COMMUNITY ECOLOGY

Question 1

variety of life on earth

Answer 1

biodiversity

Question 2

collection of physical resources found in a functioning ecosystem combined with the contribution each species make

Answer 2

ecosystem services

Question 3

differences in the species composition of biomes

Answer 3

community diversity

Question 4

signifies distinct characteristics, habits, and gene pool which can be due to evolution

Answer 4

species diversity

Question 5

no individual is similar to the other, that the segregated gene pairs cause variations among individuals

Answer 5

genetic diversity

Question 6

a taxon is neither critically endangered or endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the future

Answer 6

vulnerable

Question 7

the taxon does not satisfy criteria for critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable

Answer 7

lower risk

Question 8

there is insufficient information to make direct or indirect assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution or population status

Answer 8

data deficient

Question 9

array of species in a community depends on physical factors (climate) biological factors (which species arrived first) and the frequency of disturbances

Answer 9

community change

Question 10

species composition of a community can change over time

Answer 10

successional change

Question 11

species alter the habitat in ways that allow other species to come in and replace them

Answer 11

ecological succession

Question 12

species that are opportunistic colonizers of new or newly vacated habitats; have high dispersal rates, grow and mature fast, produce many offspring; help and improve the soil

Answer 12

pioneer species

Question 13

a process that begins when pioneer species colonize a barren habitat with no soil

Answer 13

primary succession

Question 14

a disturbed area within a community recovers; if improved soil is still present, can occur fast; common in abandoned fields and burned forests

Answer 14

secondary succession

Question 15

factors that influence succession

Answer 15

physical factors
chance events
Extent of disturbances in the habitat

Question 16

species that has a disproportionately large effect on community structure

Answer 16

Keystone species

Question 17

species that is especially sensitive to disturbance and can be monitored to assess the health of a habitat

Answer 17

Indicator species

Question 18

course of recovery in living communities and restoration of functions after a disturbance

Answer 18

Succession

Question 19

anticipated a single climax community (mature community) regulated climate which is the termination to the process of succession

Answer 19

Frederick Clements (1916)

Question 20

Mature community

Answer 20

Climax community

Question 21

big islands tend to support more species than small ones; more colonists will happen upon a larger island simple by virtue of its size

Answer 21

area effect

Question 22

a well-known productive ecosystem; found in tropical and temperate areas

Answer 22

forest

Question 23

the forests found along the earth’s equatorial region

Answer 23

tropical moist forest

Question 24

types of tropical moist forest

Answer 24

tropical lowland rainforest
upland mossy or cloud forest

Question 25

main plants are the conifers (evergreen trees with seed-bearing cones)

Answer 25

coniferous forest

Question 26

forms between the polar ice cap and the belts of boreal forests in the northern hemisphere

Answer 26

arctic tundra

Question 27

frozen layer

Answer 27

permafrost

Question 28

occur when there is an average rainfall of less than 25cm;intermittent rainfall supports some species of plants and animals

Answer 28

desert

Question 29

ecosystems can withstand selective pressures caused by grazing of herbivores; annual rainfall is enough to prevent desert drom forming but not enough to support woodlands

Answer 29

grasslands

Question 30

warm n summer but cold in winter; annual rainfall of 25 to 100 cm; with rains throughout the year; grasslands in temperate areas

Answer 30

temperate prairies

Question 31

broadbelt of grasslands with a few scattered shrubs and trees; warm year round; abundant wildlife; grasslands in tropical region

Answer 31

tropical savannas

Question 32

gradients in light penetration, temperature and dissolved gases affect the distribution of life in aquatic habitats

Answer 32

freshwater

Question 33

a body of standing fresh water; if sufficiently deep, will have zones that differ in physical characteristics and species composition

Answer 33

lakes

Question 34

newly formed lake; deep, clear, and nutrient poor with low primary productivity

Answer 34

oligotrophic

Question 35

natural or artificial processes that enrich a body of water with nutrients, allowing producers to grow and productivity rises

Answer 35

eutrophication

Question 36

nearest shore, sunlight penetrates all the way to the lake bottom and aquatic plants are primary producers

Answer 36

littoral zones

Question 37

upper well-lit, open waters, phytoplanktons are the primary producers

Answer 37

limnetic zone

Question 38

light does mot penetrate, consumers depend on food produced above; debris that drifts down feeds detritivores and decomposers

Answer 38

profundal zone

Question 39

flowing water ecosystems start as freshwater springs or seeps; as they flow downslope, they grow and emerge

Answer 39

streams and rivers

Question 40

factors affecting flow volume and temperature

Answer 40

rainfall snowmelt geography altitude shade cast by plants

Question 41

near the coast of continents and islands, concentrations of nutrients support some of the world’s most productive aquatic ecosystems

Answer 41

coastal ecosystems

Question 42

an enclosed coastal region where seawater mixes with nutrient rich freshwater from rivers and streams

Answer 42

estuary

Question 43

salt tolerant woody plants that live in sheltered areas along tropical coasts

Answer 43

mangroves

Question 44

organisms that live along ocean shores are adapted to withstand the force of the waves and repeated tidal changes; along rocky shores, where waves prevent detritus from piling up, algae are the producers in grazing food chains

Answer 44

rocky and sandy shores

Question 45

highly diverse and highly threatened marine ecosystems; wave resistant formations that consist primarily of calcium carbonate secreted by generations of coral polyps

Answer 45

coral reefs

Question 46

when stressed, coral polyps expel dinoflagellates; ejecting them turns the coral white

Answer 46

coral bleaching

Question 47

from its upper, brightly lit waters to the hydrothermal vents on its deep, dark floor, the ocean is filled with life

Answer 47

open ocean

Question 48

the water over continental shelves and the more extensive waters farther offshore

Answer 48

pelagic

Question 49

ocean bottom, its rocks and sediments

Answer 49

benthic