Quiz: Practice Ecology Exam 2
Practice Ecology Exam 2
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1. Your friend, Iva Dilemma, is working in an ecology lab on campus. She is studying the recent extinction
of a species of long-tongued bee from an island in Lake Erie. She has hypothesized that this bee was a
keystone species on the island. Which of the following pieces of evidence would support her claim?
A. The flower pollinated by this bee species has become endangered on the island.
B. A fungal symbiont of some flowers (but not bees) is now endangered on the island.
C. A single flower species that was not pollinated by the bee has begun to spread rapidly throughout the
island.
D. All of the above support her hypothesis.
E. Her hypothesis cannot be correct because only predators are keystones, not pollinators.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: D
Your Response: A
2. Flowers have various morphologies. Some attract pollinators with showy petals or rewarding nectar.
Some are tiny and inconspicuous and pollinated by wind or water. Which statement explains these
relationships?
A. They are stochastic.
B. Flower traits are still undergoing natural selection and eventually only showy flowers will survive.
C. Natural selection can have different outcomes in different species or environments.
D. Wind pollinated flowers are only found in habitats with no insects.
E. Wind-pollination evolved before water pollination so only ancient plants lack showy flowers.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: C
Your Response:
3. Which of the following statements about birds is FALSE?
A. The common ancestor of the birds was a dinosaur.
B. Birds are endotherms, a trait they evolved from early mammals.
C. The transition from reptiles to birds can be seen in fossils of Archaeopteryx and Caudipteryx.
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,Quiz: Practice Ecology Exam 2
D. The development of feathers allowed for diversification of birds from other reptiles.
E. Specialized lung structures of birds allow for support of the increased metabolic rate caused by flying.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: B
Your Response:
4. Pike are a species of predatory freshwater fish. They swim through the grassy bottoms of lakes,
searching the grass for possible prey (typically juvenile fish). When they spot a prey item they swim
toward it in a burst of speed, almost appearing to “jump” onto the prey. Pike are:
A. Ambush predators
B. Stalking predators
C. Pursuit predators
D. An unusual form of parasite
E. possible to describe as either a or b.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: B
Your Response:
5. The below is a classic island biogeography graph with only the immigration curve showing. If you added
extinction curves that crossed the immigration curve at each of the stars, which would give you the
HIGHEST S*?
A. Curve A
B. Curve B
C. Curve C
D. Curve D
E. It depends on whether the group of organisms in question is at equilibrium or not.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: D
Your Response:
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, Quiz: Practice Ecology Exam 2
6. Siberian Huskies (a breed of dog, photo below) have strong chest and leg muscles, allowing them to pull
heavy sleds through dense snow. It turns out that if the dogs had heavier muscles, they would sink
deeper into the snow, causing them to move slower or get stuck in the snow. If the huskies had lighter
muscles, they would not be strong enough to pull sleds and equipment. The kind of selection pressure
that applies to the huskies is:
A. Genetic drift
B. Disruptive selection
C. Directional selection
D. Balancing selection
E. Stabilizing selection
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: E
Your Response:
7. Using the diagram below and what you know about the latitudinal gradient, determine which of the
following statements is TRUE.
Page 3 of 24
Practice Ecology Exam 2
Your response has been submitted successfully.
Points Awarded 0
Points Missed 50
Percentage 0%
1. Your friend, Iva Dilemma, is working in an ecology lab on campus. She is studying the recent extinction
of a species of long-tongued bee from an island in Lake Erie. She has hypothesized that this bee was a
keystone species on the island. Which of the following pieces of evidence would support her claim?
A. The flower pollinated by this bee species has become endangered on the island.
B. A fungal symbiont of some flowers (but not bees) is now endangered on the island.
C. A single flower species that was not pollinated by the bee has begun to spread rapidly throughout the
island.
D. All of the above support her hypothesis.
E. Her hypothesis cannot be correct because only predators are keystones, not pollinators.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: D
Your Response: A
2. Flowers have various morphologies. Some attract pollinators with showy petals or rewarding nectar.
Some are tiny and inconspicuous and pollinated by wind or water. Which statement explains these
relationships?
A. They are stochastic.
B. Flower traits are still undergoing natural selection and eventually only showy flowers will survive.
C. Natural selection can have different outcomes in different species or environments.
D. Wind pollinated flowers are only found in habitats with no insects.
E. Wind-pollination evolved before water pollination so only ancient plants lack showy flowers.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: C
Your Response:
3. Which of the following statements about birds is FALSE?
A. The common ancestor of the birds was a dinosaur.
B. Birds are endotherms, a trait they evolved from early mammals.
C. The transition from reptiles to birds can be seen in fossils of Archaeopteryx and Caudipteryx.
Page 1 of 24
,Quiz: Practice Ecology Exam 2
D. The development of feathers allowed for diversification of birds from other reptiles.
E. Specialized lung structures of birds allow for support of the increased metabolic rate caused by flying.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: B
Your Response:
4. Pike are a species of predatory freshwater fish. They swim through the grassy bottoms of lakes,
searching the grass for possible prey (typically juvenile fish). When they spot a prey item they swim
toward it in a burst of speed, almost appearing to “jump” onto the prey. Pike are:
A. Ambush predators
B. Stalking predators
C. Pursuit predators
D. An unusual form of parasite
E. possible to describe as either a or b.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: B
Your Response:
5. The below is a classic island biogeography graph with only the immigration curve showing. If you added
extinction curves that crossed the immigration curve at each of the stars, which would give you the
HIGHEST S*?
A. Curve A
B. Curve B
C. Curve C
D. Curve D
E. It depends on whether the group of organisms in question is at equilibrium or not.
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: D
Your Response:
Page 2 of 24
, Quiz: Practice Ecology Exam 2
6. Siberian Huskies (a breed of dog, photo below) have strong chest and leg muscles, allowing them to pull
heavy sleds through dense snow. It turns out that if the dogs had heavier muscles, they would sink
deeper into the snow, causing them to move slower or get stuck in the snow. If the huskies had lighter
muscles, they would not be strong enough to pull sleds and equipment. The kind of selection pressure
that applies to the huskies is:
A. Genetic drift
B. Disruptive selection
C. Directional selection
D. Balancing selection
E. Stabilizing selection
Points Earned: 0/1
Correct Answer: E
Your Response:
7. Using the diagram below and what you know about the latitudinal gradient, determine which of the
following statements is TRUE.
Page 3 of 24
