Assignment 9 Communities
1. Multiple-choice (1 point)
The most logical pollinator for the hibiscus flower is a
butterfly
fly
bee
bat
bird
2. Multiple-choice (1 point)
What insect is the most likely pollinator for native azalea flowers?
butterflies
moths
flies
bees
All of these are likely pollinators.
3. Essay (4 points)
Which flower in the table of domestic azalea plants would be most attractive to bees seeking both pollen and nectar. Which flower would be most attractive to butterflies? Write a short essay that defends your answers.
4. Multiple-choice (1 point)
What insect is the most likely pollinator for the strawberry bush flower?
fly
bat
bee
moth
butterfly
5. Multiple-choice (1 point)
What pollinator is the tobacco plant attracting early in the season?
flies
bees
bats
birds
moths
6. Multiple-choice (1 point)
What pollinator is the tobacco plant attracting late in the season?
flies
bees
bats
birds
moths
7. Multiple-choice (1 point)
The next two questions refer to the video on shrews. We are use to viewing endothermy as an advantage over ecotothermy, but maintaining a constant body temperature is costly in terms of energy, especially for small animals such as shrews that have large surface areas over which to lose heat relative to their mass. How often must a shrew eat?
once a day
many times a day
continuously, without ever resting
three times per week
only once per week
8. Multiple-select (3 points)
Select three characteristics that make the shrew an efficient predator. (There is no partial credit for this question.)
a patient hunting style
a poisonous bite
good eye site
willingness to attack animals larger than itself
aggressiveness toward competitors
large, powerful jaws
no scent, so it can hide from prey
9. Essay (3 points)
Predators are often portrayed in the popular media as almost benevolent to prey, keeping numbers down and taking only the very old and sick. In reality predators take what they can get. How does the video of the hunting eagle support the latter statement?
10. File upload (3 points)
Fill in the missing values for trapped nematodes by counting the number of nematodes visible in the photographs of squares C3, B4, and D1. Assume that every worm in the dish is a trapped nematode. (Do not worry if your count is not exact, since we expect students to prodcue slightly different numbers.) Capture an image of the completed table and submit it to WebAssign (jpg or png format).
Day 2
Trapped nematodes / ? / 8 / ? / 6 / 1 / 4 / ? / 0 / 2
Fruiting bodies / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Day 4
Trapped nematodes / ? / 30 / ? / 22 / 2 / 2 / ? / 1 / 3
Fruiting bodies / 20 / 14 / 13 / 10 / 21 / 24 / 18 / 20 / 21
Use the completed table to answer questions 11-13.
11. Essay (3 points)
Write one or two sentences that indicate why so many fungal fruiting bodies are found on day 4, when only one is found on day two.
12. Essay (3 points)
Compare the number of trapped nematodes found in the central and surrounding squares (green and blue) to the number found in the outermost squares of the plate. Explain these results (why are different numbers of nematodes found in different regions of the plate?).
13. Essay (3 points)
How does the number of trapped nematodes in each square compare on day two vs. day four? Explain the pattern that you see. (Hint: The nematodes may have reproduced during the 2-day period between observations).