Q: Which equation correctly represents net primary productivity (NPP)?

$$\text{NPP} = \text{GPP} - \text{Respiration}$$

Question 1

Which of the following best describes the difference between a fundamental niche and a realized niche?

Accepted Answer

A fundamental niche is the set of resources a species could potentially use, while a realized niche is the set of resources it actually uses due to biotic interactions.

Question 2

Which scenario illustrates how environmental conditions can change the sign of an interspecific interaction?

Accepted Answer

Two plant species compete for sunlight in a dense forest, but during a drought, one provides shade that reduces water loss for the other, turning competition into facilitation.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of asymmetric competition?

Accepted Answer

One species of barnacle outcompetes another for space, causing the second species to be excluded from the upper intertidal zone.

Question 4

Which equation correctly represents net primary productivity (NPP)?

Accepted Answer

$$	ext{NPP} = 	ext{GPP} - 	ext{Respiration}$$

Question 5

Why is the transfer of energy between trophic levels so inefficient?

Accepted Answer

Most energy is lost as heat due to metabolic processes and only a small fraction is converted into biomass at the next trophic level.

Question 6

Which of the following is a real-world example of a keystone species?

Accepted Answer

Sea otters in kelp forest ecosystems, whose predation on sea urchins maintains kelp populations.

Question 7

What is the main difference between Batesian and Mullerian mimicry?

Accepted Answer

Batesian mimicry involves a harmless species mimicking a harmful one, while Mullerian mimicry involves two harmful species mimicking each other.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the process of succession after an ecological disturbance?

Accepted Answer

Succession is the gradual replacement of one community by another, starting with pioneer species and ending with a stable climax community.

Question 9

According to MacArthur and Wilson’s theory of island biogeography, which island would have the highest equilibrium species richness?

Accepted Answer

A large island close to the mainland.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of resource partitioning?

Accepted Answer

Two bird species feed on insects, but one feeds in the canopy and the other feeds on the ground, reducing competition.

Question 11

Which of the following best explains why communities rarely have more than four trophic levels?

Accepted Answer

Energy transfer between trophic levels is inefficient, so there is not enough energy to support more levels.

Question 12

Which of the following is a constitutive defense?

Accepted Answer

A porcupine’s quills, which are always present.

Question 13

What is the effect of intraspecific competition on carrying capacity?

Accepted Answer

It can increase carrying capacity by promoting resource use efficiency within the species.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of a trophic cascade?

Accepted Answer

The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone led to decreased elk populations, which allowed vegetation to recover.

Question 15

Which of the following is a mutualism, and is the benefit always symmetrical?

Accepted Answer

Bees pollinating flowers, where both benefit, but the benefit may not be equal for each species.

Question 16

Which equation best represents the relationship between gross primary productivity (GPP), net primary productivity (NPP), and respiration (R)?

Accepted Answer

$$	ext{NPP} = 	ext{GPP} - 	ext{R}$$

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the effect of ecological disturbances on communities?

Accepted Answer

Disturbances can create opportunities for new species to colonize and increase diversity, and are not always negative.

Question 18

Which of the following is a key attribute of a community’s structure?

Accepted Answer

Species diversity, including both species richness and relative abundance.

Question 19

Which of the following best explains why many taxonomic groups are more diverse in the tropics than at higher latitudes?

Accepted Answer

The tropics have higher productivity, stable climates, and longer periods without glaciation, promoting speciation.

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