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Chapter Chapter 37: Communities and Ecosystems
 
Chapter Quiz
 

1 .       A community consists of _____. (37.1) [Hint]

 both biotic and abiotic components
 potentially interacting populations
 all of the members of the same species found in the same general area
 organisms that potentially or actually interbreed
 similar community assemblages
2 .       When goats were introduced to an island off the California coast, the goats lived in the same areas and ate the same plants as the native deer. The deer population dwindled and finally disappeared. This is an example of _____. (37.2) [Hint]

 commensalism
 succession
 a food chain
 coevolution
 competitive exclusion
3 .       The niche of an animal is _____. (37.2) [Hint]

 the number of individuals of the species the environment will support
 the same as its habitat
 the way the animal fits into its environment
 its den or nest
 its position in the food chain
4 .       Two species of cuckoo doves live in a group of islands off the coast of New Guinea. Of 33 islands, 14 have one species, 6 have the other, 13 have neither, and none has both. What might best explain this? The two species of birds could ______. (37.2) [Hint]

 be on different trophic levels
 have similar niches
 have a mutualistic relationship
 have different niches
 be keystone predators
5 .       If the niches of two species are very similar, which one of the following is true? (37.2) [Hint]

 Interspecific competition will be mild.
 Competition between the two species will be severe.
 The two species are mutually interdependent.
 A mutualistic relationship will exist.
 Carrying capacity will be exceeded for both.
6 .       What type of population interaction benefits neither population? (37.2) [Hint]

 predation
 parasitism
 competition
 mutualism
 herbivory
7 .       Flounder look like the sea floor. This is an example of _____. (37.3) [Hint]

 Müllerian mimicry
 warning coloration
 character displacement
 cryptic coloration
 Batesian mimicry
8 .       Which of the following is an example of mimicry? (37.3) [Hint]

 An insect's bright colors warn a predator that it tastes bad.
 The mottled pattern on a fish looks like dead leaves on the bottom of a pond.
 Two species of mice live in the same area and eat the same kinds of seeds.
 A harmless frog resembles a poisonous frog.
 Both kangaroo rats and jackrabbits hop erratically when escaping from predators.
9 .       The flower fly resembles a honeybee, but the flower fly has no stinger. This is an example of _____. (37.3) [Hint]

 Batesian mimicry
 Müllerian mimicry
 cryptic coloration
 interspecific competition
 none of the above
10 .       The poison-arrow frogs (genus Dendrobates) of tropical America are all brightly colored and have very similar patterns. Each species is distasteful to predators and all possess toxic skin secretions, although some of the species live quite separate from the others. The adaptive relationship among these species is best termed _____. (37.3) [Hint]

 cryptic coloration
 parasitism
 commensalism
 Batesian mimicry
 Müllerian mimicry
11 .       The term used to describe a harmless organism resembling a harmful one is __________. (37.3) [Hint]

 resemblance
 Batesian mimicry
 warning coloration
 cryptic
 Müllerian mimicry
12 .       In Paine's study of the intertidal zone on the coast of Washington State, he found that _____. (37.4) [Hint]

 competitive exclusion inevitably reduced species richness
 mutualism among prey species maintained species diversity
 the mussel Mytilus preyed on the sea star Pisaster
 the presence of a keystone predator maintained community diversity
 resource partitioning allowed otherwise competing species to coexist
13 .       A species of malaria-carrying mosquito lives in a forest in which two species of monkeys, A and B, coexist. Species A is immune to malaria, but species B is not. The malaria-carrying mosquito is the chief food for a particular kind of bird in the forest. If all these birds were suddenly eliminated by hunters, which of the following would be an immediately observable consequence? (37.4) [Hint]

 increased mortality (death rate) in monkey species A
 increased mortality in monkey species B
 increased mortality in the malaria-carrying mosquitoes
 emergence of malaria-resistant strains in monkey species B
 emergence of malaria-sensitive strains in monkey species A
14 .       Keystone species are those species _____. (37.4) [Hint]

 whose absence would cause major disruption in an ecosystem
 that live primarily on or under rocks and stones
 that have provided key foods and medicines
 with the largest number of individuals in an ecosystem
 that none of the above applies to
15 .       A tick has what type of relationship with a dog? (37.6) [Hint]

 agonistic
 competitive
 commensal
 parasitic
 mutualistic
16 .       The relationship between species A and species B is described as commensalism. This means that _____. (37.6) [Hint]

