AP Biology: Seed Predation, Caching, and Recruitment Practice Questions
Practice ecological reasoning with original AP Biology multiple-choice questions about seed predation and caching. These questions distinguish seed removal from consumption, and they emphasize tracking seed fate and measuring later establishment before inferring a recruitment effect.
Free original practice questions for study purposes. Open Exam Prep is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the makers of AP Exams.
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Answer the questions below — you get instant feedback and a full explanation for each.
1. How does complete seed consumption by a granivore most directly affect plant recruitment?
Explanation. A seed that is fully consumed cannot germinate, so complete consumption can reduce the pool of potential recruits. The other outcomes are not necessary consequences of seed predation.
2. A field team wants to estimate what happens to seeds removed by rodents. Which method provides the strongest direct evidence?
Explanation. Following marked seeds distinguishes removal, consumption, caching, and later germination. Missing seeds alone do not reveal their fate.
3. Which experiment most directly tests whether scatter-hoarding animals can increase seedling recruitment?
Explanation. Randomized access treatments and later establishment measurements isolate the possible contribution of animal caching while retaining an appropriate comparison.
4. In a study, plots visited by scatter-hoarding mammals contain more seedlings than exclusion plots. What is the most cautious conclusion?
Explanation. The comparison supports an effect in the tested setting, but it does not show that every handled seed survives or that the result applies universally. Tracking seed fate can test the proposed mechanism.
5. When can an animal cache plausibly benefit a plant?
Explanation. Unrecovered viable seeds can be dispersed to sites where they germinate. Caching does not eliminate resource needs or genetic variation, and immediate consumption provides no direct recruitment benefit.
6. Why should a seed-caching study measure seedling survival after germination?
Explanation. Drought, competition, herbivory, and pathogens can kill seedlings after germination. Measuring survival to a defined stage connects seed fate more closely to recruitment.
7. Which observation best distinguishes seed removal from seed predation?
Explanation. Removal only means a seed left its original location. Seed fragments provide direct evidence of consumption, whereas an absent seed could have been cached or moved elsewhere.
8. A plant produces many seeds in one small area, and a higher fraction is consumed there than at lower densities. Which inference is justified?
Explanation. The pattern supports density-dependent consumption in the observed setting. It does not by itself establish which consumer caused it or predict all later demographic outcomes.
9. Which measurement most directly represents recruitment in a seed-fate experiment?
Explanation. Recruitment requires more than seed arrival or germination; it is commonly measured as survival to a specified establishment stage. The other observations may be relevant context but are not recruitment measures.
10. What control best tests whether animal access, rather than differences among plots, affects seed fate?
Explanation. Matched plots, equal seed additions, and random treatment assignment make animal access the primary planned difference. One plot, changing species, or selecting known animal sites would confound the comparison.
11. Which result would most strongly support the claim that forgotten caches contribute to plant establishment?
Explanation. Linking marked, unretrieved caches to later seedlings directly connects caching to establishment and contrasts that fate with retrieved caches.
12. A survey shows fewer seedlings near sites with many seed-predator signs. What additional evidence is needed to conclude predation caused the difference?
Explanation. Predator signs may covary with habitat, seed production, moisture, or parent-plant density. Manipulating access or protection provides stronger causal evidence than the survey alone.
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FAQ
Is every seed removed by an animal eaten?
No. A removed seed may be eaten, cached, dropped, or transported elsewhere. Marking seeds and checking their later fate helps distinguish these possibilities.
Can seed predators ever help plants?
Some animals both consume and disperse seeds. Scatter hoarders can contribute to recruitment when viable cached seeds are not recovered and later establish, but the net effect depends on the species and setting.
Why measure recruitment instead of only seed removal?
Seed removal does not reveal whether seeds were consumed or moved, and germination does not guarantee establishment. Tracking survival to a defined seedling stage gives a more informative measure of demographic effect.