Unit 8 Progress Check: MCQ Biology 30 AP - Population And Community Dynamics

In the mid-1920s, gray wolves, Canis lupus, were eliminated from Yellowstone National Park in the northwestern United States. Over the course of 1995 and 1996, 31 wolves from Canada were relocated to the park. Researchers have tracked the growth of the wolf population from 21 in 1995 to 108 at the end of the study in 2016 (Figure 1). Figure 1. Yellowstone National Park annual wolf population from 1995 to 2016 The wolves prey on large herbivores, primarily elk. The carcasses of wolf kills are a valuable food source for coyotes, Canis latrans. When coyotes are feeding on carcasses, they may be chased off the carcass and/or killed by wolves. Coyotes also hunt small mammals for food. Researchers were studying the effect of wolves' presence on the behavior of coyotes. Researchers observed coyotes in a specific area of Yellowstone National Park and recorded the proportion of the coyotes' time spent on five different activities when wolves were present in the study area and when wolves were absent (Figure 2). Figure 2. Coyote behavior in the presence and absence of wolves. Error bars represent a confidence interval of 95% (±2 standard errors of the mean). Based on information in Figure 1, which of the following is closest to the annual growth rate of the wolf population in Yellowstone National Park from 1996 to 2004 ?

Related to Question 1 Information: Based on the data in the figure, a student claimed that since 2007, the carrying capacity of wolves in Yellowstone National Park has been 100 wolves, and the maximum annual per capita growth rate of gray wolves is 0.6 wolves per wolf per year. Which of the following is closest to the calculated wolf population size in 2017 based on the student's claim?

Related to Question 1 Information: Identify the independent variable for the experimental results shown in Figure 2.

Related to Question 1 Information: Which of the following best describes the change in coyote behavior in the presence of wolves?

Final problem related to Question 1: Following the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, researchers measured the mean height of young aspen trees in upland and streamside areas. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the change in mean aspen height from 1998 to 2010 ?

Meerkats live together in groups to help raise and protect their offspring. Meerkat pups are most vulnerable when they are away from their burrow foraging for food. Adult meerkats exhibit sentinel behavior, standing upright and making alarm calls to warn other members in the group that predators are nearby. In a study of meerkat behaviors, scientists observed meerkat foraging groups and recorded the presence or absence of pups along with the frequency of adult sentinel behavior. The scientists determined that sentinel behavior increased when pups were present in the foraging group. Which of the following correctly identifies the dependent and independent variables in the described study?

Figure 1 shows a food web that describes the relationships within a community containing nine species. Each circle represents a separate species. The size of the circle represents the population size of the species relative to other species in the same trophic level. Figure 1. Trophic relationships among organisms in a community Based on the information in Figure 1, which of the following best predicts a short-term effect of removing secondary consumer X from the community?

Bt corn varieties are genetically modified to produce a toxin that specifically kills corn borers, a type of insect that eats and damages corn crops. Insects that are not closely related to corn borers are not affected by the toxin. Figure 1 shows the increasing production of Bt corn varieties and the change in the use of broad-spectrum pesticides that were the primary means of killing corn borers before the invention of Bt corn. Figure 1. Relative use of pesticides on corn fields and percent of Bt corn in crops How do the data in Figure 1 support the alternative hypothesis that increased use of Bt corn reduces the impact of corn farming on the natural environment?

A biologist was investigating the effects of herbivory on the amount of nicotine produced by the leaves of tobacco plants (Nicotiana rustica). Six groups of plants were grown from seed in the same greenhouse with identical environmental conditions. Three groups were then each exposed for a different interval of time to tobacco hornworms (Maduca sexta), which feed on the foliage of tobacco plants. The amount of nicotine present in the leaves was measured at the beginning and end of each time interval. As a control, the other three groups were not exposed to hornworms. The results of the experiment are summarized in Table 1. Which of the following correctly identifies the dependent variable and the independent variable for the experiment?

Figure 1 shows the population fluctuations of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the eastern Pacific Ocean over the course of six years. The major dip in phytoplankton was attributed to a lack of nutrients for phytoplankton. Of the following, which explains why the zooplankton also dipped during the same year and then seemed to cycle over the next three years?

Bison in Yellowstone National Park have a food-limited carrying capacity that determines how their population grows. If the population grows too large, some bison will either starve or migrate to search for more food. The park is able to support a maximum population of 4,500 bison. Park conservation officials must watch the population and prevent the bison from overpopulating, since they would migrate to nearby farms, causing agricultural damage and creating hazards to drivers. The bison begin to migrate when the population reaches 4,000 because of competition for food. If the current population size of bison is 3,652 and the maximum growth rate of the population is 0.28, calculate the population size after one year and determine whether the park will need to take measures to control the population.

Climate change can affect oceanic ecosystems and their food webs. In the East China Sea (ECS), three major climactic events were considered: the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), the East Asia winter monsoon (EAWM), and the El Niño Southern Oscillation. Figure 1 shows the relationships among these climactic events, surface sea temperature (SST), amount of phytoplankton, and copepod abundance. Copepods are important primary consumers in this ecosystem, and many species of fish depend on copepods as a food source. Solid arrows on the diagram indicate a statistically significant effect. The thicker the arrow, the greater the effect. Dashed arrows indicate statistically insignificant relationships. Figure 1. Structural equation model deciphering interactions among climate, phytoplankton, and copepods in the southern East China Sea. Solid arrows indicate significant effects, with the thickness of the arrow reflecting the relative effect. Dashed arrows indicate inconsequential effects. What do the data in Figure 1 suggest about a null hypothesis that the East China Sea ecosystem is unaffected by climactic events?