 both species suffer
 one species benefits and the other species suffers
 both species benefit
 one species benefits and the other species is unaffected
 any of the above is possible in commensalism
17 .       Lichen is actually composed of two organisms: a fungus and an alga. They depend on each other for survival. The most specific term that describes their relationship is _____. (37.6) [Hint]

 parasitism
 predation
 commensalism
 symbiosis
 mutualism
18 .       Certain species of acacia trees in Central and South America have hollow thorns that house stinging ants, which attack anything that touches the tree. The ants feed on nutrients produced by the acacias. This is an example of _____. (37.6) [Hint]

 mutualism
 parasitism
 predation
 competitive exclusion
 intraspecific competition
19 .       If the larvae (juvenile offspring) of a particular species of mosquito are to survive to the adult stage, the eggs must be laid in the trapped pool of water of the northern pitcher plant. The mosquito larvae provide no apparent benefit or harm to the pitcher plant. This type of interaction is an example of _____. (37.6) [Hint]

 commensalism
 parasitism
 competition
 predation
 mutualism
20 .       Which of the following best illustrates ecological succession? (37.7) [Hint]

 A mouse eats seeds, and an owl eats the mouse.
 Decomposition in soil releases nitrogen that plants can use.
 Grass grows on a sand dune, then shrubs, and then trees.
 Imported pheasants increase, while local quail disappear.
 Overgrazing causes a loss of nutrients from soil.
21 .       After clear-cutting, timber companies cannot afford to wait for the long process of _____ to occur naturally; they plant trees right away. (37.7) [Hint]

 mutualism
 succession
 coevolution
 decomposition
 competitive exclusion
22 .       The current view of succession is _____. (37.7) [Hint]

 that it occurs as a linear sequence and inevitably moves to a climax community
 that disturbance is inevitable
 that it ends once the climax community is established
 that disturbances adversely affect ecosystems
 none of the above
23 .       Succession of communities occurs because _____. (37.7) [Hint]

 each existing community changes the environment
 climatic changes lead to reduced water availability
 most populations have a limited life span and die making room for others
 resources in an area are limited
 of none of the above
24 .       In an ecosystem, almost all of the incoming energy will eventually be _____. (37.9) [Hint]

 transferred from one trophic level to the next
 transferred to the decomposers
 radiated from Earth as heat energy
 used in photosynthesis
 all of the above are correct
25 .       The main detritivores in an ecosystem are _____. (37.10) [Hint]

 plants and animals
 prokaryotes and animals
 fungi and prokaryotes
 prokaryotes and plants
 plants and fungi
26 .       When you eat a lettuce salad, you are a _____. (37.10) [Hint]

 primary consumer
 carnivore
 producer
 secondary consumer
 tertiary consumer
27 .       Herbivores are _____. (37.10) [Hint]

 primary consumers
 secondary consumers
 producers
 decomposers
 detritivores
28 .       Photosynthetic organisms are called __________. (37.10) [Hint]

 autotrophs
 heterotrophs
 herbivores
 carnivores
 consumers
29 .       Which of the following is a producer? (37.10) [Hint]

 detritivores
 shrimp
 poison ivy
 lions
 humans
30 .       When you eat an apple, you are a _____. (37.10) [Hint]

 primary consumer
 carnivore
 producer
 secondary consumer
 tertiary consumer
31 .       Consider this segment of a food web: Snails and grasshoppers eat pepper plants; spiders eat grasshoppers; shrews eat snails and spiders; owls eat shrews. The snail occupies the trophic level(s) of _____. (37.10) [Hint]

 a primary consumer
 a secondary consumer
 a tertiary consumer
 primary and secondary consumers
 secondary and tertiary consumers
32 .       A study of metabolic rates in a terrestrial community showed that the energy released by respiration exceeded the energy captured in photosynthesis. Which one of the following situations is most likely? (37.11) [Hint]

 Community biomass is decreasing.
 Community biomass is increasing.
 A climax community has been reached.
 The first law of thermodynamics (energy is conserved) is not in effect.
 The second law of thermodynamics (in a closed system, there is a general tendency toward disorder) is not in effect.
33 .       Most of the solar energy that reaches Earth _____. (37.11) [Hint]

 is used by plants for photosynthesis
 is not captured for use by living things
 is continually recycled by ecosystems
 is trapped by greenhouse gases
 causes sunburn
34 .       Which one of the following best describes the base of a pyramid of production? [Hint]

