Test 2 Review

Lichens are responsible for __________ or the establishment of a new site for plant growth.

• Primary Succession

• Secondary Succession

• Tertiary Succession

Place the following in the correct order of stages in the primary succession of a volcanic island environment: Coconut trees, sea grasses, volcanic rock, lichens, shrubs.

• Sea Grasses

• Coconut Trees

• Shrubs

• Volcanic Rock

• Lichens

The graph illustrates what has happened over an 8 year period, when non-native Nile perch were introduced to Lake Malawi in Africa. Environmental factors remained the same during this period (i.e., temperature, pH, water levels, etc.). Based on the data, what recommendation would you make to African biologists?

• Remove the remaining pike cichlids, as they are competing with the Nile perch.

• Reduce both fish populations, or they will starve one another out.

• Remove or reduce the Nile perch as quickly as possible, as it is clearly out-competing the pike cichlid.

• There is no competition between these species of fish.

Determine if the factors may cause an animal species to be placed on the endangered list.

• pollution from human sources

• habitat loss because of city construction

• introduction of non-native animals to the range of the animal.

• introduction of the animal into places that it has previously gone extinct.

After a natural disaster such as a hurricane or tornado, what will happen in the damaged ecosystem?

• A new, different ecosystem will evolve.

• An ecosystem like the previous one will be re-established.

• Nothing; it will remain uninhabited.

• No one really knows what to expect after a natural disaster.

Determine if the following would result in primary or secondary succession:

Groups:

(a) Primary Succession

,

(b) Secondary Succession

• Hurricane

• Tornado

• Lava Flow

• Forest Fire

The zebra mussel is a shellfish native to Europe. During the early 1900's, it was accidentally brought to the United States in the ballast of a ship traveling to the Great Lakes. It has no predators in the Great Lakes. What impact are zebra mussels likely to have on food chains in the Great Lakes?

• They will allow fish populations to expand, because they will be used as food.

  
  

• They will have no real effects on the food chain since they are from Europe.

  
  

• They will compete with native shellfish and clams and cause a reduction in their populations.

  
  

• They will be outcompeted by higher trophic levels in the food chain.

  
  

Which biome would contain the most biodiversity in deciduous tree species?

• Taiga

• Desert

• Grasslands

• Tropical Rainforest

• Tundra

The mangrove tree is an important foundation species in estuarine and coastal forests. When mangrove trees are removed, it results in a rapid build-up of acid sulfides in the soil and increases shoreline erosion. What is a LIKELY impact of the removal of mangroves from their habitat?

• The food web in the region would stabilize rapidly.

  
  

• The number of aquatic species would gradually increase.

  
  

• The sedimentation rate would increase, and new hatcheries would form.

  
  

• Inshore breeding areas would be affected, and aquatic species would decline.

  
  

Ecological succession leads to the sustainability of life in an ecosystem. Succession is the observed process of change in the species structure of an ecosystem. The community begins with relatively few pioneering plants and animals and develops through stages of increasing complexity until it becomes stable. Succession may be initiated either by formation of new, unoccupied habitat such as the formation of an island or by some form of disturbance such as fire in an existing ecosystem. Succession that begins in new habitats, uninfluenced by pre-existing communities is called primary succession, whereas succession that follows disruption of a pre-existing community is called secondary succession. If a tornado destroys a deciduous forest, what kind of succession follows?

• Primary Succession

• Secondary Succession

• Climax Community

• Classic Ecosystem