Ecology

The Mississippi River has flooded acres of farm and riverbank areas due to snow melting. Four students are making a hypothesis about what will grow in the area first. Which student is most likely correct

• 3

• 1

• 2

• 4

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Which of the following natural disasters in an area would lead to primary succession? (choose 3)

• Flooding of an area

• Glacial weathering and erosion

• Large areas of fire

• Deposition of large sand dunes

• Volcanic lava deposits

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If paleontologists find fossils of many different species existing in the same area at approximately the same time, the paleontologists can conclude that the ecosystem in this area had a high degree of—

• biological diversity.

• geographic isolation.

• episodic speciation.

• climatic variation.

The arctic tundra is the least biodiverse ecosystem on Earth. How does an ecosystem’s biodiversity contribute to the sustainability to that ecosystem? (choose 3)

• The presences of fewer species increases each species’ genetic variation, ensuring genes get passed down.

• The presence of more species increases the chance that some organisms will be able to survive disasters.

• More genetic variation among a species can increase disease resistance.

• Greater varieties of carnivores require fewer fewer varieties of prey so that they can be specialized to hunt specific organisms.

• Greater varieties of herbivores ensure multiple food sources for predators in an ecosystem.

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Pioneer species are the first plants and organisms to start living in an area and include lichens, mosses, and some bacteria. What role do pioneer species play in primary and secondary succession?

• They prevent large predatory animal populations from eventually moving to a new area and over hunting.

• They overpopulate an area and help prevent invading species from establishing in the environment.

• They change the environment and make it more hospitable for a larger variety of organisms.

• They remove nutrients from the soil and help other new species of organism fight off disease.

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Which shows the correct order of succession, from first to last in an area consisting mostly of rock?

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The biodiversity of an ecosystem can affect which of the following? (choose 2)

• The life expectancy of apex predator

• The sustainability of populations

• The existence of genetic traits

• The stability of the ecosystem

• The climate and weather of the area

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• The bathypelagic zone, because it has organisms that can regenerate.

• The mesopelagic zone, because it has the largest apex predators.

• The hadalpelagic zone, because it has the least biodiversity.

• The epipelagic zone, because it has the greatest biodiversity.

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Which of the following is a community of plants that is relatively stable and has reached the end stage of ecological succession?

• Biome

• Intermediate forest

• Succession grassland

• Climax community

• The prairie ecosystem, because there are fewer organisms competing for food sources.

• The riverbank ecosystem, because most of the primary consumers have multiple food sources.

• The riverbank ecosystem, because there are quaternary consumers that serve as the apex predators.

• The prairie ecosystem, because there are only two apex predators sharing multiple food sources.

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