Midterm 2

Question 1

A butterfly species has shifted its range 200 km north over the past two decades. This response is most likely due to:

Answer 1

Climate change

Question 2

What is the Neutral Theory of Biodiversity?

Question 3

What is the Red Queen theory?

Answer 3

Hypothesis that explains how adaptation in prey is followed by adaptation in predators

Question 4

Compared to the distant past, recent extinction rates are now:

Answer 4

> 100 times higher

Question 5

What term describes multiple species occupying distinct ecological niches to avoid competition?

Answer 5

Niche partitioning

Question 6

Diversity indices like Simpson’s index increase as a community becomes:

Answer 6

More even

Question 7

What is meant by landscape connectivity?

Answer 7

Degree to which the landscape facilitates movement between patches

Question 8

Why are larger-bodied animals more vulnerable to fragmentation?

Answer 8

Their large home ranges require extensive, connected habitat patches

Question 9

According to the Green World Hypothesis, a change in biomass at which trophic level would most strongly affect the entire system?

Answer 9

Top: Carnivores

Question 10

What are endemic species?

Answer 10

Species restricted to small ranges (<50000^2 km)

Question 11

A simple count of taxa in a region is species:

Answer 11

Richness

Question 12

What is gamma diversity?

Answer 12

Regional diversity across all habitats in a large area