Environmental Science, 11th Edition (Cunningham)

Chapter 4: Evolution, Biological Communities, and Species Interactions

Practice Quiz

1
An organism's absence from a particular environment can be caused by
A)a single critical factor that exceeds the organism's tolerance limits.
B)absence of an essential resource.
C)a combination of different factors working in concert.
D)all of the above.
2
Factors capable of driving natural selection include
A)competition with other members of the species.
B)disease-causing organisms.
C)extreme temperatures.
D)all of the above.
3
An organism's ________ includes its ____________.
A)ecological niche, habitat
B)habitat, ecological niche
4
Attributes of a broad niche could include an organism having
A)a wide range of foods eaten.
B)activity periods extending over much of the day and evening.
C)tolerance of a wide range of temperatures.
D)all of the above.
5
Which of the following would NOT be an act of predation?
A)a moose nibbling on aspen shoots
B)a crow feeding on a road-kill rabbit
C)a black bear eating blueberries
D)disease-causing bacteria invading human lung tissue
6
Co-evolution is illustrated by
A)an insect species becoming immune to a toxic substance produced by rhubarb to foil herbivory.
B)development of greater speed by gazelles in response to prior development of greater speed by leopards, a gazelle predator.
C)development of greater root depth in a plant species in response to increased competition for water with another species.
D)all of the above.
7
Red winged blackbirds chase away other red wings from the area around their nests. This behavior is called _______ and is an example of ___________ competition.
A)co-evolution, intraspecific
B)territoriality, intraspecific
C)commensalism, intraspecific
D)territoriality, interspecific
8
An example of primary productivity would be
A)a wild raspberry plant growing 30 grams of new leaf mass during a day of photosynthesis.
B)a young oriole growing 10 more grams of muscle during a feeding trip to a raspberry bush.
C)a young hawk growing 10 more grams of body mass by killing and eating a young oriole.
D)more than one of the above.
9
The complexity of a community is a function of
A)the diversity of the trophic structure.
B)the species diversity within the various trophic levels.
C)the number of trophic levels present.
D)more than one of the above.
10
Primary productivity is the direct result of
A)photosynthesis.
B)respiration.
C)grazers feeding on plants.
D)net primary productivity.
11
In ecology, tolerance limits refer to the maximum amount of hassling an individual organism will take before it strikes back.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
12
Organisms commonly develop new traits because they need them.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
13
Succession can produce changes in soil, degree of shade, available moisture, and species membership of a community.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
14
Development of an ecological community on a site previously devoid of life is called secondary succession.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
15
Some communities are prevented from reaching a true climax stage by periodic disruption by events such as fire.
A)TRUE
B)FALSE
16
The finches of the Galapagos Islands were particularly interesting to Darwin because
A)The birds lived together on the same islands
B)the birds were related but had been modified to survive under different conditions
C)they were all the same species but their beaks were different
D)they were more colorful than the mainland birds
17
Indicator species are important because
A)they suggest that a barren ecosystem will soon recover
B)they suggest the level of resilience an ecosystem will have
C)their presence indicates something about the ecosystem as a whole
D)All of the above
18
Species which are specialists
A)Have narrowly specific habitat requirements
B)Tend to have lower reproductive rates than generalists
C)Are very intolerant to environmental change
D)All of the above
19
Taxonomy is a branch of science which
A)Describes relationships among species
B)Allocates public funds for conservation efforts
C)Attempts to create new species in laboratories
D)None of the above
20
Diversity refers to
A)number of different species present
B)number of ecological niches
C)amount of genetic diversity
D)All of the above
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