BIO 191 – final exam Multiple Choice Q’s – Flashcards
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An unlearned behavior directly linked to a stimulus that is carried to completion once initiated and is essentially unchangeable is _____.
1. one that requires parental teaching
2. operant conditioning
3. a conditioned response
4. not species specific
5. a fixed action pattern
answer
a fixed action pattern
=Fixed action patterns are genetically determined behaviors that are stereotypic and species specific. They are not modified through learning, and they occur independent of prior experience.
question
Animal communication involves what type of sensory input?
1. olfactory
2. tactile
3. visual
4. auditory
5. All of the above are correct.
answer
all of the above are correct
=All senses are used in varying degrees to communicate with other individuals.
question
A learning process that can occur only during a limited period of the individual's development is called _____.
1. imprinting
2. instinct
3. prenatal influence
4. conditioning
5. associative learning
answer
imprinting
=Imprinting is learning that is limited to a sensitive period in an animal's life and is generally irreversible.
question
Bees can see colors we cannot see, and they can detect minute amounts of chemicals we cannot sense. Unlike many insects, bees cannot hear very well. A biologist would probably give which of the following as the ultimate explanation for their poor hearing?
1. This is an example of altruism.
2. Bees are too small to have functional ears.
3. If a bee could hear, its highly programmed brain would be overwhelmed with information.
4. If bees could hear, the noise of the hive would be overstimulating.
5. Hearing may not contribute much to a bee's reproductive success.
answer
hearing may not contribute much to a bee's reproductive success
=Either better hearing did not arise in the bee lineage or, if it did, better hearing did not increase reproductive success.
question
Every morning a graduate student turns on the light in the laboratory and then feeds the fish in the aquarium. After a couple of weeks of this routine, the graduate student notices that the fish come to the surface to feed as soon as the lights are turned on. The behavior of the fish is a result of _____.
1. imprinting
2. cognition
3. positive phototaxis
4. classical conditioning
5. instinct
answer
classical conditioning
=This is learning to associate an arbitrary stimulus (the light) with reward (the food) or punishment.
question
Which of the following is true of innate behaviors?
1. They are limited to invertebrate animals.
2. They occur in invertebrates and some vertebrates but not mammals.
3. They occur with or without environmental stimuli.
4. Their expression is only weakly influenced by genes.
5. They are expressed in most individuals in a population.
answer
They are expressed in most individuals in a population.
question
A female zebra finch reared by a father with a red feather taped to his head will select a mate with a similar ornament over an unornamented male. What are plausible ultimate explanations for this behavior (i.e., why it occurs in the context of natural selection)?
*SELECT ALL THAT APPLY:*
1. A female zebra finch learns to recognize suitable mates by observing her father.
2. A female zebra finch that chooses a mate that resembles her father is more likely to reproduce successfully.
3. Zebra finches are able to perceive ornamentation on other birds.
answer
A female zebra finch that chooses a mate that resembles her father is more likely to reproduce successfully.
=A female zebra finch choosing a mate that resembles her father is more likely to choose a mate from her own species than a zebra finch that does not make such a choice. That is an ultimate explanation for the female zebra finches' behavior, explaining why the behavior benefits the finch in the context of natural selection. Read about proximate and ultimate causation.
question
In cross-fostering studies, the young of one species are placed in the care of adults from another species. In broad terms, what do researchers learn from such studies?
*SELECT ALL THAT APPLY:*
1. Changes in the behavior of cross-fostered young provide information about how the social and physical environment influences behavior.
2. Cross-fostering studies provide information about the evolutionary relationship between the two species.
3. Cross-fostering studies provide information about the relative importance of nature and nurture in the development of a trait.
answer
Changes in the behavior of cross-fostered young provide information about how the social and physical environment influences behavior.
Cross-fostering studies provide information about the relative importance of nature and nurture in the development of a trait.
=Traits that are largely determined by genes (nature) will be largely unchanged by cross-fostering. On the other hand, traits that are largely determined by the environment (nurture) may be modified by the cross-fostering. If cross-fostered birds behave differently from birds reared by their own parents, the changes are likely due to changes in the social and physical environment in which they are reared. Read about cross-fostering experiments.
question
Graylag goslings imprint on a nearby object that moves away from them during a sensitive period in the first few hours after they hatch, and follow the object steadfastly from that time on. What is the adaptive value of this behavior?
