Ecology Practice Questions:

Lecture 1: Intro to Ecology

1) An ecologist conducts a study to answer the question: Are predator-prey interactions more important
in tropical forests than in temperate forests? At what level is the ecologist working?
(a) Landscape
(b) Ecosystem
(c) Community
(d) Population
(e) Organismal

2) An ecologist wants to answer the question: Have tiger sharks been declining in the north Atlantic? At
what level is the ecologist working?
(a) Landscape
(b) Ecosystem
(c) Community
(d) Population
(e) Organismal

3) The tropics are warmer than more northern or southern latitudes because
(a) The tropics have more hours of sunlight on a year-round basis
(b) Sunlight strikes the tropics at a more direct angle
(c) The tropics are better able to absorb the sun's radiation
(d) The maritime effect is greater in the tropics

4) The tropics receive a lot of precipitation because

(a) Rising warm air cools and releases moisture
(b) The rising warm air carries the moisture north and south
(c) Most of the tropics are close to warm oceans
(d) Mountains cause moisture to be released from the air

5) Deserts tend to occur

(a) on the windward side of mountains
(b) near the equator
(c) near continental coasts
(d) at about 300 latitude north and south

6) Which of the following terrestrial biomes is subject to frequent fires?

(a) savanna
 (b) temperate forest
(c) tropical forest
(d) desert

7) Which is a correct ordering of biomes from high to low mean annual precipitation?
(a) savannah, desert, temperate grassland
(b) broadleaf forest, tropical rainforest, tundra
(c) savannah, broadleaf forest, temperate grassland
(d) desert, tundra, temperate grassland
(e) tropical rainforest, savannah, desert

Answers:

1) c
2) d
3) b
4) a
5) d
6) a
7) e

Lecture 2: Population Ecology

1) An ecologist wanted to determine the size of a population of lemmings on an island in northern

Canada. He set 200 traps and caught 30 lemmings. He marked each with an ear tag and released them.
A week later he reset the traps and caught 40 lemmings, 5 of which had tags. What would be his best
estimate of the total number of lemmings in the population?
(a) 150
(b) 200
(c) 240
(d) 600
(e) 1200

2) A marine ecologist wanted to determine the size of a population of green crabs that had invaded a
coastal bay. She swam 10 transects across the bay, looking for green crabs. She found 50 and marked
each with a notch on its back and then released it. Three days later she swam 10 transects again. This
time she saw 80 crabs but only 2 had marks. What would be her best estimate of the total number of
green crabs in the population?
(a) 100
(b) 160
(c) 400
 (d) 2000
(e) 4000

3) Populations are most likely to exhibit exponential growth

(a) under crowded conditions
(b) if the population growth rate (r) is very high
(c) as population size (N) increases
(d) if resources are not limiting
(e) if body size is small

Use the following graph of per capita birth and mortality rates to answer questions 1 to 4.

4) Equilibrium density for this population will be

a) 0.1
b) 0.3
c) 100
d) 150

5) At equilibrium, death rate will be

a) 0.1
b) 0.3
c) 100
d) 150

6) If N = 75
a) b > d
b) b = d
c) b < d
d) b > N
7) The population is likely
a) regulated by density-dependent birth rates
b) regulated by density-dependent death rates
c) regulated by a low carrying capacity
d) unregulated and declining in abundance

8) An example of a density-independent factor would be:

a) Wolves kill a greater proportion of an elk population when elk are very abundant
b) A greater percentage of snowshoe hares die of malnutrition in the winter when densities
are high
c) About 10% of chickadees freeze to death each winter
d) The offspring of sea otters have lower rates of survivorship as population size increases

9) Grey squirrels (A) and red squirrels (B) colonized a large woodlot at about the same time.
Which conclusion is consistent with the population growth curves (below)?

a) Red squirrels had a higher population growth rate (r)

b) For grey squirrels, b < d
c) Neither population reached carrying capacity by year 8
d) K (carrying capacity) of the woodlot is different for red and grey squirrels

10) Species tend to evolve different life history strategies

a) due to semelparity
b) if they don’t reproduce
c) when they are not subject to natural selection
d) if the environments they live in are very different

