Questions from Ecology

Q: The oceans cover about 360 million km 2 and have an average

The oceans cover about 360 million km 2 and have an average depth of about 4,000 m. What proportion of this aquatic system receives sufficient light to support photosynthesis? Make the liberal assumpt...

Q: What confines Encelia farinosa to upland slopes in the Mojave Desert?

What confines Encelia farinosa to upland slopes in the Mojave Desert? Why is it uncommon along desert washes, where it would have access to much more water? What may allow E. frutescens to persist alo...

Q: Spruce trees, members of the genus Picea, occur throughout the

Spruce trees, members of the genus Picea, occur throughout the boreal forest and on mountains farther south. For example, spruce grow in the Rocky Mountains south from the heart of boreal forest all t...

Q: As we saw in chapters 18 and 19, nitrogen availability seems

As we saw in chapters 18 and 19, nitrogen availability seems to control the rates of several ecosystem processes. How should nitrogen enrichment affect rates of primary production and decomposition in...

Q: What kinds of interactions within an animal population lead to clumped distributions

What kinds of interactions within an animal population lead to clumped distributions? What kinds of interactions foster a regular distribution? What kinds of interactions would you expect to find with...

Q: How might the structure of the environment; for example, the

How might the structure of the environment; for example, the distributions of different soil types and soil moisture, affect the patterns of distribution in plant populations? How should interactions...

Q: Suppose one plant reproduces almost entirely from seeds, and that its

Suppose one plant reproduces almost entirely from seeds, and that its seeds are dispersed by wind, and a second plant reproduces asexually, mainly by budding from runners. How should these two differe...

Q: Suppose that in the near future, the fish crow population in

Suppose that in the near future, the fish crow population in North America declines because of habitat destruction. Now that you have reviewed the large-scale distribution and abundance of the fish cr...

Q: Use the empirical relationship between size and population density observed in the

Use the empirical relationship between size and population density observed in the studies by Damuth (1981) (see fig. 9.19) and Peters and Wassenberg (1983) (see fig.  9.20) to...

Q: Outline Rabinowitz’s classification (1981) of rarity, which she based

Outline Rabinowitz’s classification (1981) of rarity, which she based on size of geographic range, breadth of habitat tolerance, and population size. In her scheme, which combination of attributes mak...