Answers to End of Chapter 5 Questions

Review Questions

1. Core Case Study. Explain how southern sea otters act as a keystone species in their environment
(Core Case Study). Explain why we should care about protecting this species from premature
extinction that could result primarily from human activities.
 One reason is that people love to look at these charismatic, cute, and cuddly animals as they play
in the water. As a result, they help to generate millions of dollars a year in tourism income in
coastal areas where they are found.
Another reason is ethical: Some people believe it is wrong to cause the premature extinction of
any species.

 A third reason to care about otters—and a key reason in our study of environmental science—is
that biologists classify them as a keystone species. Without southern sea otters, scientists
hypothesize that sea urchins and other kelp-eating species would probably destroy the kelp forests
and much of the rich biodiversity associated with them.

m
 In giant kelp forest ecosystems, sea urchins prey on kelp, a form of seaweed. However, as

er as
keystone species, southern sea otters prey on the sea urchins and thus keep them from destroying

co
the kelp.

eH w
 Biodiversity is an important part of the earth’s natural capital and is the focus of one of the three
principles of sustainability.

o.
rs e
2. Section 5-1. What is the key concept for this section? Define interspecific competition. Define and
ou urc
give two examples of resource partitioning and explain how it can increase species diversity. Define
predation and distinguish between a predator species and a prey species and give an example of each.
What is a predator-prey relationship?
o

 Key concept: Five types of interactions among species—interspecific competition, predation,

aC s

parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism—affect the resource use and population sizes of
vi y re

species.
 Interspecific competition occurs when members of two or more species interact to gain access to
the same limited resources such as food, water, light, and space. An example is moss and lichen.
 Resource partitioning occurs when species competing for similar scarce resources evolve
ed d

specialized traits that allow them to use shared resources at different times, in different ways, or
in different places. Some insect-eating bird species reduce competition by feeding in different
ar stu

portions of certain spruce trees and by feeding on different insect species. Resource partitioning
allows species to avoid niche overlap.
 Predation occurs when a member of one species (the predator) feeds directly on all or part of a
is

member of another species (the prey). An example is lion to deer.

 In predation, a member of one species (the predator) feeds directly on all or part of a living
Th

organism of another plant or animal species (the prey) as part of a food web. Together, the two
different species—such as lions (the predator, or hunter) and zebras (the prey, or hunted)—form a
predator-prey relationship.
sh

3. Explain why we should help to preserve kelp forests. Describe three ways in which predators can
increase their chances of feeding on their prey and three ways in which prey species can avoid their
predators. Define and give an example of coevolution.
 We should conserve kelp forests because biodiversity is an important part of the earth’s natural
capital and is the focus of one of the three principles of sustainability.
 Some ways that predators can increase their chances of feeding on their prey include camouflage,
chemical warfare, ability to fly faster than the prey, and better vision.

This study source was downloaded by 100000798845661 from CourseHero.com on 07-03-2021 23:50:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/46013721/Answers-to-End-of-Chapter-5-Questions-1docx/
  Some ways in which prey species can avoid their predators include camouflage, protective shells,
chemical warfare and a highly developed sense of sight or smell that alerts them to the presence
of predators.
 Coevolution occurs when populations of two different species interact in such a way over a long
period of time; changes in the gene pool of one species can lead to changes in the gene pool of the
other. Such changes can help both sides become more competitive, or avoid or reduce
competition. An example is bees and flowers.

4. Define parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism and give an example of each. Explain how each of
these species interactions, along with predation, can affect the population sizes of species in
ecosystems.
 Parasitism occurs when one organism (the parasite) feeds on another organism (the host), usually
by living on or in the host. An example is tick to human.
 Mutualism is an interaction that benefits both species by providing each with food, shelter, or
some other resource. An example is bee to flower.
 Commensalism is an interaction that benefits one species but has little, if any, effect on the other.
An example is epiphyte to tree.

m
 Predation keeps prey population sizes smaller. Parasitism can negatively affect populations of

er as
hosts. Mutualism will benefit both species and increase populations. Commensalism will increase

co
the population of the organism that benefits from the interaction.

eH w
5. Section 5-2. What is the key concept for this section? What is ecological succession? Distinguish

o.
between primary ecological succession and secondary ecological succession and give an example of
rs e
each. List three factors that can affect how ecological succession occurs. Explain why succession
ou urc
does not follow a predictable path.
 Key concept: The structure and species composition of communities and ecosystems change in
response to changing environmental conditions through a process called ecological succession.
o

 The gradual change in species composition in a given area is called ecological succession.
aC s

 Primary succession involves the gradual establishment of biotic communities in lifeless areas
vi y re

where there is no soil in a terrestrial ecosystem or no bottom sediment in an aquatic ecosystem.

