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Sample questions for examination I |
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Note. These are sample questions. Use these questions as only one of many study aids for the examination! These questions are to guide your studies and cover the materials in the textbook, the online audio lecture presentations, and the course internet site. Be sure your answers for these questions are scientifically sound, and in the technically appropriate terminology and concepts used in ecology. Study and review of these questions. I would highly recommend that you work with a colleague to practice answering the study questions (as well as others you can design yourself) orally in technically precise terminology. The ability to explain the course material orally to another person (e.g., as if you were a teacher) is an excellent measure of your level of mastery of the subject matter.
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What is the definition of ecology? What is autecology? What is synecology? What is the environment? Name three prominent ecologists and their major contributions since 1900. What was the major difference between classification and geography done by naturalists before 1900 and modern ecology? What are two internationally prominent societies that specialize in the science of ecology? What are two major prominent societies that specialize in applied ecology? How does an approach that emphasizes basic science of ecology differ from approaches for the application of ecology? What are the major attributes of a species? What is ecotype? How do ecotypes develop within a species? Why is habitat distinctiveness important in the development of ecotypes? In what types of environments would ecotypes develop relatively quickly? What is a "common garden" experiment and who is credited with developing this technique? In what principal way did the experiments of Clausen, Keck, and Hiesey differ from those of Turesson? What are some the major conclusions of Clausen, Keck and Heisey's experiments? What is the version of Liebig's Law of the Minimum we use today? What is Shelford's Law of Tolerance? How do tolerance limits of a population change over time? What is meant by the physiological and ecological optima for a species? How do these optima determine the distribution of a species along environmental gradients? How can an environmental gradient be used to illustrate the range of an organism? What is a genotype and how does the genotype determine an organism's ability to tolerate a particular set of environmental conditions? What is phenotypic plasticity and how does the phenotypic plasticity influence an organism's ability to tolerate a particular set of environmental conditions? How does an individual adapt to new environmental conditions? What is "fitness" and how does it relate to evolutionary process? Contrast proximate and ultimate factors, and give an example of each. Specifically, what determines whether a factor qualifies as an ultimate factor? What are poikilotherms and homoiotherms? What are the ecological advantages and disadvantages of each type? What are the principal ways that a poikilotherm can regulate its body temperature? Contrast the ecological significance of autotrophs versus heterotrophs. What are some of the ecological significance, i.e., advantages and disadvantages, of each type? What are the principal chemicals that attenuate or absorb solar radiation as it penetrates through the atmosphere? Which molecule is the principal absorber of UV-C and UV-B radiation? In the lower atmosphere, what are the major factors that influence irradiance at the ground? List the name for the wavelength regions of the solar spectrum received at the earth's surface in order of increasing wavelength. Next to each region list the principal effect or significance (i.e., the biological action) of the wavelength region for plants and animals. Include the relationships between wavelength, energy, and biological action for solar radiation? What are the wavebands of the ultraviolet region? What principal biological action is caused by each of these UV wavebands? What part of the UV region is both invisible to humans and visible to insects? In regard to solar radiation, what principal interactions occur between insects and flowers? Do the terrestrial and solar radiation spectra overlap to a substantial degree? Explain why or why not. Why is IR radiation sensitivity a useful characteristic in a predator? What are the principal pigments in leaves that affect penetration of radiation into the leaf? What are the basic optical properties of leaves and how do these change from the UV to farIR wavebands? Contrast the radiation environment at the top of a plant canopy with that at the bottom of the plant canopy. How do the changes in radiation between the top of a forest canopy and the understory occur? Is the shade environment underneath a dense canopy dark? Describe the typical transmittance spectrum for green leaves. Describe the typical absorption spectrum for green leaves. What are the ecological advantages and disadvantages of a plant with highly reflective leaves in the visible waveband? In what ways can the reflectivity of leaves be altered by plants? During a walk on an exposed ridge in Yellowstone National Park, you notice your skin has been sunburned. What specific wavelength region caused this sunburning? Even though you have been sunburned, what substance in the upper atmosphere prevents you from even more severe sunburning? You are standing on the top of a ridge in the Rocky Mountains. Why is there more global radiation (i.e., total shortwave radiation from the sun) incident on the steep south-facing slope that you see below you from the ridge than on the top of the ridge? What energy exchange process causes you to feel cold on this wind-swept ridge? Why would you lose less energy on this windy ridge if you crouched near the ground? While you lean against the rocks on the ridge, what energy exchange process allows you to feel the warmth of these rocks? Even though the wind has stopped blowing on this warm and sunny day, what energy exchange process allows you and the plants to remain cool? What American ecologist in the early part of this century developed many of the principles we use in ecology? As you walk through the forest after sunset, what type of radiation are you exposed to? What type of radiation do you expect from the camp fire you make at night? What global environmental problem are you contributing to when you make a fire using the wood you found near your camp site? What is the key reason and consequence for this predicted environmental problem? What is the equation for the overall energy balance for a herbaceous plant growing in the middle of a large clear-cut? How does the energy balance differ between nighttime and daytime for a lizard in the Sonoran Desert? What is convection? What is the principal driving force for convection and how is convection important for elephants? What energy balance processes are important for an iguana when it is in its burrow at midday? Does the wind chill factor apply to plants? Why or why not? Why is the climate milder in Seattle than in Yellowstone National Park? In what type of climate would you expect to find xerophytes? How do orographic factors affect the climate of a region? What is a rain shadow? What kind of climates result from a rain shadow? How is latent heat of vaporization important to energy balance of organisms? What is conduction and what is the driving force for this energy exchange process? Why is conduction the principal energy exchange process for animals in burrows? For animals with relatively large and thin ears, why is convection important? What is latent heat of vaporization and what is the driving force for this energy exchange process. For thin, relatively small, and highly dissected leaves, why is convection important? Why can organisms gain heat through the development of frost? Why do animals cool (i.e., lose energy) when they perspire or breathe? What are all the sources (i.e., inputs) and losses (i.e., outputs) of energy for a ponderosa pine or a lizard that is resting on a rock in the sun at noon? Discuss several examples of how animal and plant have adapted to the energy processes in their environment. |
