Name _________________________
EXAM 2 - NRS 223
Multiple Choice (2 points each)
For each question, write the appropriate letter in the blank
1._____ Which of the following statements about metapopulations is/are true?
a.) sinks in a metapopulation are also known as core populations
b.) dispersal is not an important process in the study of metapopulations
c.) metapopulations are unknown in Australia
d.) none of the above
2._____ In a metapopulation, satellite populations are:
a.) more likely to suffer a local extinction
b.) recolonized from sink populations
c.) generally large and stable
d.) all of the above
3. _____ The group of organisms with the highest number of officially listed U.S.
Federally Endangered and Threatened Species is:
a.) mammals
b.) freshwater clams
c.) flowering plants
d.) birds
4. _____ In the United States, the animal group with the highest percentage of its
species imperiled is:
a,) beetles
b.) freshwater fish
c.) migratory birds
d.) freshwater mussels
5. _____ One species became a symbol of the Endangered Species Act when its
presence in a Tennessee River prevented the construction of a dam. This
species was the:
a.) Snail Darter
b.) Dusky Seaside Sparrow
c.) American Alligator
d.) Manatee
Points Earned ________
Name _________________________
6. _____ What is the current world's human population?
a.) 20 billion
b.) 265 million
c.) 6 billion
e.) 1.5 billion
7. _____ Given that the United States accounts for 5% of the world's population,
what percentage of the world's natural resources does the US consume?
a.) 95%
b.) 30%
c.) 6%
d.) 50%
8.____ The population size of a certain species is declining due to habitat
fragmentation and current estimates indicate that most habitat patches are
approximately 1km apart. It has also been shown that this species has a
maximum dispersal distance of approximately 450 meters. Of the following
fragmentation effects, which one best explains why this species is in decline?
a.) local area effects
b.) patch size effects
c.) isolation effects
d.) edge effects
9. _____ Which factor affects colonization rates in the MacArthur-Wilson Theory
of Island Biogeography?
(a) island size
(b) island shape
(c) distance to mainland
(d) number of species in source population
10. ____ Imagine a square patch of habitat that is 9 hectare (ha). Edge effects
are known to extend into the patch for 100 m, what is the area of the remaining
core habitat (Hint: 1 ha = 100 X 100 m)?
a.) 8 ha
b.) 1 ha
c.) 3 ha
d.) 6 ha
Points Earned ________
Name _________________________
11.) _____ Which of the following is the greatest threat to the loss of biodiversity
a.) pollution
b.) disease
c.) genetic inbreeding
d.) habitat destruction/degradation
12.) _____ Although some species are area sensitive, what is another
explanation for the observation that some species are found only in large habitat
patches?
a.) the species is rare
b.) the species avoids small patches
c.) the species prefers edges
d.) the species is very common
13.) ____ A collection of subpopulations is functioning as a metapopulation if
they:
a.) exchange breeders through dispersal and/or migration
b.) exist in complete isolation
c.) are contained in a single, large habitat patch
d.) all of the above
14.) ____ The salt marsh restoration project in Galilee, RI was needed because
the construction of the Galilee Escape Road in 1956 degraded the salt marsh
habitat on the south side of the road. What was the cause of this degradation?
a.) filling and tidal restriction
b.) increased fire frequency
c.) toxic runoff from the road poisoned the marsh
d.) an increase in tidal flushing
15.) _____ Which of the following are assumptions of the exponential growth
model of populations?
a.) birth and deaths are independent of the ages of any individuals in the
population
b.) there is no variability in the model parameters due to the vagaries of the
environment
c.) there is no density dependent effects on birth and death rates (i.e.,
populations grow and decline exponentially)
d.) all of the above
Points Earned ________
Name _________________________
Match the term with the correct definition (2 points each)
TERMS
16.) __H__ niche
17.) __C__ metapopulation
18.) __A__ habitat fragmentation
19.) __I__ endangered species
20.) __B__ extinction
21.) __F__ extirpation
22.) __J__ threatened species
23.) __D__ endemic
24.) __E__ ecological restoration
25.) __G__ population
DEFINITIONS
a.) The process of dividing contiguous blocks of habitat into two or more
fragments.
