Ecosystem Ecology
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Course Introduction
Ecosystem Ecology explores the complex interactions among organisms and their environment, focusing on the flow of energy and cycling of nutrients through biological communities. The course examines the structure and function of ecosystems, ranging from terrestrial forests and grasslands to aquatic systems like lakes and oceans. Key concepts include primary production, food webs, trophic dynamics, and ecosystem resilience in the face of environmental change. Students will analyze how both natural processes and human activities influence ecosystem stability, productivity, and biodiversity, gaining an integrated understanding of the principles that govern life at the ecosystem scale.
Recommended Textbook
Ecology Concepts and Applications 5th Edition by Manuel Molles
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Ecology Historical Foundations and Developing Frontiers
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Sample Questions
Q1) Field studies and laboratory studies are mutually exclusive.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Stable isotope analysis uses variation in element masses to better understand ecological phenomena.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) An ecosystem is defined as
A) all the organisms that live in an area.
B) the physical environment with which organisms interact.
C) an association of interacting species.
D) all of the organisms that live in an area and the physical environment with which they interact.
E) all of the individuals of a single species that live in an area and the physical environment with which they interact.
Answer: D
Q4) ____________ are aerial plants obtaining nutrient from trapped organic matter. Answer: Epiphytes
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Chapter 2: Life on Land
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which soil horizon is most influenced by climate?
A) A
B) B
C) C
D) O
E) All are equally influenced.
Answer: D
Q2) The precipitation in moist temperate regions is caused by the meeting of cool polar air and warm subtropical air.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Climatic diagrams provide all of the following information except:
A) wind patterns.
B) average minimum temperature above and below 0<sup>\(\circ\)</sup>C.
C) temperature and precipitation variations.
D) wet and dry season durations.
E) None of the choices are correct.
Answer: A
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Life in Water
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Sample Questions
Q1) Oxygen is a major limiting factor in the distribution of intertidal organisms.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) All of the following statements are true concerning temperate lakes except:
A) Fall and spring turnovers involve vertical mixing of temperature stratified waters.
B) During fall and spring turnover, the oxygen rich hypolimnion moves up to the epilimnion.
C) During late fall and early spring, a temperate lake has a uniform water temperature.
D) During the year, the hypolimnion's temperature does not change.
E) Fall and spring turnovers involve the wind.
Answer: B
Q3) Estuaries are junctions between rivers and lakes.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) Limnetic thermoclines are located in the _______________ zone.
Answer: metalimnion
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5
Chapter 4: Population Genetics and Natural Selection
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Sample Questions
Q1) The number of offspring contributed by an individual to future generations is called
Q2) Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation:
A) q<sup>2</sup> - qp + p<sup>2</sup> = 1.0
B) 2pq - q<sub>2</sub> - 2p = 1.0
C) q<sup>2</sup> - qp<sub>2</sub> + p = 1.0
D) p<sup>2</sup> + 2pq + q<sup>2</sup> = 1.0
E) p<sup>2</sup> + pq + q<sup>2</sup> = 1.0
Q3) ______________________ can change population gene frequencies through random processes.
Q4) In a population of lizards,the average and long length tails are selected against and the short tails are selected for.This is an example of A) directional selection.
B) disruptive selection.
C) stabilizing selection.
D) natural selection.
E) balanced polymorphism.
Q5) The alternate form of a gene is called a(n)_________________________________.
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Chapter 5: Temperature Relations
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Sample Questions
Q1) An animal will use different ____________________ to maintain an optimum operative temperature range.
Q2) Getting up from your chair you realize that it is warm.What is the method of heat exchange?
A) conduction
B) convection
C) evaporation
D) radiation
E) None of the choices are correct.
Q3) Metabolic heat (H<sub>m</sub>)is the heat
A) energy intake an organism must have for movement.
B) released during cellular respiration.
C) energy needed in order to undergo cellular respiration.
D) energy loss due to evaporation.
E) None of the choices are correct.
Q4) According to Levins' principle of allocation,adaptation (higher fitness)to one environment results in reduced fitness in another environment.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Water Relations
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Sample Questions
Q1) In order to survive in the desert,a camel will employ which of the following mechanisms?
A) face away from sun
B) store water in its hump
C) shed its fur
D) allow its body temperature to rise
E) All of the choices are correct.
Q2) The Namib Desert beetle,Onymacris unguicularis,obtains its water through positional maneuvers during foggy weather conditions.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Windy days will decrease a plant's evaporative water loss.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The water availability for organisms is determined by A) internal dissolved ion concentrations.
