Explain why echolocation is a superior adaptation for insectivorous bats rather than fruit bats.
Insectivorous bats have to hunt small, fast moving flying insects while fruit bats need to search out stationary fruit trees and flowering bushes. The ability to track fast-moving targets in the air is far more valuable for insectivorous bats whose prey are trying to fly away from them and escape.
Compare the importance of both biotic and abiotic factors to an ecosystem.
Both biotic and abiotic factors are critical components of an ecosystem. While an ecosystem cannot exist without the organisms living in it, factors such as sunlight and water are also critical because ultimately all organisms living on earth need water and light to survive.
How has the Gila Monster adapted to the breeding patterns of its prey the Gambel quail and desert cottontail rabbits?
Because the Gila Monster feeds on the eggs/young of the Gambel’s quail and desert cottontail, its principal food supply is only available for a limited period of time each year. The Gila Monster has therefore adapted to consume its entire yearly energy supply in a few meals in the spring. It stores much of its energy as fat in its tail so it can survive the rest of the year.
Explain how water can be an abiotic environmental factor when it is essential to all life on earth.
Even though water is essential to all life and is a part of all living organisms, water itself is not a living thing. Water by itself is abiotic, but both biotic and abiotic factors are critical to healthy environments.
Explain the relationship between light intensity and the daily rhythm of flowers opening.
Plants such as flowers often respond to abiotic environmental factors such as the length and intensity of light exposure. These factors help regulate daily rhythms such as flower opening and closing as well as seasonal rhythms like fruiting and seed formation.
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