11) A characteristic usually associated with an r-strategy is:

a) Individuals produce few offspring
b) Individuals tend to have long lifespans
 c) Individuals usually mate for life
d) Individuals tend to have high reproductive rates

12) A K-strategist
a) usually does well in disturbed environments
b) is often a good competitor
c) is usually capable of very high population growth rates
d) generally selects environments with a high carrying capacity

13) Where would you expect to find K-selected species?

a) in a small stream that dries up when there is little rain
b) in a tropical rain forest
c) in fire-dominated ecosystems such as tropical savannah
d) in urban vegetable gardens

Answers:

1) c
2) d
3) d
4) c
5) a
6) a
7) a
8) c
9) d
10) d
11) d
12) b
13) b

Lecture 3: Species Interactions

1) Interspecific competition is usually a

(a) +/+ interaction
(b) +/- interaction
(c) -/- interaction
(d) -/0 interaction
(e) 0/0 interaction

2) According to the competitive exclusion principle, two species cannot indefinitely occupy the same
(a) habitat
(b) niche
 (c) territory
(d) range
(e) biome

3) 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, but also suffer no measurable cost from the association. Which of the following best
describes the interactions between dwarf mistletoes and trees?
(a) mutualism
(b) parasitism
(c) commensalism
(d) facilitation
(e) competition

4) Different species of Caribbean lizards search for food at different heights within a tree. This is an
example of
(a) symbiosis
(b) species occupying different niches
(c) the competitive exclusion principle
(d) extinction due to logistic growth

5) Ticks live on moose, drawing blood as their source of nourishment. This weakens the moose, making
it more susceptible to predators like wolves. The moose-tick interaction is an example of
(a) mutualism
(b) indirect predation
(c) competition
(d) parasitism
(e) commensalism

Use the following information and graph to answer the following set of questions (6-9).

A bird ecologist wanted to determine if starlings and woodpeckers compete for good nest sites (cavities
in old trees) in urban forests. She compared nesting success in habitats with only woodpeckers, habitats
with only starlings, and habitats with both woodpeckers and starlings. Nesting success was the percent
of pairs of birds that successfully fledged young in spring. Assume that everything else was the same
about each habitat.
6) Which conclusion is correct, based on the above results?
(a) Starlings reduce nesting success of woodpeckers and woodpeckers reduce nesting success of
starlings
(b) Starlings reduce nesting success of woodpeckers but woodpeckers do not reduce nesting success
of starlings
(c) Starlings do not reduce nesting success of woodpeckers but woodpeckers reduce nesting success of
starlings
(d) Nesting success was not influenced by interspecific competition

7) What conclusion can you draw about fundamental (F) and realized (R) niches for starlings?
(a) F < R
(b) F = R
(c) F > R

8) What conclusion can you draw about fundamental (F) and realized (R) niches for woodpeckers?
(a) F < R
(b) F = R
(c) F > R

9) The starling – woodpecker interaction would be an example of a

(a) + + interaction
(b) + 0 interaction
(c) + - interaction
(d) – 0 interaction
(e) - - interaction

ANSWERS

1) c
2) b
3) c
4) b
5) d
6) b
7) b
8) c
9) d

Lecture 4: Community Dynamics

Use the following diagram to answer Questions 1 through 3

1) Energy enters this food web primarily through the

(a) Phytoplankton
(b) Krill
(c) Sperm whales
(d) Humans

2) An example of a food chain within this web is

(a) Birds - Humans - Squids
(b) Phytoplankton - Carnivorous plankton - Fishes - Leopard seals - Smaller toothed whales
(c) Baleen whales - Smaller toothed whales - Sperm whales
(d) Phytoplankton - Krill - Baleen whales - Humans

3) If there are strong trophic cascades in this community, removing sperm whales should cause
(a) a decline in elephant seals
(b) an increase in squid
(c) an increase in copepods
(d) a decline in phytoplankton
4) An ecosystem engineer
(a) Influences species abundance within a community by altering the physical environment
(b) Tends to increase average food chain length within a community
(c) Is usually a predator
(d) Is often a parasite

5) What is the term for a species that has a disproportionate (larger than expected based on its
abundance or biomass) effect on other species in the community?
(a) keystone species
(b) mutualistic species
(c) landscape species
(d) dominant species
(e) primary consumer

