Midterm 1 24 October 2016, questions and answers PDF

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Biol 2060 midterm 2016...

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BIOL*2060 (Ecology) Midterm test – October 24th 2016 Name:___________________________________________________ E-mail ID (D2L login):______________________________________ Student ID Number:________________________________________ Enter your name, e-mail ID login, and student ID number on p. 1 and on the test scoring answer sheet. This exam consists of two sections. The first section contains 10 multiple choice questions and is 3 pages long. The second section contains 6 short answer/fill-in-theblank questions and is 4 pages long. Please check this exam to make sure that you have the correct number of questions and pages. The exam is worth 25 marks and 10% of your grade for the semester. For the first section of the exam, circle the best answer to each question on the test paper. Then carefully transfer your answers to the test scoring answer sheet by filling in the appropriate bubble with an HB pencil. There is no penalty for guessing. For the second section of the exam, please write your answer in the space provided. Calculators are permitted on both sections of the exam. The exam will be returned to you, but the test scoring answer sheet will not.

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BIOL*2060 (Ecology) Midterm test – October 24th 2016 Section I: Multiple Choice Questions. Each question is worth 1 mark. 1. The leaves of many alpine tundra plants are oriented perpendicular to the sun and are dark pigmented. These traits are most likely to affect the plant’s heat balance… A. B. C. D. E.

by increasing radiative heat gain. by decreasing evaporative heat loss. by decreasing convective heat loss. by increasing conductive heat gain. both C and D.

2. Many alpine tundra plants have a compact, cushion-like growth form that hugs the ground. This growth form is most likely to affect the plant’s heat balance… A. B. C. D. E.

by increasing radiative heat gain. by decreasing evaporative heat loss. by decreasing convective heat loss. by increasing conductive heat gain. both C and D.

3. Tiger beetles in New Zealand live on hot black sand beaches. Adult beetles use their long legs to elevate their body above the surface of the sand. This “stilting behavior” is most likely to affect the beetle’s heat balance… A. B. C. D. E.

by decreasing radiative heat gain. by decreasing evaporative heat loss. by increasing convective heat loss. by decreasing conductive heat gain. both C and D.

4. The same tiger beetles described in Question #3 (above) move into the shade during the hottest part of the day. This behavior is most likely to affect the beetle’s heat balance… A. B. C. D. E.

by decreasing radiative heat gain. by decreasing evaporative heat loss. by increasing convective heat loss. by decreasing conductive heat gain. both C and D.

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BIOL*2060 (Ecology) Midterm test – October 24th 2016 5. The leaves of many desert plants are covered with a thick, waxy cuticle. This cuticle is most is most likely to affect the plant’s water balance… A. B. C. D. E.

by decreasing water loss through evaporation. by increasing water gain through metabolism. by increasing water gain through absorption. by increasing water gain through ingestion. None of the above.

6. Tropical dry forests and savannas in the northern hemisphere have a pronounced rainy season in June. In contrast, tropical dry forests and savannas in the southern hemisphere have a pronounced rainy season in December. Why does the timing of the rainy season differ between hemispheres? A. B. C. D. E.

because of a rain shadow caused by a mountain range. because the earth is a sphere. because the earth is tilted on its axis. because of ocean currents. none of the above.

7. Case (1976) observed that lizards living at high elevations had larger body sizes than lizards living at low elevations. To test whether this interpopulation variation in body size was caused by adaptation or acclimation, Tracy (1999) collected juvenile lizards from populations at six different elevations and reared in them in a common lab environment. He found that lizards from high elevations still had larger body sizes than lizards from low elevations, even in the common lab environment. Given these results, is interpopulation variation in body size of lizards caused by adaptation or acclimation? A. adaptation. B. acclimation.

8. Badyaev and Ghalambor (2001) studied life history traits of 48 bird species. If life history strategies in these birds are constrained by trade-offs, what relationship should Badyaev and Ghalambor (2001) have seen between the number of offspring produced and the amount of resources invested in each offspring? A. bird species that produce fewer offspring invest more resources in each offspring. B. bird species that produce fewer offspring invest fewer resources in each offspring. C. bird species that produce more offspring invest more resources in each offspring. D. no relationship between the number of offspring produced and the amount of resources invested in each offspring.

