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40 questions
Which of the following is true regarding Darwin's theory of evolution?
Species change over long periods of time, giving rise to new species.
Pure chance determines which species evolve.
Characteristics acquired during an individual’s life are always passed on to future generations.
Darwinʼs views are no longer accepted by the scientific community.
Which of the following are true about natural selection?
It acts on existing heritable variation.
It can cause an individual to become less adapted over its lifetime.
It means that certain species have a programmed plan for evolution.
It always results in bigger, stronger individuals.
A genetic mutation causes a newt to have faster reflexes. After many generations, most of the newt population has the reflex mutation.
Which of the following most likely caused this change?
The mutation was contagious.
Other newts learned to copy the strategies of the mutated newt.
Newts with the mutation are better able to survive and reproduce than newts without the mutation.
The newt passed on its mutated gene to other adult newts.
Which of the following is an example of genetic variation?
One child is older than another.
One child eats meat and the other is a vegetarian.
One child has blue eyes and the other has brown eyes.
One child has a scar and the other does not
Cheetahs have come close to extinction due to hunting, drought, and disease. This has caused a decrease in the genetic variation in their populations.
Which of the following is a result of the limited genetic variation?
Cheetahs in current populations are more resistant to new diseases.
The survival rate of young cheetahs is increased.
Cheetahs have greater mate choice.
The cheetah populations are less likely to be able to adapt to environmental changes.
A tapeworm lives inside the digestive tracts of a sheep and feeds on the nutrients of the food the sheep eats.
What type of ecological interaction does the tapeworm have with the sheep?
Mutualism
Herbivory
Parasitism
Commensalism
The honeyguide bird leads honey badgers to bee hives. The badgers then break open the hives and eat the honey inside. Once the badger is finished, the honey guide birds feed on the leftover beeswax.
Which of the following best defines the ecological interaction between the honeyguide bird and the honey badger?
Predation
Mutualism
Competition
Commensalism
Barnacles attach themselves to migrating whales so that they can ride along to new feeding grounds. The whale is not helped or harmed by the barnacles.
What type of ecological interaction exists between the whale and the barnacles?
Mutualism
Commensalism
Predation
Parasitism
A deer grazes on tall grasses in the forest.
What type of ecological interaction exists between the deer and the grasses?
Mutualism
Parasitism
Herbivory
Competition
An important species of the Chesapeake Bay community is the Virginia oyster, which helps form large reefs that provide small fish and marine invertebrates with shelter.
Which of the following best describes the role of the Virginia oyster in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem?
A pioneer species
A dominant species
An invasive species
A keystone species
Which statement is true regarding keystone species in an environment?
They reduce biodiversity within an ecosystem.
They promote stability in an ecosystem.
They are non-native species that outcompete native organisms for resources.
They always have the largest number of organisms in an environment.
Burmese pythons are native to southeast Asia, but have become popular pets over the last few decades.
Over time, escaped and released pythons have made their way into Everglades National Park, where they have displaced many native species.
Which of the following terms best describes the Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park?
Invasive species
Pioneer species
Keystone species
Indicator species
Following the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the surrounding area was devoid of life. After some time, small lichens began to grow along the remaining soil.
Which of the following best describes this species of lichen?
Climax species
Keystone species
Pioneer species
Indicator species
In 1998, a devastating fire destroyed a great deal of Yellowstone National Park. Although many of the organisms were killed or displaced, existing seeds began to immediately recolonize the park.
This is an example of which of the following?
Secondary succession
Climax community
Natural selection
Primary succession
Which of the following graphs represents a population undergoing logistic growth?
Changes in a population of wild horses are shown in the graph below.
Which statement best explains the section of the graph labeled X?
The horses are no longer in competition for resources with other species.
Interbreeding is occurring between members of different species.
Predation is low and resources are high.
The horse population has reached the carrying capacity of its environment.
Which of the following scenarios represents a density-independent limit on population?
Caribou population growth is limited as a result of grass depletion.
Porcupine population growth is limited by the spread of a disease.
Box turtle population growth is regulated by a hurricane that destroys their nests.
Woodpecker population growth is regulated by opossum predation of woodpecker eggs.
Which population is limited by a density-dependent factor?
A deer population is reduced as a result of a forest fire.
A local wolf population experiences a lethal epidemic of parvovirus.
Many eggs in a population of frogs are destroyed due to a drought
A population of rams is decimated by an earthquake.
Which of the following best explains why predators and their prey have similar population cycles?
An increase or decrease in one population directly affects the other.
Both populations develop similar adaptations that help them survive during severe environmental changes.
Populations that live in the same ecosystem often have similar life cycles.
The predators and prey are in direct competition with one another.
Rabbits and deer eat lettuce leaves from a garden.
What ecological interaction describes the relationship between the rabbits and the deer?
Predation
Mutualism
Commensalism
Competition
A flowering plant produces a high energy nectar to attract bees. When the bees feed on the nectar, bits of pollen stick to them and are transferred to other flowers.
Which of the following best defines the ecological interaction between the flowering plant and the bees?
Parasitism
Mutualism
Predation
Commensalism
Tapeworms live inside the digestive tracts of host organisms and feed on the nutrients of the food they eat.
What type of ecological interaction does the tapeworm have with its host?
Commensalism
Parasitism
Mutualism
Predation
Which statement best describes the relationship between Species A and Species B?
Species A is a parasite and Species B is its host.
Species A is the prey of Species B.
Species A has a mutualistic relationship with Species B.
Species A is a consumer and Species B is its producer.
Which of the following is not a type of natural selection?
Stabalizing Selection
Disruptive Selection
Directional Selection
Artifical Selection
What type of selection is observed in Darwin's finches?
Stabalizing Selection
Disruptive Selection
Directional Selection
Artifical Selection
Human birth weight is an example of _____________ selection.
Disruptive
Stabalizing
Directional
Artificial
Cougars are predators that often eat weakened or diseased animals. This is a description of the ____ of cougars.
habitat
niche
community
none of these
Organisms with overlapping niches probably have which type of relationship?
commensal
competitive
mutualistic
parasitic
In Figure 3-1, where will you most likely find the greatest diversity?
A
B
C
D
Which answer best shows an animal's adaptation to the tropical rain forest?
migration of birds in winter
camouflage in a tree frog
the long neck of a giraffe
an elephant's long trunk
The finches on the Galapagos island were similar in form except for variations of their beaks. Darwin observed that these variations were useful for:
attracting a mate
defending territory
building nests
gathering food
In a certain population, disruptive selection is occurring. In this population, which is most likely to survive?
organisms with average traits
organisms with extreme traits
organisms that sexually select
organisms that are small
This picture illustrates what type of selection?
artificial
disruptive
directional
stabilizing
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