1
ECOL111 - Intro and Functional Ecology Questions with
Answers (100% Correct Answers)
1. What is the definition of Ecology? Answer: The scientific study of
the distribution and abundance of organisms, and of the interactions
that determine distribution and abundance.
1. What is applied ecology? Answer: Management activities that
influence the natural environment i.e. species conservation, habitat
restoration, pest control, fisheries management etc.
1. How has ecology evolved? Answer: From a descriptive to predictive
science driven by hypothesis testing and experiments
1. How is ecology done? Answer: - Field observations and monitoring
- Manipulative field experiments
- Controlled laboratory experiments
- Mesocosms
- Mathematical models
- Paradigms
© 2025 All rights reserved
,2
1. Basic ecological model of Exponential growth Answer: dN / dt = rN
1. Logistic model of population growth Answer: dN / dt = rN(K-N / K)
1. What are the two main scales of study in ecology? Answer: Time
and Space
1. What is the biological scale in ecology? Answer: Function/
Individual --> Population --> Community --> Ecosystem
2. What is a stressor? Answer: A variable that exceeds its normal
variation range due to anthropogenic input and affects animal and
plant communities
2. What are the two types of multiple stressor effects? Answer: Simple
(stressors combined and sum/ additive) or Complex (smaller/
antagonistic or larger/ synergistic that sum of individual effects)
2. Approaches to understanding stressors Answer: Field survey, lab
experiment, field experiment, ecological modelling or applied science
2. What are the two key drivers of ecological change in freshwater
systems? Answer: Agriculture and Climate Change
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3
2. What are the most commonly used insecticides worldwide? Answer:
Neonicotinoid Insecticides
2. What did lab experiments with Deleatidium show? Answer:
Imidacloprid is highly toxic in New Zealand streams and has strong
negative affects to freshwater invertebrates
2. What is the ExStream system? Answer: A field-realistic stream
channel experiment looking at the affect of Neonicotinoids
(imidacloprid pulses) and climate warming (raised water temperature)
on stream invertebrate communities (in microhabitats)
2. Results of the ExStream experiment: Answer: - EPT taxa densities
decreased in long-term per channel (behavioural drift)
- Benthic stream cladocerans responded positively to imidacloprid
4. What are the four types of gradients? Answer: - Global (large-scale
variation i.e. latitudinal temperature gradients)
- Regional (smaller more physical scale i.e. elevation gradients on
Mountains)
- Regional-Local (smaller environments i.e. tidal cycle gradients of
coastal environments)
© 2025 All rights reserved
ECOL111 - Intro and Functional Ecology Questions with
Answers (100% Correct Answers)
1. What is the definition of Ecology? Answer: The scientific study of
the distribution and abundance of organisms, and of the interactions
that determine distribution and abundance.
1. What is applied ecology? Answer: Management activities that
influence the natural environment i.e. species conservation, habitat
restoration, pest control, fisheries management etc.
1. How has ecology evolved? Answer: From a descriptive to predictive
science driven by hypothesis testing and experiments
1. How is ecology done? Answer: - Field observations and monitoring
- Manipulative field experiments
- Controlled laboratory experiments
- Mesocosms
- Mathematical models
- Paradigms
© 2025 All rights reserved
,2
1. Basic ecological model of Exponential growth Answer: dN / dt = rN
1. Logistic model of population growth Answer: dN / dt = rN(K-N / K)
1. What are the two main scales of study in ecology? Answer: Time
and Space
1. What is the biological scale in ecology? Answer: Function/
Individual --> Population --> Community --> Ecosystem
2. What is a stressor? Answer: A variable that exceeds its normal
variation range due to anthropogenic input and affects animal and
plant communities
2. What are the two types of multiple stressor effects? Answer: Simple
(stressors combined and sum/ additive) or Complex (smaller/
antagonistic or larger/ synergistic that sum of individual effects)
2. Approaches to understanding stressors Answer: Field survey, lab
experiment, field experiment, ecological modelling or applied science
2. What are the two key drivers of ecological change in freshwater
systems? Answer: Agriculture and Climate Change
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3
2. What are the most commonly used insecticides worldwide? Answer:
Neonicotinoid Insecticides
2. What did lab experiments with Deleatidium show? Answer:
Imidacloprid is highly toxic in New Zealand streams and has strong
negative affects to freshwater invertebrates
2. What is the ExStream system? Answer: A field-realistic stream
channel experiment looking at the affect of Neonicotinoids
(imidacloprid pulses) and climate warming (raised water temperature)
on stream invertebrate communities (in microhabitats)
2. Results of the ExStream experiment: Answer: - EPT taxa densities
decreased in long-term per channel (behavioural drift)
- Benthic stream cladocerans responded positively to imidacloprid
4. What are the four types of gradients? Answer: - Global (large-scale
variation i.e. latitudinal temperature gradients)
- Regional (smaller more physical scale i.e. elevation gradients on
Mountains)
- Regional-Local (smaller environments i.e. tidal cycle gradients of
coastal environments)
© 2025 All rights reserved