 Examples include bare rock exposed by a retreating glacier (Figure 5-10), newly cooled lava, an
abandoned highway or parking lot, and a newly created shallow pond or reservoir.
 Secondary succession occurs as a series of communities or ecosystems with different species
ed d

develop in places containing soil or bottom sediment. This type of succession begins in an area
where an ecosystem has been disturbed, removed, or destroyed, but some soil or bottom sediment
ar stu

remains. Candidates for secondary succession include abandoned farmland (Figure 5-11), burned
or cut forests, heavily polluted streams, and land that has been flooded.
 Three factors that affect succession are facilitation, inhibition, and tolerance.
 Succession does not follow a predictable path because there are many unique variables, such as
is

weather and available nutrients.

Th

6. Explain how living systems achieve some degree of sustainability by undergoing constant change in
response to changing environmental conditions. In terms of stability of ecosystems, distinguish
between inertia (persistence) and resilience and give an example of each.
sh

 Living systems contain complex networks of positive and negative feedback loops that interact to
provide some degree of stability, or sustainability. This stability, or capacity to withstand external
stress and disturbance, is maintained only by constant change in response to changing
environmental conditions.
 There are two aspects of stability in living systems. One is inertia, or persistence: the ability of a
living system, such as a grassland or a forest, to survive moderate disturbances, such as mild

This study source was downloaded by 100000798845661 from CourseHero.com on 07-03-2021 23:50:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/46013721/Answers-to-End-of-Chapter-5-Questions-1docx/
 drought. A second factor is resilience: the ability of a living system to be restored through
secondary succession after a moderate disturbance, such as a wildfire.

7. Section 5-3. What is the key concept for this section? Define population. Why do most populations
live in clumps? List four variables that govern changes in population size. Write an equation showing
how they interact. What is a population’s age structure and what are three major age groups called?
Define range of tolerance. Define limiting factor and give an example. State the limiting factor
principle. Define population density and explain how some limiting factors can become more
important as a population’s density increases. Describe two different reproductive strategies that can
enhance the long-term survival of a species.
 Key concept: No population can grow indefinitely because of limitations on resources and
because of competition among species for those resources.
 A population is a group of interbreeding individuals of the same species.
 Most populations live in clumps because they cluster around resources, they have a better chance
of getting resources in a clump, living in groups provides some protection from predators, and
living in packs gives some predators a better chance of catching prey.
 Four variables—births, deaths, immigration, and emigration—govern changes in population size.

m
A population increases by birth and immigration (arrival of individuals from outside the

er as
population) and decreases by death and emigration (departure of individuals from the

co
population): Population change = (births + immigration) – (deaths + emigration).

eH w
 Age structure refers to the number or percentage of males and females in young, middle, and
older age groups. A diagram of the age structure of the human population might show the

o.
percentages of males and females in the total population in age categories: pre-reproductive (ages
rs e
0–14); reproductive (ages 15–44); and post-reproductive (age 45 and older).
ou urc
 A range of tolerance is the range of variations in physical or chemical environment that a species
can tolerate.
 Limiting factors are more important than others in regulating population growth. The limiting
o

factor principle is: too much or too little of any physical or chemical factor can limit or prevent
aC s

the growth of a population, even if all other factors are at or near the optimal range of tolerance.
vi y re

 Population density is the number of individuals in a population found within a defined area or
volume. Limiting factors become more important as population density increases because things
like diseases can spread quickly through dense populations.
ed d

8. Distinguish between the environmental resistance and the carrying capacity of an environment, and
use these concepts to explain why there are always limits to population growth in nature. Why is the
ar stu

recovery of southern sea otters a slow one, and what factors are threatening this recovery? Describe
the exploding white-tailed deer population problem in the United States and discuss options for
dealing with it.
 Environmental resistance is the combination of all factors that act to limit the growth of a
is

population. It largely determines a population’s carrying capacity: the maximum population of a

Th

given species that a particular habitat can sustain indefinitely. The growth rate of a population
decreases as its size nears the carrying capacity of its environment because resources such as
food, water, and space begin to dwindle.
 The southern sea otter cannot rapidly increase its numbers for several reasons. Female southern
sh

sea otters reach sexual maturity between 2 and 5 years of age, can reproduce until age 15, and
typically each produce only one pup a year. The population size of southern sea otters has
fluctuated in response to changes in environmental conditions. One such change has been a rise in
populations of orcas (killer whales), which feed on them. Scientists hypothesize that orcas began
feeding more on southern sea otters when populations of their normal prey, sea lions and seals,
began declining.

