D) ecosystem
Which level of ecological study focuses the most on abiotic factors?
A) speciation ecology
B) population ecology
C) community ecology
D) ecosystem ecology
B) winters and summers would be more severe
What would happen to the seasons if the Earth were tilted 35 degrees off its orbital plane instead of the usual 23.5 degrees?
A) The seasons would disappear.
B) Winters and summers would be more severe.
C) Winters and summers would be less severe.
D) The
D) the effect of sunlight intensity on species composition in a decaying rat carcass
Which of the following might be an investigation of microclimate?
A) the effect of ambient temperature on the onset of caribou migration
B) the seasonal population fluctuation of nurse sharks in coral reef communities
C) competitive interactions between v
A - differential heating of Earth's surface
Which of the following choices includes all of the others in creating global terrestrial climates?
A) differential heating of Earth's surface
B) ocean currents
C) global wind patterns
D) Earth's rotation on its axis
C - Pushed by the prevailing winds on the windward side, air is forced to rise, cool, condense, and drop its precipitation, leaving drier air to descend the leeward side.
Why is the climate drier on the leeward (downwind) side of mountain ranges that are subjected to prevailing winds?
A) Deserts create dry conditions on the leeward side of mountain ranges.
B) The sun illuminates the leeward side of mountain ranges at a mor
D) There often would be a larger range between daytime high and nighttime low temperatures
What would be the effect on climate in the temperate latitudes if Earth were to slow its rate of rotation from a 24-hour period of rotation to a 48-hour period of rotation?
A) Seasons would be longer and more distinct (colder winters and warmer summers).
B) Warm ocean currents interact with England, whereas cold ocean currents interact with Labrador.
Subtropical plants are commonplace in Land's End, England, whose latitude is the equivalent of Labrador in coastal Canada, where the local flora is subarctic. Which statement best explains why this apparent anomaly exists between North America and Europe?
D) support biological communities similar to those found at higher elevations on similar south-facing slopes
In mountainous areas of western North America, north-facing slopes would be expected to _____.
A) receive more sunlight than similar southern exposures
B) be warmer and drier than comparable southern exposed slopes
C) support biological communities simila
A) Summers and winters in the United States would likely become warmer and colder, respectively.
Which of the following events might you predict to occur if the tilt of Earth's axis relative to its plane of orbit was increased to degrees?
A) Summers and winters in the United States would likely become warmer and colder, respectively.
B) Seasonal vari
D) elimination of seasonal variation
Imagine some cosmic catastrophe jolts Earth so that its axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane between Earth and the sun. The most obvious effect of this change would be _____.
A) the elimination of tides
B) an increase in the length of a year
C) a de
A) sunlight strikes poles at lower angle
The main reason polar regions are cooler than the equator is that _____.
A) sunlight strikes the poles at a lower angle
B) the poles are farther from the sun
C) the polar atmosphere is thinner and contains fewer greenhouse gases
D) the poles are permanent
C) their seed dispersal rate
The success of plants extending their range northward following glacial retreat is best determined by _____.
A) whether there is simultaneous migration of herbivores
B) their tolerance to shade
C) their seed dispersal rate
D) their size
A) have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals
As climate changes because of global warming, plant species' ranges in the northern hemisphere may move northward. The trees that are most likely to avoid extinction in such an environment are those that _____.
A) have seeds that are easily dispersed by w
A) rising, warm, moist air masses that cool and release precipitation as they rise and then, at high altitude, cool and sink back to the surface as dry air masses after moving north or south of the tropics
Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are caused by _____.
A) rising, warm, moist air masses that cool and release precipitation as they rise and then, at high altitude, cool and sink back to the surface as dry air masses after mov
B) The warm, moist Pacific air rises and cools, releasing precipitation as it moves up the windward side of the range. This cool, now dry air mass heats up as it descends on the leeward side of the range.
Air masses formed over the Pacific Ocean are moved by prevailing westerlies where they encounter extensive north-south mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. Which statement best describes the outcome of this encounter between a land
C) ocean currents
Coral reefs can be found on the southeast coast of the United States but not at similar latitudes on the southwest coast. Differences in which of the following most likely account for this?
A) precipitation
B) day length
C) ocean currents
D) salinity
B) Look at the climatic changes that occurred since the last Ice Age and how species redistributed as glaciers melted, then make predictions on future distribution in species based on past trends.
Which of the following investigations would shed the most light on the future distribution of organisms in temperate regions that are faced with climate change?