1. This behavior is not adaptive because goslings may imprint on objects other than their parents.
2. This behavior is genetic.
3. This behavior is likely to increase gosling survival.
answer
This behavior is likely to increase gosling survival.
=The gosling is most likely to see its mother during the sensitive period. Following its mother steadfastly until it becomes independent increases the gosling's chance of surviving to adulthood. Read about imprinting.
question
Select the correct statement(s) about the genetics of behavior.
*SELECT ALL THAT APPLY:*
1. Most behavioral traits are determined by a single gene.
2. Learned behaviors are not subject to genetic influence.
3. Behaviors with a genetic component can evolve through natural selection.
answer
Behaviors with a genetic component can evolve through natural selection.
=Most complex behaviors are determined by a number of genes as well as environmental factors (nature and nurture). Furthermore, any behavior with a genetic component can evolve through natural selection. Read about the genetic variation underlying differences in behavior and the evolutionary history of behaviors.
question
Which of the following is an example of a population?
1. all the coyotes on Earth
2. all of the redwood trees that live in a forest
3. a spider and the fly it is about to eat
4. all the plants that live near each other in a forest
5. the earthworms that live in a grassland plus the earthworms that live in a forest
answer
all of the redwood trees that live in a forest
=This includes the individuals of one species in one place that presumably interact, use the same resources, and are influenced by the same environmental conditions.
question
To determine the density of a rabbit population, you would need to know the number of rabbits and _____.
1. their pattern of dispersion
2. the size of the area in which they live
3. the growth rate of the population
4. the factors that limit population growth for that rabbit population
5. the birth rate
answer
the size of the area in which they live
=Density is the number of individuals of population per unit area.
question
In wild populations, individuals most often show a _____ pattern of dispersion.
1. uniform
2. equilibrium
3. clumped
4. density-dependent
5. random
answer
clumped
=Individuals are often found clumped because they are interacting or are attracted to areas that provide the most favorable environmental conditions.
question
In the models that describe population growth, r stands for _____.
1. population density
2. a time interval
3. carrying capacity
4. per capita population growth rate
5. total number of individuals in the population
answer
per capita population growth rate
=The growth rate of a population is represented by r, which is equal to per capita birth rate minus per capita death rate.
question
The number of individuals that a particular habitat can support with no degradation of that habitat is called _____.
1. community
2. biotic potential
3. carrying capacity
4. niche
5. survivorship
answer
carrying capacity
=Carrying capacity is the maximum population size that a particular environment can comfortably support with little increase or decrease over a relatively long period of time.
question
Which of the following is regarded as a density-independent factor in the growth of natural populations?
1. interspecific competition
2. predation
3. flooding
4. emigration
5. intraspecific competition
answer
flooding
=Density-independent factors are unrelated to population size.
question
Resource competition, territoriality, disease, and toxic wastes are some of the factors that provide _____ and help regulate population.
1. zero population growth
2. positive feedback
3. population dynamics
4. negative feedback
5. metapopulations
answer
negative feedback
=As populations grow, these factors may act to increase mortality or slow reproduction, thus slowing population growth.
question
Select the correct statement about the global carrying capacity for the human population.
1. The global carrying capacity for the human population is limitless because technological advances allow food supply to keep up with global population growth.
2. It is impossible to calculate the global carrying capacity for the human population.
3. Estimates of the global carrying capacity for the human population depend on resource use per capita.
answer
estimates of the global carrying capacity for the human population depend on resource use per capita
=Read about the concept of an ecological footprint, the aggregate land and water area required by each person, city, or nation to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb all the waste it generates.
question
A population's carrying capacity __________.
1. generally remains constant over time
2. may change as environmental conditions change
3. can be accurately calculated using the logistic growth model
4. increases as the per capita growth rate (r) decreases
5. can never be exceeded
answer
may change as environmental conditions change
question
According to the logistic growth equation dN/dt=rmaxN(K−N)/K, __________.
1. the per capita growth rate (r) increases as N approaches K
2. population growth is zero when N equals K
3. the number of individuals added per unit time is greatest when N is close to zero
4. the population grows exponentially when K is small
5. the birth rate (b) approaches zero as N approaches K
answer
population growth is zero when N equals K
question
Which statement accurately describes the potential effects of disturbance on species diversity?