6) Snowshoe hares on Jacquot Island in the Yukon have greater total biomass than any other
species in the food web. Hares would likely be
(a) a keystone species
(b) an ecological engineer
(c) a basal species
(d) a dominant species
(e) a keynote species

7) In the rocky intertidal of western North America, an experiment was conducted to determine
the impact of the sea star, Pisaster, on intertidal communities. The results are shown in the
following graph:

Given the above results, why has Pisaster been considered a keystone species?
(a) it influences the species richness of its community
(b) it causes a trophic cascade
(c) its activity creates a new type of physical habitat in the intertidal
(d) it has few predators

8) Fertilizer was added to the soil of a garden. The plants grew faster and reached larger sizes.
Herbivorous insects became more abundant. This would be an example of
 (a) Top-down control
(b) Bottom-up control
(c) A trophic cascade
(d) A regime shift

9) After wolves were re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park in the 1990’s, elk, the wolves’
main prey, declined to less than half of its former abundance. This would be an example of
(a) Top-down control
(b) Bottom-up control
(c) Disturbance influencing species richness
(d) A regime shift

Use the following representation of the trophic cascade in the coastal waters of Nova Scotia
before and after the collapse of the cod fishery to answer questions 10 and 11

10) Why did the amount of nitrate in the water decline after the collapse of the cod fishery?
(a) Low excretion rates by the small number of remaining cod
(b) Increased controls on pollutants
(c) An increase in the number of crab and shrimp harvested
(d) More nitrate is taken up because there are more phytoplankton

11) If cod and other large predator fish were to recover we might expect to see
(a) A further decline in nitrate
(b) An increase in the abundance of phytoplankton
(c) A decline in the abundance of crabs
(d) A decline in competition between cod and other large fish predators

ANSWERS

1) a
2) d
3) b
4) a
5) a
6) d
7) a
8) b
9) a
10) d
11) c

Lecture 5: Ecosystem Dynamics

1) One difference between the movement of energy and nutrients in an ecosystem is

(a) Energy can be stored for periods of time but nutrients cannot
(b) Nutrients can be stored for periods of time but energy cannot
(c) Nutrients tend to be retained and recycled within an ecosystem while energy must be continually
replenished from outside
(d) Energy tends to be retained and recycled within an ecosystem while nutrients must be continually
replenished from outside

2) When energy is transformed from one form to another or moved from one component to another,
some energy is always lost in the form of heat. The ecosystem process associated with this loss of heat
energy is
(a) photosynthesis
(b) consumption
(c) death of organisms
(d) respiration

3) Which of the following are NOT autotrophs?

(a) phytoplankton
(b) kelp
(c) grasses
(d) barnacles

4) Decomposers get their energy

(a) through nitrogen-fixation
(b) by parasitizing animals
(c) by consuming dead organic matter
(d) by specializing on tertiary consumers

5) In most ecosystems, the majority of primary producers fix energy through

(a) photosynthesis
(b) chemosynthesis
(c) decomposition
(d) heterotrophy
6) Which of the following would NOT be a measure of ecosystem function?
(a) rate of conversion of forest to cropland
(b) rate that new grass biomass is produced in a savannah ecosystem
(c) rate that zooplankton biomass is converted into herring biomass
(d) rate that leaves decompose in a small stream

7) An ecologist was studying restoration of a temperate grassland ecosystem. She found that, as the
species composition of the grasses changed over time, the grazing bison began to gain weight at a faster
rate. What would be a valid conclusion to draw from this observation?
(a) Primary production was likely declining
(b) Bison were likely experiencing less interspecific competition
(c) The bison herd was increasing in abundance
(d)The species composition of primary producers was influencing ecosystem function

8) Net primary production (NPP) is a measure of how much energy

(a) is captured by primary producers over a period of time
(b) is accumulated as primary producer biomass over a period of time
(c) is accumulated by an ecosystem over a period of time
(d) is lost due to respiration by primary producers over a period of time
(e) is lost due to respiration by an ecosystem over a period of time

Use the following information to answer questions 9 and 10.

