Correct answers are given as the first option after each question (i.e., preceded by "AA S"); when figures were used, I've tried to give some feedback following the correct answer to help you remember the problem (the figures are not posted).
ALSO NOTE: subscripts are denoted by some odd coding....e.g., N(with a subscript 1) is written:
N//1/*
QQ Which of the following causes the Earth's seasons?
AA S (1) the tilt of the Earth's axis
(2) global wind patterns
(3) ocean currents
(4) changes in the Earth's distance from the sun
(5) global air circulation
QQ Refer to Figure 1. Which of the survivorship curves is
impossible (i.e., cannot actually occur)?
AA S (1) d (this was the choice that went down and then back up)
(2) b
(3) c
(4) a
(5) e
QQ Which of the following would be most helpful in solving the
world's environmental problems?
AA S (1) decreased human birth rates
(2) new energy sources
(3) increased taxes devoted to national parks
(4) more food from the oceans
(5) increased agricultural productivity
QQ All of the following have contributed to the growth of the human
population EXCEPT
AA S (1) environmental degradation.
(2) improved nutrition.
(3) vaccines.
(4) pesticides.
(5) improved sanitation.
QQ As population size (N) approaches the population's carrying
capacity (K), which of the following is predicted by the logistic
equation?
AA S (1) The growth rate will approach zero.
(2) The growth rate will not change.
(3) The population will show an Allee effect.
(4) The population will increase exponentially.
(5) The carrying capacity of the environment will increase.
QQ Consider several populations of bluegill sunfish that have equal
population size and the same net reproductive rate (i.e., R//0*).
Which population will have the greatest annual growth rate?
AA S (1) The one with the shortest generation time.
(2) The one in which survival is maximized.
(3) The one in which females live to the oldest age.
(4) The one in which females lay the most eggs per year.
(5) They will have the same growth rates because R//0*'s are equal.
QQ Assume that a population grows according to the logistic model,
and has a carrying capacity of 1000 individuals per acre. In
theory, at what density should you strive to maintain this
population in order realize the maximum sustainable yield?
AA S (1) 500.
(2) 100.
(3) 250.
(4) Close to 0, where intraspecific competition is lowest.
(5) 1000.
QQ In a lake, 15 species of invertebrates were reduced to eight
after one species was removed. The species removed was probably:
AA S (1) a keystone predator.
(2) a community integrator.
(3) an herbivore.
(4) a resource partitioner.
(5) a large competitor that used a lot of space.
QQ Based on the inhibition model for succession, how can you best
characterize early colonists?
AA S (1) good dispersers that prevent establishment by other species.
(2) poor dispersers but good competitors.
(3) good dispersers that have little effect on other species.
(4) good dispersers that are invulnerable to predators.
(5) poor dispersers that are invulnerable to predators.
QQ Which of the following is the most plausible example of
coevolution:
AA S (1) hummingbirds and trumpet vines.
(2) polar bears and white rabbits.
(3) coral reefs and tropical rain forests.
(4) bird wings and fish fins.
(5) any two species that share a common ancestor.
QQ According to the competitive exclusion principle, two species
cannot coexist unless they
AA S (1) are limited by different resources.
(2) are of different body size.
(3) have different carrying capacities.
(4) have different intrinsic growth rates (r).
(5) come from a monophyletic group.
QQ According to the theory of island biogeography, which of the
following islands would have the greatest number of species:
AA S (1) a large island near the mainland.
(2) a small island far from the mainland.
(3) a large island far from the mainland.
(4) a small island near the mainland.
(5) an intermediate sized island at an intermediate distance.
QQ All of the following act to increase species diversity EXCEPT
AA S (1) competitive exclusion.
(2) keystone predators.
(3) patchy environments.
(4) moderate disturbances.
(5) migration between different habitats or patch types.
QQ Changes in population size depend upon rates of
AA S (1) all of these.
(2) births.
(3) emigration.
(4) immigration.
(5) deaths.
QQ The most reasonable method of limiting human population growth is
AA S (1) decreasing birth rate.
(2) increasing carrying capacity.
(3) decreasing competition.
(4) increasing death rate.
(5) exploiting outer space.
QQ A population will decline in size if
AA S (1) its per capita growth rate (dN/Ndt) is less than 0.
(2) N is greater than K/2.
(3) it grows logistically.
(4) predation occurs.
(5) it is not growing exponentially.
QQ At several times in the history of a butterfly population,
tremendous storms killed many of the adult butterflies. In 1980,
when the population size (N) was 1000, the storm killed 500; in
1985, when N=200, 100 butterflies were killed, and in 1990, when
N=1600, approximately 800 were killed. The storm caused mortality
that was:
AA S (1) density-independent.
(2) density-dependent.
(3) regulating.
(4) compensatory.
(5) stabilizing.
QQ A density-dependent factor that will lead to population
regulation must cause per capita growth rate to:
AA S (1) decrease as population size increases.
(2) increase as population size increases.
(3) decrease as r increases.
(4) increase as r increases.
(5) remain constant despite changes in N.
QQ Refer to Figure 2. In this population, the annual survivorship
of young individuals is __________ the annual survivorship of older
individuals.
AA S (1) greater than (this figure showed a type III survivorship curve)
(2) less than
(3) the same as
(4) cannot be answered because log axes are used
(5) half as good as
QQ The age-structure for rapidly growing populations
AA S (1) has a very broad base showing a large number of young.
(2) is biased in favor of older individuals.
(3) has a narrow base, showing a paucity of young.
(4) has about equal distribution among all age groups.
(5) can never be stable.
QQ In the food chain, grass --- rabbit --- eagle (rabbits eat grass
and eagles eat rabbits), the interaction between the grass and
eagle is
AA S (1) an indirect effect that is a mutualism.
(2) competition.
(3) predation.
(4) parasitism.
(5) an indirect effect that has negative implications for both.
QQ Which of the following statements about predation is true?
AA S (1) All of these.
(2) It can cause extinction of a prey species within a community.
(3) It can prevent extinction of a prey species within a community.
(4) None of these.
(5) It can result in an increase in species diversity within a
community.
QQ Which of the following represent an early stage in primary
succession?
AA S (1) moss and lichens on bare rock
(2) pine trees
(3) weedy annual plants in an open field
(4) climax species in succession
(5) all of these.
QQ Most of the energy consumed by a herbivore:
AA S (1) will be respired or eliminated as fecal material.
(2) will be converted into biomass.
(3) will be used for growth of the herbivore.
(4) will be passed on to the animal that feeds upon it.
(5) will be used to produce offspring of the herbivore.
QQ The windward side of a mountain range
AA S (1) is subjected to high precipitation levels.
(2) supports arid types of vegetation typical of a desert.
(3) is located in a rain shadow.
(4) is protected from the effects of the wind.
(5) has a similar climate and vegetation as the leeward side.
QQ Given the following models of population growth for Sp. 1 and 2,
what is the nature of the interaction between Sp. 1 and 2:
dN//1*/N//1*dt = .15 - .1(N//1*)- .05(N//2*)
dN//2*/N//2*dt = -.03 + .001(N//1*)
AA S (1) Species 2 is the predator of Species 1.
(2) Species 1 is the predator of Species 2.
(3) Species 1 and 2 compete for a limiting resource.
(4) Species 1 and 2 are mutualists.
(5) Species 1 and 2 exhibit interference competition.
QQ Given the birth and death rates indicated in Figure 3, what will
the eventual density of the population be if the system is started
with an initial density of 20 individuals?
AA S (1) 10 (the figure showed a constant per capita birth rate (b) , and a death rate than started below b, was equal to b at N=10, remained above b until N=30, was below b until N approached 55 and was then above b for N>55).
(2) 30
(3) 55
(4) 0
(5) the population will increase without bound.
QQ Refer to Figure 4. What is the eventual state of the system
initiated with N1 and N2 as indicated by the 'X'?
AA S (1) N//1*=40; N//2*=40 (figure 4 gave the case of stable coexistence).
(2) N//1*=50; N//2*=0
(3) N//1*=0; N//2*=50
(4) N//1*=0; N//2*=100
(5) N//1*=100; N//2*=0
QQ Refer to Figure 4. In this example, the two competition
coefficients (the "alphas") are equal. What is their value?
AA S (1) 0.5 (this could be obtained by seeing that the K's were equal to 100 (i.e., the intercepts of each species isocline on its own axis) and noting that the intercepts on the other species axis was equal to 50).
(2) 1.0
(3) 2.0
(4) 0.8
(5) 0.4
QQ Given the phase-plane diagram in Figure 5, what are the likely
dynamics of the system started at the 'X'?
AA S (1) d (species 1 "wins"; it goes to it's K (100) and Species 2 goes extinct)
(2) a
(3) b
(4) c
(5) e
QQ Algal species 1 and 2 are both limited by nitrogen.
r//1*=.11/day, K//1*=100 cells/liter, r//2*=.25/day, and K//2*=200
cells/liter. In single species cultures, species 1 takes 100 days
to reach its K, at which time the concentration of available
nitrogen is 2mg/liter; Species 2 takes 75 days, at which time
nitrogen availability is 4mg/liter. What will happen when the two
species are grown together?
AA S (1) Species 2 extinct; Species 1 at 100 cells/liter.
(2) Species 1 extinct; Species 2 at 200.
(3) Both species extinct.
(4) Species 1 at 100 cell/liter; Species 2 at 200 cells/liter.
(5) cannot answer question without knowing the 'alphas'.
QQ Most faculty in the Botany and Zoology departments at UF are
expected to:
AA S (1) do all of these.
(2) teach undergraduates.
(3) train graduate students.
(4) conduct research and publish the results.
(5) provide other service to the university and their profession.
QQ Refer to the population projection indicated in Figure 6.
Individuals in this population only reproduce at age 3. Use this
information to determine the survivorship and fecundity schedules,
and estimate R//0*. R//0* is:
AA S (1) equal to 1. (follow a cohort to get lx (1.0, .4, .2, .1, 0) and note the number of young and divide it by the number of three year olds to get b3=10); thus R0=1 =(.1 x 10 (all other terms are 0));
(2) less than 1.
(3) greater than 1.
(4) fluctuating in value.
(5) can't be determined from the information supplied.
QQ In the intertidal, upper distributional limits are often set by
tolerance to extreme physical conditions. Lower distributional
limits are often found to be determined by:
AA S (1) biotic factors such as predation and competition.
(2) susceptibility to drowning (caused by tidal influx).
(3) abiotic factors such as disturbance caused by boulder turnover.
(4) dispersal ability.
(5) all of these.
QQ If a population's survivorship and fecundity schedule remain
constant, it will eventually achieve a stable age-distribution.
When this happens, the population will
AA S (1) grow exponentially.
(2) grow according to the logistic model.
(3) be at its carrying capacity.
(4) have a birth rate that exceeds its death rate.
(5) have a death rate that exceeds its birth rate.