B) external dissolved ion concentrations.
C) movement of water down its concentration gradient.
D) movement of water up its concentration gradient.
E) None of the choices are correct.
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Chapter 7: Energy and Nutrient Relations
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Sample Questions
Q1) Müllerian and Batesian mimicries differ from one another because
A) in Müllerian mimicry, the mimic is actually harmless.
B) in Müllerian mimicry, the model is actually harmless.
C) Müllerian mimicry is a form of comimicry.
D) Müllerian mimicry is a form of camouflage.
E) None of the choices are correct.
Q2) Photosynthetic response curves examine photosynthetic rates and maximum irradiance.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Transpiration rates are highest in ____ plants.
A) C<sub>3</sub>
B) C<sub>4</sub>
C) CAM
D) C<sub>4</sub> and CAM
E) C<sub>3</sub>, C<sub>4</sub>, and CAM
Q4) Tropical plants and tropical seaweeds contain lower levels of alkaloid toxins compared to their temperate counterparts.
A)True
B)False
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Socail Relations
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Sample Questions
Q1) If a male scorpionfly (Panorpa latipennis)does not have a dead arthropod to present a potential mate as a nuptial offering,he can often substitute a
Q2) In many species,the females can reproduce by the process of parthenogenesis.Why do males persist in those species?
A) defense
B) to increase the number of offspring produced
C) to assist in rearing of the offspring
D) to decrease the chance of infertility
E) to ensure genetic diversity
Q3) Fitness is defined as the
A) health of an individual organism.
B) ability of an organism to adapt to new environmental situations.
C) quality of offspring produced.
D) number of genes contributed by an individual to the next generation.
E) All of the choices are correct.
Q4) Some species of animals can switch genders.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Population Distribution and Abundance
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Sample Questions
Q1) A group of individuals of a single species inhabiting a specific area is called a
A) community
B) biome
C) population
D) ecosystem
E) tribe
Q2) Whittaker's research on North American tree distribution examined ____________ gradients and concluded that the tree distribution was __________________.
A) temperature; random
B) temperature; clumped
C) moisture; clumped
D) moisture; random
E) soil; random
Q3) Often an organism with a broad habitat tolerance is called a generalist.
A)True
B)False
Q4) An organism with a narrow habitat tolerance is called a
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Chapter 10: Population Dynamics
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Sample Questions
Q1) __________________ is the process by which individuals disperse out of a population.
Q2) The geometric rate of increase cannot be a negative number.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Type I survivorship curve indicates
A) low juvenile mortality and high mortality in older adults.
B) high juvenile mortality and low mortality in older adults.
C) low juvenile mortality and low mortality in older adults.
D) high juvenile mortality and high mortality in older adults.
E) equal chance of dying at any age.
Q4) Humans would best be represented by which of the following survivorships curves?
A) III
B) II
C) I
D) IV
E) None of the choices are correct.
Q5) Individuals born during a specified time period are grouped as a
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Chapter 11: Population Growth
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Sample Questions
Q1) The exponential population growth equation can be used for A) populations with overlapping generations.
B) populations experiencing continuous growth.
C) populations with nonpulsed reproduction.
D) both populations with overlapping generations and populations experiencing continuous growth.
E) both populations with overlapping generations, populations experiencing continuous growth, and populations with nonpulsed reproduction.
Q2) Human populations are clumped on a large scale with the greatest concentration in A) Africa.
B) Europe.
C) Asia.
D) North America.
E) South America.
Q3) The biotic potential of an organism produces the leveling off at carrying capacity in the logistic growth curve.
A)True
B)False
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13
Chapter 12: Life Histories
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Sample Questions
Q1) As a fraction of adult mass,the mass of offspring at independence tends to be largest in
A) mammals.
B) altricial birds.
C) lizards.
D) both mammals and lizards.
E) All three groups have similar values.
Q2) Which statement about the impact of dams on cottonwood forests is false?
A) Damming reduces growth of established cottonwoods downstream.
B) Damming increases mortality of established cottonwoods downstream.
C) By reducing flooding downstream, damming improves cottonwood seed germination.
D) The timing of water release from a dam can greatly affect cottonwood seed germination.
E) Careful management of flow through dams can greatly reduce harmful impacts on cottonwoods downstream.
Q3) Bird species whose offspring are born helpless and depending on parental care are said to be _____________.