b.) No member of a species is left alive anywhere in the world
c.) clusters of a single species intermittently occupying discrete sites whose
populations exchange breeders (a.k.a. a population of populations)
d.) A species that is found naturally in a single geographic area and in no other
place
e.) re-creation or rehabilitation of an ecosystem whose natural functions have
been destroyed or impaired
f.) No member of a species is found in an area that it once inhabited but it is
found elsewhere in the wild
g.) collection of individuals that are sufficiently close geographically that they may
mate with one another.
h.) ecological role or relationship between a species and various ecosystem
components
i.) species likely to go extinct as a result of human activity
j.) species likely to become endangered in the near future
Points Earned ________
Name _________________________
Short Answer
17.). Identify at least 3 changes that biologists have noticed along habitat edges
(10 points)
1.) Microclimate
2.) Light
3.) Temperature
4.) Wind
5.) Humidity
18.) In his presentation on the U.S. Endangered Species Act, Rick Enser
discussed 5 basic reasons for listing a species as Endangered or Threatened.
List at least 3 of these reasons. (10 points)
1.) Destruction of habitat
2.) Overutilization
3.) Loss due to Disease or Predation
4.) Inadequacy of existing Laws and Regulations
5.) Other Manmade Factors
19.) During his lecture on ecological restoration, Frank Golet identified 5 key
ingredients to successful restoration. List at least three of those keys here. (10
pts)
1.) Good Science
2.) Clear Objectives
3.) Ecological Monitoring
4.) Reference Site
5.) Long-term Management
Points Earned ________
Name _________________________
20.) The classic graph from MacArthur and Wilson's Theory of Island
Biogeography, which depicts the relationship between the colonization rates and
extinction rates on islands, is shown below. Assuming that the colonization and
extinction rates on this graph are for a small island that is far from the mainland,
draw for me what the colonization and extinction rates would look like for an
island that is large and close to the mainland. Be sure to label the lines (i.e.
which ones are colonization rates and which ones are extinction rates) and label
the spots on the graph where we can determine the equilibrium number of
species for the small, far island and the large, near island. (10 points)
Extinction Rate - Small Island
Colonization Rate Far Island
Extinction Rate Small Island
Extinction Rate
Colonization Rate
Colonization Rate - Close Island
# of Species
Equilibrium Number
of species --Small/Far
Island
Equilibrium Number
of species -Large/Close Island
Points Earned ________
Name _________________________
21.) Imagine that you are attending a scientific conference entirely devoted to the
conservation of the Waputo Bat (Guan olots). As you may recall from class, this
bat is found only on the small volcanic island of Waputo (about the size of
Jamestown Island, RI) which is located in the Pacific Ocean about halfway
between Japan and Hawaii. Since there are no other mammals on the island,
the Waputo Bat has no direct competitors and also no significant predators (in
short, you may assume that the population can grow exponentially).
The conference that you are attending includes biologists who have studied
many aspects of the biology of the Waputo bat. Since your area of expertise is in
population ecology, these biologists have provided you the following data from
their projects leaving you the enviable task of estimating the future population
size of the Waputo Bat. Population counts represent a complete census and the
productivity and mortality rates were calculated from a sample of 50 radiotracked individuals. Here are the data these scientists provided you for the
primary cave inhabited by the bats:
Population of bats in 2001:
Productivity (#offspring/female) in 2001:
Mortality due to disease in 2001:
Population of bats in 2002:
Productivity (#offspring/female) in 2002:
Mortality (% of population dying) in 2002:
Cave #1
500
1.1
75%
1000
1.0
90%
Given the information provided by your fellow biologists, estimate the population
size of bats in Cave #1 in Year 2005 (i.e., in three years). You must show your
calculations and formulas below!! (10 points)
Need to use the Exponential Growth Model -- Nt = N0(λ)t
where N0 = Initial Population Size, λ = Rate of Change and t =
number of years
N0 = N2002 = 1000
λ = N2002 / N2001 = 2
t=3
Nt= 1000(2)3 = 1000(8) = 8000
Points Earned ________