Homework answers / question archive / Biol 205 Foundations of Biology: Ecology & Evolution Instructions: This exam is open-notes, meaning you can use any course resource to help you answer the questions (including your notes, the lecture handouts, the lecture recordings, the textbook, and quizzes)

Biol 205 Foundations of Biology: Ecology & Evolution Instructions: This exam is open-notes, meaning you can use any course resource to help you answer the questions (including your notes, the lecture handouts, the lecture recordings, the textbook, and quizzes)

Writing

Share With

Biol 205 Foundations of Biology: Ecology & Evolution Instructions: This exam is open-notes, meaning you can use any course resource to help you answer the questions (including your notes, the lecture handouts, the lecture recordings, the textbook, and quizzes). You CANNOT ask another person for help, including other students or internet strangers. All written answers should be in your own words. Write your answers within this document and submit it to the Assignment box on Canvas by Monday 8/9 at 11:59 PM. Late submissions will not be accepted. 1. Based on the energy pyramids below, describe two differences between the grassland community and the marine community. Make sure to use appropriate terminology (this might include words like: trophic level, primary consumers, energy transfer, etc.). [4 pts] Answer: 2. Predict why the large-scale removal of sharks from the oceans has caused some coral reefs to become overgrown with algae, even though sharks don’t eat algae. Make sure to mention whether this is an example of top-down or bottom-up control of the ecosystem. [4 pts] Answer: 3. Explain how a food web would change if all decomposers were eliminated from it. [3 pts] Answer: 4. Using the food web to the right, explain what would happen to at least three other organisms if the leopard seal population was dramatically reduced. [3 pts] Answer: 5. Explain how eutrophication leads to a decrease in oxygen in a body of water. [3 pts] Answer: 6. Describe two reasons why a captive breeding program to reintroduce South China tigers into their natural environment may fail. [4 pts] Arrows show the flow of energy Answer: 7. Explain the effect that increasing temperatures may have on the incidence of a tropical disease such as malaria as well as a temperate disease such as Lyme. Be specific in explaining your rationale. [4 pts] Answer: 8. The data in the figure to the right is on fire ants living in Texas. They are non-native to Texas and so are considered an exotic species. Are they also an invasive species? Explain your answer. [4 pts] Answer: 9. Two non-native species of bees are introduced into a new ecosystem. One species has a broad ecological niche, while the other has a narrow, specialized niche. Explain which species is most likely to be successful in the new environment. Also, provide one additional characteristic of this species that would make it a good invader in a new habitat. [3 pts] Answer: 10. Describe each of the following approaches to conservation biology: function-first approach, evolution-first approach, and hotspot approach. Use the internet to find two specific examples of protected areas, and indicate which approach to conservation biology was taken. Your examples must include at least two of the three approaches, and they should not be examples that were discussed within the readings or class. Include a hyperlink to each of the protected areas you find. [7 pts] Answer: 11. Carbon dioxide concentrations are increasing in the atmosphere. Explain how this can lead to either a positive feedback loop (whereby carbon dioxide concentrations continue to increase) or a negative feedback loop (whereby carbon concentrations begin to decrease). Be specific in describing the steps of the feedback loop, and be sure to indicate whether it is a positive or negative loop. [3 pts] Answer: 12. The figure below displays the day of year that the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) laid an egg plotted against both the spring temperature (left) and the date (right). Does this represent a shift in the birds’ phenology due to climate change? Explain why or why not, making reference to the graphs. [4 pts] Answer: 13. Some water, a small amount of soil, a few green aquatic plants and a fish were placed in a large bottle. The bottle was placed in a window to receive light during the daytime. Explain what will happen to the CO2 and oxygen levels in the bottle over time. Be sure to include the processes that affect these levels.