A) Remove, to the mineral soil, all of the organisms from an experimental plot and monitor the
D) descending
Generally speaking, deserts are located in places where air masses are usually _____.
A) tropical
B) humid
C) rising
D) descending
A) in biomes at different latitudes
When climbing a mountain, we can observe transitions in biological communities that are analogous to the changes _____.
A) in biomes at different latitudes
B) in a community through different seasons
C) in an ecosystem as it evolves over time
D) across th
B) winds blowing from west to east along the equator
If the direction of Earth's rotation reversed, the most predictable effect would be _____.
A) a big change in the length of the year
B) winds blowing from west to east along the equator
C) a loss of seasonal variation at high latitudes
D) the elimination
D) only II, III, and IV
Based on the data in the figure above, which of the following statements are correct?
I) Area 1 would be considered a desert because of its high average temperature.
II) Area 1 has more average precipitation than Area 2.
III) Area 2 would be considered a
D - only I, II, and III
Based on the data in the figure above, which of the following statements are correct?
I) Area 1 has more average precipitation than Area 2.
II) Area 1 has a higher average temperature than Area 2.
III) Both areas have low variation in monthly precipitatio
D - temperature and moisture
Besides sunlight, which would be the next most important climatic factors for terrestrial plants?
A) wind and fire
B) moisture and wind
C) temperature and wind
D) temperature and moisture
B - Earth's daytime temperatures would be higher and nighttime temperatures lower.
Which statement describes how climate might change if Earth was 75 percent land and 25 percent water?
A) Terrestrial ecosystems would likely experience more precipitation.
B) Earth's daytime temperatures would be higher and nighttime temperatures lower.
C
A - temperate broadleaf forest and grassland
If global warming continues at its present rate, which biomes will likely take the place of the coniferous forest (taiga)?
A) temperate broadleaf forest and grassland
B) desert and chaparral
C) tropical forest and savanna
D) chaparral and temperate broadl
A - can change the species composition within biological communities.
Fire suppression by humans _____.
A) can change the species composition within biological communities.
B) will result ultimately in sustainable production of increased amounts of forest products for human use.
C) is necessary for the protection of threate
B - Many kinds of plants and plant communities have adapted to frequent fires.
Which of the following statements best describes the interaction between fire and ecosystems?
A) The likelihood of a wildfire occurring in a given ecosystem is highly predictable over the short term.
B) Many kinds of plants and plant communities have adap
B) The temperature is high for each monthly average.
Which of the following best substantiates why location 3 is an equatorial (tropical) climate?
A) It has a monsoon season during the winter months.
B) The temperature is high for each monthly average.
C) The temperatures reach 100�F during some months.
D)
B) Taproot formation is impossible, so trees developed shallow root beds.
In areas of permafrost, stands of black spruce are frequently observed in the landscape, while other tree species are noticeably absent. Often these stands are referred to as "drunken forests" because many of the black spruce are displaced from their norm
D) vegetation demonstrating vertical layering
Which of the following is an important feature of most terrestrial biomes?
A) annual average rainfall in excess of 250 centimeters
B) a distribution predicted almost entirely by rock and soil patterns
C) clear boundaries between adjacent biomes
D) vegetat
A) tropical rain forest
Suppose that the number of bird species is determined mainly by the number of vertical strata found in the environment. If so, in which of the following biomes would you find the greatest number of bird species?
A) tropical rain forest
B) savanna
C) tempe
A) convergent evolution
Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of _____.
A) convergent evolution
B) allopatric speciation
C) introgression
D) gene fl
B) light availability
In deep water, which of the following abiotic factors would most limit productivity?
A) temperature
B) light availability
C) solute concentration
C) shallow water and emergent vegetation
Wetlands are standing bodies of freshwater, just like lakes and ponds. However, wetlands are different from lakes and ponds because wetlands have _____.
A) emergent vegetation
B) oxygen-poor water
C) shallow water and emergent vegetation
D) emergent veget
A) In fall turnover, dense water at 4�C sinks and disturbs sediments in the benthic zone.
Which of the following statements regarding turnover in a lake is correct?
A) In fall turnover, dense water at 4�C sinks and disturbs sediments in the benthic zone.
B) In fall turnover, dense water at 4�C rises and disturbs sediments in the benthic zone.
D) The change in water solute content would challenge the osmotic balance of the fish.
