1. Choose a species (other than those described in the text ie damselfish,bluehead wrasse, spotted hyena, cardinal) that exhibits interesting social and/or reproductive behavior. List at least 2 of these behaviors. Explain the evolutionary advantage to exhibiting these behaviors.
2. How has natural and human-imposed factors affected population sizes of the following endangered animals: Indiana Bat, Ozark Hellbender Salamander and Spotted Owl. What is being done to help mitigate negative human impacts? From your research, comment on the effectiveness of these measures and make your own mitigation solutions.
3. Choose 2 species (other than those describe in the text) – one r-selected species and one k-selected. Compare their specific life histories. Include the adaptations of each that influence aspects of its biology such as the number of offspring it produces, its survival, and its size and age at reproductive maturity.
4. Give an example of each of the following symbiotic relationships that occur in your local environment: Predatory, Competitive, Parasitic, Mutualistic and Commensalistic. For each example, predict how the elimination of one of the partners in the relationship would affect the local environment.
5. Describe an example food web consisting of at least 1 of each of the following species – a producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer and tertiary consumer. If a 1000 Calories is consumed by a primary consumer, show the flow of energy up through the trophic levels, via the number of Calories of the original 1000 available to the secondary consumer and tertiary consumer.
6. Give an example of how humans negatively affect each of the three main nutrient cycles. Choose one of of these effects and suggest a a way to mitigate the impact.
7. Why is a global perspective on ecology even more relevant now and will continue to be so in the future, as compared to the past? List and describe three specific challenges that will be best addressed using a global perspective. You may want to use one of these challenges in your research paper.
