[UCSB] EEMB 2 - MIDTERM 1 EXAM
2025/2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
100% PASS
What is ecology? - ANS 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? -
ANS 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? - ANS Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Any environment is made up of its ________________ and ________________ components. -
ANS Biotic and abiotic
What are abiotic components? Give examples. - ANS Nonliving components of an
environment, e.g. temperature, soil composition, etc.
What are biotic components? Give examples. - ANS Living components of an environment,
e.g. competition, predation, etc.
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
,We learn less and less as we move (lower/higher) on the biological scales. - ANS Higher
What is a population? - ANS Two or more individuals of the same species in a defined
geographical location
What is a community? - ANS Two or more populations of two or more different species living
in a defined geographical location
What is an ecosystem? - ANS A collection of communities and their physical environment
What 3 'spheres' make up the biosphere? - ANS Lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
We gain _________ but lose ___________ when making experiments to study ecology (rather
than studying ecology out as it is naturally) - ANS We gain accuracy but lose authenticity
What is the purpose of ecology? - ANS To predict, manage, and control the environment
How do we use statistics to estimate the size of a population? - ANS By taking a random
sample to act as a small representative subset and basing our estimate off of that
P-value - ANS The probability value; how much 'confidence' we have in our conclusions (if
less than 5%, generally acceptable)
What do we use frequency distribution for? - ANS To find probability
Is biological data generally distributed in a 'normal' curve? - ANS Yes
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
, What does the Z-test in statistics tell us? - ANS How much above or below the mean
something is
What is Graunt the father of? - ANS Demography (1662)
What kind of growth was Leeuwenhoek interested in? - ANS Population growth (ie, insects)
(1687)
What did Malthus believe? Was he right or wrong? - ANS That populations grow
exponentially but food grows linearly, this was wrong (1798)
What did Quetelet believe? - ANS That growth (population, food, etc.) is somehow
controlled by the environment (logistic growth)
What did Verhulst do? - ANS Came up with an equation (describes the logistic growth of
populations) to prove Quetelet's theory of logistic growth
What is Farr's rule? - ANS As population density increases, so do mortality rates
What were Forbes and Cowles the first to study? - ANS Community regulation and
succession (species replacement)
What did Robert Ross study? - ANS Systems analysis (mathematical modeling of the spread
of infectious disease)
What did Tansley, Clements, and Elton study? Through what means? - ANS The "why" of
ecology, through experiments - became more or less the fathers of modern ecology (early
1900's)
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
2025/2026 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
100% PASS
What is ecology? - ANS 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? -
ANS 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? - ANS Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Any environment is made up of its ________________ and ________________ components. -
ANS Biotic and abiotic
What are abiotic components? Give examples. - ANS Nonliving components of an
environment, e.g. temperature, soil composition, etc.
What are biotic components? Give examples. - ANS Living components of an environment,
e.g. competition, predation, etc.
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
,We learn less and less as we move (lower/higher) on the biological scales. - ANS Higher
What is a population? - ANS Two or more individuals of the same species in a defined
geographical location
What is a community? - ANS Two or more populations of two or more different species living
in a defined geographical location
What is an ecosystem? - ANS A collection of communities and their physical environment
What 3 'spheres' make up the biosphere? - ANS Lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
We gain _________ but lose ___________ when making experiments to study ecology (rather
than studying ecology out as it is naturally) - ANS We gain accuracy but lose authenticity
What is the purpose of ecology? - ANS To predict, manage, and control the environment
How do we use statistics to estimate the size of a population? - ANS By taking a random
sample to act as a small representative subset and basing our estimate off of that
P-value - ANS The probability value; how much 'confidence' we have in our conclusions (if
less than 5%, generally acceptable)
What do we use frequency distribution for? - ANS To find probability
Is biological data generally distributed in a 'normal' curve? - ANS Yes
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
, What does the Z-test in statistics tell us? - ANS How much above or below the mean
something is
What is Graunt the father of? - ANS Demography (1662)
What kind of growth was Leeuwenhoek interested in? - ANS Population growth (ie, insects)
(1687)
What did Malthus believe? Was he right or wrong? - ANS That populations grow
exponentially but food grows linearly, this was wrong (1798)
What did Quetelet believe? - ANS That growth (population, food, etc.) is somehow
controlled by the environment (logistic growth)
What did Verhulst do? - ANS Came up with an equation (describes the logistic growth of
populations) to prove Quetelet's theory of logistic growth
What is Farr's rule? - ANS As population density increases, so do mortality rates
What were Forbes and Cowles the first to study? - ANS Community regulation and
succession (species replacement)
What did Robert Ross study? - ANS Systems analysis (mathematical modeling of the spread
of infectious disease)
What did Tansley, Clements, and Elton study? Through what means? - ANS The "why" of
ecology, through experiments - became more or less the fathers of modern ecology (early
1900's)
3 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED
