Ecology Questions

A group of organisms that can mate with each other and produce offspring that can also mate and reproduce is called a species.

Since 1960, pesticide use had risen ___ times worldwide

Leaf litter can help prevent what type of erosion on forest floors?

A soil with very little leaching is said to have good ___________ capacity.

What is the purpose of keeping garden soil covered with grass or other organic material?

Which horizon of soil contains leaves, twigs, seeds, and other ORGANIC materials?

Sustainable organic farming usually requires support of the __________.

On which part of the carbon cycle have humans had the greatest impact?capture of atmospheric CO2 by chemical weathering of rocksdeposition of organic carbon in deep sea sedimentsstorage of CO2 through biomineralization in the oceansAll of these choices are correct.return of CO2 to the atmosphere by oxidation of ancient organic matter

There is a giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum named Washington (after George Washington) that was believed to be the second largest tree in the world (at 253.7 ft in height!) until it was struck by lightning in 2003. The lightning strike caused a fire at the top of the tree that reduced Washington's height to about 229 feet. The fire released carbon that had been sequestered in wood into the environment in the form of:sugar.CO2.heat.ash.air.

If all terrestrial autotrophs were removed from the planet, how would this alter the rate of carbon cycling on Earth?The rate of carbon cycling would decrease because there could be no terrestrial animals without plants supporting higher trophic levels.The rate of carbon cycling would remain the same because microorganisms would liberate carbon faster into the atmosphere.The rate of carbon cycling would decrease because the link between primary consumers and primary producers would be eliminated.The rate of carbon cycling would increase because marine primary producers would be able to use all the sunlight and not have to compete with terrestrial plants for light.

Recall that sedimentary rocks, living organisms, oceans, and soil are all carbon reservoirs. If the carbon in each of these reservoirs was instantly transformed into atmospheric CO2, which reservoirs would contribute the most CO2 to the atmosphere?soilliving organismssedimentary rocksoceans

An individual's ecological footprint is equivalent to:the total amount of energy used by that individual.the total amount of carbon emissions from that individual's car.All of these choices are correct.the amount of land required to provide all the resources used by that individual.the total amount of food consumed by that individual.

Carbon is returned to the atmosphere through:photosynthesis in plants.storage of carbohydrates in animals.photosynthesis in marine algae.decomposition of detritus by fungi.

The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be transformed from one state to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. Taking this into consideration, what can be said about the energy transferred between levels in a trophic pyramid?All of the energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next. Components that have no energy, such as light, are used to create the energy in the chemical bonds of carbohydrates.Organisms at higher trophic levels consume only the energy they need from lower trophic levels. This leaves a "bank" of energy in lower trophic levels to support higher trophic levels when food is scarce.Some of the energy in a trophic level is converted to heat and is unavailable to the next level of the trophic pyramid.Some of the energy is held in one trophic level, and only the energy needed to support the smaller biomass at a higher level is transferred.All of the energy necessary for a trophic level is transferred to it from the trophic level below it. Because there is less biomass at each successive trophic level, less energy needs to be transferred at each successive level.

We think of termites as insects that eat wood. However, termites cannot digest the wood and rely on a variety of eukaryotic and prokaryotic gut microbes to digest cellulose. Without the microbes, the termites will still ingest wood but will starve. This, then, is an example of a(n);obligate mutualism.obligate antagonism.facultative mutualism.facultative antagonism.None of the answer options is correct.

Measuring its costs and benefits in terms of energy spent and/or gained, predation:is a lose-lose interaction.results in gain for both individuals.results in a gain for one individual and a loss for the other.results in a gain for one individual and neither a gain nor a loss for the other.None of the answer options is correct.

If an ecologist does a field count of the number of mice in a space that is six hectares, the ecologist is calculating the:population distribution.population size.population density.population cycle.

Tropical leafcutter ants collect leaf cuttings which they transport to special underground chambers. There, the ants chew the leaves to create nursery beds on which the ants grow a species of fungus they use for food. When ant queens disperse to establish new colonies, they carry the fungus with them, dispersing it as well (this benefits the fungus). In the ants' new nests, the fungus is at risk of being destroyed by another fungal species that is able to grow in the habitat, using the same limited resources. On their bodies, the ants carry and provide a home for bacteria that produces antibiotics the ants use to kill the newly encountered fungus and thereby protect their food supply. In this system, the relationship between the leafcutter ants and their fundal food species is:interspecific competition.mutualism.predation.parasitism.commensalism.

What is an example of a Density Independent Factor?

What would a logistic growth graph look like?