Assignment

Answer the following questions, you can skip up to 2 questions from the page if you clearly mark them with SKIP below the question.

Question 1

What are the components of the Biosphere?

Question 2

What is the difference between an organism's habitat and its niche?

Question 3

Ecologists often say that one individual living in a developed country cannot be counted as ecologically equal to one individual from a developing country. Why?

Question 4

What are the three shapes of survivorship curves, and what does each one tell us about the population? Give an example of a species for each survivorship curve.

Question 5

List at least three differences between an r-selected species and a K-selected species.

Question 6

Species that are introduced to new habitats, such as islands, often exhibit very high growth rates, but then growth rates level off. Explain this phenomenon, and describe the different patterns of growth.

Question 7

Many animal rights activists have claimed that if beef cows were eliminated, more people could be fed. What is the ecological theory behind the argument in support of this position, and what is an argument against this position?

Question 8

What is the relationship between a species diversity and geographic diversity?

Question 9

Explain the four primary types of interaction among community members.

Question 10

What is ecology?

Question 11

Describe the three types of biodiversity. Why are each important to maintain?

Question 12

Discuss the problem of Global Warming. What is some of the evidence that this is happening and what is causing it?

Question 13

Discuss some pros and cons about Genetic Engineering.

Question 14

What is the nature vs. nurture problem? How can we test our ideas about this?