ZOL3702 (Ecology)

2024

Assessment 1

Unique Number: 809399

Due Date: Monday, 6 May 2024, 17:00

Answer all questions and upload your answers as a single .pdf document.

QUESTION 1 [6]
Using your own words, distinguish between the following concepts:
(a) hypothesis;
(b) theory; and
(c) paradigm.

QUESTION 2 [8]
Explain in your own words why the amount of- , and distribution of- , nitrogen in food is a limiting
factor for herbivores and leads to dietary specialisation in smaller herbivores.

QUESTION 2 [6]
African clawless otters (Aonyx capensis) typically feed on a combination of two food types,
namely crabs and fish. Suppose that these two prey types are perfectly substitutable resources
to otters.

Draw and label a diagram, using isoclines, to illustrate such the situation described above.
Include in your diagram representations that illustrate the position of isoclines (relative to one
another) that illustrate resources levels that you would expect to lead to decreases in otter
populations, stable otter populations, and increases in otter populations.

QUESTION 3 [30]
African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) are indigenous to South Africa, but invasive in many other
parts of the world. Search for, and read, scientific papers that studied the fundamental and/or
realised niche of this species. Based on your readings, provide a summary of potential factors
that influence their distribution. Your answer should be provided in a Table format, with the
following column headings:
1. Factor (name factor studied)
2. Influence of factor (e.g. range within which frogs survive; direction of influence etc.)
3. Reference (citation of study that you consulted). Please cite only the first author’s last
name (surname) and year of publication, and then add a reference list below the table
with full publication details (i.e. Authors, Year of publication, Article Title, Journal Title,
Volume, Issue, Page numbers, DOI.)
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QUESTION 4 [30]
Below is simple life table for a hypothetical species of animal.

x ax lx Fx mx lxmx
0 4300 0
1 2080 0
2 1108 0
3 523 2037
4 347 2749
5 243 2448
6 162 1979
7 126 1776
8 110 1760
9 103 1582
10 98 1023

4.1. Provide a brief description of what each of the columns represent. (8)
4.2. Complete the empty cells in the life table and calculate the basic reproductive rate. (10)
4.3. Based on the data provided in the table, draw a survivorship curve for this
population. Remember to properly label the axes of your graph. (6)
4.4. Which type of survivorship curve best represents the data provided in the table?
Briefly explanation of the life history characteristics of organisms with such a
survivorship curve and provide a suitable example of an organism that may be
represented by the table above. (6)

Total = 80 marks

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