An ecologist measured the increase in carbon of white pine in a woodlot from the spring of 2010 to
spring of 2011. He also estimated the amount of carbon lost by the trees due to respiration:
Change in biomass 1500 kg C
Respiration 800 kg C
9) What was the rate of net primary production for white pine in the woodlot?
(a) 2300 kg C/year
(b) 1500 kg C/year
(c) 800 kg C/year
(d) 700 kg C/year

10) What was the rate of gross primary production for white pine in the woodlot?
(a) 2300 kg C/year
(b) 1500 kg C/year
(c) 800 kg C/year
(d) 700 kg C/year

11) Net ecosystem production (NEP) is always negative if

(a) Ra > GPP

(b) Ra < GPP
 (c) RT < NPP
(d) RT < GPP

12) Eutrophication (high rates of primary productivity in an aquatic community) usually occurs as a
result of
(a) high zooplankton death rates
(b) excessive nutrients in coastal waters
(c) high rates of denitrification
(d) high input of nutrients

13) Radiant energy is captured by plants and stored as

(a) heat energy
(b) chemical energy
(c) physical energy
(d) biological energy

Use the following diagram of the nitrogen cycle in the soil to answer Questions 14 and 15.

14) Which group of micro-organisms is involved in nitrification?

(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D

15) Which micro-organisms are the decomposers?

(a) A
(b) B
(c) C
(d) D

16) Legumes add nitrogen to the soil

(a) through the process of nitrification
(b) through the process of assimilation
 (c) through a symbiotic relationship with photosynthesizing algae
(d) through a symbiotic relationship with dentrifying bacteria
(e) through a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria

ANSWERS

1) c
2) d
3) d
4) c
5) a
6) a
7) d
8) b
9) b
10) a
11) a
12) d
13) b
14) c
15) b
16) e

Lecture 6: Behavioural Ecology

1) What is an important environment condition for the evolution of polygamy?

(a) Mate guarding
(b) Females choose mates
(c) Females have a larger body size than males
(d) There is sufficient food for one parent to rear the offspring

2) An altruistic behaviour is one

(a) that reduces an individual's fitness while increasing the fitness of another individual
(b) that increases an individual's fitness while increasing the fitness of another individual
(c) that increases an individual's fitness while reducing the fitness of another individual
(d) that reduces an individual's fitness while reducing the fitness of another individual

3) An example of altruistic behaviour in naked mole rat colonies would be

(a) one female producing all the offspring
(b) excavating a long tunnel to find food underground
(c) aggressive behaviour by the female queen to prevent other females from mating
(d) a worker mole rat defending the colony against a predator
4) Hamilton's Rule states that, for a particular behaviour to be maintained by natural selection,
(a) the cost of a behaviour must be greater than its benefit
(b) the benefit to the recipient, weighted by the proportion of shared genes between actor
and recipient, must be greater than the cost to the actor
(c) the benefit to the actor must be greater than the cost to the recipient
(d) the benefit to the actor, weighted by the proportion of shared genes, must be greater
than the costs to the recipient

5) A brother runs into a building to save his sister (full sibling). He has a 40% chance of dying in
the attempt. If they survive, the brother and sister will each have 2 children in the future.
According to Hamilton’s Rule, (evolutionarily speaking) should he have tried to save his sister?
(a) Yes
(b) No

6) Suppose that the sister is a half-sister (they share a mother but not a father). Should he have
tried to save her, according to Hamilton's Rule?
(a) Yes
(b) No

7) Why do young male Florida scrub jays stay to help their parents care for younger siblings
more frequently than do their sisters?
(a) Male scrub jays mature more slowly than do females
(b) Males derive a higher inclusive fitness from helping due to higher relatedness
(c) Reproductive rates are higher for females
(d) Males add more to their inclusive fitness by staying, as staying improves their chances of
eventually obtaining a breeding territory

8) Pikas give alarm calls because

(a) it often distracts the predator
(b) they have evolved lower fitness
(c) natural selection is less relevant for social animals
(d) the increased risk to themselves is small compared to the benefit to relatives
(e) a herbivorous diet is usually correlated with few physical defenses

9) An example of how the environment may affect the evolution of social organization would be
(a) army ants have soldiers to defend the colony
(b) only one to a few individuals reproduce in a eusocial society
(c) reproductively mature scrub jays help rear younger siblings in Florida where habitat is
limited but not in California where habitat is more abundant
(d) r-selected species tend to produce smaller offspring
ANSWERS

