APS301. Spring. 1 Hour. 30 Minutes. of the blue answer. book. Discuss the. punishment

Transcription

1 APS301 COOPERATION AND CONFLICT Answer ONE question only. Write the question number on the front of the blue answer book. 1. Discuss the role of enforcement in the evolution of cooperative behaviour. Your answer should include cooperative interactions both within and between species, and should consider the term enforcement in a broad sense, including coercion, punishment and sanctions. 2. Compare and contrast the strategies of selfish genes, as described by Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene, and ultra-selfish genes. 3. Cooperative breeding has evolved so many times in diverse taxa differing dramatically in ecology and life history, that there is little prospect of identifying common factors underlying the evolution of such systems. Discuss this statement, with particular reference to cooperative breeding in birds. APS301

2 APS308 Autumn ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION IN PLANTS Answer ONE question only. Write the question number on the front of the blue answer book. 1. Discuss how organisms interacting with plants exploit endogenous host signalling pathways. You answer should consider both symbiotic and pathogenic interactions. 2. How can an understanding of plant physiology and development be used to create new crops for the future? What might be the potential pitfalls? 3. What biochemical and anatomical adaptations are involved in CO 2 - concentrating mechanisms in leaves? To what extent do we understand the molecular mechanisms underpinning these adaptations? APS308

3 APS320 SEX AND REPRODUCTION Answer ONE question only. Write the question number on the front of the blue answer book. 1. Animals exhibit great diversity in their mating systems. How does the relative parental investment by males and females influence this variation, and what are the consequences for the intensity and direction of sexual selection? 2. Discuss the importance of both models and empirical studies in determining how sexually selected traits are maintained. 3. Human reproductive behaviour evolved in conditions completely different from those experienced by most contemporary societies. Therefore, it is not valid to explain or understand human reproductive behaviour and life history using theories that we apply to other organisms. Discuss. APS320

4 APS325 LIFE IN EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS Answer ONE question only. Write the question number on the front of the blue answer book. 1. Interactions between organisms (physical, metabolic, symbiotic/parasitic) are common in extreme environments. Using named examples from a range of extreme environments describe the sorts of interactions that are found, why they occur and the benefits that arise. 2. You have been asked to explore the potential for life in a newly discovered hot, hypersaline environment in rock formations a hundred metres below the surface of the ground. Discuss how you might go about sampling such a site, how you would deal with concerns about possible contamination during sampling and the sorts of analyses you might perform on organisms that you discover. From your knowledge of existing life in extreme environments, what organisms might you expect to find and how would they be adapted to life in this extreme environment? 3. Using plant and animal examples, discuss how winter population dynamics of arctic organisms. conditions affect growth and APS325

5 APS329 ISSUES IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY Answer ONE question only. Write the question number on the front of the blue answer book. 1. Using examples from a range of ecosystems, write a report for the International Union of Geological Sciences arguing for or against the adoption of 'the Anthropocene' as a formal epoch of geological time 2. Intensification of land-use can have negative and positive effects on biodiversity. Describe how these divergent effects can arise, and provide a critical evaluation (either positive or negative) of the proposal that conservation would benefit from intensifying land-use. 3. Describe the criteria that have been identified for selecting indicators to monitor the ecosystem effects of fishing. Using an example indicator, describe how you would expect it to change with increasing fishing pressure and explain why. Discuss how indicators can be used in management and conservation n, how you could test whether or not they are useful, and how you would go about selecting indicators to consider the effects of other pressures (such as climate change). APS329

6 APS332 ISSUES IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Answer ONE essay question only. Write the question number on the front of the blue answer book. Your answers should include specific examples, facts and evidence drawn from the course and from other sources. 1. Discuss the problems 21 st Century. and possible solutions to meeting the energy demands of the 2. There are two great challenges in relation to climate change: (1) to understand and accurately predict effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and (2) to inform and motivate people and policymakers to change their unsustainable behaviours. Discuss. 3. Environmental issues - why should we care? Discuss. APS332

7 APS342 Autumn EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY Answer ONE question only. Write the question number on the front of the blue answer book. 1. Discuss the concept of R 0 and how it is used in evolutionary ecology. Consider when R 0 is maximised by evolution and when it is not. 2. Compare and contrast how intraspecific and interspecific variation can be used to explore the evolution of life-history strategies. What methods are used in each case, what are their strengths and weaknesses and what do they tell us? 3. Discuss the statement Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of ecology. In particular discuss why and when ecology matters to evolutionary outcomes. APS342

8 APS346 Autumn SUSTAINABLE AGRO-ECOSYSTEMS Answer ONE question only. Write the question number on the front of the blue answer book. 1. Critically evaluate: How can we feed the world without destroying the Earth? 2. What is sustainable agriculture and how might it be achieved? 3. Intensive agriculture has dominated and almost conquered nature, but is undermining its own foundations the soil and impacting on the rest of the biosphere. Discuss. APS346