Applied Ecology
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Applied Ecology explores the practical application of ecological principles to real-world environmental issues and resource management. The course examines how ecosystems function and how human activities influence and interact with natural processes. Topics include biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, management of invasive species, sustainable land use, ecological risk assessment, and the development of policies for environmental protection. Students learn to design and evaluate ecological solutions aimed at addressing challenges such as habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and the sustainable use of natural resources, with an emphasis on case studies and fieldwork relevant to contemporary ecological problems.
Recommended Textbook
Essentials of Ecology 4th Edition by Michael Begon
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14 Chapters
702 Verified Questions
702 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Ecology and How to Do It
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Sample Questions
Q1) Ecological phenomena occur at a variety of scales.These scales may include which of the following?
A) Spatial
B) Temporal
C) Mathematical
D) Logistical
Answer: A,B,
Q2) The biological control of pests,conservation of rare and threatened plants,and wildlife management are all examples of ______ .
A) Pure ecology
B) Applied ecology
C) Pure and applied ecology
D) None of the above
Answer: B
Q3) The ______ is comprised of the community together with the physical environment.
A) Habitat
B) Population
C) Ecosystem
D) Biota
Answer: C
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Ecologys Evolutionary Backdrop
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Sample Questions
Q1) Island endemics evolve because they:
A) Can exchange genetic material with mainland species
B) Are isolated from individuals of the mainland species
C) Do not have gene flow with mainland species
D) They do not hybridize with other species
Answer: B,C
Q2) A seismic event occurs,splitting a population of wolves in two.One half of the population is now exposed to a very mountainous and rocky habitat with much snow,while the other half of the population is left to live in a wooded forest habitat.After thousands of generations,another seismic event occurs and the population of wolves is now able to be one again.However,they will no longer mate with one another.This is an example of:
A) Allopatric speciation
B) Sympatric speciation
C) Hybridization
D) None of the above.
Answer: A
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4
Chapter 3: Physical Conditions and the Availability of Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) You want to test how water temperature affects the size of adult frogs.You have two temperature treatments,one at 5 degrees Celsius (5 C)and the other at 15 degrees Celsius (15 C).You hatch and rear tadpoles at both of these temperatures.According to your knowledge of how temperature affects the final size of an organism,your prediction should be that:
A) Tadpoles in 15 C water will develop faster and therefore have a larger final size relative to tadpoles in the 5 C treatment.
B) Tadpoles in 15 C water will develop faster and therefore have a smaller final size relative to tadpoles in the 5 C treatment.
C) Tadpoles in 5 C water will develop faster and therefore have a larger final size relative to tadpoles in the 15 C treatment.
D) None of the above
Answer: B
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5
Chapter 4: Climate and the Worlds Biomes
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Sample Questions
Q1) Summer in the ___________ biome is in part affected by temperate air masses that result from the Ferrel and Polar cells moving further north.
A) Savanna
B) Boreal forest
C) Desert
D) Tropical rain forest
Q2) You are flying over a mountain range and notice that the east facing slope of the range looks dry relative to the west facing slope.How could this be explained?
A) The east facing slope is not hit by prevailing winds. As a result descending air on the east facing slope is very dry.
B) The west facing slope is hit by prevailing winds. As a result the east facing slope gets a lot of rain.
C) There is no explanation.
D) The east facing slope is hit by prevailing winds. As a result all moisture is lost on the west facing slope.
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6
Chapter 5: Birth, Death and Movement
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Q1) Select which of the following choices are correct.
A) A tree is a modular organism
B) Leaves of a tree are modules
C) A sapling arising from the same seed of a tree is a module
D) Modular organisms have determinate development
Q2) You are studying salamanders to test if offspring fitness is affected by the number of eggs a female oviposits.What you learn is that females that lay more eggs produce smaller offspring.This is an example of ________ and means that there is __________ to high reproductive output for these salamanders.
A) r species; a benefit
B) a tradeoff; a cost
C) k species; a benefit
D) a tradeoff; an advantage
Q3) What term describes individuals of a population that are all born within a particular period?
A) Symbiont
B) Cohort
C) Guild
D) None of the above
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Chapter 6: Interspecific Competition
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Sample Questions
Q1) Negatively associated distributions
A) Occur within a community.
B) There are no potential competitors without niche differentiation.
C) There are potential competitors without niche differentiation .
D) Competitors occur only where the other is absent.
Q2) A DNA analysis of ectomycorrhizal species inhabiting the floor of a pine forest shows that species are restricted to distinct layers of the leaf litter.Based on the example in the textbook,this is most likely due to
A) Coexistence of the ectomycorrhizal species.
B) Interspecific competition.
C) Differential resource utilization.
D) Niche differentiation.
Q3) Species competing but coexisting by utilizing slightly different resources is thought of as ______
A) Differential resource utilization.
B) A realized niche.
C) A fundamental niche.
D) Niche complementarity.
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Chapter 7: Predation, Grazing and Disease
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Q1) If a plant produces chemical defenses in response to grazers this could be called
A) A communication response
B) An induced response
C) An energy deficiency response
D) An anticipated response
Q2) When high energy prey are common you might predict predators
A) Become more choosy about which parts of the prey they consume
B) Become less choosy by consuming the entire prey
C) Become generalists
D) Move from patch to patch quickly
Q3) What is one reason that predators may no have a significant impact on prey populations as a whole?
