Wolves in Yellowstone
The following excerpt describes the reintroduction program of the grey wolf back into Yellowstone.
Question 1
1. Elk enjoy eating the leaves of Cottonwood trees. Which of the following represents a food chain with proper arrows showing energy flow that is found in the ecosystem described above.(1 point)
Responses
Cottonwood » Elk « Wolf
Cottonwood » Elk « Wolf
Wolf » Cottonwood » Elk
Wolf » Cottonwood » Elk
Cottonwood » Elk » Wolf
Cottonwood » Elk » Wolf
Elk » Cottonwood « Wolf
Elk » Cottonwood « Wolf
Question 2
2. Use the graph below to answer the question.
How did the reintroduction of the grey wolf, a carnivore predator, affect the population of the cottonwood trees, a type of producer?
(1 point)
Responses
The cottonwood tree population decreased and then stabilized.
The cottonwood tree population decreased and then stabilized.
The cottonwood tree population increased and then stabilized.
The cottonwood tree population increased and then stabilized.
The cottonwood tree population increased and then decreased back to zero.
The cottonwood tree population increased and then decreased back to zero.
The cottonwood tree population did not change.
The cottonwood tree population did not change.
Question 3
3. Use the drop down menus to complete the paragraph describing the events related to the reintroduction of the grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park.(6 points)
Before people understood their importance in the ecosystem, the
was hunted almost to extinction. Because of this, the
population grew much too large. They overgrazed and caused significant reduction in the population of
. When the grey wolf was reintroduced, they began to naturally
the population of elk. This allowed the cottonwood tree population to
. After several years of adjustment, all three populations
and showed healthy oscillation in the ecosystem.
Before people understood their importance in the ecosystem, the grey wolf was hunted almost to extinction. Because of this, the elk population grew much too large. They overgrazed and caused significant reduction in the population of cottonwood trees. When the grey wolf was reintroduced, they began to naturally control the population of elk. This allowed the cottonwood tree population to increase. After several years of adjustment, all three populations stabilized and showed healthy oscillation in the ecosystem.
all answers
Question 1: Cottonwood » Elk « Wolf
Question 2: The cottonwood tree population decreased and then stabilized.
Question 3:
Before people understood their importance in the ecosystem, the grey wolf was hunted almost to extinction. Because of this, the elk population grew much too large. They overgrazed and caused significant reduction in the population of cottonwood trees. When the grey wolf was reintroduced, they began to naturally control the population of elk. This allowed the cottonwood tree population to increase. After several years of adjustment, all three populations stabilized and showed healthy oscillation in the ecosystem.
4. What explanation could be generated from the graphs below that show the results of an experiment with two Paramecium species?
(1 point)
Responses
There is competition between the two Paramecium species and when they are in the same container, one significantly out competes the other because of this relationship.
There is competition between the two Paramecium species and when they are in the same container, one significantly out competes the other because of this relationship.
There is a mutualism relationship between the two Paramecium species and when they are in the same container, they both benefit from this relationship.
There is a mutualism relationship between the two Paramecium species and when they are in the same container, they both benefit from this relationship.
There is a commensalism relationship between the two Paramecium species and when they are in the same container, one benefits and the other is neither harmed or benefited from this relationship.
There is competition between the two Paramecium species and when they are in the same container, one significantly out competes the other because of this relationship.
Milkweed and Monarchs
This edited excerpt is from an article by Acadia National Park of the National Park Service.
Milkweed is the common name for many plants in the genus Asclepias. It is an herbaceous perennial, recognizable by its broad opposite leaves, colorful flower clusters, or seed pods filled with silk that carries its wind-dispersed seeds. Monarch butterflies only lay eggs on milkweed, and monarch caterpillars only feed exclusively on milkweed leaves, making the milkweed the only host plant for this butterfly species. There is a symbiotic relationship between the monarchs and the milkweed. The butterflies benefit by eating the nectar from the flowers, and the milkweed benefits by getting help with pollination. There is also a very specialized relationship between the monarch caterpillars and the milkweed. There is a milky latex produced by the plant, which contains compounds called cardiac glycosides that are poisonous to most other animals. The monarch butterfly has developed resistance to this toxin, giving caterpillars a strong chemical defense against predators. In response, milkweed is trending toward faster regrowth following monarch caterpillar activity rather than increased toxicity. This is an example of coevolution, the process of living things influencing one another over thousands or millions of years.
Question 1
5. What argument can be made, which could be supported by the evidence collected in the graph below, between the changes to the biological components (i.e. habitat, food source, egg laying location) of an ecosystem and the population of the Monarch butterfly?
(1 point)
Responses
If the monarch population begins to recover and increase then the milkweed population will eventually go extinct.
If the monarch population begins to recover and increase then the milkweed population will eventually go extinct.
If the milkweed population begins to recover and increase then the monarch population will also begin to recover and increase.
If the milkweed population begins to recover and increase then the monarch population will also begin to recover and increase.
The milkweed population has no affect on the monarch population.
The milkweed population has no affect on the monarch population.
If the milkweed population continues to decrease then the monarch population will begin to recover and increase.
If the milkweed population continues to decrease then the monarch population will begin to recover and increase.
Question 2
6. Use the choices from the drop down menus to fill in each blank.(4 points)
There is a symbiotic relationship between the monarch butterfly and the milkweed plant. Because the butterfly
and the milkweed
it is a
relationship. There are no plant substitutes for where monarch butterflies can lay their eggs so there is a population dynamic connection between the butterfly and the milkweed plant as well. If the milkweed plants were to go extinct, then the monarch butterfly popuation would eventually
because the butterfly would have nowhere to lay its eggs.