This study source was downloaded by 100000798845661 from CourseHero.com on 07-03-2021 23:50:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/46013721/Answers-to-End-of-Chapter-5-Questions-1docx/
  There are 25– 30 million white- tailed deer in the United States. Laws to protect deer have
restricted hunting and natural predators such as wolves and mountain lions have been nearly
eliminated. During the last 50 years, large numbers of Americans have moved into the wooded
habitat of deer and provided them with flowers, garden crops, and other plants they like to eat. In
some forests, they are consuming native ground cover vegetation and allowing nonnative weed
species to take over. Deer also spread Lyme disease to humans. Each year there are 1.5 million
deer– vehicle collisions which injure at least 14,000 people and kill at least 200.
 Options for dealing with the deer overpopulation include the following:

o Changing hunting regulations to allow killing of more female deer. Since it is too dangerous
to allow widespread hunting with guns in populated communities, hire licensed archers who
use bows and arrows to help reduce deer numbers. However, animal activists argue that this is
cruel and inhumane treatment.
o Scare off deer by spraying the scent of deer predators or rotting deer meat or using electronic
equipment that emits high-frequency sounds, which humans cannot hear.
o Surround their gardens with high fencing. Such deterrents may protect one area, but cause the
deer to seek food in someone else’s yard or garden.

m
o Deer can be trapped and moved from one area to another. This is expensive and must be

er as
repeated whenever deer move back into an area.

co
o Put deer on birth control by shooting females with darts loaded with a contraceptive.

eH w
o.
9. Define and give an example of a population crash. Explain why humans are not exempt from nature’s
population controls.
rs e
ou urc
 A population may suffer a dieback, or population crash, if it uses up its resource supplies and
temporarily overshoots, or exceeds, the carrying capacity of the environment. The reindeer
population crashed when they were introduced onto a small island in the Bering Sea.
 Humans are not exempt from population crashes when they have used up their resources, as seen
o

with the Irish potato famine.

aC s
vi y re

10. What are this chapter’s three big ideas? Explain how changes in the nature and size of populations are
related to the three principles of sustainability.
 The three big ideas are:
o Certain interactions among species affect their use of resources and their population
ed d

sizes.
ar stu

o There are always limits to population growth in nature.

o Changes in environmental conditions cause communities and ecosystems to gradually
alter their species composition and population sizes (ecological succession).
 Population dynamics relate to the three principles of sustainability insofar as populations are a
is

component of the biodiversity within an ecosystem, their role in an ecosystem involves the use of
energy ultimately derived from the sun, and they are constantly involved in the cycling of
Th

nutrients.

Critical Thinking
sh

The following are examples of the material that should be contained in possible student answers to the
end of chapter Critical Thinking questions. They represent only a summary overview and serve to
highlight the core concepts that are addressed in the text. It should be anticipated that the students will
provide more in-depth and detailed responses to the questions depending on an individual instructor’s
stated expectations.

This study source was downloaded by 100000798845661 from CourseHero.com on 07-03-2021 23:50:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/46013721/Answers-to-End-of-Chapter-5-Questions-1docx/
 1. What difference would it make if the southern sea otter (Core Case Study) became extinct primarily because of
human activities? What are three things we could do to help prevent the premature extinction of this species?

The extinction of the sea otter would cause drastic changes to our ocean ecosystems, as the sea otter acts as a
keystone species, controlling sea urchin populations that would otherwise decimate the highly productive kelp
forests. Activities that might help prevent the demise of this species would be to join an organization that works
on their behalf, as pollution is an issue for organisms in the near-shore environment. Of course, there should be
opposition to any hunting or poaching of the species, and they could visit the regions where these organisms are
found in order to broaden their appreciation.
2. Use the second law of thermodynamics (see Chapter 2) to explain why predators are generally less
abundant than their prey. In your explanation, make use of the pyramid of energy flow (see Figure 3-
13, p. 61).

