Here are the essay questions for the midterm exam. Minimum one page, double spaced page, 12 font per answer. (assignment says at least one half page if it is single spaced, one full page if double spaced) Each answer needs documentation from the readings and examples (documentation does not just mean list a book or a website. The reference must apply to a page of the book or a specific place on a website). Note, these are essay questions so each question needs an essay for an answer. Number your answers. I will not search through a long write up for individual answers. Your answers should not be generalizations but should include actual examples.
1. Why are top predators so rare and green plants so common in terrestrial ecological communities? Please provide examples of each to support your answer. (Think in terms of energy transfer)
2. Name at least two groups of organisms that do not fit the biological-species concept and describe why. Which species concept best fits the groups you have chosen and why?
3. Describe how adaptive radiations develop. Please provide two examples to support your answer.
4. Why is there no single overall measure of biodiversity?
5. Compare microevolution and macroevolution, including evidence, examples, and the main proponents of each theory. Which concept has had a greater influence on the rise of biodiversity?
References:Gatson, K. J., & Spicer, J. I. (2004). Biodiversity: An Introduction. Malden, Mass. Blackwell Publishing
Wilson, Edward O. (1992). The Diversity of Life. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2010