Ecology Exam 1 JSU 2025

Multiple Choice

Why are amphibians often considered an "environmental warning system" in ecosystems?

• Because they have thin skin and unprotected eggs, making them sensitive to pollutants

• Because they are the largest animals in their habitats

• Because they only live in water

• Because they do not interact with other species

Open Ended

Explain the difference between a keystone species and a dominant species, and discuss why removing a keystone species can have a dramatic effect on an ecosystem.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a type of resource partitioning described in the notes?

• Spatial

• Temporal

• Morphological

• Behavioral

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blank: According to the Theory of Island Biogeography, ________ islands that are ________ from the mainland have the lowest species richness.

Open Ended

Explain how the concepts of immigration and extinction interact to determine the number of species on an island.

Multiple Choice

What are the two main factors that influence species richness on islands according to the Theory of Island Biogeography?

• Island size and distance from source

• Predation and mutualism

• Weather and climate

• Resource partitioning and competition

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a critique of the Theory of Island Biogeography?

• It ignores species traits.

• It considers habitat diversity.

• It accounts for climate events.

• It models dynamic ecosystems accurately.

Multiple Choice

What is the main difference between weather and climate as described in the notes?

• Weather is long-term, climate is short-term.

• Weather is short-term, climate is long-term.

• Weather only affects plants, climate only affects animals.

• Weather and climate are the same.

Multiple Select

Which of the following statements about surface winds and wind belts are correct?

• Air flows from high to low pressure.

• The Coriolis effect causes winds to bend.

• Trade winds occur at the poles.

• Westerlies are found in the mid-latitudes.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT one of the three main climate zones per hemisphere?

• Tropical

• Temperate

• Polar

• Desert

Fill in the Blanks

The Coriolis effect is caused by Earth's

.

Open Ended

Why are rainforests found both at the equator and around 60° latitude?

Open Ended

Explain how El Niño and La Niña events affect weather patterns in South America and Indonesia.

Multiple Select

Which of the following are characteristics of deserts?

• Hot, dry climate

• Sparse plant life

• High biodiversity

• Many succulents store water

Multiple Choice

Which biome is characterized by abundant rain, high net primary productivity (NPP), and contains about 50% of Earth's species?

• Tropical Rainforest

• Desert

• Temperate Grassland

• Boreal Forest

Fill in the Blanks

The mechanism that drives plate tectonics is called

convection.

Open Ended

Explain the difference between a biogeographic realm and a biodiversity hotspot, and why each is important for conservation.

Multiple Select

What are two coping strategies organisms use to deal with environmental stress?

• Tolerance

• Avoidance

• Migration

• Competition

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of acclimatization in humans?

• Faster breathing and more red blood cells at high altitudes

• Development of new species over time

• Membranes solidifying at low temperatures

• Elephants spraying water for cooling

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a method by which plants manage heat and water?

• Transpiration through stomata

• Leaf reflectance due to pubescence

• Leaf size and roughness affecting boundary layer

• Photosynthesis increasing heat loss

Multiple Select

Which strategies do plants use for short-term acclimatization to heat?

• Open/close stomata

• Seasonal pubescence changes

• Adjust pubescence

• All of the above

Open Ended

Explain the difference between acclimatization and adaptation in the context of plant heat management.

Fill in the Blanks

Endotherms use metabolism (

) to generate heat.

Multiple Choice

What is the main reason why small animals lose heat faster than large animals?

• They have more fur

• They have a larger surface area-to-volume ratio

• They have less insulation

• They have higher metabolic rates

Open Ended

Describe how water moves from the soil to the air through a plant, including the roles of pressure potential, osmotic potential, and matric potential.

Open Ended

Reflecting on the concepts of keystone and dominant species, why might the removal of a keystone species cause greater ecosystem disruption than the removal of a dominant species?

Multiple Choice

How do human activities such as the use of pesticides and fertilizers impact amphibian populations, according to the case study?

• They strengthen amphibians' immune systems and reduce deformities.

• They have no effect on amphibian populations.

• They weaken amphibians' immune systems and increase deformities.

• They only affect amphibians' habitats, not their health.