A fish swimming into an estuary from a river would have which of the following as its greatest physiological challenge?
A) The high water flow would make the fish expend more energy.
B) The low oxygen content would give the fish difficulty in swimming aer
A) bacteria
Which of the following types of organisms is likely to have the widest geographic distribution?
A) bacteria
B) songbirds
C) bears
D) lizards
A) Water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light.
Which of the following can be said about light in aquatic environments?
A) Water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light.
B) Longer wavelengths penetrate to greater depths.
C) Light penetration seldom limits the distribution of photo
D) the changes in the density of water as seasonal temperatures change
Turnover of water in temperate lakes during the spring and fall is made possible by which of the following?
A) warm, less dense water layered at the top
B) cold, more dense water layered at the bottom
C) a distinct thermocline between less dense, warm wat
C) Lakes would suffer a nutrient depletion in surface layers.
Imagine that a deep temperate zone lake did not turn over during the spring and fall seasons. Based on the physical and biological properties of limnetic ecosystems, what would be the difference from normal seasonal turnover?
A) The lake would fail to fre
A) an oligotrophic lake
If you are interested in observing a relatively simple community structure in a clear water lake, you would do well to choose diving into _____.
A) an oligotrophic lake
B) a eutrophic lake
C) a relatively shallow lake
D) a nutrient-rich lake
A) deep-sea vent
If a meteor impact or volcanic eruption injected a lot of dust into the atmosphere and reduced the sunlight reaching Earth's surface by 70 percent for one year, which of the following marine communities most likely would be least affected?
A) deep-sea ven
A) only I and III
The oceans affect the biosphere by _____.
I) producing a substantial amount of the biosphere's oxygen
II) adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
III) being the source of most of Earth's rainfall
IV) regulating the pH of freshwater biomes and terrestrial
C) only II, III, and IV
A fish species known for its success in the aphotic zone may have which of the following characteristics?
I) symbioses with photosynthetic organisms
II) highly developed chemoreception
III) adaptations for burrowing
IV) adaptations for sit-and-wait predat
A) Water is densest at 4�C.
Which of the following is responsible for the differences in summer and winter temperature stratification of deep temperate zone lakes?
A) Water is densest at 4�C.
B) Oxygen is most abundant in deeper waters.
C) Winter ice sinks in the summer.
D) Stratifi
B) investigate the various biotic and abiotic factors that are unique to high altitude
A certain species of pine tree survives only in scattered locations at elevations above 2800 meters in the western United States. To understand why this tree grows only in these specific places, an ecologist should _____.
A) study the anatomy and physiolo
C) The average climate and pattern of climate are important in determining biome distribution.
Which of the following statements best describes the effect of climate on biome distribution?
A) Average annual temperature and precipitation are sufficient to predict which biome will be found in an area.
B) Seasonal fluctuation of temperature is not a l
A) the species of colonizing animals
In the development of terrestrial biomes, which factor is most dependent on all the others?
A) the species of colonizing animals
B) prevailing rainfall
C) mineral nutrient availability
D) soil structure
C) determine if dispersal is a key factor in limiting distribution of organisms
Studying species transplants is a way that ecologists _____.
A) determine the distribution of a species in a specified area
B) develop mathematical models for distribution and abundance of organisms
C) determine if dispersal is a key factor in limiting di
C) A habitat left unoccupied by native herons and egrets met the biotic and abiotic requirements of the cattle egret transplants and their descendants.
The range of cattle egrets has expanded between 1937 and today. How would an ecologist likely explain the expansion of the cattle egret?
A) Climatic factors, such as temperature and precipitation, provide a suitable habitat for cattle egrets.
B) There are
A) only I and III
Which statements about dispersal are correct?
I) Dispersal is a common component of the life cycles of plants and animals.
II) Colonization of devastated areas after floods or volcanic eruptions primarily depends upon climate.
III) Seeds are important dis
B - A few individuals with denser fur survive the coldest days of an ice age, and the reproducing survivors of the ice age will likely have more dense fur.
Which of the following examples of an ecological effect leading to an evolutionary effect is most correct?
A) When seeds are not plentiful, trees produce more seeds.
B) A few individuals with denser fur survive the coldest days of an ice age, and the repr
D) The ecosystems will shift to the north as temperatures warm.
If carbon dioxide levels continue to increase and climate change continues over the next century, which of the following would best predict the directional migration of the North American ecosystems from the biomes shown in this climograph?
A) The ecosyst