Question 1: If the milkweed population begins to recover and increase then the monarch population will also begin to recover and increase.
Question 2: There is a symbiotic relationship between the monarch butterfly and the milkweed plant. Because the butterfly lays its eggs exclusively on milkweed, it is a mutualistic relationship. There are no plant substitutes for where monarch butterflies can lay their eggs so there is a population dynamic connection between the butterfly and the milkweed plant as well. If the milkweed plants were to go extinct, then the monarch butterfly population would eventually decline because the butterfly would have nowhere to lay its eggs.
"The yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) shown above left is a native of West Africa that has been accidentally introduced to a number of islands around the world. Yellow crazy ants have used human transportation (e.g. trucks and boats) to spread throughout the tropics. When disturbed the ants will move erratically in a “crazy” fashion. Yellow crazy ants have long legs and antennae and are some of the largest ant species in the world. They also form super colonies (made of many individual colonies) that overwhelm native species, like the gecko shown top right. Yellow crazy ants have recently arrived on Praslin Island, the second largest island in the Seychelles."
Question 1
7. The headline shown below ran on the Seychelles News Agency in 2014. The article referenced a study conducted in the Vallée de Mai, a national park on Praslin Island. What do you think the claim is, according to the title of the article?
(1 point)
Responses
Yellow crazy ants are an invasive species that is affecting the native populations.
Yellow crazy ants are an invasive species that is affecting the native populations.
Yellow crazy ants are being reintroduced into the World Heritage Site of Vallee de Mai.
Yellow crazy ants are being reintroduced into the World Heritage Site of Vallee de Mai.
Yellow crazy ants are a native species that is affecting the invasive populations.
Yellow crazy ants are a native species that is affecting the invasive populations.
Yellow crazy ants are an invasive species that have no affect on other populations.
Yellow crazy ants are an invasive species that have no affect on other populations.
Question 2
8. Using the data from the graph below, what suggestions (select all that apply) can you make about the relationship between the average number of individual geckos found compared to the invasion of the yellow crazy ants? Invaded means that the yellow crazy ants have entered into the environment and non-invaded means that the yellow crazy ants have not entered into the environment. The black bar shows gecko population when the ants have entered into the environment, and the grey bar shows gecko population when the ants have not entered into the environment.
(1 point)
Responses
The invasion of the yellow crazy ants had the least on the dwarf bronze gecko population, suggesting possible competition between the two species.
The invasion of the yellow crazy ants had the least on the dwarf bronze gecko population, suggesting possible competition between the two species.
The Seychelles giant day gecko, the dwarf bronze gecko, and the Seychelles bronze gecko are more successful in areas where the yellow crazy ants have not invaded.
The Seychelles giant day gecko, the dwarf bronze gecko, and the Seychelles bronze gecko are more successful in areas where the yellow crazy ants have not invaded.
The invasion of the yellow crazy ants had no effect on any gecko population.
The invasion of the yellow crazy ants had no effect on any gecko population.
The invasion of the yellow crazy ants had the most positive affect on the Seychelles day gecko population, suggesting that the ants served as an additional food source for the gecko.
Question 1: Yellow crazy ants are an invasive species that is affecting the native populations.
Question 2: The Seychelles giant day gecko, the dwarf bronze gecko, and the Seychelles bronze gecko are more successful in areas where the yellow crazy ants have not invaded. The invasion of the yellow crazy ants had the least effect on the dwarf bronze gecko population, suggesting possible competition between the two species.
Both species are benefiting (mutualism) One species hunts and kills the other species (predator/prey) Both species compete for shared resources (competition) One species benefits and the other is not affected (commensalism)
Orchid and Tree
The orchid has a unique relationship with the plants on which it grows. Since it does not grow a root system in the soil, the popcorn orchid, as an epiphyte, relies on trees for structure and support instead of the ground. As water falls and trickles over the bark on the branches of the trees, the popcorn orchid absorbs that water.
Both species are benefiting (mutualism) – Orchid and Tree The orchid has a unique relationship with the plants on which it grows. Since it does not grow a root system in the soil, the popcorn orchid, as an epiphyte, relies on trees for structure and support instead of the ground. As water falls and trickles over the bark on the branches of the trees, the popcorn orchid absorbs that water.
One species hunts and kills the other species (predator/prey) – Orchid and Tree The orchid has a unique relationship with the plants on which it grows. Since it does not grow a root system in the soil, the popcorn orchid, as an epiphyte, relies on trees for structure and support instead of the ground. As water falls and trickles over the bark on the branches of the trees, the popcorn orchid absorbs that water.
Both species compete for shared resources (competition) – Orchid and Tree The orchid has a unique relationship with the plants on which it grows. Since it does not grow a root system in the soil, the popcorn orchid, as an epiphyte, relies on trees for structure and support instead of the ground. As water falls and trickles over the bark on the branches of the trees, the popcorn orchid absorbs that water.
Eel and Wrasse
A giant moray eel is being cleaned by a bluestreak cleaner wrasse. The wrasse eats parasites and dead tissue off the skin and teeth of the eel. The eel recognizes the smaller wrasse and will position its body for optimum cleaning. The eel will not eat the wrasse. Giant moray eels are predators of smaller fish. They have been observed helping coral groupers (another marine fish) hunt.