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ECOL111 - Intro and Functional Ecology
Questions and Correct Answers
1. What is the definition of Ecology? Ans: The scientific study of
the distribution and abundance of organisms, and of the
interactions that determine distribution and abundance.
1. What is applied ecology? Ans: Management activities that
influence the natural environment i.e. species conservation, habitat
restoration, pest control, fisheries management etc.
1. How has ecology evolved? Ans: From a descriptive to predictive
science driven by hypothesis testing and experiments
1. How is ecology done? Ans: - Field observations and monitoring
- Manipulative field experiments
- Controlled laboratory experiments
- Mesocosms
- Mathematical models
- Paradigms
1. Basic ecological model of Exponential growth Ans: dN / dt = rN
1. Logistic model of population growth Ans: dN / dt = rN(K-N / K)
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1. What are the two main scales of study in ecology? Ans: Time
and Space
1. What is the biological scale in ecology? Ans: Function/
Individual --> Population --> Community --> Ecosystem
2. What is a stressor? Ans: 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? Ans: Simple
(stressors combined and sum/ additive) or Complex (smaller/
antagonistic or larger/ synergistic that sum of individual effects)
2. Approaches to understanding stressors Ans: Field survey, lab
experiment, field experiment, ecological modelling or applied
science
2. What are the two key drivers of ecological change in freshwater
systems? Ans: Agriculture and Climate Change
2. What are the most commonly used insecticides worldwide? Ans:
Neonicotinoid Insecticides
2. What did lab experiments with Deleatidium show? Ans:
Imidacloprid is highly toxic in New Zealand streams and has
strong negative affects to freshwater invertebrates
2. What is the ExStream system? Ans: 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)
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2. Results of the ExStream experiment: Ans: - 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? Ans: - 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)
- Local (singular animals or organisms i.e. water potential
gradients in plants)
4. Different types of time scales Ans: Geological - Biotic and
Abiotic interactions over time i.e. glacial periods in NZ
Historical - Smaller changes over set periods of time i.e.
temperature in AUS each calendar year
Annually, Seasonally, Daily - smaller changes related to single
organisms/ species i.e. migration
4. Different types of space scales Ans: Geographic (Global,
Regional, Local) and Meso- to Microscale
4. What are ecosystem functions? Ans: How an organism
functions/ lives within its environment
© 2025 All rights reserved
ECOL111 - Intro and Functional Ecology
Questions and Correct Answers
1. What is the definition of Ecology? Ans: The scientific study of
the distribution and abundance of organisms, and of the
interactions that determine distribution and abundance.
1. What is applied ecology? Ans: Management activities that
influence the natural environment i.e. species conservation, habitat
restoration, pest control, fisheries management etc.
1. How has ecology evolved? Ans: From a descriptive to predictive
science driven by hypothesis testing and experiments
1. How is ecology done? Ans: - Field observations and monitoring
- Manipulative field experiments
- Controlled laboratory experiments
- Mesocosms
- Mathematical models
- Paradigms
1. Basic ecological model of Exponential growth Ans: dN / dt = rN
1. Logistic model of population growth Ans: dN / dt = rN(K-N / K)
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 2 | Page
1. What are the two main scales of study in ecology? Ans: Time
and Space
1. What is the biological scale in ecology? Ans: Function/
Individual --> Population --> Community --> Ecosystem
2. What is a stressor? Ans: 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? Ans: Simple
(stressors combined and sum/ additive) or Complex (smaller/
antagonistic or larger/ synergistic that sum of individual effects)
2. Approaches to understanding stressors Ans: Field survey, lab
experiment, field experiment, ecological modelling or applied
science
2. What are the two key drivers of ecological change in freshwater
systems? Ans: Agriculture and Climate Change
2. What are the most commonly used insecticides worldwide? Ans:
Neonicotinoid Insecticides
2. What did lab experiments with Deleatidium show? Ans:
Imidacloprid is highly toxic in New Zealand streams and has
strong negative affects to freshwater invertebrates
2. What is the ExStream system? Ans: 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)
© 2025 All rights reserved
, 3 | Page
2. Results of the ExStream experiment: Ans: - 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? Ans: - 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)
- Local (singular animals or organisms i.e. water potential
gradients in plants)
4. Different types of time scales Ans: Geological - Biotic and
Abiotic interactions over time i.e. glacial periods in NZ
Historical - Smaller changes over set periods of time i.e.
temperature in AUS each calendar year
Annually, Seasonally, Daily - smaller changes related to single
organisms/ species i.e. migration
4. Different types of space scales Ans: Geographic (Global,
Regional, Local) and Meso- to Microscale
4. What are ecosystem functions? Ans: How an organism
functions/ lives within its environment
© 2025 All rights reserved