1. Many species are well adapted to survive periodic disturbances.
2. Moderate levels of disturbance generally act to reduce species diversity within a community.
3. In many biomes, periodic disturbances may eliminate the dominant plants.
answer
many species are well adapted to survive periodic disturbances
=Some biomes are characterized by periodic natural disturbances, and many species have evolved to cope with or benefit from environmental perturbation. Read about disturbance and terrestrial biomes.
question
Consider a population whose growth over a given time period can be described by the exponential model: dN/dt = rN. Select the correct statement about this population.
1. A population with an r of 0.1 will decrease over time.
2. A population with a positive value of r will grow exponentially.
3. A population with an r of 0 will have no births or deaths during the time period under consideration.
answer
A population with a positive value of r will grow exponentially.
=If the per capita rate of increase r > 0, the population is growing exponentially. Read about the exponential population growth model.
question
Select the correct statement about the factors that limit the growth of a population.
1. Density-dependent factors are biotic; density-independent factors are abiotic.
2. If a factor limits population growth, increasing its availability will increase population growth.
3. The most important factor limiting population growth is the scarcest factor in that area.
answer
if a factor limits population growth, increasing its availability will increase population growth
=Once a factor limiting population growth becomes more available to a population, population growth will increase.
question
According to the principle of competitive exclusion, two species cannot continue to occupy the same _____.
1. environmental habitat
2. ecological niche
3. biome
4. territory
5. range
answer
ecological niche
=The competitive exclusion principle states that when the populations of two species compete for the same limited resources, one population will use the resources more efficiently and have a reproductive advantage that will eventually lead to the elimination of the other species.
question
Of the choices below, which best describes the effect predation has on the predator/prey organisms involved in the relationship?
1. no effect ... benefit
2. benefit ... harmed
3. benefit ... benefit
4. benefit ... no effect
5. harmed ... harmed
answer
benefit...harmed
=The predator eats (a benefit), and the prey is eaten (a harm).
question
The term used to describe a harmless organism resembling a harmful one is _____.
1. Batesian mimicry
2. Müllerian mimicry
3. aposematic coloration
4. cryptic coloration
5. warning coloration
answer
Batesian mimicry
=In Batesian mimicry, a palatable or harmless species mimics an unpalatable or harmful model.
question
Cellulose-digesting microorganisms live in the guts of termites and ruminant mammals. The microorganisms have a home and food, and their hosts gain more nutrition from their meals. This relationship is an example of _____.
1. mutualism
2. predation
3. herbivory
4. commensalism
5. parasitism
answer
mutualism
=The cellulose-digesting microorganisms have a home and place to live; the hosts get nutrients from the microorganism's breakdown of cellulose.
question
Keystone species are those species _____.
1. that live primarily on or under rocks and stones
2. whose absence would cause major disruption in a community
3. with the largest number of individuals in a community
4. that provide important foods and medicines
5. that have the most biomass in the community
answer
whose absence would cause major disruption in a community
=A keystone species makes an unusually strong impact on community structure.
question
Caribbean coral reef communities have been strongly influenced by an unknown pathogen that causes white-band disease. How can the effect of white-band disease best be described?
1. a cascade event that shifts the entire makeup of the community
2. commensalism
3. the removal of a keystone species
4. Batesian mimicry
5. mutualism
answer
a cascade event that shifts the entire makeup of the community
=The removal of the corals shifts the food supply within the reef, resulting in a completely different species composition.
question
Which of the following may result from resource partitioning?
*SELECT ALL THAT APPLY:*
1. Competing species may partition time, feeding at different times of day.
2. A population may have a smaller realized niche when it coexists with a competitor.
3. A population's fundamental niche may be smaller than its realized niche.
answer
competing species may partition time, feeding at different times of day
a population may have a smaller realized niche when it coexists with a competitor
=The differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community is called resource partitioning. Ecologically similar species can coexist in a community if one or more significant differences in their niches arise through time. As a result of competition, a species' fundamental niche, which is the niche potentially occupied by that species, is often different from its realized niche, the portion of its fundamental niche that it actually occupies in a particular environment. Read about resource partitioning.
question
Which of the following statements is consistent with the principle of competitive exclusion?
