1. Belle is studying a population of moose on an island and the shape of the population growth curve is S-shaped, with population size plotted on the vertical axis and time plotted on the horizontal axis. Likely what accounts for the flattening of the curve at the top?

A. Aging of animals so they no longer reproduce.

B. Shortage of resources, raising the death rate and lowering the birth rate.

C. Exponential growth.

D. Density suddenly lowered.

2. If a squirrel lives in a particular tree, that tree is the squirrel s

A. fundamental niche.

B. climax community.

C. habitat.

D. realized niche.

3. If a country were to experience a severe epidemic of AIDS, which of the following would be least likely to change?

A. birth rate

B. death rate

C. density

D. carrying capacity

4. Which of the following would be of least value in estimating carrying capacity for a duck population?

A. amount of food available

B. land area

C. water available

D. number of eggs produced per female

5. You are told that your community drinking water supply is dwindling due to inadequate amounts of groundwater. What is a likely cause?

A. Inadequate transpiration.

B. Consumption exceeds rainfall.

C. Pesticide poisoning.

D. Plants dying so water is not held on the ground.

6. Which of the following phrases IS NOT part of the definition of a biomes?

A. all of the living organisms on the earth

B. large ecosystems

C. easily recognized by their overall appearance

D. within specific climatic regions

7. Which of the following statements IS NOT true about phosphates?

A. Other than nitrogen it is more likely than any other required plant nutrient to limit plant growth.

B. It is present in the soil in a readily soluble form.

C. Phosphates exist in the soil only in small amounts.

D. Animals obtain the phosphorus they need by eating plants or other plant eating animals.

8. Bob is an ocean explorer who has traveled into the abyssal zone and has observed tube worms living around hydrothermal vents. What would be the ultimate source of nutritional energy in the food chain for these worms?

A. sulfur

B. heat

C. detritus

D. fish

9. What factor is most likely to determine distribution of animals living within an estuary, more so than within other aquatic habitats?

A. light

B. temperature

C. salinity

D. nutrients

10. Energy flows through an ecosystem

A. from the decomposers to the producers to the consumers.

B. from the producers to the decomposers to the consumers.

C. from the consumers to the producers to the decomposers.

D. from the producers to the consumers to the decomposers.

11. All of the following organisms are likely to be wiped out by a new disease or climate change EXCEPT for

A. organisms that have been selectively bred for specific characteristics such as hardiness.

B. organisms that have been cultivated to the exclusion of all other varieties or species of the same type.

C. organisms that are already endangered.

D. organisms with high genetic diversity.

12. Which invasive exotic has actually improved water quality in some of the areas they were transported?

A. zebra mussel

B. black bass

C. king shrimp

D. European green crab

13. Wild gorillas in Africa are show reduced genetic variability. This concerns scientists for the following reasoning

A. the number of alleles would increase to dangerous levels.

B. the inbreeding leads to hybrid vigor.

C. the population gains fitness because of the breeding of superior individuals.

D. the condition reduces their chances of adapting to environmental change.

14. African cheetahs are becoming less in number and are being forced into small geographic ranges. This situation can cause the following to happen to the cheetah population

A. an increase in the number of alleles for the population.

B. extinction.

C. an increase in the rate of mutations.

D. an increase in birth rates.

15. Which two extinction risks may be a direct result of the pet trade?

A. climate change and exotic species introduction

B. habitat loss and overharvesting

C. overharvesting and exotic species introduction

D. habitat loss and climate change

16. Global warming is most evident in the following observation

A. increased number of invasive species.

B. extinction of many amphibians.

C. spread of fungal diseases in frogs.

D. retreat of glaciers.

17. If global warming were to reduce rainfall from 100 cm annually to 20 cm annually in an area of taiga at 30 degrees north latitude (the latitude of central Florida), what kind of ecosystem would likely replace the taiga?

A. desert

B. dry rainforest

C. deciduous forest

D. arctic tundra