WorksheetsFrom Molecules to Ecosystems - Module 4 Ecosystems
Total questions: 25
Worksheet time: 23mins
In biology, 'evolutionary fitness' means:
The number of offspring that organisms are able to produce
The ratio of an organism's muscle mass to its overall body mass
The speed at which different lineages of organisms diverge from each other
An individual's relative contribution to the next generation's gene pool
The carrying capacity of a population can be defined as:
The ability of a population to carry itself through periods of resource shortage and abundance
The theoretical number is reached when the number of births equals the number of deaths
The theoretical maximum number of individuals the environment can support
The theoretical number of individuals that a population can lose before it crashes
How do you find out the age of a bat?
Teeth, rings of cementum
Annuli, or opaque zones
Growth rings in the trunk
How do you find out the age of a fish?
Growth rings in the trunk
Annuli, or opaque zones
Teeth, rings of cementum
How do you find out the age of a tree?
Annuli, or opaque zones
Teeth, rings of cementum
Growth rings in the trunk
You have just discovered a new site that contains the fossilised remains of what appear to be several new species of dinosaur - congratulations! Which of the following species concepts would be most useful to understand how many species are represented:
Genetic species concept
Biological species concept
Morphological (Phenetic) species concept
Ecological species concept
From the image, which one of the following statements is correct:
Alpha diversity is higher in Area 1 than in Area 2
Beta diversity is higher in Area 1 than in Area 2
Gamma diversity is higher in Area 1 than in Area 2
Alpha and beta diversity are identical in both areas
What is Alpha diversity?
What is Beta diversity?
What is Gamma diversity?
The amount of energy passing through an ecosystem is determined by the:
Number of trophic levels in the ecosystem
Total number of plants and animals in the ecosystem
Biomass of producers in the ecosystem
Net primary productivity of the ecosystem
Select an example of mutualism (+/+)
Ticks and dogs
Bee and flower
Spiders in houses
Humans stepping on ants
Select an example of parasitism (+/-)
Fungi producing antibiotics
Plants fighting for light
Coral and nemo
Tapeworm
Select an example of competition (-/-)
Spiders in houses
Plants fighting for light, water and/or nutrients
Bee and flower
Fox and rabbit
Select an example of commensalism (+/0)
Spiders in houses
Ticks and dogs
Humans stepping on ants
Lichens
Select an example of amensalism (-/0)
Coral and nemo
Tapeworm
Mammals fighting for mates
Humans stepping on ants
Succession is a theory about how ecological communities change over time. Which of the following is the most important driver of succession?
The species assemblage that is present at any one time
The composition and availability of nutrients in soil
The composition of the 'climax community'
The capacity for new arrivals to establish
The term 'trophic cascade' has entered the ecological literature in recent years and continues to stimulate much research. The concept of a trophic cascade can be best understood as:
The effects of predators that propagate downwards through food webs across several trophic levels
The effects of predators that propagate upwards through food webs across several trophic levels
The effects of predators in driving down populations of their prey
The effects of predators in marine and freshwater systems
Which of the following correctly describes ecosystem stability?
When an ecosystem develops from simple to more complex
When an ecosystem maintains consistent species richness and composition
When an ecosystem relies on continual elemental cycling
When an ecosystem shifts through many ecologically similar species
Climate change is predicted to have many effects on living systems, one of which is the following:
Many species will shift their distributions to new areas
Species diversity will increase in tropical areas
Species in cold climates will become larger
Trophic cascades will weaken in tropical areas but strengthen elsewhere
Examples of 'ecological meltdowns' are being reported increasingly by conservation scientists. Which of the following would not be considered an ecological meltdown?
Sea level rise leading to the inundation of Pacific islands
The loss of 'engineer' species throughout most of inland Australia
Severe tropical storms knocking over large areas of rainforest trees
Avian mosquitoes establishing on the Hawaiian Islands
Define an 'ecological meltdown':
Most of Australia's threatened and extinct mammals weigh between 35 grams and 5.5 kilograms. Several factors are probably responsible, but the primary threat is likely to be:
Loss of forest habitat
Predation from introduced foxes and feral cats
Competition with introduced rabbits and hares
Overhunting by people
Conservation agencies in Australia often use the poison '1080' to reduce populations of the red fox. Which of the following statements is not correct:
1080 poison occurs naturally in several species of native Australian plants
1080 poison does not bioaccumulate in the tissues of animals that eat it
1080 poison is produced naturally in the tissues of several species of native Australian animals
1080 poison breaks down quickly in the environment if it is not eaten by animals
When feeding on open pastures, small flocks of geese increase in size more slowly than large flocks. This difference most probably arises because:
Geese are highly social and group together when conditions allow
Geese are neither social nor anti-social but conserve energy by huddling in groups
Large groups have more eyes for detecting threats such as predators
Flock size is correlated with the abundance of food: more food allows larger flocks to form
