BIO 370 - Ecology Exam 1 Questions Answered Correctly Latest 2025-2026
the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment - Answers ecology
how an organism's physiology and behavior determines how it responds to the environment,
and how it shapes the environment - Answers ecology of individuals
why do numbers of individuals of the same species fluctuate in space and time - Answers
population ecology
how do interactions among different species and their environment shape patterns on diversity
and competition - Answers community ecology
what controls the flow of energy and materials between ecosystems and the environment -
Answers ecosystem ecology
how does global climate and geography influence environmental patterns and distributions of
all living organisms - Answers ecology of the biosphere
observing patterns in natural ecosystems, but not manipulating the environment, can determine
potential connections in nature - Answers observational/surveys
manipulate/control an ecological factor - abiotic or biotic - and observe the effects - Answers
experiment
use known relationships to predict ecological outcomes - Answers theoretical/mathematical
modeling
1. observe nature and ask a well-framed question
2. use previous knowledge to predict potential answers to those questions (hypothesis)
3. test hypotheses with experiments, surveys, or theoretical models and analyze results using
statistics - Answers steps of the scientific method
variation in temperature and precipitation over hours, days or weeks - Answers weather
a long-term. description of weather at a given location, based on averages and variation
measured over decades - Answers climate
1. temperature (determines rates of biochemical reactions and metabolism)
2. precipitation (provides essential water for terrestrial organisms and maintains freshwater
ecosystems)
3. ocean currents (alter temperature and chemistry of marine ecosystems) - Answers climate
controls organism distributions by influencing patterns in?
, limit of the amount of water vapor that the air contains; if vapor exceeds saturation point,
precipitation occurs - Answers saturation
area where two atmospheric cells converge and cause large amounts of precipitation - Answers
Intertropical Convergence Zone
cold air pushing down on earth's surface v. warm air rising away from earth's surface - Answers
high pressure v. low pressure
two air circulation cells between the equator and 30 N and S latitudes - Answers Hadley Cell
as the Earth rotates around the sun the ITCZ shifts with response to the location of maximum
solar energy - Answers solar equator
Earth's rotation generates major wind direction patterns - Answers Coriolis effect
occur in some coastal areas where winds blow warm water away from the coast, causing deep,
cool water to replace it; bring deep deposited nutrients closer to the surface (more primary
productivity); one very rich upwelling zone is the Peru Current (Galapagos) - Answers upwelling
zones
reduces precipitation in South Pacific/East Asia after trade winds reduce in strength and warm
water isn't pushed as far west - Answers El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
humid ocean winds cause precipitation on windward side; dry conditions prevail on leeward side
- Answers rain shadow
amount of solar radiation that a surface reflects - Answers albedo
large-scale biological communities shaped by the regional climate, soil, and disturbance
patterns; determined by temperature and precipitation gradients (aquatic biological zones are
influenced by water movement, depth, light availability, and water chemistry) - Answers biome
trait convergence across continents in the same biome region - Answers growth forms
depictions of monthly patterns of temperature and precipitation - Answers climate diagrams
develop under belts of sub-tropical high pressure (30 N and S)
moisture always limiting
annual rainfall is less than 25 cm
in hot deserts frost intolerant plants (often succulents)
low net primary production but can be surprisingly diverse - Answers deserts
beyond 10 degrees from equator
the scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environment - Answers ecology
how an organism's physiology and behavior determines how it responds to the environment,
and how it shapes the environment - Answers ecology of individuals
why do numbers of individuals of the same species fluctuate in space and time - Answers
population ecology
how do interactions among different species and their environment shape patterns on diversity
and competition - Answers community ecology
what controls the flow of energy and materials between ecosystems and the environment -
Answers ecosystem ecology
how does global climate and geography influence environmental patterns and distributions of
all living organisms - Answers ecology of the biosphere
observing patterns in natural ecosystems, but not manipulating the environment, can determine
potential connections in nature - Answers observational/surveys
manipulate/control an ecological factor - abiotic or biotic - and observe the effects - Answers
experiment
use known relationships to predict ecological outcomes - Answers theoretical/mathematical
modeling
1. observe nature and ask a well-framed question
2. use previous knowledge to predict potential answers to those questions (hypothesis)
3. test hypotheses with experiments, surveys, or theoretical models and analyze results using
statistics - Answers steps of the scientific method
variation in temperature and precipitation over hours, days or weeks - Answers weather
a long-term. description of weather at a given location, based on averages and variation
measured over decades - Answers climate
1. temperature (determines rates of biochemical reactions and metabolism)
2. precipitation (provides essential water for terrestrial organisms and maintains freshwater
ecosystems)
3. ocean currents (alter temperature and chemistry of marine ecosystems) - Answers climate
controls organism distributions by influencing patterns in?
, limit of the amount of water vapor that the air contains; if vapor exceeds saturation point,
precipitation occurs - Answers saturation
area where two atmospheric cells converge and cause large amounts of precipitation - Answers
Intertropical Convergence Zone
cold air pushing down on earth's surface v. warm air rising away from earth's surface - Answers
high pressure v. low pressure
two air circulation cells between the equator and 30 N and S latitudes - Answers Hadley Cell
as the Earth rotates around the sun the ITCZ shifts with response to the location of maximum
solar energy - Answers solar equator
Earth's rotation generates major wind direction patterns - Answers Coriolis effect
occur in some coastal areas where winds blow warm water away from the coast, causing deep,
cool water to replace it; bring deep deposited nutrients closer to the surface (more primary
productivity); one very rich upwelling zone is the Peru Current (Galapagos) - Answers upwelling
zones
reduces precipitation in South Pacific/East Asia after trade winds reduce in strength and warm
water isn't pushed as far west - Answers El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
humid ocean winds cause precipitation on windward side; dry conditions prevail on leeward side
- Answers rain shadow
amount of solar radiation that a surface reflects - Answers albedo
large-scale biological communities shaped by the regional climate, soil, and disturbance
patterns; determined by temperature and precipitation gradients (aquatic biological zones are
influenced by water movement, depth, light availability, and water chemistry) - Answers biome
trait convergence across continents in the same biome region - Answers growth forms
depictions of monthly patterns of temperature and precipitation - Answers climate diagrams
develop under belts of sub-tropical high pressure (30 N and S)
moisture always limiting
annual rainfall is less than 25 cm
in hot deserts frost intolerant plants (often succulents)
low net primary production but can be surprisingly diverse - Answers deserts
beyond 10 degrees from equator
