AP Biology
Ecology Take Home Test (100 points)
Directions: Refer to chapters 40-43 in your text to answer the following questions. Your work must be typed
and submitted to turnitin.com. You must also hand in a hard copy. Tests are due on Friday 4/27/2017. Late
tests will lose 15 points per day.
1. Many species rely on interactions with other species for survival. Discuss the three types of symbiosis
and give three examples of each. (6 points)
2. Nutrients are essential to all living things. Nutrients tend to be cycled through ecosystems (so they never
run out). Complete the following: (6 points)
a. Discuss nitrogen as a nutrient
b. Discuss and draw the nitrogen cycle
c. Discuss the problem with over fertilization as it relates to ground and surface water.
3. What is biological amplification (magnification)? Discuss two ecological problems associated with
biological amplification (magnification). (6 points)
4. Explain the difference between exponential growth and logistic growth. Under what conditions would
we expect both to occur? (4 points)
5. Explain how energy moves through an ecosystem. Explain how an energy pyramid is useful in showing
how energy moves through an ecosystem. How much energy is transferred from one trophic level to the
next? (5 points)
6. Explain 3 ways the ecosystem below would be affected if cod were removed. (3 points)
7. Explain how a predator-prey relationship affects the population size of each. (6 points)
8. Discuss the competitive exclusion principle. Cite two examples. (7 points)
9. Discuss a specific example of primary succession and secondary succession. (10 points)
10. Every species has a role to play in an ecosystem. Explain the roles of producers, consumers and
decomposers. (6 points)
11. Coloration can be very important to an organism’s survival. Discuss the following types of coloration:
cryptic coloration, aposematic coloration, Batesian mimicry, Mullerian mimicry. Give two example of
each. (10 points)
12. Discuss three significant ecological problems facing our planet. What is causing it, how can it be
solved. (4 points)
13. Identify 4 major abiotic factors that can affect communities of an ecosystem. Choose one and discuss
how a change in the abiotic factor might affect the communities in an ecosystem of your choice. (6
points)
14. Explain how migration in Blackcap birds is evidence of how Natural Selection can act on behavior. (4
points)
15. Based on the age structure diagrams predict what type of growth will occur in each population. (3 points)
Use the following equations to answer question 17 and 18
Rate
Population Growth
dN/dt
dN/dt = B – D
dN = amount of change B = birth rate
K = carrying capacity
Exponential Growth
Logistic Growth
dN
dN
⎛K−N⎞
= rmax N ⎜
= rmax N
⎟
dt
dt
⎝ K ⎠
D = death rate N =population size
rmax = maximum per capita growth rate of population
Notes
ΔN
dN
change in population size
=
=
= population growth rate
change in time
Δt
dt
17) There are 300 falcons living in a certain forest at the beginning of 2013. Suppose that every year
there are 50 falcons born and 30 falcons that die. Answer the following questions: (6 points)
a. What is the population growth rate (include units)?
b. What is the per capita growth rate of the falcons over a year?
c. Fill in the table. Assume the environment can support an unlimited number of falcons
Year
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Population
18) Kentwood, Michigan had a population of 49,000 in the year 2013. The infrastructure of the city
allows for a carrying capacity of 60,000 people. rmax = .9 for Kentwood. (8 points)
a. Is the current population above or below the carrying capacity? Will the population increase or
decrease in the next year?
d. Fill in the following table.
Year
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Population size
Population growth rate
e. What happened to the population size over the years? What happened to the population growth rate
over the years?
f. Explain your answer from part (e) using what you know about carrying capacity.