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Chapter 13: Competition
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Sample Questions
Q1) Competition between members of a single species is called
A) cohort specific competition.
B) species specific competition.
C) interspecific competition.
D) intraspecific competition.
E) interference competition.
Q2) In plants,"self-thinning" refers to reduction in
A) the biomass of an individual in response to competition.
B) the total biomass of a population in response to competition.
C) both population density and population biomass in response to competition.
D) population density in response to competition, as population biomass increases.
E) population density due to grazing by herbivores.
Q3) Rodents that feed primarily on seeds are called ____________.
Q4) In the Lotka-Volterra competition model,the intersection of two isoclines of zero population growth always indicates stable coexistence of two competitors.
A)True
B)False
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15
Chapter 14: Exploitative Interactions Predation,
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Sample Questions
Q1) __________ consume live plant material but do not usually kill plants.
A) Predators
B) Pathogens
C) Herbivores
D) Parasites
E) Parasitoids
Q2) In the Lotka-Volterra predation model,a predator population in the absence of prey (hosts)would
A) grow exponentially.
B) grow logistically.
C) decline as predators die.
D) decline at first, but then increase as predators switch to other modes of feeding.
E) decline at first, but then reach a small equilibrium population size.
Q3) An organism inducing disease in its host is called a ______________.
Q4) In most laboratory experiments,predators and prey held together in simple habitats exhibit repeated cycles in population sizes.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Mutualism
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Sample Questions
Q1) A mutualistic relationship in which either species can survive without its partner is called a ______________ mutualism.
Q2) Which aspects of the biology of zooxanthellae are controlled by their coral hosts?
A) their cell wall chemistry
B) their population growth rate when free-living
C) the release of photosynthetic products from their cells
D) the rate at which they absorb sugars from their hosts
E) their mortality rate
Q3) The "unsuccessful mutualists" in Kathleen Keeler's cost-benefit model of mutualism are those that
A) give benefits to their partner, but fail to receive benefits in return.
B) receive benefits from their partner, but fail to provide benefits in return.
C) neither give benefits to their partner, nor receive them in return.
D) fail to locate individuals of their mutualistic partner effectively.
E) locate mutualistic partners, but fail to overcome their defenses against colonization.
Q4) Modified leaflet tips of bullshorn acacia that provide a food source for ants are called ___________.
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Chapter 16: Species Abundance and Diversity
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Sample Questions
Q1) Concentrations of inorganic nutrients typically don't vary much across the surface of a single lake.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In soil and water fertilization experiments,increasing fertilization tends to reduce the number of limiting resources for plant growth until a single resource limits growth of all species.This "ultimate" limiting resource tends to be
A) carbon.
B) oxygen.
C) phosphorus.
D) nitrogen.
E) light.
Q3) Urban centers tend to
A) be devoid of wildlife.
B) harbor rare species that can't survive elsewhere.
C) have higher species diversity than natural woodlands.
D) have more widespread, generalist species than natural woodlands.
E) have higher species richness than natural woodlands.
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18
Chapter 17: Species Interactions and Community Structure
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Sample Questions
Q1) Teja Tscharntke's studies of the food web associated with Phragmites reeds revealed that
A) only a single parasitoid species can persist exploiting a single species of herbivore.
B) only a single herbivore species can persist attacking a single species of plant.
C) predation by birds actually protects herbivores, because the birds feed on parasitoid-infested herbivore galls but not uninfested galls.
D) within local food webs, all interactions tend to be of roughly the same strength.
E) recognizing variation in interaction strength can greatly simplify the depiction of a food web.
Q2) Removal of Pisaster starfish in the Washington intertidal leads to a decline in diversity of other invertebrate species.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Ecologists summarize feeding interactions among species in a community when they compile a _________.
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19
Chapter 18: Primary Production and Energy Flow
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Q1) On the Serengeti plain of eastern Africa,intensive grazing by large mammals greatly decreases primary productivity in the grazed areas.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is the correct relationship between gross primary production (GPP),net primary production (NPP),and respiration (RESP)?
A) GPP = NPP - RESP
B) RESP = GPP + NPP
C) NPP = GPP - RESP
D) NPP = GPP + RESP
E) None of the choices are correct.
Q3) An organism's _________ describes its feeding position within an ecosystem.
A) prey level
B) production level
C) consumption level
D) trophic level
E) predator level
Q4) Primary producers make up the first,or basal,____________ in most food webs.
