
phenotype - Answer physical characteristics of an organism
producers - Answer (autotrophs) convert light/chemical energy into resources
consumers - Answer (heterotrophs) obtain their energy from other organisms
scavengers - Answer consume dead animals
detritivores - Answer break down dead organic matter into smaller particles
decomposers - Answer break down detritus into simpler elements that can be recycled
Predation - Answer An interaction in which one organism kills another for food (+/-)
parasitism - Answer A relationship in which one organism lives on or in a host and harms
it (+/-)
herbivory - Answer interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers
(such as plants) (+/-)
,competition - Answer the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited
resources (-/-)
mutualism - Answer A relationship between two species in which both species benefit
(+/+)
commensalism - Answer A relationship between two organisms in which one organism
benefits and the other is unaffected (+/0)
niche - Answer range of abiotic and biotic conditions an organism can tolerate; reflects
an organism's role in its community
- measured as n-dimensional hyper volume of environmental conditions in which a
population has positive growth --> range of conditions where the population performs
well
weather - Answer describes current conditions; irregular and largely unpredictable
climate - Answer describes long-term patterns; based on averages and variation
measured over decades
1. unequal heating with latitude and season
2. air circulation and Coriolis Effect
3. ocean currents
4. miscellaneous other impacts of land and water - Answer spatial climate patterns
depend on:
greenhouse - Answer the process of solar radiation striking earth, being converted to
infrared radiation, and being absorbed and re-emitted by atmosphere gases
solar equator - Answer latitude receiving the most direct rays of the sun
March Equinox and September Equinox - Answer 0 degrees latitude; geographic
equator
June solstice - Answer tropic of cancer; 23.5 degrees N
december - Answer tropic of Capricorn, 23.5 degrees S
- warm air is less dense (rises)
- as air rises and expands, it cools (adiabatic cooling) and holds less water vapor
- as air sinks and condenses, it warms again (adiabatic heating) and holds more water
vapor - Answer properties of air:
polar cells - Answer - between 60 degrees and 90 degrees latitudes
,- contains easterlies
easterlies - Answer winds move northeast to southwest in northern hemisphere and
southeast to northwest in the Southern Hemisphere
ferrel cells - Answer less distinct, between Hadley and polar cells
Hadley cells - Answer between equator and 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S latitudes
Intertropical Convergence Zones (ITCZ) - Answer where the Hadley cells meet;
determined by the solar equator
Coriolis Effect - Answer the effect in which wind direction is affected by the speed of the
Earth's rotation and as a result deflects air circulation into the convection cells
- to the right in the North
- to the left in the South
trade winds - Answer winds experienced near the earth's surface in the Hadley cells
northeast trade winds - Answer air on surface in northern Hadley cells moves from NE to
SW
southwest trade winds - Answer winds that from SE to NW
westerlies - Answer general midlatitude movement from west to east
polar easterlies - Answer movement away from the poles and from east to west
associated with polar cells (similar to Tradewinds)
gryes - Answer - gravity pulls warmer higher water away from the equator
- clockwise circulation in N, counter-clockwise in S due to trade winds and westerlies
- between continents, influence different climates on land
upwelling - Answer - upward movement of ocean of cold, high nutrient water that is
brought to the surface
- where surface currents move away from western coastlines
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) - Answer A reversal of wind and water currents
(oscillation) in the South Pacific that occurs every 3-7 years in December. as a result, no
cold water upwelling --> warm water = poor fishing harvest; lots of rain in coast desert
area
rain shadow effect - Answer wet warm air moves upward over mountains, cools and
loses moisture (precipitation) on windward side. as this air descends on the leeward
side it warms, absorbs moisture and dries the land
, biome - Answer a geographic region that contains communities composed of organisms
with similar adaptations
- determined by climate, soil, fire and grazing regimes
- group communities by dominant plant forms
convergent evolution - Answer unrelated species look similar due to evolving under
similar conditions
- leads to biomes
tundra - Answer - coldest biome and is characterized by treeless expanse above
permanently frozen soil, or permafrost
- soils contain few nutrients, acidic because of their high content of organic matter
- plants are dwarf, prostrate woody shrubs, which grow low to the ground
boreal forest (taiga) - Answer - densely populated by evergreen needle-leaved trees,
with a short growing season and severe winters; average temperature is generally
below 5C and annual precipitation ranges between 40 and 1,000mm
- reservoirs of organic carbon on Earth
- species diversity is very low
temperate rainforests - Answer - known for mild temperatures and abundant
precipitation and is dominated by evergreen forests due to nearby warm ocean currents
(Pacific Coast)
- mild, rainy winters and foggy summers
- red woods
temperate seasonal forests - Answer - moderate temperature and precipitation
conditions, and is dominated by deciduous trees
- winter temps can drop below freezing; warm summers
- soils are often podsolized, tend be slightly acidic and moderately leached, and contain
abundant organic matter
- smaller tree species and shrubs, herbaceous plants (complete growth and flower in
early spring)
- pines trees where soils are sandy and nutrient poor
- bc of warm climate, decomposition is rapid --> low nutrients
temperate grassland/cold desert - Answer - hot, dry summers and cold, harsh winters,
Correct Answers
ecology - Answer the study of where living things are found and why; the study of the
distribution of and abundance of organisms and the interactions of organisms with their
biotic and abiotic environment
Levels of organization - Answer individual, population, community, ecosystem,
biosphere
first law of conservation of energy - Answer Energy cannot be created or destroyed
law of conservation of matter - Answer states that matter can neither be created nor