Researchers were studying the effects of microbes on the growth of the yellow bedstraw plant, Galium verum. They grew yellow bedstraw plants under four treatments: in the presence of soil bacteria only, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi only, both bacteria and AM fungi, or neither. After 6 months, they measured the biomass of the plants (Figure 1). Figure 1. The Effect of Soil Microbes on the Biomass of Galium verum Which of the following best describes a statistically significant relationship indicated in Figure 1 ?

Students in a class were divided into five groups to analyze community structure. Each group of students assessed the species of plants in four environments and determined the Simpson's Diversity Index for each environment. The Simpson's Diversity Index takes into account the number of species present as well as the abundance of each species. The index values are shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Simpson's Diversity Index for four environments Based on the data in Figure 1, which of the following statements is most accurate about the species diversity of the four different environments that the students analyzed?

In a study of energy flow, the following data were collected: Each human requires 55 grams of protein per day. An acre of soybeans produces 200,000 grams of protein per year. A cow grazing on one acre of land produces 19,000 grams of protein per year. Based on these data, an acre of land would support: 10 humans per year on a diet of soy, or 0.9 human per year on a diet of beef. Which of the following statements best explains these relationships in terms of energy transfer?

The marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus, is endemic to the Galápagos Islands and is especially vulnerable to El Niño events. These iguanas feed on red and green algae. During an El Niño climate event, surface waters and their currents in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean become significantly warmer than usual. Also during El Niño years, land masses experience increased rainfall. A researcher suggests that El Niño conditions cause a significant decrease in the size of the Galápagos marine iguana population. Which of the following would best support this alternative hypothesis?

A study recorded changes in the distribution of some commercial marine species off the East Coast of the United States over a period of several decades. The results of the study are summarized in Figure 1. Figure 1. Latitude that is the center of commercial harvesting of specified marine species Some researchers link changes in the distribution of these species to warming of the oceans due to climate change. Which of the following pieces of data best supports this alternative hypothesis?

Sea otters living along the Pacific coast were hunted to near extinction in the nineteenth century. After being protected from hunting in the early 1900s, a remnant population of otters near Adak Island, Alaska, recovered rapidly. Otters did not return to the environmentally similar nearby island, Alaid Island. Sea otters eat sea urchins, which eat kelp, a brown alga. Researchers surveyed both islands in 1988, to measure sea urchin biomass and kelp density. The data are presented in Table 1. In 1991, researchers at Adak Island observed the first attack by a killer whale on a sea otter in historical times. The researchers hypothesized that the population sizes of the larger marine mammals that the killer whales normally prey on declined, so the killer whales were starting to prey on different prey, including the smaller sea otters. Which of the following best predicts the effects of an increase in killer whale predation on sea otters on the Adak Island ecosystem?

Baker's yeast, Saccharomycetes cerevisiae, is the species of yeast that is commonly used in baking, brewing, and making wine. It is a single-celled organism; each cell is capable of undergoing asexual reproduction by mitosis and sexual reproduction by meiosis, forming spores that combine with other spores. To find out if energy and nutritional resource availability determines which form of reproduction is used, researchers grew twenty yeast colonies on an agar medium plate providing ideal nutrient environments. Each colony was composed of a population of yeast that originated from a single yeast cell that had reproduced asexually to form a population of millions of yeast clones. That plate was used to produce replicate plates of yeast colonies. Each replicate plate was a mirror image of the original cultures, so each colony could be subjected to each treatment group. The replicate plates contained different media as follows. Robust media: Contains all nutrients required by yeast in excess amounts Complete media: Contains all nutrients at a level promoting exponential growth at rmax Minimal media: Nutrients available at a low level, allowing growth, but stressing the yeast colonies Deficient media: Nutrient content less than what is needed to sustain growth, extreme stress on yeast colonies Eight replica plates were made, two plates of each media, and all plates were incubated at 30°C for 24 hours. Yeast from each colony were observed through a microscope and their means of reproduction determined. Table 1 summarizes these results. Which of the following best explains the data in Table 1 ?

Soluble reactive phosphate (SRP) is a term used to describe the amount of phosphate available for uptake by living things. A study of river plants species and water phosphate levels was completed in Great Britain. Recently, in a section of one of the rivers studied, a population of fennel-leaved pondweed was replaced by spiked water-milfoil, even though these two plants are associated with different environmental conditions as indicated in the table below. A group of researchers suggest that the concentration of available phosphate in this particular section of the British river does not have a significant impact on which plant species grow. Alternatively, another group of researchers hypothesize that levels of available phosphate do affect which plant species grow at this location. Which of the following observations would best support this alternative hypothesis?

Zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha, were introduced into the Great Lakes on shipping vessels, first appearing in Lake St. Clair in the 1980s. Since that time, they have rapidly expanded in range, as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Map showing the current range of zebra mussels in the United States Which of the following best supports the alternate hypothesis that zebra mussels display characteristics of an invasive species?