Community Ecology Quiz

What is the Competitive Exclusion Principle?

• The principle that states that competition is the natural order of things

• The principle that states that two species cannot live indefinitely in the same habitat

• The principle that states that all resources are limiting

• The principle that states that species can coexist without competition

What is an ecological niche?

• The sum of all resources that a species uses in its environment

• The process of resource partitioning

• The ideal situation where a species has no competition

• The lifestyle of a species that avoids competitive exclusion

What did Robert MacArthur discover about warblers?

• They occupy the exact same niche and are an exception to the Competitive Exclusion Principle

• They have different foraging, nesting, and mating habits to avoid competition

• They can coexist without partitioning resources

• They have similar traits that facilitate competition

What is character displacement?

• When traits associated with competition are selected favorably

• When species join forces to avoid competition

• When similar species settle into separate niches to coexist

• When species form mutualistic relationships

What is an example of mutualism?

• Flowering plants producing nectar to attract pollinators

• Barnacles hitchhiking on gray whales

• Weeds competing with sunflowers for nutrients

• Sharks competing for water in the ocean

What is an example of commensalism?

• Mycorrhizae forming a symbiotic relationship with plant roots

• Termites relying on microorganisms to break down cellulose

• Barnacles hitchhiking on gray whales

• Finches specializing in eating different seeds

Why isn't all of earth just a constant competition and extinction?

• Not all resources are limiting

• Most species are adaptable enough to find a way to survive in the face of competition

• Species find ecological niches to avoid competitive exclusion

• All of the above

What is the ultimate form of conflict-avoidance in interspecies interaction?

• Mutualism

• Commensalism

• Character displacement

• Predation

What is an example of character displacement in nature?

• Darwin's finches on the Galapagos Islands

• Polar bears in the Arctic

• Finch species on the Galapagos Islands

• Kangaroos in Australia

What is the role of predation in maintaining ecological balance?

• Predation has no role in maintaining ecological balance.

• Predation leads to overpopulation of prey species.

• Predation disrupts the food chain and causes ecological imbalance.

• Predation helps control prey population and maintain ecological balance.