Predators are generally found at higher trophic levels than their prey as they eat higher up the food chain. For

m
example, a lion eats a zebra that feeds on grass. The lion, a carnivore and secondary consumer, is at the third

er as
trophic level; the zebra, an herbivore and primary consumer, is at the second trophic level; and the grass, a
producer, is at the first trophic level. There is less energy and biomass when going from lower to higher trophic

co
levels. This follows the second law of thermodynamics as some energy is degraded and lost as heat at each

eH w
energy conversion from one trophic level to the next. Generally, there is a 90% loss of usable chemical energy

o.
that is transferred as biomass from one trophic level to another; this is referred to as ecological efficiency. As a

rs e
result, large numbers of predators (or large amounts of biomass) cannot occur at the end of a food chain, so the
number of predators will be less than the numbers of their prey.
ou urc
3. How would you reply to someone who argues that we should not worry about the effects that human activities
have on natural systems because ecological succession will heal the wounds of such activities and restore the
balance of nature?
o
aC s

Succession may be able to restore the balance of nature and heal some of the wounds that humans have
vi y re

inflicted, however succession takes place over hundreds or thousands of years and will not be able to take place
at a fast enough rate to restore the imbalances that humans are causing in the short term. We do need to worry
about human effects on natural systems.
ed d

4. How would you reply to someone who contends that efforts to preserve natural systems are not
ar stu

worthwhile because nature is largely unpredictable?

Preservation efforts must look beyond the snapshot view of nature and embrace the notion that nature
is in a constant state of flux. These efforts should be directed at allowing natural processes to
is

continue with little disturbance from humans.

Th

5. Explain why most species with a high capacity for population growth (such as bacteria, flies, and
cockroaches) tend to have small individuals, while those with a low capacity for population growth
(such as humans, elephants, and whales) tend to have large individuals.
sh

Species with a high biotic potential tend to be born small and have minimal time and energy to invest into
growth and development before reproduction begins. Species with fewer offspring tend to give birth to few
large slowly-maturing individuals. These then grow large in order to better compete for resources.
6. Which reproductive strategy do most species of insect pests and harmful bacteria use? Why does this
make it difficult for us to control their populations?

This study source was downloaded by 100000798845661 from CourseHero.com on 07-03-2021 23:50:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/46013721/Answers-to-End-of-Chapter-5-Questions-1docx/
 Insects and bacteria tend to reproduce very rapidly, with their populations following the J-curve. It is
difficult to control their populations, because when problems arise, it is generally because we have
provided them with abundant resources. In the case of insect pests, populations rise rapidly to take
advantage of the food source that our crops provide.

7. List three factors that have limited human population growth in the past that we have overcome.
Explain how we overcame each of these factors. List two factors that may limit human population
growth in the future. Do you think that we are close to reaching those limits? Explain.

In the past, human populations have been limited by disease, limitations in food productivity, and limitations in
terms of the landscape they could occupy. Factors that may continue to limit human populations in the future
would be water limitation and diseases.
8. If the human species suffered a population crash, what are three species that might move in to occupy
our part of the niche? Explain why this might happen.

Any number of inventive answers might suffice, depending on how students interpret the role that
humans play in their environment. Humans occupy a very broad niche, and when niches are vacated,

m
er as
often invasive species tend to take over. Student responses should highlight generalist and invasive
species that may occupy the vacated human niche.

co
eH w
o.
Data Analysis
rs e
ou urc
The graph in the text shows the changes in size of an Emperor Penguin population in terms of breeding
pairs on Terre Adelie in the Antarctic. Use the graph to answer the questions below.

1. Assuming that the penguin population fluctuates around the carrying capacity, what was the
o

approximate carrying capacity of the penguin population on the island from 1960 to 1975? What was the
aC s

approximate carrying capacity of the penguin population on the island from 1980 to 2010?
vi y re

2. What is the percentage decline in the penguin population from 1975 to 2010?

ANSWERS:
ed d

1. The carrying capacity from 1960 to 1975 is approximately 5,500 emperor penguins. The carrying
ar stu

capacity from 1980 to 2010 is approximately 3,000 emperor penguins.

2. The population of emperor penguins on Terre Adelie has declined by about 45%. 5,500 –3,000 = 2,500
is

drop in the number of penguins.

2,500/5,500 x 100 = 45%
Th
sh

This study source was downloaded by 100000798845661 from CourseHero.com on 07-03-2021 23:50:41 GMT -05:00

https://www.coursehero.com/file/46013721/Answers-to-End-of-Chapter-5-Questions-1docx/
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)