Question 1

One researcher studies plant cells and how these cells and plants respond to increased concentrations of carbon dioxide.Another researcher studies how multiple species interact and what affects their abundances and distributions.A different researcher studies a species' DNA and what changes have occurred between populations as a result of evolution.What do these researchers all have in common?
A) They all study community ecology since each researcher is interested in what happens within communities
B) They are all interested predator-prey interactions
C) They all study one of the many levels of biology with some application to ecology
D) They all study organismal biology since each researcher only studies the response of single-celled organisms

Accepted Answer

All three researchers study different levels of biology (cellular, community, and genetic), but each has application to ecology. Therefore, they all have in common that they study one of the many levels of biology with some application to ecology.

Question 2

An ecologist wants to study what plants colonize a site after a volcano has erupted.She plans to compare what plant species were once there with what plant species begin to grow in a matter of a few months.What term best describes the process she is interested in studying?
A) Unnatural history experiment
B) Ecological succession
C) Organismal ecology
D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

The process of comparing what plant species were originally present with what grows in a few months after a disturbance such as a volcanic eruption is known as ecological succession. This process describes how an ecosystem may change over time in response to disturbances, and the researchers interested in studying the ways in which these changes occur. The other choices (A and C) do not accurately describe the process in question.

Question 3

Introduced brown trout (Salmo trutta)in New Zealand negatively affected lake systems by:
A) Disturbing mayfly behavior, which resulted in fewer invertebrates feeding on algae
B) Introduced brown trout did not affect lake systems; rainbow trout that they coexisted with caused the negative effect
C) Brown trout were never introduced to New Zealand
D) Macroinvertebrates feeding on algae over grazed, and as a result lakes became eutrophic and brown trout died

Accepted Answer

Brown trout introduced in New Zealand disturbed mayfly behavior, which resulted in fewer invertebrates feeding on algae, causing changes in the lake systems.

Question 4

Which field of ecology studies trends and fluctuations in the number of individuals of a particular species at a particular time and place as a result of birth and death rates and interactions between predators and prey?
A) Community ecology
B) Systems ecology
C) Ecosystem ecology
D) Population ecology

Accepted Answer

Population ecology is the field of ecology that studies trends and fluctuations in the number of individuals of a particular species at a particular time and place as a result of birth and death rates and interactions between predators and prey. Community ecology studies interactions between different species in the same geographic area, systems ecology studies interactions and feedbacks between different components of an ecosystem, and ecosystem ecology studies how energy flows and nutrient cycling occur within an ecosystem.

Question 5

Pure science is:
A) The practical application of scientific data.
B) The conceptual truth proven by science.
C) An experimental, systematic approach to a scientific area of interest.
D) Theoretical modeling to prove what will happen in an area of interest.

Accepted Answer

Pure science refers to an experimental, systematic approach to scientific inquiry that aims to discover new knowledge and understand fundamental principles without necessarily seeking practical applications or outcomes. Option C accurately describes this approach. Option A describes applied science, option B refers to scientific truth as a concept rather than a method, and option D describes theoretical modeling which may be a component of pure science but on its own is not sufficient to define it.

Question 6

One reason to randomly sample is because:
A) It helps to create consistent data
B) It ensures significant p-values
C) It helps to prevent bias
D) It generates the most data

Accepted Answer

Random sampling helps to prevent bias by ensuring that every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample. This, in turn, increases the likelihood that the sample accurately represents the population, leading to more reliable results. The other options are not true - random sampling does not necessarily create consistent data or ensure significant p-values, and it does not generate the most data.

Question 7

Who defined ecology as "the comprehensive science of the relationship of the organism to the environment?"
A) Ernst Haeckel
B) Charles Darwin
C) E.P. Odum
D) G.E. Likens

Accepted Answer

Ernst Haeckel is credited with defining ecology as "the comprehensive science of the relationship of the organism to the environment."

Question 8

In your experiment,you manipulate temperature to test if it has an effect on the abundance of an insect species.If your null hypothesis stated that temperature has no effect on insect abundance,and your p-value was equal to 0.80,then you would conclude what?
A) That there is an association between insect abundance and temperature
B) Your data show evidence to support the null hypothesis, and conclude that temperature has no effect on this insect species abundance.
C) That there is a relationship between temperature and insect abundance
D) That temperature has an effect but species abundance does not.

Accepted Answer

A p-value of 0.80 indicates that there is an 80% chance that the observed effect is due to random variation and that the null hypothesis is true. Therefore, we cannot reject the null hypothesis, and we would conclude that temperature has no effect on this insect species' abundance.