 Its size depends on the energy available from detritivores.
 It contains the energy left after the producers have died.
 It represents the energy available to secondary consumers.
 It contains the energy captured by photosynthesis.
 It receives energy from the primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers.
35 .       In any food chain, the top level of consumers is quaternary (fourth). Why are there almost never any fifth-level consumers? (37.13) [Hint]

 Consumers tend to eat a broad variety of prey and so we have food webs rather than food chains.
 Quaternary consumers are too large and fierce to be prey for other animals.
 The fourth-level consumers are already occupying the best territories.
 There is not enough available energy to sustain a fifth level.
 All of the above are correct.
36 .       In the transition from each trophic level of the food chain to the next trophic level, there is about a _____. (37.13) [Hint]

 80–95% gain of energy
 2% gain of energy
 80–95% loss of energy
 2% loss of energy
 5–20% loss of energy
37 .       In ecosystems, organisms at the highest trophic levels usually contain less collective biomass than the organisms at lower trophic levels because _____. (37.13) [Hint]

 organisms are inefficient at converting the energy they consume into biomass
 biomass shrinks as it rises
 top-level predators use so much energy to catch their food
 producers (for example, plants) tend to be heavier than consumers (for example, birds)
 most of the solar energy hitting Earth is reflected or re-radiated into space
38 .       Why is a diagram of energy flow from trophic level to trophic level shaped like a pyramid? (37.13) [Hint]

 Organisms at each level store most of the energy and pass little on.
 There are more producers than primary consumers, and so on.
 Organisms eventually die as they get older.
 Most energy at each level is lost, leaving little for the next.
 Secondary consumers are larger than primary consumers, and so on.
39 .       The relationship between biomass and primary productivity is that _____. (37.13) [Hint]

 biomass is the rate of primary productivity
 biomass is the inverse of primary productivity
 biomass is the natural log of primary productivity
 primary productivity is the inverse of biomass
 primary productivity is the rate at which biomass is produced
40 .       In an ecosystem, the _____ is always greater than the _____. (37.13) [Hint]

 number of producers ... number of primary consumers
 biomass of secondary consumers ... biomass of producers
 energy used by primary consumers ... energy used by secondary consumers
 biomass of producers ... biomass of primary consumers
 energy used by primary consumers ... energy used by producers
41 .       In general, the biomass in an ecosystem will be greatest at the trophic level comprising _______. (37.13) [Hint]

 producers
 herbivores
 primary consumers
 tertiary consumers
 secondary consumers
42 .       The biggest difference between the flow of energy and the flow of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem is that _____. (37.15) [Hint]

 the amount of energy is much greater than the amount of nutrients
 energy is recycled, but nutrients are not
 organisms always need nutrients, but they don't always need energy
 nutrients are recycled, but energy is not
 organisms always need energy, but they don't always need nutrients
43 .       Which of the following statements is correct? (37.16) [Hint]

 Over land, evaporation exceeds transpiration and precipitation.
 Over land, evaporation and transpiration exceed precipitation.
 Over oceans, transpiration exceeds precipitation.
 Over oceans, evaporation exceeds precipitation.
 Most of Earth's water can be found in living systems.
44 .       The global water cycle supports a net flow of atmospheric water vapor _____. (37.16) [Hint]

 from the oceans to land
 from land to the oceans
 from polar to tropical regions
 from tropical to polar regions
 from unforested to forested biomes
45 .       Transpiration is part of the _____ cycle. (37.16) [Hint]

 water
 carbon
 nitrogen
 phosphorus
 Transpiration is part of all of these cycles.
46 .       The average global temperature is relatively high because carbon dioxide and other gases trap the longer wavelengths of infrared light (heat) and prevent them from radiating back into space. This is known as _____. (37.16) [Hint]

 acid precipitation
 the ozone hole
 the green revolution
 the slash-and-burn effect
 the greenhouse effect
47 .       Local conditions such as heavy rainfall or the removal of plants may limit the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, or calcium available to a particular ecosystem, but the amount of carbon available to the system is seldom a problem. Why? (37.19) [Hint]

