Chapter 02 - Evolution and Ecology
Chapter 02
Evolution and Ecology
Multiple Choice Questions
1.In 1859, naturalist ______suggested an explanation for why evolution occurs.
A.Robert McKormick
B.Charles Darwin
C.Charles Lyell
D.Thomas Malthus
E.Peter Grant
2.The purpose of the voyage of the HMS Beagle was to:
A.discover new routes to the New World
B.survey the living creatures on islands only
C.map navigational routes around the coasts of South America
D.search for gold
3.Darwin's evidence that evolution occurs included:
A.the existence of fossils that closely resembled living specimens
B.a distinctive distribution of plants and animals in lands with similar climates that were not physically connected
C.unique but similar species on several nearby islands
D.All of these were Darwin's evidence for evolution.
4.Darwin better understood the mechanism for natural selection after he read a book by ______on the rate of growth of populations.
A.Alfred Wallace
B.Charles Lyell
C.Thomas Malthus
D.Jean Lamarck
5.Sizes of natural populations remain relatively stable over time because ______limits population numbers.
A.death
B.birth
C.immigration
D.emigration
6.Darwin's main tenet of natural selection was:
A.that only the oldest live to reproduce
B.every organism has the potential to produce more offspring than can survive
C.only those that are most suited to the conditions at the time survive to reproduce
D.Both A and B are correct.
E.Both B and C are correct.
7.The final stimulus that convinced Darwin to publish his findings came from ______, who had come to the same conclusion as Darwin from his own travels.
A.Thomas Malthus
B.Alfred Russell Wallace
C.John Henslow
D.Charles Lyell
8.Darwin's finches, and the studies by the Grants finally proved that:
A.beak size adjusted within a given year depending on nutrition status
B.differences in beak size were the result of natural selection and were inherited
C.beak sizes were completely random and no pattern was determined
D.beak sizes made no difference as to the food being eaten
9.Different finches on each of the Galápagos Islands is the result of:
A.extinction
B.population growth
C.adaptive radiation
D.All of these are correct.
10.The term "ecology" was first used by:
A.Eugene P. Odum
B.Thoreau
C.Charles Darwin
D.Ernst Haeckel
E.Alfred Russell Wallace
11.All of the different kinds of interacting organisms living within a certain area make up a:
A.population
B.ecosystem
C.community
D.species
12.All of the members of an interbreeding group of organisms in a local area make up a(n):
A.population
B.ecosystem
C.race
D.community
13.Which of the following statements is true about food chains?
A.Energy cycles, nutrients flow one way.
B.Energy flows one way, nutrients flow one way.
C.Energy cycles, nutrients cycle.
D.Energy flows one way, nutrients cycle.
14.A community and the nonliving factors with which it interacts is called a(n):
A.biome
B.biosphere
C.ecosystem
D.community
E.population
15.A tropical forest and desert would be examples of:
A.communities
B.biomes
C.biospheres
D.populations
E.ecosystem
16.An ecologist who is interested in how biological communities interact with their physical environment is a:
A.systems ecologist
B.community ecologist
C.population ecologist
D.biome ecologist
17.A type of symbiosis in which one species benefits from the relationship while the other neither benefits nor is harmed is called:
A.parasitism
B.mutualism
C.commensalism
D.benefitism
18.Which type of symbiosis would exist between a tapeworm living in a human host using its nutrients for its own gain and detriment to the host?
A.parasitism
B.mutualism
C.commensalism
D.benefitism
19.Which represents the correct flow of energy from the bottom up in a food chain?
A.producers carnivores herbivores
B.carnivores herbivores producers
C.producers herbivores carnivores
D.herbivores producers carnivores
E.herbivores carnivores producers
20.An organism's niche can be described in terms of:
A.space utilization
B.food consumption
C.temperature range
D.moisture requirements
E.All of the choices are correct.
21.Galápagos finches living on the same island have evolved beaks of different sizes. This is an example of:
A.resource partitioning
B.character displacements
C.mutualism
D.predator behavior
E.parasitism
True / False Questions
22.Organisms in transient environments are often adapted to reproduce rapidly, while those in stable environments tend to reproduce more slowly.
TRUE
23.Competition is more acute between organisms that are less similar than between those that are similar.
FALSE
24.A biome is a community and the nonliving factors with which it interacts.
FALSE
25.Interspecific competition refers to the interactions between individuals of different species when both require the same scarce resource.
TRUE
Fill in the Blank Questions
26.Darwin's book was entitled ______.
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
Short Answer Questions
27.The ______Islands made a huge impression on Darwin as he studied finches and giant tortoises.
Galápagos
Fill in the Blank Questions
28.______are created when the bodies of dead organisms are buried in the sediments or sand and mineralize over time.
Fossils
29.A ______ecologist would be interested in how biological communities interact with their physical environment.
systems
30.______are the fundamental units of ecology.
Ecosystems
31.Energy passes from one organism to another through a ______.
food chain
32.Major terrestrial assemblages with similarly adapted plants, animals, and microorganisms that occur over wide geographical areas with distinct physical characteristics are referred to as ______.
biomes
33.Populations of different species that live together in the same place are called ______.
communities
34.A symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit is called ______.
mutualism
35.______is the consuming of one organism by another.
Predation
36.The changes that evolve in two species to reduce niche overlap are called ______displacements.
character
37.A pattern of living is a ______.
niche
Essay Questions
38.Why would there be different types of finches on different islands?
If all the finches shared a common mainland ancestor, the finches on each island would change over time to adapt to the unique aspects of each individual island.
39.What is the process of natural selection?
Those individuals that have physical or behavioral (or other) attributes that better suit them to their habitat will survive to reproduce more offspring than other individuals not so well-endowed. Nature "selects" for the best-suited individuals indirectly through their greater contributions to the next generation. The environment dictates the direction and extent of the change.
40.Why were people so upset about Darwin's ideas in On the Origin of Species?
The ideas Darwin suggested about evolution and man's relatedness to the apes went against the religious teachings of the day that suggested humans were the product of a divine inspiration that put them at the pinnacle of the animal kingdom. It came as a big blow to human religious beliefs and teachings.
41.Describe how two populations could diverge enough over time to become two species.
Local populations must first become adapted to the unique aspects of their habitats. Over a period of time, the two separate populations can be considered ecological races. Natural selection operates to reinforce the differences between the two groups. At some point, the two populations become reproductively isolated and incapable of interbreeding, and can be considered separate species.
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