Name ____________________
(in addition to putting your name here, please also rename this file
Yourname_final23_S13 and send it to cpogge@ccsf.edu). Thank you.
Bio 23 – Ecology of Mendocino County
Take-home Final – due 5/13/13
Please remember that this is a one-unit class, for which you are expected to
spend approximately 36 hours of studying outside of class. Note that some of the
questions below have very short answers. Everyone needs to answer the nine
boldfaced questions. Please answer 11 out of the remaining 25 questions. If
you look something up (encouraged), please provide the full web address.
Grading is straightforward, taking into account accuracy and depth of your
answers: >90% = A, 80-90% B, 70-80% = C and so forth. Please remember that
this should be an individual effort. I will not accept finals that are copied from
someone else in this or a previous semester.
From the orientation
1. Define resource partitioning and give an example from our field trip.
2. Explain the difference between adaptation and acclimatization. Illustrate
each term with an example from our field trip.
3. What is a keystone species? Give an example of a keystone species
that we have discussed (and seen) during our field trip.
4. Give an example of a four-member food chain as partially observed on our
field trips.
5. Describe what makes some non-native species successful invaders of
native habitat (five characteristics)>
The harbor seal haul-out (thanks, Kimberly)
6. Harbor seals are endotherms, meaning that, different from fish, they need
to keep their body temperature Explain two adapations to keep warm in
the cold ocean environment?
7. Diving takes a lot of muscular effort, which means that muscles (and
of course also their nervous system) need a lot of oxygen. Without
gills, harbor seals cannot breathe under water. What two
adaptations allow them to dive up to 1,500 feet for up to 40 minutes?
Lake Cleone
8. Due to decades of budget cuts, seventy of the 280 California State
Parks were slated to close on July 1, 2012. In 2010, California voters
had rejected proposition 21 that called for a license fee of 18$ to
benefit the parks. What is your opinion about how parks should be
financed? Take into consideration who visits parks (and who does
not).
9. Why is this area considered an ecotone?
10. Ecotones often exhibit much higher species diversity than other areas.
This is due to the fact that they can accommodate species that need
different ecosystems for different activities. Illustrate this fact with an
example from Lake Cleone. Explain what habitats your species of choice
uses.
11. Name two problems associated with stocking of rivers and lakes with trout
and salmon, as was a widespread practice carried out by the Department
of Fish and Game.
Rocky intertidal
12. A) Why does increased atmospheric carbon dioxide lead to
acidification of the oceans? B) Name two consequences of ocean
acidification.
13. A) Why does increased atmospheric carbon dioxide lead to the warming of
oceans? Name two consequence of ocean warming.
14. Why is coastal upwelling important for a) the region it occurs in and b) for
the world at large?
15. Define biozonation and explain the factor most responsible for zonation in
a rocky intertidal.
16. Describe three challenges of species living in the high intertidal zone and
the adaptations to these challenges found in limpets (Teresa’s
presentation).
17. Elizabeth entitled her talk “How bull kelp has shaped the world”. How has
it shaped the world (three ideas).
18. You drew many organisms. Describe one of the organisms (except the
limpet or bull kelp) and in which zone you found it. Look up two facts
about its life history, paste those into this paper with their reference(s).
Ten mile dunes
19. Three conditions need to come together to form dunes. One is a large
supply of sand. Where did the sand that formed the dunes we visited
come from?
20. What are the other two factors that need to be met for dunes to form?
21. So much to discuss, so little time! I never got to talk about the
European beach grass. You might recall that I told you that the
MacKerricher State Park Dune Rehabilitation Project includes
removal of this grass. What problems does it pose (list your
source)?
22. What three challenges do plants in the coastal strand community face and
what adapations to these challenges are found in this community (thank
you, Anastasia!)?
23. For the following five factors, hypothesize about their gradient from beach
to upland forests. For each explain what you base your hypothesis on.
Here is an example:
I expect salt spray to diminish further away from the ocean, as the ocean
is the source of that salt spray (that was easy!). Here are your five factors:
Vegetation diversity, sand grain size, insect diversity, nitrogen, canopy
height
24. What is the difference between a fen and a bog? And what is the big deal
for biologists regarding the Inglenook fen?
Van Damme Park
25. How do marine terraces form and why is the oldest marine terrace on top
of the younger ones (thank you, Patty!)
26. Name three challenges that abalone face and three adaptations found in
red abalone that help them survive in their habitat (thanks, Lisa!)?
27. How did logging in the Little river watershed contribute to the
decimation of coho salmon (thanks, Ibara!). Here please describe
conditions that coho need that were destroyed by logging.
28. I feel so bad about having called our newt a salamander (even
though newts are salamanders)! So here is another question you all
have to answer – what is the difference between newts and
salamanders and did we see the rough-skinned newt or the redbellied newt (hopefully Ibara and Chris took pictures and here is a
wonderful site that might help.)
Pygmy Forest
29. What is the main reason for the stunted growth of Bolander pines in the
pygmy forest (Thank you, Ellyn!)?
30. Many plants in the pygmy forest belong to the plant family Ericacea.
List three of the plants from this family that we saw and describe
how you can recognize members of this family.
Montgomery Woods State Reserve
31. Marion (thank you!) talked about sudden oak death and pine pitch cancer.
Name cause and symptoms for both. Which are the species most
affected?
32. Adult coast redwood trees consume 200-500 gallons of water a day.
Were do they get this much water in the Mendocino climate?
33. What adaptations allow coast redwood trees to withstand a) fire, b)
windfall, c) competition from other tree species, and d) damage from
insects.
34. Coast redwood create an inhospitable environment for seedlings both by
the light interception of the canopy and the thick layer of branchlets.
Explain their common way of reproducing.