destroyed, but can only change form
dynamic steady state - Answer losses and gains of an ecological system are in balance
evolution - Answer change in the genetic composition of a population over time
natural selection - Answer - one of the mechanisms behind evolution
- survival of the fittest
- requires heritable trait variation corresponding with variation in fitness
genotype - Answer genes determining the attribute
phenotype - Answer physical characteristics of an organism
producers - Answer (autotrophs) convert light/chemical energy into resources
consumers - Answer (heterotrophs) obtain their energy from other organisms
scavengers - Answer consume dead animals
detritivores - Answer break down dead organic matter into smaller particles
decomposers - Answer break down detritus into simpler elements that can be recycled
Predation - Answer An interaction in which one organism kills another for food (+/-)
parasitism - Answer A relationship in which one organism lives on or in a host and harms
it (+/-)
herbivory - Answer interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers
(such as plants) (+/-)
,competition - Answer the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited
resources (-/-)
mutualism - Answer A relationship between two species in which both species benefit
(+/+)
commensalism - Answer A relationship between two organisms in which one organism
benefits and the other is unaffected (+/0)
niche - Answer range of abiotic and biotic conditions an organism can tolerate; reflects
an organism's role in its community
- measured as n-dimensional hyper volume of environmental conditions in which a
population has positive growth --> range of conditions where the population performs
well
weather - Answer describes current conditions; irregular and largely unpredictable
climate - Answer describes long-term patterns; based on averages and variation
measured over decades
1. unequal heating with latitude and season
2. air circulation and Coriolis Effect
3. ocean currents
4. miscellaneous other impacts of land and water - Answer spatial climate patterns
depend on:
greenhouse - Answer the process of solar radiation striking earth, being converted to
infrared radiation, and being absorbed and re-emitted by atmosphere gases
solar equator - Answer latitude receiving the most direct rays of the sun
March Equinox and September Equinox - Answer 0 degrees latitude; geographic
equator
June solstice - Answer tropic of cancer; 23.5 degrees N
december - Answer tropic of Capricorn, 23.5 degrees S
- warm air is less dense (rises)
- as air rises and expands, it cools (adiabatic cooling) and holds less water vapor
- as air sinks and condenses, it warms again (adiabatic heating) and holds more water
vapor - Answer properties of air:
polar cells - Answer - between 60 degrees and 90 degrees latitudes
,- contains easterlies
easterlies - Answer winds move northeast to southwest in northern hemisphere and
southeast to northwest in the Southern Hemisphere
ferrel cells - Answer less distinct, between Hadley and polar cells
Hadley cells - Answer between equator and 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S latitudes
Intertropical Convergence Zones (ITCZ) - Answer where the Hadley cells meet;
determined by the solar equator
Coriolis Effect - Answer the effect in which wind direction is affected by the speed of the
Earth's rotation and as a result deflects air circulation into the convection cells
- to the right in the North
- to the left in the South
trade winds - Answer winds experienced near the earth's surface in the Hadley cells
northeast trade winds - Answer air on surface in northern Hadley cells moves from NE to
SW
southwest trade winds - Answer winds that from SE to NW
westerlies - Answer general midlatitude movement from west to east
polar easterlies - Answer movement away from the poles and from east to west
associated with polar cells (similar to Tradewinds)
gryes - Answer - gravity pulls warmer higher water away from the equator
- clockwise circulation in N, counter-clockwise in S due to trade winds and westerlies
- between continents, influence different climates on land
upwelling - Answer - upward movement of ocean of cold, high nutrient water that is
brought to the surface
- where surface currents move away from western coastlines
El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) - Answer A reversal of wind and water currents
(oscillation) in the South Pacific that occurs every 3-7 years in December. as a result, no
cold water upwelling --> warm water = poor fishing harvest; lots of rain in coast desert
area
rain shadow effect - Answer wet warm air moves upward over mountains, cools and
loses moisture (precipitation) on windward side. as this air descends on the leeward
side it warms, absorbs moisture and dries the land
, biome - Answer a geographic region that contains communities composed of organisms
with similar adaptations
- determined by climate, soil, fire and grazing regimes
- group communities by dominant plant forms
convergent evolution - Answer unrelated species look similar due to evolving under
similar conditions
- leads to biomes
tundra - Answer - coldest biome and is characterized by treeless expanse above
permanently frozen soil, or permafrost
- soils contain few nutrients, acidic because of their high content of organic matter
- plants are dwarf, prostrate woody shrubs, which grow low to the ground
boreal forest (taiga) - Answer - densely populated by evergreen needle-leaved trees,
with a short growing season and severe winters; average temperature is generally
below 5C and annual precipitation ranges between 40 and 1,000mm
- reservoirs of organic carbon on Earth
- species diversity is very low
temperate rainforests - Answer - known for mild temperatures and abundant
precipitation and is dominated by evergreen forests due to nearby warm ocean currents
(Pacific Coast)
- mild, rainy winters and foggy summers
- red woods
temperate seasonal forests - Answer - moderate temperature and precipitation
conditions, and is dominated by deciduous trees
- winter temps can drop below freezing; warm summers
- soils are often podsolized, tend be slightly acidic and moderately leached, and contain
abundant organic matter
- smaller tree species and shrubs, herbaceous plants (complete growth and flower in
early spring)
- pines trees where soils are sandy and nutrient poor
- bc of warm climate, decomposition is rapid --> low nutrients
temperate grassland/cold desert - Answer - hot, dry summers and cold, harsh winters,