A) Predator populations are usually less abundant than prey populations
B) Prey populations are usually less abundant than predator populations
C) Predators typically feed on individuals that currently make little to no reproductive contribution to the prey population
D) Predators typically feed on reproductively active females
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Chapter 8: Molecular and Evolutionary Ecology
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Sample Questions
Q1) Do Tuberculatus quercicola that are farmed by Formica yesensis experience any type of tradeoff?
A) No, it is a beneficial relationship for both ants and aphids.
B) Yes, aphids pay a price because their fecundity and growth are reduced.
C) No, aphids are protected from predators by the ants and the populations never suffer.
D) Yes, aphids suffer reduced fecundity and growth, and the population also experiences losses from predators.
Q2) In the myxomatosis-rabbit system,the two vectors were which of the following?
A) Mosquitos
B) Tics
C) Fleas
D) Mites
Q3) What would it mean if you looked at a locus in a sequence of DNA and found a SNP that was bi-allelic?
A) It would mean that there are four genes for those two alleles.
B) It would mean that there are two nucleic variants at that locus.
C) It would mean that the organism has become a new species
D) All of the above
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Page 10
Chapter 9: From Populations to Communities
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Q1) When modeling food webs scientists take into account: the number of species they contain,the connectance of the web and _____________
A) The number of predators in the web.
B) The number of producers in the web.
C) The average interaction strength between pairs of species.
D) None of the above
Q2) After heavy rainfalls,invasive crayfish numbers in local mountain streams drop dramatically.Which statement is most accurate?
A) This proves that heavy rains wash out invasive crayfish
B) This is an observation that suggests invasive crayfish are poor swimmers
C) This suggests there is a correlation between heavy rainfall and crayfish reductions
D) None of these are accurate
Q3) Metapopulation theory:
A) Had its genesis with island biogeography
B) Refers primarily to populations within patches
C) Has lost favor among most ecologists
D) None of the above
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Chapter 10: Patterns in Species Richness
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Q1) Functionally predation can act on a community to increase diversity.This affect on communities is similar to what we have seen with intermediate _____________.
A) Competition
B) Parasitism
C) Resources
D) Disturbances
Q2) According to Joseph Connell's theory regarding disturbance,when would communities be expected to contain the most species?
A) When the frequency of disturbance is at the lowest levels.
B) When the frequency of disturbance is at intermediate levels.
C) When the frequency of disturbance is at highest levels.
D) When there is no disturbance.
Q3) Diversity indices take into account
A) Species competitive abilities.
B) Species richness.
C) Available energy.
D) Evenness of species.
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Chapter 11: The Flux of Energy and Matter Through Ecosystems
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Q1) Which of the following is an accurate definition of primary productivity?
A) The rate at which a standing crop is produced or the volume at which plants photosynthesize.
B) The rate at which biomass is produced per unit area or volume through photosynthesis
C) The formation of essential plant structures
D) The rate of formation of essential plant structures over a photosynthetic period.
Q2) Which community would you suspect receives high levels of radiation but does not convert much of that radiation to biomass?
A) Tropical rain forest in Costa Rica
B) Tropical rain forest in Ecuador
C) Death Valley desert in California, United States of America
D) A conifer forest in Alberta, Canada
Q3) Which organisms would be the early colonists of newly dead material?
A) Bacteria
B) Fungi
C) Grazers
D) Archaea
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Chapter 12: Global Biogeochemical Cycles and Their Alteration by Humans
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Q1) Scientists say that that the global rate of terrestrial net ecosystem production (NEP)is approximately 56.4 Pg of carbon per year.However,there may be 30% or more uncertainty in these rates.What does that mean?
A) That the NEP is exactly 56.4 Pg of carbon per year and that it does not fluctuate
B) That the global NEP is inferred from data, and that there may be plus or minus 30% of 56.4 Pg of carbon per year
C) That the global NEP is absolute, and that it will likely be higher than 56.4 Pg of carbon per year
D) That the NEP is not reliable because there is 30% or more uncertainty. Therefore we should not trust the estimate.
Q2) Acid rain that results from sulfur pollution can cause which of the following problems?
A) Eutrophication
B) Loss of fish from lakes
C) Dieback of forests
D) Declines of plant species richness
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Chapter 13: Conservation Ecology
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Q1) The effectiveness of a marine protected area (MPA)may be limited by _____________.
A) The amount of regional nitrogen pollution
B) Global climate change
C) Overharvesting of marine species
D) All of the above
Q2) Which of the following are threats to biodiversity?
A) Invasive species
B) Habitat disruption
C) Overexploitation
D) Global environmental change
Q3) Which of the following would be a method used by biologists to rescue small populations from the loss of genetic diversity?
A) Breeding with the last common ancestor
B) Cloning individuals
C) Controlled breeding in captivity and subsequent reintroduction
D) There is no way to rescue a small populations with lost genetic diversity
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Chapter 14: The Ecology of Human Population Growth, Disease,
and Food Supply
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following outcomes of climate change will likely affect infectious disease vectors?
A) The change in average temperatures and uncertain yearly patterns
B) The changes in average rainfall and uncertain yearly patterns
C) The changes in average water temperatures
D) The amount of calories consumed on average per day per person
Q2) The projected increased spread of human diseases can be
A) Related to global climate change
B) Related to increased mutation rates in humans
C) Related to a decrease in vertebrate hosts
D) Unrelated to disease vectors
Q3) If a population switched from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates,what would this be referred to as?
A) A population regression
B) A demographic transition
C) A demographic reversal
D) A population transition
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