Ecology Of Individual Organisms 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which term describes the range of environmental conditions under which an individual organism can survive and reproduce?
- Ecological niche
- Fundamental niche
- Tolerance range (Correct answer)
- Habitat preference
Correct answer: Tolerance range
The tolerance range defines the minimum and maximum limits of an abiotic factor within which an organism can survive.
Question 2: An organism that maintains a relatively constant internal body temperature regardless of the external environment is called a:
- Ectotherm
- Poikilotherm
- Endotherm (Correct answer)
- Conformer
Correct answer: Endotherm
Endotherms generate metabolic heat to maintain stable body temperature, unlike ectotherms which rely on external heat sources.
Question 3: What is osmoregulation in the context of individual organism ecology?
- Regulation of oxygen levels in blood
- Control of internal water and solute balance (Correct answer)
- Adjustment of body temperature
- Management of energy intake and output
Correct answer: Control of internal water and solute balance
Osmoregulation is the process by which organisms control the concentration of solutes and water in their bodies to maintain homeostasis.
Question 4: Which physiological response allows a desert kangaroo rat to survive without drinking liquid water?
- Estivation during daylight hours
- Production of metabolic water from food oxidation (Correct answer)
- Highly efficient gill ventilation
- Storage of water in a specialized hump
Correct answer: Production of metabolic water from food oxidation
Kangaroo rats obtain water by oxidizing carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in their food, producing metabolic water as a byproduct.
Question 5: The zona pellucida in mammalian eggs and the acrosome reaction in sperm are examples of adaptations operating at which level of ecology?
- Population
- Community
- Individual organism (Correct answer)
- Ecosystem
Correct answer: Individual organism
Reproductive biochemical mechanisms like fertilization barriers operate at the level of individual organisms and their gametes.
Question 6: Phenotypic plasticity refers to the ability of an individual organism to:
- Change its genotype in response to predators
- Alter its phenotype in response to environmental conditions without genetic change (Correct answer)
- Evolve resistance to antibiotics over its lifetime
- Switch between sexual and asexual reproduction
Correct answer: Alter its phenotype in response to environmental conditions without genetic change
Phenotypic plasticity allows a single genotype to produce different phenotypes under different environmental conditions within one lifetime.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the concept of an organism's 'energy budget'?
- The total amount of sunlight an organism captures per day
- The balance between energy assimilated from food and energy used for maintenance, growth, and reproduction (Correct answer)
- The ratio of ATP produced to glucose consumed
- The caloric content of an organism's prey
Correct answer: The balance between energy assimilated from food and energy used for maintenance, growth, and reproduction
An organism's energy budget tracks how assimilated energy is partitioned among metabolic maintenance, growth, and reproduction.
Ecology Of Individual Organisms 2
Which term describes the range of environmental conditions under which an individual organism can survive and reproduce?