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BIOL*2060 (Ecology) Midterm test – October 24th 2016 9. You encounter two populations of slope ivy on a mountain. Population A is found in a humid valley. Its leaves are broad and thin, which maximizes sun exposure. Population B is found higher on the mountain, where the air is dry. Its leaves are thicker and narrower, which minimizes water loss through evaporation. You don't know how often seeds move between these populations. Which of the following can you deduce? A. wide, thin leaves are an adaptation in Population A. B. narrow, thick leaves are an adaptation in Population B. C. leaf differences are due to acclimation of the ivy species to different environments. D. there is not enough information to infer any of the above options.

10. The Mojave Desert sits at about 35° N latitude. It is a desert because there is little rainfall, but it is also very hot. Why is it so hot and dry? A. there is a broad band of thinner atmosphere at this latitude so that more radiation can penetrate to the ground. B. in a year there are more hours of daylight at this latitude compared with other latitudes. C. cold, dry air (originally from the equator) heats up as it descends to the earth at around 35° N. D. both B and C. E. none of the above.

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BIOL*2060 (Ecology) Midterm test – October 24th 2016 Section II: Short answer questions Equations:

We are studying a population of a threatened weasel species (Population A). No weasels survive to reach 4 years of age. Newborn weasels have only a 10% chance of surviving to their first birthday. One year old weasels have a 70% chance of surviving to two years of age, and two year old weasels have a 80% chance of surviving to three years of age. Female one year old weasels do not reproduce. Female two year old weasels each produce 1 female offspring, and female three year old weasels each produce 4 female offspring. 1. Given this information, construct a life table for Population A. (3 marks) x 0 1 2 3 4

nx 100 10 7 5.6 0

lx 1 0.1 0.07 0.056 0

mx 0 0 1 4 0

0.3 marks for each correct lx and mx value

2. Given the life table from Q1, above, what type of survivorship curve does Population A have? (1 mark) Type III

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BIOL*2060 (Ecology) Midterm test – October 24th 2016 3. Use the life table from Q1, above, to calculate R0 for Population A, showing your work. Given this R0, should the size of Population A increase or decrease? (2 marks) R0 = (0.07)(1) + (0.056)(4) = 0.294 (1 mark, 0.5 for correct set-up but incorrect answer because of math error) Size of Population A should decrease (1 mark)

4. You study a second weasel population (Population B) and find that all females wait until they are three years old to produce offspring. All things being equal, would Population A or Population B have the longer generation time? (1 mark) Population B

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BIOL*2060 (Ecology) Midterm test – October 24th 2016 5. The graph below is a climate diagram for Perth, Australia. Precipitation in mm is on the left-hand axis. Temperature in °C is on the right-hand axis. Use the information in this diagram to complete the following fill in the blank questions:

a. The potential evapotranspiration in August is approximately ___25 ± 3_____ mm. (1 mark)

b. The actual evapotranspiration in August is approximately _____25 ± 3_____ mm. (1 mark)

c. The month of the year with the lowest potential evapotranspiration is _____July_____. (1 mark)

d. The month of the year with the lowest actual evapotranspiration is _____February_____. (1 mark)

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BIOL*2060 (Ecology) Midterm test – October 24th 2016 6. A University of Guelph ecology professor finds that pumpkin vines are producing fewer fruit. She hypothesizes that vines are producing fewer fruit because the soil they are growing in is nutrient poor. To test this hypothesis, the professor plans to conduct an experiment on 60 pumpkin vines. Her independent treatment variable is fertilizer, and her dependent variable is number of fruit produced. To help her design the experiment, complete the following fill in the blank questions:

a. There should be ____30______ pumpkin vines in the experimental group, and each vine should receive _____some/lots of_____ fertilizer. (1 mark)

b. There should be _____30_____ pumpkin vines in the control group, and each vine should receive ____no______ fertilizer. (1 mark)

c. If the hypothesis is correct, then the number of fruit produced is predicted to be _____higher_____ in the experimental group compared to the control group. (1 mark)

d. If the hypothesis NOT correct, then the number of fruit produced is predicted to be _____the same/similar_____ in the experimental group compared to the control group. (1 mark, 0.5 for “lower”)

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