Question 9

You have collected data on the body temperature and bite force of more than 100 iguanas on a recent research trip to Costa Rica.This is triple the data that most researchers ever get! You use these data to test if iguanas with higher body temperatures can bite harder.You generate a mean and look at your data relative to that mean.Many data points are consistent and fall within 1 standard deviations of the mean.You might expect your standard error to be:
A) Large because the data are within 1 standard deviation of the mean
B) Large because the data are within 1 standard deviation of the mean and you do not have many data points
C) Small because the data are within 1 standard deviation of the mean and there are many data points
D) Small because there is a lot of variation in the data

Accepted Answer

When data points are consistently clustered near the mean within 1 standard deviation, it indicates that the spread of the data is relatively small. This reduces the standard error because the samples are more likely to represent the population as a whole. Having over 100 data points also increases the precision of the estimates, which further reduces the standard error. Therefore, option C is the best choice.

Question 10

Ecological phenomena can occur at a range of
A) Biological scales.
B) Spatial scales.
C) Temporal scales
D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

Ecological phenomena can occur at different biological scales (e.g. individual, population, community, ecosystem), spatial scales (e.g. local, regional, global), and temporal scales (e.g. short-term, long-term). Therefore, option D, "All of the above", is the correct answer.

Question 11

An annual plant:
A) Completes its life cycle over many years
B) Completes a whole generation in a single year
C) Is a persistent plant that may not produce in its early years
D) Completes half a generation its first year

Accepted Answer

An annual plant completes its whole life cycle, from germination to death, in a single year. This includes completing both vegetative growth and reproduction (producing seeds).

Question 12

If ecologists study the distribution,abundance and productivity of mosquitoes so that they can develop pesticides or ways to effectively manage West Nile virus,they can be considered what type of ecologist?
A) An ecologist that focuses on pure science
B) An applied ecologist
C) An ecosystems ecologist
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

An applied ecologist is focused on applying ecological principles to solve real-world problems or manage natural resources. In this case, the ecologist is studying mosquitoes to develop ways to manage the spread of West Nile virus, which is a practical application of ecological principles. The other choices do not fully capture the applied nature of the work being done.

Question 13

You design an experiment to test how ultraviolet radiation effects the development of a species of frog tadpoles.You set up your experiment so that there are 50 replicates,instead of only 10.Why is it a good idea to have so many replicates?
A) A greater number of replicates makes no difference. The 40 additional replicates are a waste of time and money
B) A greater number of replicates will create pseudo replication.
C) The more replicates you have the greater the likelihood of obtaining significant results.
D) All of the above.

Accepted Answer

The more replicates you have, the greater the sample size and power of the statistical test, which increases the likelihood of obtaining significant results. A larger sample size also reduces the potential for error in the experiment. Option A is incorrect because having a greater number of replicates is not a waste of time and money, as it can lead to more accurate and reliable results. Option B is incorrect because having multiple replicates does not create pseudo-replication unless they are not independent of each other.

Question 14

There is a 100 square meter rectangular meadow that has a rare plant growing throughout it.This plant species is used by a butterfly species as food and land managers are worried that the population of this plant may be too low to sustain the butterfly.Since there are no data about the abundance or density of this plant,you need to sample this field to determine its density and abundance.To best sample it,you should:
A) Chose one specific patch of the meadow and sample what is in it and assume the rest of the meadow is the same
B) Section the meadow into smaller units and chose to sample only the units on one side of the meadow
C) Section the meadow into small units and use a random number generator to sample some of those units
D) Cut down part of the meadow and let it grow back, the record the density and abundance of the plant

Accepted Answer

To obtain a representative sample of the meadow, it's best to section it into smaller units and use a random number generator to select which units to sample. This method helps to ensure that all parts of the meadow have an equal chance of being sampled, and thus provides a more accurate estimate of the plant's density and abundance throughout the entire meadow. Choosing one specific patch or sectioning off only one side would both introduce bias in the sampling, while cutting down part of the meadow would be destructive and not necessary for obtaining accurate data.

Question 15

A student wants to prove that their research is significant using statistics.What's wrong with this approach?
A) There's nothing wrong with this approach; statistics can be used to prove anything
B) The approach is wrong because statistics can only prove things once in a while, not all the time
C) The student is confused and shouldn't be using statistics; they should be using a model
D) The approach is wrong because statistics cannot be used to prove something; it is used to disprove a null hypothesis.

Accepted Answer

Statistics cannot be used to prove something, as it is used to disprove a null hypothesis. The student should instead use statistics to test their hypothesis and see if it is statistically significant.

Question 16

Say you go and measure the diameter of trees in old growth forests throughout 30 plots of land in Argentina.You want to know if tree size differs between sites.This is an example of what type of study?
A) Manipulative field study
B) Comparative laboratory study
C) Comparative field observation study
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

This is a comparative field observation study because the researcher is measuring tree diameter in different plots of land to compare tree size between sites.

