Biology 112 – Introduction to Ecology
Session:
Section:
Class Location:
Days / Time:
Instructor:
Spring 2011
55244 3 Units
NVC 838
W 6:00 PM – 8:50 PM
RIDDELL
3. Ecosystems and Energy
1. Organs are organized into:
A. tissues
B. an entire organism
C. body sytems.
D. cells
2. In which of Earth's physical environments would you find an earthworm, a mole and bacteria?
A. atmosphere
B. microsphere
C. hydrosphere
D. lithosphere
3. When a bird eats an insect, this food is digested in the bird's body. This illustrates:
A. how energy can change from one form to another
B. a closed system
C. how thermal energy is converted to electrical energy
D. the concept of entropy decreasing over time
4. Why must plants photosynthesize and animals eat food?
A. They require a constant input of carbon dioxide.
B. They require a constant supply of chlorophyll.
C. They require a constant input of energy.
D. all of these
5. What materials are needed by plants in photosynthesis?
A. glucose, oxygen
B. carbon dioxide, water
C. glucose, water
D. carbon dioxide, oxygen
6. The first law of thermodynamics states:
A. the total energy content of an organism and its surroundings is always the same
B. some energy is changed to heat energy that is released into cooler surroundings
C. the amount of useable energy available to do work in the universe decreases over time
D. entropy is continuously increasing in the universe
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Document1
Biology 112 – Introduction to Ecology
Session:
Section:
Class Location:
Days / Time:
Instructor:
Spring 2011
55244 3 Units
NVC 838
W 6:00 PM – 8:50 PM
RIDDELL
7. In an ecosystem, which organisms form the second trophic level?
A. producers
B. primary consumers
C. secondary consumers
D. decomposers
8. Why are scientists concerned about thinning of the ozone layer over Antarctica?
A. The amount of ice pack is decreasing.
B. The baleen whale population has decreased.
C. Algal productivity has declined.
D. all of these
9.
Inverted pyramids of numbers are often observed in what type of organisms?
A. carnivores
B. marine mammals
C. grassland herbivores
D. parasites
10. Of the following, which ecosystem on land has the highest NPP or net primary productivity?
A. deciduous forests
B. tundra
C. tropical rain forest
D. grassland
11. A group of similar organisms whose members freely interbreed with one another in the wild to
produce fertile offspring is a(n):
A. species
B. sub-species
C. variety
D. clone
12. Of the following, what type of aquatic community is the most complex and has the greatest number
of species?
A. fresh water lake
B. intertidal zone of ocean
C. coral reef
D. salt marsh
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Document1
Biology 112 – Introduction to Ecology
Session:
Section:
Class Location:
Days / Time:
Instructor:
Spring 2011
55244 3 Units
NVC 838
W 6:00 PM – 8:50 PM
RIDDELL
13. Peter Vitousek that while humans make up ____ of the Earth's consumer biomass, they consume
______ of the annual land-based NPP.
A. 0.5 %; 32%
B. 0.5%; 65%
C. 1.0%; 50%
D. 3.2%; 65%
14. Which of the following is not one of the Earth's four realms?
A. atmosphere
B. lithosphere
C. geosphere
D. hydrosphere
4. Ecosystems and Living Organisms
15. Evolutionary modification that improves the chances of survival and reproductive success of a
population in its environment is:
A. adaptation
B. competition
C. selection
D. succession
16. Minerals, air, water and sunlight are what type of environmental factor?
A. primary
B. secondary
C. biotic
D. abiotic
17. The curved bill of a Hawaiian honeycreeper lets it sip nectar from flowers of the lobelia flower. This
is an example of:
A. coevolution
B. natural selection
C. predation
D. parasitism
18. In mycorrhizal associations, the plant provides the fungus with:
A. phosphorus from the soil
B. food produced by photosynthesis
C. cool, shaded soil conditions
D. all of these
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Document1
Biology 112 – Introduction to Ecology
Session:
Section:
Class Location:
Days / Time:
Instructor:
Spring 2011
55244 3 Units
NVC 838
W 6:00 PM – 8:50 PM
RIDDELL
19. An organism that causes disease and sometimes death of a host is a(n):
A. pathogen
B. symbiont
C. epiphyte
D. predator
20. Which of these is not included in an ecological description of a species?
A. whether it is a producer, consumer or decomposer
B. the kinds of symbiotic associations it forms
C. whether it lives on land or in the water
D. whether it is a predator and/or prey
21. Species richness is inversely related to:
A. geographic isolation of a community
B. abundance of potential ecological niches
C. closeness to the margins of adjacent communities
D. the age and stability of a community
22. After introduction of the brown anole in Florida, the _________ niche of the green anole was _____.
A. fundamental; increased
B. realized; increased
C. fundamental; decreased
D. realized; decreased
5. Ecosystems and the Physical Environment
23. What causes a rain shadow to form along the West Coast of North America?
A. Moisture laden air rises and cools, and it rains on the windward side of the mountain.
B. Low moisture air rises, warms and picks up moisture, and it rains on the leeward side of the
mountain.
C. Moisture laden air rises and cools, and it rains on the leeward side of the mountain.
D. Low moisture air rises, warms and picks up moisture, and it rains on the windward side of the
mountain.
