Final Exam Ecology 100 Name____________________ Dr. Isobel A. Pearsall Multiple choice questions. (1 mark each) 1. Changes in community structure over time are called _____________. a. succession b. stratification c. zonation d. characterization 2. Food webs can be arranged into ________ levels based on whether organisms obtain their nutrition from photosynthesis, from eating plants, or from eating animals a. niche b. guild c. trophic d. predation 3. A dominant species in a community may a. Be the most numerous b. Possess the highest biomass c. Preempt the most space d. Make the largest contribution to energy flow or nutrient cycling e. All of the above 4. Which of the following does NOT function as a habitat corridor?__________ a. a large lake b. a hedgerow c. the vegetation along a river d. a drainage ditch 5. Which of the following is produced by humans as pesticides, soluble in fats and lipids, and accumulates in animals through the food chain?________ a. lead b. chlorinated hydrocarbons c. sulfur dioxide d. carbon dioxide 6. In the small-population approach to studying endangered populations, the key factor driving the species towards extinction is___________ a. loss of genetic variation b. too many animals migrating away from small populations c. loss of food d. increased risk of predation e. too many animals migrating between populations 7. Which of the following is NOT true?_________ a. the world’s oceans act as a sink for carbon dioxide b. the world’s terrestrial ecosystems act as a sink for carbon dioxide c. the world’s ecosystems act as sinks for carbon dioxide, completely offsetting the increase in carbon dioxide emissions from burning of fossil fuels. d. Reforestation is part of the solution to balancing the global carbon cycle. 8. Which of the following allocates more biomass to photosynthetic tissue and less to supportive tissue? a. Trees b. Shrubs c. Lianas d. Grasses 9. Conservationists refer to the number of individuals necessary to ensure the long-term survival of a species as the _____________ a. Minimum viable population b. Genetically effective population c. metapopulation d. carrying capacity 10. Which terrestrial biome has the highest diversity of plant and animal life? a. Tropical savanna b. Tropical rain forest c. Temperate deciduous forest d. Boreal forest 11. An endemic species is best defined as a species that___________________ a. is a habitat specialist with a large geographic distribution b. has so few individuals remaining that is ceases to perform its role within an ecosystem c. no longer exists in a given area yet still survives elsewhere d. occurs in a single geographic area and nowhere else 12. The primary cause of current extinction is____________________ a. overhunting b. introduction of non-native species c. pollution d. habitat degradation 13. Harvesting at a level that will ensure a similar yield repeatedly without forcing the population into decline is called____ ...

1. Final Exam Ecology 100
Name____________________
Dr. Isobel A. Pearsall
Multiple choice questions. (1 mark each)
1. Changes in community structure over time are called
_____________.
a. succession
b. stratification
c. zonation
d. characterization
2. Food webs can be arranged into ________ levels based on
whether organisms obtain their nutrition from photosynthesis,
from eating plants, or from eating animals
a. niche
b. guild
c. trophic
d. predation
3. A dominant species in a community may
a. Be the most numerous
b. Possess the highest biomass
c. Preempt the most space
d. Make the largest contribution to energy flow or nutrient
cycling
e. All of the above
4. Which of the following does NOT function as a habitat
corridor?__________
a. a large lake

2. b. a hedgerow
c. the vegetation along a river
d. a drainage ditch
5. Which of the following is produced by humans as pesticides,
soluble in fats and lipids, and accumulates in animals through
the food chain?________
a. lead
b. chlorinated hydrocarbons
c. sulfur dioxide
d. carbon dioxide
6. In the small-population approach to studying endangered
populations, the key factor driving the species towards
extinction is___________
a. loss of genetic variation
b. too many animals migrating away from small populations
c. loss of food
d. increased risk of predation
e. too many animals migrating between populations
7. Which of the following is NOT true?_________
a. the world’s oceans act as a sink for carbon dioxide

3. b. the world’s terrestrial ecosystems act as a sink for carbon
dioxide
c. the world’s ecosystems act as sinks for carbon dioxide,
completely offsetting the increase in carbon dioxide emissions
from burning of fossil fuels.
d. Reforestation is part of the solution to balancing the global
carbon cycle.
8. Which of the following allocates more biomass to
photosynthetic tissue and less to supportive tissue?
a. Trees
b. Shrubs
c. Lianas
d. Grasses
9. Conservationists refer to the number of individuals necessary
to ensure the long-term survival of a species as the
_____________
a. Minimum viable population
b. Genetically effective population
c. metapopulation
d. carrying capacity
10. Which terrestrial biome has the highest diversity of plant
and animal life?
a. Tropical savanna
b. Tropical rain forest
c. Temperate deciduous forest
d. Boreal forest
11. An endemic species is best defined as a species
that___________________
a. is a habitat specialist with a large geographic distribution

4. b. has so few individuals remaining that is ceases to perform its
role within an ecosystem
c. no longer exists in a given area yet still survives elsewhere
d. occurs in a single geographic area and nowhere else
12. The primary cause of current extinction
is____________________
a. overhunting
b. introduction of non-native species
c. pollution
d. habitat degradation
13. Harvesting at a level that will ensure a similar yield
repeatedly without forcing the population into decline is
called_____________________
a. crop skimming
b. enduring harvest
c. sustained yield
d. consistent crop
14. The rate of carbon cycling is determined by the rate of
_______________
a. mineral weathering
b. primary production
c. decomposition
d. none of the above