1. Bird species generally do not compete for nesting sites.
2. Even a slight reproductive advantage will eventually lead to the elimination of the less well adapted of two competing species.
3. Natural selection tends to increase competition between related species.
4. The random distribution of one competing species will have a positive impact on the population growth of the other competing species.
5. Two species with the same fundamental niche will exclude other competing species.
answer
even a slight reproductive advantage will eventually lead to the elimination of the less well adapted of two competing species.
question
Which of the following best describes resource partitioning?
1. a climax community that is reached when no new niches are available
2. two species that can coevolve to share identical niches
3. differential resource utilization that results in a decrease in community species diversity
4. competitive exclusion that results in the success of the superior species
5. slight variations in a species niche that allow similar species to coexist
answer
slight variations in a species niche that allow similar species to coexist
question
As you study two closely related predatory insect species, the two-spot and the three-spot avenger beetles, you notice that each species seeks prey at dawn in areas without the other species. However, where their ranges overlap, the two-spot avenger beetle hunts at night and the three-spot hunts in the morning. When you bring them into the laboratory and isolate the two different species, you discover that the offspring of both species are found to be nocturnal. You have discovered an example of:
1. facultative commensalism.
2. resource partitioning.
3. mutualism.
4. Batesian mimicry.
5. character displacement.
answer
resource partitioning
question
Which of the following is an example of Müllerian mimicry?
1. a day-flying hawkmoth that looks like a wasp
2. a chameleon that changes its color to look like a dead leaf
3. two species of rattlesnakes that both rattle their tails
4. two species of unpalatable butterfly that have the same color pattern
5. two species of moths with wing spots that look like an owl's eyes
answer
two species of unpalatable butterfly that have the same color pattern
question
Which of the following is an example of Batesian mimicry?
1. a butterfly that resembles a leaf
2. an insect that resembles a twig
3. a nonvenomous snake that looks like a venomous snake
4. a snapping turtle that uses its tongue to mimic a worm, thus attracting fish
5. a fawn with fur coloring that camouflages it in the forest environment
answer
a nonvenomous snake that looks like a venomous snake
question
Which of the following is an example of aposematic coloration?
1. eye color in humans
2. colors of an insect-pollinated flower
3. a katydid whose wings look like a dead leaf
4. green color of a plant
5. the brightly colored patterns of poison dart frogs
answer
the brightly colored patterns of poison dart frogs
question
Dwarf mistletoes are flowering plants that grow on certain forest trees. They obtain nutrients and water from the vascular tissues of the trees. The trees derive no known benefits from the dwarf mistletoes. Which of the following best describes the interactions between dwarf mistletoes and trees?
1. competition
2. parasitism
3. facilitation
4. mutualism
5. commensalism
answer
parasitism
question
Which statement best describes the evolutionary significance of mutualism?
1. Mutualistic interaction lessens competition in communities where it is present.
2. Mutualistic relationships allow organisms to synthesize and use energy more efficiently.
3. Mutualism offers more biodiversity to a community.
4. Interaction increases the survival and reproductive rates of mutualistic species.
5. Individuals partaking in a mutualistic relationship are more resistant to parasites.
answer
interaction increases the survival and reproductive rates of mutualistic species
question
In a tide pool, 15 species of invertebrates were reduced to 8 after one species was removed. The species removed was likely a(n)
1. herbivore.
2. resource partitioner.
3. pathogen.
4. mutualistic organism.
5. keystone species.
answer
keystone species
question
Which of the following is part of conservation biology?
1. evolutionary biology
2. physiology
3. ecology
4. molecular biology and genetics
5. All of the choices are correct.
answer
all of the choices are correct
question
The single greatest current threat to biodiversity is _____.
1. introduced species
2. global warming
3. habitat destruction
4. reduced genetic variability
5. overexploitation
answer
habitat destruction
=The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources implicates habitat destruction in 73% of its designations of species as extinct, endangered, vulnerable, and rare.
question
Estimates of current rates of extinction
1. indicate that we have reached a state of stable equilibrium in which speciation rates equal extinction rates.
2. indicate that rates may be greater than the mass extinctions at the close of the Cretaceous period.
