BIOL S103F: Essential Biology - Ecosystems and Ecology Week 11

What is the term for the number of species in an ecosystem?

Community composition
Species richness (correct)
Primary productivity
Abundance of tree species

What is the primary factor that influences the properties of a community?

Matter and energy flow
Organisms' behaviour
Environment (correct)
Interspecific relationship

What is the result of a transition from one community to another along a short distance?

Greatly different plant communities (correct)
Unchanged community composition
Sudden change in species richness
Gradual change in community composition

What is the relationship between primary productivity and population size?

Higher primary productivity leads to an increase in population size (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the characteristic of the abundance of different tree species along a moisture gradient?

The patterns of abundance are independent of one another (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of ecosystems?

Species seldom live alone (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary factor that determines the realised niche of a species?

The presence of competition from other species (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the ultimate outcome of interspecific competition for a limited resource?

The extinction of one of the competing species (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between interference competition and exploitative competition?

The method of obtaining the resource (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the consequence of uncontrolled predation in a predator-prey relationship?

The extinction of the predator (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of shelter in a predator-prey relationship?

Enabling the coexistence of the predator and prey (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the entire range of ecological niches that a species is capable of using?

Fundamental niche (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is a consequence of the elimination of large carnivores in the Eastern US?

A population explosion of deer (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which type of symbiosis involves one species benefiting and the other being harmed?

Parasitism (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary concern in the study of ecosystems?

The flow of energy and materials (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary source of energy in the Earth's ecosystem?

Sunlight (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of plants in the balance of the water cycle?

To regulate the flow of water into streams (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the process by which species adapt to their environment through interspecific interactions?

Natural selection (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the nitrogen cycle?

To convert nitrogen gas into a usable form for organisms (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between the nitrogen cycle and the phosphate cycle?

The presence of a gaseous form (D) Signup and view all the answers

Why can energy not be recycled in an ecosystem?

Because of the increase in entropy (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the rate at which organisms in a trophic level collectively synthesize new organic matter?

Productivity (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between the number of trophic levels and energy availability?

The number of trophic levels increases with increasing energy availability (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the importance of biodiversity in an ecosystem?

It provides multiple alternative sources of food for top consumers (A) Signup and view all the answers