Question 17

You conduct a study and do a statistical analysis on your data.You set your confidence level at 95%.If you ran your statistical test and the p-value was equal to 0.035,you would conclude what?
A) There is no association and your results are not significant.
B) You could conclude that there is an association, but your results are not significant.
C) Your results are significant and that 95% of studies just like yours should generate similar results
D) None of the above

Accepted Answer

A confidence level of 95% means that we have a 5% chance of a Type I error, which is rejecting the null hypothesis when it is actually true. A p-value of 0.035 is less than 0.05 (our alpha level), so we reject the null hypothesis and conclude that our results are significant. A significant result means that we reject the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis. The alternative hypothesis is that there is an association between the variables being studied. Therefore, we can conclude that our results are significant and that 95% of studies just like ours should generate similar results.

Question 18

You have gathered historical data on the prevalence of a pathogen throughout a population of bats.You have also learned the dynamics of transmission and the rate of infection.You want to know how this pathogen may spread to other colonies of bats adjacent to the population you are studying.What might be a good way to do this?
A) Inoculate the adjacent colonies and watch to see how the pathogen spreads on its own
B) Bring all the bats into captivity and expose them to the pathogen then measure how the bats from each colony respond
C) Set up a field experiment where the prey spread the pathogen naturally
D) Use historical data, the knowledge of its infection rate, and population dynamics to create a model and predict how it might spread.

Accepted Answer

The best choice to predict how the pathogen might spread to other colonies of bats adjacent to the population being studied is to use the historical data, knowledge of infection rate and population dynamics to create a mathematical model. Inoculating adjacent colonies or bringing all bats into captivity and exposing them to the pathogen are not ethically sound options for collecting data on disease transmission. Setting up a field experiment where the prey spreads the pathogen naturally may not give accurate results as there may be other factors at play which may affect the pathogen's spread. Therefore, the best option is to use a mathematical model based on collected data to predict how the pathogen may spread.

Question 19

You conduct an experiment to test if water temperature affects developmental time of dragonfly nymphs.You only had time to set up three replicates for each of three temperature treatments: 10,13,and 15 degrees Celsius.Each replicate is one individual nymph.Therefore,you have data on the developmental rate of three nymphs at each temperature treatment.The data show some variation within each treatment.You conduct your statistical test and your resulting p-value is 0.85.These results indicate the result was not significant.However,you can interpret this result another way,which is:
A) There really may be no effect of ecological importance, or there may not be enough data, which may be because the effect is weak and you need more extensive data
B) There is nothing more to conclude. The experiment is over, temperature has no effect, and increasing the number of replicates will make no difference
C) The result actually is significant because the p-value is so high
D) There is an ecological effect, it is just small and that is why the p-value is great.

Accepted Answer

A high p-value indicates that the results are not statistically significant. However, this does not necessarily mean that there is no effect. It could be that the effect is small or that there is not enough data to detect it. Therefore, choice A is the best answer.

Question 20

A researcher is studying how individual single-celled organisms of the same species are affected by water temperature.This is an example of studying ecology at what level?
A) Organismal
B) Population
C) Ecosystem
D) Community

Accepted Answer

The researcher is studying the effect of the water temperature on individual single-celled organisms, which falls under the organismal level of ecology.

Quiz 1: Ecology and How to Do It

An ecologist wants to study what plants colonize a site after a volcano has erupted.She plans to compare what plant species were once there with what plant species begin to grow in a matter of a few months.What term best describes the process she is interested in studying?

Introduced brown trout (Salmo trutta) in New Zealand negatively affected lake systems by:

Which field of ecology studies trends and fluctuations in the number of individuals of a particular species at a particular time and place as a result of birth and death rates and interactions between predators and prey?

Pure science is:

One reason to randomly sample is because:

Who defined ecology as "the comprehensive science of the relationship of the organism to the environment?"

In your experiment,you manipulate temperature to test if it has an effect on the abundance of an insect species.If your null hypothesis stated that temperature has no effect on insect abundance,and your p-value was equal to 0.80,then you would conclude what?

Ecological phenomena can occur at a range of

An annual plant:

If ecologists study the distribution,abundance and productivity of mosquitoes so that they can develop pesticides or ways to effectively manage West Nile virus,they can be considered what type of ecologist?

You design an experiment to test how ultraviolet radiation effects the development of a species of frog tadpoles.You set up your experiment so that there are 50 replicates,instead of only 10.Why is it a good idea to have so many replicates?

A student wants to prove that their research is significant using statistics.What's wrong with this approach?

Say you go and measure the diameter of trees in old growth forests throughout 30 plots of land in Argentina.You want to know if tree size differs between sites.This is an example of what type of study?

You conduct a study and do a statistical analysis on your data.You set your confidence level at 95%.If you ran your statistical test and the p-value was equal to 0.035,you would conclude what?

A researcher is studying how individual single-celled organisms of the same species are affected by water temperature.This is an example of studying ecology at what level?