Q: Which equation is used to calculate the Shannon diversity index ($$H_S) $$for a community?

$$H_S = \sum p_i \times \ln(p_i)$$

Question 1

Which of the following best describes a biological community?

Accepted Answer

All the populations of different species that live and interact in the same area at the same time.

Question 2

Species richness is generally highest in which of the following regions?

Accepted Answer

Tropical rain forests near the equator.

Question 3

Which equation is used to calculate the Shannon diversity index ($$H_S) $$for a community?

Accepted Answer

$$H_S = \sum p_i 	imes \ln(p_i)$$

Question 4

Given two communities, Community 1 with four species each at 25% abundance, and Community 2 with one species at 80% and the others at 5%, 5%, and 10%, which community has higher species diversity and why?

Accepted Answer

Community 1, because the species are more evenly distributed.

Question 5

A keystone species is best defined as:

Accepted Answer

A species whose impact on its community is disproportionately large relative to its abundance.

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a keystone species altering its environment to create new habitats?

Accepted Answer

Beavers building dams that transform streams into ponds.

Question 7

What is the difference between a fundamental niche and a realized niche?

Accepted Answer

A fundamental niche is the full range of conditions a species can use, while a realized niche is where it actually exists due to competition and other factors.

Question 8

According to the competitive exclusion principle, what happens when two species compete for exactly the same resources?

Accepted Answer

One species will outcompete and exclude the other from the niche.

Question 9

Resource partitioning allows similar species to coexist in a community by:

Accepted Answer

Using different resources or using resources at different times or places.

Question 10

Character displacement is most likely to occur when:

Accepted Answer

Two closely related species compete for similar resources in the same area.

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of primary succession?

Accepted Answer

Colonization of bare rock by lichens after a volcanic eruption.

Question 12

Which organism is typically the pioneer species in primary succession?

Accepted Answer

Lichens.

Question 13

Secondary succession differs from primary succession in that:

Accepted Answer

Soil remains intact after the disturbance in secondary succession.

Question 14

Which of the following best illustrates resource partitioning in a forest ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

Different species of warblers feeding at different heights in the same tree.

Question 15

A disturbance such as a fire that removes organisms and alters resource availability in a community is likely to result in:

Accepted Answer

Succession, where new species gradually recolonize the area.

Question 16

In J.H. Connell’s barnacle study, what was the main cause of niche restriction for Chthamalus barnacles?

Accepted Answer

Competition with Balanus barnacles.

Question 17

Which of the following is a real-world example of the competitive exclusion principle?

Accepted Answer

Paramecium aurelia outcompeting Paramecium caudatum when grown together.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a likely cause of niche restriction?

Accepted Answer

Increased genetic diversity within a population.

Question 19

If a community experiences a disturbance that removes all vegetation but leaves the soil intact, what type of succession will occur?

Accepted Answer

Secondary succession.

Question 20

Which of the following best describes the role of a habitat engineer in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

An organism that creates, modifies, or maintains habitats for other species.

Community Ecology: Structure, Diversity, and Dynamics

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