24. A tropical cyclone is known as a(n)_____ in the Atlantic Ocean.
A. tornado
B. hurricane
C. hot spot
D. typhoon
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Biology 112 – Introduction to Ecology
Session:
Section:
Class Location:
Days / Time:
Instructor:
Spring 2011
55244 3 Units
NVC 838
W 6:00 PM – 8:50 PM
RIDDELL
25. Carbon compounds that are the end products of photosynthesis millions of years ago are called:
A. biosynthetic chemicals
B. inorganic chemicals
C. biogeochemical products
D. fossil fuels
26. Which of these is not a way that sulfur gases enter the atmosphere from natural sources?
A. sea spray
B. volcanoes
C. photosynthesis
D. dust storms
27. Clouds and, to a lesser extent, surfaces like ice and the ocean, reflect what percentage of solar
radiation falling on Earth?
A. 3%
B. 9%
C. 19%
D. 31%
28. Oxygen accounts for approximately what percentage of the atmosphere?
A. 1%
B. 21%
C. 55%
D. 78%
29. What is the difference between climate and weather?
1) Weather refers to the conditions in the atmosphere at a given place and time.
2) Climate is the average weather conditions occurring in a place over a period of years.
3) Weather includes humidity and wind, but climate does not.
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. Both 1 and 2
30. The largest reservoir for nitrogen is the ___; while the largest reservoir for phosphorus is the _____.
A. ocean; atmosphere
B. ocean; soil
C. soil; atmosphere
D. atmosphere; soil
31. There is confusion among scientists concerning the cause of global warming.
A. true
B. false
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Biology 112 – Introduction to Ecology
Session:
Section:
Class Location:
Days / Time:
Instructor:
Spring 2011
55244 3 Units
NVC 838
W 6:00 PM – 8:50 PM
RIDDELL
Chapter 6 Major Ecosystems of the World
32. A desert typically has what amount of annual precipitation?
A. less than 25 cm
B. 30-45 cm
C. 50-60 cm
D. 65-70 cm
33. Why are there few woody plant species living in the arctic tundra?
A. too high precipitation
B. permafrost
C. too long summers
D. hilly topography
34. Which zone is the most productive part of a lake?
A. littoral
B. limnetic
C. profundal
D. intertidal
35. Which of these is not an ecosystem service?
A. recharging groundwater
B. cleaning water by trapping pollutants in soil
C. producing fossils fuels
D. providing wildlife habitat
36. Climate is based primarily on what two factors?
A. temperature and precipitation
B. precipitation and elevation
C. temperature and humidity
D. elevation and solar radiation
37. How much of America's tallgrass prairie has vanished because of agriculture?
A. 60%
B. 70%
C. 80%
D. 90%
38. Temperate environments with mild winters and abundant rainfall combined with dry summers are
characteristic of what type of climate?
A. subtropical B. tundra C. Mediterranean D. desert
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Document1
Biology 112 – Introduction to Ecology
Session:
Section:
Class Location:
Days / Time:
Instructor:
Spring 2011
55244 3 Units
NVC 838
W 6:00 PM – 8:50 PM
RIDDELL
39. Which of these human activities has altered North American deserts?
A. increased groundwater consumption
B. driving four-wheel-drive vehicles
C. poaching of rare cacti and tortoises
D. all of these
5. Human Health and Environmental Toxicology
40. Cholera is a disease caused by a(n):
A. bacterium
B. virus
C. protozoan
D. fungus
41. If a risk is certain to occur, its probability:
A. is 0
B. is .5
C. is 1
D. cannot be calculated.
42. Which is a reason why ecological risk assessment can be difficult?
A. Ecological effects occur only in a local area on individual animals or plants.
B. Ecological effects are incompletely understood or difficult to measure.
C. There are too many different methods used to quantify risk to the environment.
D. All of these
43. The term for the number of infant deaths before age one is:
A. infant mortality
B. infant morbidity
C. survivorship
D. infant life expectancy
44. Which of the following is not one of the three leading causes of death in the United States in 1900?
A. pneumonia and influenza
B. cancer
C. tuberculosis
D. gastritis and colitis
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Document1
Biology 112 – Introduction to Ecology
Session:
Section:
Class Location:
Days / Time:
Instructor:
Spring 2011
55244 3 Units
NVC 838
W 6:00 PM – 8:50 PM
RIDDELL
45. Which of these is not a factor in the emergence or reemergence of infectious disease?
A. evolution of antibiotic resistance in infectious organisms
B. urbanization, associated with overcrowding and poor sanitation
C. decreasing population of elderly people who are more susceptible to infection
D. growth in international travel and commerce
46. A characteristic of a chemical that is extremely stable and may take years to be broken down by
natural processes is:
A. persistence
B. bioaccumulation
C. biodegradable
D. biological amplification
47. The effective dose-50%, or ED50, is used for all of these biological responses except:
A. death of half of a laboratory animal population
B. stunted development in the offspring of a pregnant animal
C. reduced enzyme activity
D. onset of hair loss
48. The current generation of US children may be the first in decades to have ________ life
expectancies than their parents.
A. lower
B. higher
49. Risk characterization indicates that ______are the most likely to have elevated levels of DDT in their
blood.
A. New Englanders
B. non- hispanic whites
C. non-hispanic blacks
D. Mexican- Americans
50. Africa has made significant strides in its effort to eradicate polio. In 2003, however, a major setback
occurred in the Nigerian state of Kano when ________ .
A. flash floods destroyed vaccine shipments
B. vaccines were discontinued due to safety concerns
C. a drug resistant variety of polio was found
D. money was not available for drug purchase
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