Questions from Ecology

Q: What factors will determine the earth’s carrying capacity for Homo sapiens?

What factors will determine the earth’s carrying capacity for Homo sapiens? Explain why the earth’s long-term (thousands of years) carrying capacity for the human population may be much lower than the...

Q: The discussion of seed size and number focused mainly on the advantages

The discussion of seed size and number focused mainly on the advantages associated with large seeds. However, research by Westoby, Leishman, and Lord has revealed that the plants from widely separated...

Q: Under what conditions should natural selection favor production of many small offspring

Under what conditions should natural selection favor production of many small offspring versus the production of a few well provisioned offspring?

Q: Plant ecologists using experimental studies have verified that seedlings growing from larger

Plant ecologists using experimental studies have verified that seedlings growing from larger seeds have a better chance of surviving environmental challenges such as deep shade, drought, physical inju...

Q: The studies by Shine and Charnov (1992) and Gunderson (

The studies by Shine and Charnov (1992) and Gunderson (1997) addressed important questions of concern to life history ecologists and their work provided robust answers to those questions. However, the...

Q: Below about 600 to 1,000 m in the oceans there

Below about 600 to 1,000 m in the oceans there is no sunlight. However, many of the fish and invertebrates at these depths have eyes. In contrast, fish living in caves are often blind. What selective...

Q: Review the long-term atmospheric CO 2 record as revealed by

Review the long-term atmospheric CO 2 record as revealed by studies of air trapped in ice cores. What is the evidence that burning of fossil fuels is responsible for recent increases in atmospheric CO...

Q: Grime’s proposed classification of environments based on intensity of disturbance and stress

Grime’s proposed classification of environments based on intensity of disturbance and stress resulted in four environments, three of which he proposed were inhabitable by plants and one of which was n...

Q: Once established, Rio Grande cottonwoods can live to be well over

Once established, Rio Grande cottonwoods can live to be well over 100 years old. However, they experience very high rates of mortality as seeds, which only germinate in conditions that occur very unpr...

Q: Using what you know about the trade-off between seed number

Using what you know about the trade-off between seed number and seed size (e.g., fig. 12.7) and patterns of variation among plants, predict the relative number of seeds produced by the var...