1) d
2) a
3) d
4) b
5) a
6) b
7) d
8) d
9) c

Calculations for 5 through 6

5) A man runs into a building to save his sister. His chance of dying in the attempt is 40%. If they
survive, the man and his sister will each have 2 children in the future. Should he have tried to
save his sister (evolutionarily speaking), according to Hamilton's Rule?
C < r B, C = risk*lost rep
B = 2 (sister's potential children)
r=½
C = 0.4 x 2 (risk of dying x man’s potential children)
(0.4 x 2) < ½ x 2
(a) YES
(b) No

6) Suppose that the sister is his half-sister (they share a father but not a mother). Should the
man have tried to save her, according to Hamilton's Rule?
B = 2 (half-sister's potential children)
r=¼
C = 0.4 x 2 (risk of dying x man’s potential children)
(0.4 x 2) > ¼ x 2
(a) Yes
(b) No

Lecture 7: Conservation Biology

1) Populations of American shad (a fish) spawn in rivers from Nova Scotia to the southern USA. Different
populations have been found to be adapted to different temperature regimes. This is most likely an
example of
(a) genetic diversity
(b) species diversity
(c) community diversity
 (d) ecosystem diversity
2) One aspect of the biodiversity crisis is the potential loss of whole ecosystems, e.g., wetlands. The
most serious consequence of a loss of an ecosystem is likely to be
(a) the thinning of the ozone layer
(b) loss of ecosystem services on which people and other organisms depend
(c) increased fragmentation of habitat
(d) an increase in nitrogen deposition

3) The graph below shows the hatching success of eggs for a prairie chicken population in Illinois. The
population had declined to very small numbers by 1989. In 1992, more than 200 birds were brought to
the Illinois population from populations found in other states. What is the most likely reason for the
increase in hatching success after 1993?

(a) Small population size

(b) Greater genetic diversity led to higher reproductive success
(c) The introduced birds were better adapted to the Illinois environment
(d) Restoration of ecosystem integrity

4) Which of the following is NOT a major global threat to biodiversity?

(a) Habitat loss
(b) Introduces / Invasive species
(c) Pollution
(d) Climate change
(e) Ocean acidification

5) Less than 500 Eastern wolves remain in the wild, mostly of them living in Ontario and Quebec.
Although they were once found in Nova Scotia, they haven’t been seen here since the 1800s. Which of
the following categories does the Eastern Wolf belong to for Nova Scotia?
(a) Extirpated
(b) Critically Endangered
(c) Data Deficient
(d) Least Concern
(e) Extinct
6) Small populations are more likely to go extinct due to:
(a) Stochasticity – chance events (e.g., a “bad” year)
(b) Genetic drift
(c) Inbreeding, leading to the expression of deleterious alleles
(d) All of the above
(e) None of the above

7) Why is it important to empower and incorporate the knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples and
local communities (IPLCs) in conservation initiatives?
(a) IPLCs have rich knowledge of local ecosystems and management
(b) IPLCs can facilitate adaptive management, keeping up with environmental and socio-economic
changes
(c) IPLC support can lead to long term stewardship of species & ecosystems
(d) All of the above
(e) None of the above

8) At what level of protection and stage of establishment would you expect to see the greatest gain in
biodiversity for a marine protected area (MPA):
(a) Fully Protected; Committed
(b) Fully Protected; Designated
(c) Fully Protected; Implemented
(d) Minimally Protected; Actively Managed

9) Strong conservation effects are found when MPAs are:

(a) No-take
(b) Enforced
(c) Old
(d) Large
(e) All of the above

10) Climate change is expected to influence the effectiveness of protected areas in the future. Which of
the following strategies can help create a climate-adaptive protected area:
(a) Create protected areas that prioritize climate-vulnerable species
(b) Create protected areas that prioritize climate-resilient species
(c) Create protected areas that remain static and fixed through time
(d) Create protected areas that are dynamic, and change their boundaries through time
(e) A and C
(f) B and D

ANSWERS
1) a
2) b
3) b
4) e
5) a
6) d
7) d
8) c
9) e
10) f