List of top Applied Ecology & Evolution Questions

In the phylogenetic trees shown, the tips represent different species of geckos (labeled A to E) and the areas to which they belong. Which one of these is most consistent with the hypothesis that the geckos colonized the Western Ghats from Northeast India through the Eastern Ghats?

Which one of the following ecological processes best explains the observation that seedling establishment increases with distance from the parent tree in a forest?

Which one of the following options describes the difference between abiotic resources and abiotic conditions?

Which one of the following ranges correctly represents the percentage of energy that is transferred from a lower to the next higher trophic level in most terrestrial systems?

Which one of the following options represents the correct order with respect to levels of organization? B – biomes; E – ecosystems; P – populations; I – individuals; C – communities

In the early 20th century, which one of these scientists made fundamental contributions to both the fields of evolution and statistics?

The IUCN Red List is based on a set of criteria to evaluate species vulnerability to extinction. Which one or more of the options is/are used as criteria?

Which one or more of the following processes contribute(s) substantially to increased mean global temperatures?

Depending on soil nutrient availability, which one or more of the following interaction(s) can occur between soil mycorrhizal fungi and plants?

Which one of the following options represents the correct order of decreasing average net primary productivity (g / m2 / year) in natural ecosystems?

The increase in mean global temperature since the industrial revolution falls in the range of

Which one of the following endangered species has been the subject of a reintroduction plan in India?

Islands I, II, and III lie off a mainland coast. Which one of the following statements about species richness is consistent with the theory of island biogeography?

The barnacle species, Chthamalus stellatus (CS), is found only in the high intertidal zone whereas Balanus glandula (BG) is found only in the low intertidal zone. A researcher transplanted CS from the high to low (T-CS), and BG from the low to high (T-BG) intertidal zones. Additionally, they allowed the species to grow alone or in competition with each other, and quantified survival. Which one or more of the following inferences is/are consistent with the experimental results shown below?

In the figure below, ellipse X represents the combinations of salt concentrations and temperatures that a marine invertebrate species can tolerate. Ellipse Y represents the combinations of salt concentrations and temperatures that this species is actually found in.Which one or more of the following statements about X and Y is/are correct?

Two co-occurring plant species, A and B, flower at the same time. They are visited by the same pollinator species. If these plants are pollinator-limited, then which one or more of the following statements is/are correct with regard to the figure shown below?

Scorpions on the sand dunes in Syria in September 2022 have the age distribution as shown in Figure P. Scorpions can live to a maximum of 90 days. In all the figure panels, the x-axis represents age class and the y-axis represents number of individuals. Assuming no immigration or emigration, which one or more of the age distribution panels Q, R, S, T is/are possible 30 days later?

A research team assesses the impact of the invasive species Lantana camara on the seed set of a native flowering plant S. The plant S usually grows in clumps with other individuals of the same or different flowering species. They measure the seed set of flowering individuals of S grown (i) alone; (ii) with a conspecific (same species); (iii) with a native species Q; (iv) with a native species R; (v) with Lantana camara. The figure below shows the mean seed set with 95% confidence intervals for the different treatments.Based on the figure provided, which one or more of the options given is/are correct?

Conservation biologists have debated whether protected areas should be designed as a single large patch or as several small patches. Assuming that the total area is the same for the two designs, which one or more of the options describe(s) the conservation benefit(s) of several small patches?

Which one or more options is/are example(s) of niche partitioning between species?

The Biological Species Concept (BSC) states that ‘species are groups of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups’. Which one or more of the options could pose challenges for defining species using the BSC?

The phylogenetic tree depicts the relationship between 5 species of snakes (labelled A to E) and provides information about their habitat specialization. Given the principle of parsimony (least number of evolutionary changes required) and that ancestor Y was terrestrial, which one of the options given is correct?

The mode of speciation in snakes in the Western Ghats is predominantly allopatric. A researcher wants to quantify diversification of snakes in this range. From the options given, choose the most cost and time efficient way to sample snakes.

A locus at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in a diploid organism has n alleles. The maximum heterozygosity (i.e., proportion of heterozygotes) for this locus is

Overfishing reduced food availability for sea lions in California, causing a decline in their population size. In 1972, under the US Endangered Species Act, fishing was banned from sea lion foraging areas. Subsequently, the population of sea lions increased in a logistic form as shown in the figure.The per capita growth rate is highest in the interval ______ and the population growth rate is highest in the interval ____.