5. e. both B and C
15. The General Circulation Models developed by atmospheric
scientists predict that in the future
a. Temperatures, sea levels, variability of climate and
precipitation will all increase
b. Temperatures, sea levels, and variability of climate will
increase while precipitation will decrease
c. Temperatures and sea levels will increase, while variability
of climate and precipitation will both decrease
d. Temperatures and precipitation will increase while sea levels
and variability of climate will decrease
16. Higher trophic levels in a food chain contain ___________
energy compared to lower trophic levels
a. less
b. more
c. equal
d. more variable
17. The area of suitable habitat necessary for maintaining the
number of individuals and ensuring the long-term survival of a
species should be highest for a _________________
a. small herbivore
b. large herbivore
c. small carnivore

6. d. large carnivore
18. The innate rhythm of activity of organisms covering
approximately a 24-hour period is called _______.
a. photoperiod
b. ritualization
c. circadian rhythm
d. synchronization
19. Which statement about stress is incorrect? _________
a. As population density increases stress increases mutations
b. Stress triggers changes in the endocrine system of animals
c. Stress can stimulate growth and increase the rate of
reproduction
d. Stress may result in profound changes in the immune system.
20. The maximum number of individuals a habitat can support
is called the__________
a. reproductive potential
b. carrying capacity
c. community size
d. density-dependent factor
e. population growth
Short answer questions. (1 mark each). Write the word or phrase
that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. The smaller an organism, the ____________ its surface-to-
volume ratio.

7. 2. The number of species in a community is called
__________________________.
3. The ______________________________ principle says that
two complete competitors cannot exist.
4. __________________________ is the complete removal of a
forest during harvest.
5. Predation, in which the predator and prey are the same
species is called _____________.
6. A functional response in which the number of prey taken per
predator increases quickly at first with prey density, and then
increases at a much slower rate as prey density continues to
increase, is called a Type _____________.
7. Plants that grow where we do not want them to grow are
called ________________.
8. Strips of habitat that connect habitat patches are referred to
as ______________.
9. Succession that occurs on a site which was previously not
occupied by a community is called _____________ succession
10. The rate of nutrient cycling in an ecosystem depends on the
rates of two key processes, primary productivity and
_____________________
11. The portion of the fundamental niche that an organism
actually exploits in the presence of competitors is called its
___________________ niche.
12. The relationship between the per capita rate of consumption
and the number of prey is known as the predator’s

8. _____________________.
13. A(n) ______________ is an intermediate organism that aids
the spread of a parasite from one host to another.
14. A relationship between two species, where one species
benefits and the other is not significantly affected is called
________________.
15. ______________ primary production is the total rate of
photosynthesis, or energy assimilated by plants.
True/False questions. Write T is the statement is true, and F is
the statement is false. (1 mark each).
1. An ecosystem contains both living and non-living
components.________
2. The basic Lotka-Volterra models of predator-prey
interactions predict that predators will drive the prey
extinct._____________
3. A parasite usually kills its host.______________
4. In Batesian mimicry, one poisonous prey species has evolved
the same warning colouration as another poisonous prey
species._______________
5. As patch size increases, the ratio of interior to edge
increases._______________
6. When two of more organisms use a portion of the same
resource simultaneously, it is referred to as niche
overlap.__________
7. The biogeochemical cycles of one ecosystem are typically
independent of those of other ecosystems.______

9. 8. There are generally few species at higher altitudes than at
lower altitudes.________
9. A Type I functional response leads to regulation of the prey
population by the predator. _____________
10. The phosphorus cycle has essentially no atmospheric
content. ________________
11. The competitive ability of an organism remains constant
even when environmental conditions change.
___________________
12. In the early stages of plant succession, shade-intolerant
species are often common. _________________
Please answer the following questions:
1. Use examples to illustrate the difference between a dominant
species and a keystone species (4 marks)
2. Explain how restoration ecology, including bioremediation
and biological augmentation, helps return degraded ecosystems
to near-natural pre-degraded states. Describe examples of both
approaches (6 marks).
Long answer questions
Please answer 2 of the following questions (5 marks each)
1. Describe three components of biodiversity. Explain how
human activities are a threat to biodiversity. Distinguish
between threatened species and endangered species.
2. What is global warming? Describe the causes and
consequences of global warming.
3. List the main predictions of the theory of island
biogeography, and explain the reasons for those predictions.

10. 4. Describe why most plants have a variety of chemicals, spines
and thorns for defense against herbivores. Define coevolution
and describe two examples.
5. Explain the difference between the two basic types of
biogeochemical cycles, using specific examples of each.
6. What is the difference between deciduous and evergreen
trees? List the two main types of deciduous and the two main
types of evergreen leaves and where they are found. Why are
they found associated with these environments?
7. Explain how it is possible for a diversity of potential
competitors to coexist in the same community, despite the
competitive exclusion principle.