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Chapter 19: Nutrient Cycling and Retention
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Sample Questions
Q1) In Judy Meyer and Gene Likens' study of phosphorus in Bear Brook,
A) most phosphorus inputs occurred during spring snowmelt.
B) phosphorus inputs were nearly constant over the year.
C) most phosphorus losses occurred during autumn leaf fall.
D) most phosphorus losses occurred during storms and snowmelt.
E) phosphorus losses were nearly constant over the year.
Q2) Nitrogen fixation is an energy-demanding process because of the strong _____ bond between the two nitrogen atoms in the N<sub>2</sub> molecule.
A) single covalent
B) double covalent
C) triple covalent
D) ionic
E) hydrogen
Q3) In stream ecosystems,nutrient retentiveness is
A) not related to spiraling length.
B) positively related to spiraling length.
C) inversely related to spiraling length.
D) a logarithmic function of spiraling length.
E) a power function of spiraling length.
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Page 21
Chapter 20: Succession and Stability
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Q1) According to the "facilitation" hypothesis,pioneer species modify the environment in ways that
A) make it more suitable for their own survival, and less suitable for other species.
B) make it less suitable for their own survival, but more suitable for survival of other pioneer species.
C) make it less suitable for their own survival, but more suitable for survival of late-successional species.
D) make it less suitable for survival of all species.
E) make it more suitable for survival of all species.
Q2) In the area of Glacier Bay,Alaska,the climax community is A) hemlock forest.
B) muskeg.
C) hemlock forest on steep slopes, and muskeg on shallower slopes.
D) hemlock forest on shallow slopes, and muskeg on steeper slopes.
E) Dryas mats with scattered alders and cottonwoods.
Q3) A tendency for a community to maintain its structure even when subject to potential disturbance is called ____________.
Q4) A set of sites differing in successional age is called a ____________.
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Page 22
Chapter 21: Landscape Ecology
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Sample Questions
Q1) Flood control on the Kissimmee River of Florida
A) was achieved primarily by regulating water input to Lake Kissimmee.
B) greatly decreased wetland area in the river basin.
C) allowed increased populations of game fish, including largemouth bass.
D) All of the choices are correct.
E) both greatly decreased wetland area in the river basin and allowed increased populations of game fish, including largemouth bass.
Q2) Expansion of forest in Veluwe,Netherlands at the expense of heathland has occurred primarily as a result of
A) reduction of grazing pressure as native herbivore populations were decimated by hunting.
B) changing climates due to the greenhouse effect.
C) new legal restrictions on land use.
D) reductions in sheep farming as Australian wool became less expensive.
E) reductions in sheep farming as young people left family farms for other careers.
Q3) The recognition that the length of a coastline depends on the scale at which it is measured is a result of the branch of mathematics called ___________.
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Page 23
Chapter 22: Geographic Ecology
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Sample Questions
Q1) The negative correlation between foliage height diversity and bird species diversity in South American beech forests is attributed to
A) small area.
B) isolation.
C) cold temperatures.
D) both small area and cold temperatures.
E) both small area and isolation.
Q2) The "time since perturbation" hypothesis proposes that,compared to temperate and polar regions,the tropics are
A) more diverse because humans have not yet had much impact there.
B) more diverse because they are disturbed more severely by cooling during glaciations.
C) less diverse because they are disturbed more severely by cooling during glaciations.
D) more diverse because they are less heterogeneous in habitat.
E) more diverse because they are disturbed less frequently.
Q3) A well-known exception to the usual dependency of diversity on latitude is the ___________ wasps.
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24
Chapter 23: Global Ecology
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Q1) During the past century,the average global temperature has risen
A) 0.7<sup>\(\circ\)</sup>C
B) 1.5<sup>\(\circ\)</sup>C
C) 3.5<sup>\(\circ\)</sup>C
D) 5.5<sup>\(\circ\)</sup>C
E) 10.5<sup>\(\circ\)</sup>C
Q2) Fur seals and sea lions in the Galápagos Islands experience population declines during El Niño events because
A) their hibernation cues are disrupted by the unusual climate.
B) they are not capable of effective thermoregulation in the cooler waters around the islands.
C) the fish they feed upon move further offshore in search of warmer water.
D) the fish they feed upon move offshore and deeper in search of cooler water.
E) the fish they feed on are driven to local extinction.
Q3) The 1987 Montreal Protocol was an agreement to limit human production of
A) carbon dioxide.
B) nitrate.
C) PCBs.
D) lead paint.
E) chlorofluorocarbons.
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