3. suggest that one-half of all animal and plant species may be gone by the year 2100.
4. suggest that rates of extinction have decreased globally.
5. indicate that only 1% of all of the species that have ever lived on Earth are still alive.
answer
indicate that rates may be greater than the mass extinctions at the close of the Cretaceous period
question
Which of the following provides the best evidence of a biodiversity crisis?
1. the incursion of a non-native species
2. high rate of extinction
3. decrease in regional productivity
4. climate change
5. increasing pollution levels
answer
high rate of extinction
question
Although extinction is a natural process, current extinctions are of concern to environmentalists because
1. the rate of extinction is higher than background extinction rates.
2. more animals than ever before are going extinct.
3. most current extinctions are caused by introduced species.
4. current extinction is primarily affecting plant diversity.
5. None of the options are correct.
answer
the rate of extinction is higher than background extinction rates
question
According to the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), the difference between an endangered species and a threatened one is that
1. only endangered species are vertebrates.
2. an endangered species is closer to extinction.
3. threatened species are endangered species outside the U.S. borders.
4. endangered species are mainly tropical.
5. a threatened species is closer to extinction.
answer
an endangered species is closer to extinction
question
According to most conservation biologists, the single greatest threat to global biodiversity is
1. chemical pollution of water and air.
2. global climate change resulting from a variety of human activities.
3. stratospheric ozone depletion.
4. alteration or destruction of the physical habitat.
5. overexploitation of certain species.
answer
alteration or destruction of the physical habitat
question
Overexploitation encourages extinction and is most likely to affect
1. most organisms that live in the oceans.
2. edge-adapted species.
3. large animals with low intrinsic reproductive rates.
4. animals that occupy a broad ecological niche.
5. terrestrial organisms more than aquatic organisms.
answer
large animals with low intrinsic reproductive rates
question
Of the following ecosystem types, which have been impacted the most by humans?
1. open and benthic ocean
2. wetland and riparian
3. desert and high alpine
4. tundra and arctic
5. taiga and second-growth forests
answer
wetland and riparian
question
The estimated density or number of individuals needed for a species to maintain or increase its numbers in a region is the _____.
1. endemic population
2. stochastic population
3. minimum viable population (MVP)
4. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
5. metapopulation
answer
minimum viable population (MVP)
=the smallest number of individuals needed to maintain a species or population is the minimum viable population.
question
Which of the following conditions is the most likely indicator of a population in an extinction vortex?
1. Genetic measurements indicate a loss of genetic variation over time.
2. The population is connected only by corridors.
3. The effective population size of the species falls below 500.
4. The species in question is found only in small, stable pockets of its former range.
5. The population is geographically divided into many populations.
answer
genetic measurements indicate a loss of genetic variation over time
question
Hot spots are usually chosen for nature preserves because they _____.
1. are located near mountains and volcanoes
2. they are areas that are sterile with regard to wildlife disease
3. are situated in areas that are undesirable for human habitation
4. save habitat for threatened and endangered species
5. usually are located on migratory paths
answer
save habitat for threatened and endangered species
=Biodiversity hot spots are good choices for nature preserves.
question
What causes extremely high levels of toxic chemicals in fish-eating birds?
1. depletion of ozone layer
2. acid precipitation
3. biological magnification
4. greenhouse effect
5. eutrophication
answer
biological magnification
question
The main cause of the increase in the amount of CO2 in Earth's atmosphere over the past 150 years is
1. increased worldwide standing crop
2. an increase in the amount of infrared radiation absorbed by the atmosphere
3. additional respiration by the rapidly growing human population
4. increased worldwide primary production
5. the burning of larger amounts of wood and fossil fuels
answer
the burning of larger amounts of wood and fossil fuels
question
Which of the following is a consequence of biological magnification?
1. The amount of biomass in the producer level of an ecosystem decreases if the producer turnover time increases.
2. Populations of top-level predators are generally smaller than populations of primary consumers.
3. Only a small portion of the energy captured by producers is transferred to consumers.
4. Toxic chemicals in the environment pose greater risk to toplevel predators than to primary consumers.
5. The biomass of producers in an ecosystem is generally higher than the biomass of primary consumers.
answer
toxic chemicals in the environment pose greater risk to toplevel predators than to primary consumers.