 Organisms do not need very much carbon.
 Plants can make their own carbon using water and sunlight.
 Plants are much better at absorbing carbon from the soil.
 Many nutrients come from the soil, but carbon comes from the air.
 Symbiotic bacteria help plants capture carbon.
48 .       Three or four of the following processes are key parts of the carbon cycle. Which one, if any, is NOT a key part of the carbon cycle? (37.17) [Hint]

 return of CO2 to the atmosphere by microbial respiration in soils
 assimilation of atmospheric CO2 by plant photosynthesis
 return of CO2 to the atmosphere by animal and plant respiration
 breakdown by decomposers of carbon-containing dead plants and animals
 All of the above processes are key parts of the carbon cycle.
49 .       In the global carbon cycle, carbon flows from heterotrophs to autotrophs in the form of _____. (37.17) [Hint]

 carbon dioxide
 sugars
 carbohydrates
 ozone
 none of the above
50 .       Which one of the following is NOT true of the nitrogen cycle? (37.18) [Hint]

 It requires different types of bacteria at various stages.
 Nitrogen gas is converted to nitrates in plant leaves.
 Nitrogen is cycled through living organisms.
 Nitrogen is a component of all proteins.
 Atmospheric nitrogen is unavailable to plants.
51 .       Bacteria are especially important in making ______ available to plants. (37.18) [Hint]

 water
 nitrogen
 carbon
 phosphorus
 energy
52 .       The direct product of nitrogen fixation is _____. (37.18) [Hint]

 NH4+
 NO2-
 NO3-
 NH3
 N2
53 .       Nitrification is the conversion of _____. (37.18) [Hint]

 NO3-
 N2 to NH3
 organic nitrogen into NH4+
 NH3 in the soil to atmospheric NH3
 NH4+ into NO3-
54 .       The major source of nitrogen for most nonagricultural plants is _____. (37.18) [Hint]

 nitrates in the soil
 N2 gas in the air
 proteins
 ammonium in the soil
 rainfall
55 .       Atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is replenished through the process of __________ by __________. (37.18) [Hint]

 nitrification ... bacteria
 nitrogen fixation ... bacteria
 decomposition ... fungi and bacteria
 denitrification ... bacteria
 erosion ... water
56 .       Which one of the following is NOT true of the nitrogen cycle? (37.18) [Hint]

 It requires different types of bacteria.
 Plants can take in and use atmospheric nitrogen through their leaves.
 Nitrogen needs to be cycled through living organisms.
 When plants and animals die, their nitrogen is recycled.
 None of the above statements is true.
57 .       Some bacteria in the _____ cycle are symbiotic with the roots of legumes. (37.18) [Hint]

 water
 carbon
 nitrogen
 phosphorus
 oxygen
58 .       Nitrogen gas makes up nearly 80% of Earth's atmosphere, yet nitrogen is often a limiting factor for plant growth. Why? (37.18) [Hint]

 The atmospheric form of nitrogen cannot be used by plants.
 Atmospheric nitrogen dissolves readily in the soil but is washed out with every rainfall.
 Plants use nitrogen faster than it can be recycled back into the atmosphere.
 Nitrifying bacteria remove usable nitrogen from the soil more rapidly than plants can absorb it.
 Plants must absorb nitrogen through their roots, which are not in contact with the atmosphere.
59 .       The phosphorus cycle lacks a(n) _____ component. (37.19) [Hint]

 atmospheric
 organic
 mineral
 aquatic
 organic and gaseous
60 .       The Hubbard Brook study has shown that _____. (37.20) [Hint]

 deforestation decreases water runoff
 deforestation increases rainfall
 deforestation decreases the probability of the eutrophication of lakes downstream from the watershed
 acid precipitation promotes the loss of calcium from the soil
 deforestation promotes the retention of nitrates by the ecosystem
61 .       Eutrophication (excessive algal growth resulting in decreased concentrations of dissolved O2) in lakes is frequently the direct result of _____. (37.21) [Hint]

 nutrient enrichment (nitrate and phosphate runoffs from land)
 industrial poisons
 a diminished supply of nitrates and phosphates
 an increase in predators
 none of these
62 .       Various materials necessary for the existence of ecosystems are said to cycle through those systems. Which of these is the primary limiting resource for algae in freshwater lakes? (37.21) [Hint]

 water
 phosphorus
 nitrogen
 carbon
 more than one of these answers is correct
63 .       The "zoned reserve" concept calls for _____. (37.21) [Hint]

 many small interconnected nature preserves
 protected areas to be surrounded by transitional areas
 bioremediation
 assisting the movement of individuals from a source to a sink population
 the poisoning of nonnative species to facilitate a return to the natural ecosystem