Question 1

The growing season would generally be shortest in which of the following biomes?

Accepted Answer

A)  savanna
B)  temperate broadleaf forest
C)  temperate grassland
D)  tropical rain forest
E)  coniferous forest

Question 2

Which lake zone would be absent in a very shallow lake?

Accepted Answer

A)  benthic zone
B)  aphotic zone
C)  pelagic zone
D)  littoral zone
E)  limnetic zone

Question 3

An area in which different terrestrial biomes grade into each other is known as a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  littoral zone.
B)  vertically stratified canopy.
C)  ecotone.
D)  abyssal zone.
E)  cline.

Question 4

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question.
  
Figure 52.1
-Where would an ecologist find the most phytoplankton in a lake?

Accepted Answer

A)  profundal zone
B)  benthic zone
C)  photic zone
D)  oligotrophic zone
E)  aphotic zone

Question 5

When climbing a mountain, we can observe transitions in biological communities that are analogous to the changes

Accepted Answer

A)  in biomes at different latitudes.
B)  at different depths in the ocean.
C)  in a community through different seasons.
D)  in an ecosystem as it evolves over time.
E)  across the United States from east to west.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

A)  parallel evolution.
B)  convergent evolution.
C)  allopatric speciation.
D)  introgression.
E)  gene flow.

Question 7

Which of the following statements best describes the effect of climate on biome distribution?

Accepted Answer

A)  Knowledge of annual temperature and precipitation is sufficient to predict which biome will be found in an area.
B)  Fluctuation of environmental variables is not important if areas have the same annual temperature and precipitation means.
C)  It is not only the average climate that is important in determining biome distribution, but also the pattern of climatic variation.
D)  Temperate forests, coniferous forests, and grasslands all have the same mean annual temperatures and precipitation.
E)  Correlation of climate with biome distribution is sufficient to determine the cause of biome patterns.

Question 8

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question.
  
Figure 52.1
-Phytoplankton is most frequently found in which of the following zones?

Accepted Answer

A)  oligotrophic
B)  photic
C)  benthic
D)  abyssal
E)  aphotic B

Question 9

Ecology as a discipline directly deals with all of the following levels of biological organization except

Accepted Answer

A)  population.
B)  cellular.
C)  organismal.
D)  ecosystem.
E)  community.

Question 10

As climate changes because of global warming, 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

Accepted Answer

A)  have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals.
B)  have thin seed coats.
C)  produce well-provisioned seeds.
D)  have seeds that become viable only after a forest fire.
E)  disperse many seeds in close proximity to the parent tree.

Question 11

Trees are not usually found in the tundra biome because of

Accepted Answer

A)  insufficient annual precipitation.
B)  acidic soils.
C)  extreme winter temperatures.
D)  overbrowsing by musk ox and caribou.
E)  permafrost.

Question 12

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question.
  
Figure 52.1
-Species introduced to new geographic locations

Accepted Answer

A)  are usually successful in colonizing the area.
B)  always spread because they encounter no natural predators.
C)  increase the diversity and therefore the stability of the ecosystem.
D)  can out-compete and displace native species for biotic and abiotic resources.
E)  are always considered pests by ecologists.

Question 13

Which of the following levels of organization is arranged in the correct sequence from most to least inclusive?

Accepted Answer

A)  community, ecosystem, individual, population
B)  ecosystem, community, population, individual
C)  population, ecosystem, individual, community
D)  individual, population, community, ecosystem
E)  individual, community, population, ecosystem B

Question 14

Fire suppression by humans

Accepted Answer

A)  will always result in an increase in the species diversity in a given biome.
B)  can change the species composition within biological communities.
C)  will result ultimately in sustainable production of increased amounts of wood for human use.
D)  is necessary for the protection of threatened and endangered forest species.
E)  is a management goal of conservation biologists to maintain the healthy condition of biomes. B

Question 15

Deserts typically occur in a band at 30 degrees north and south latitude because

Accepted Answer

A)  descending air masses tend to be cool and dry.
B)  trade winds have a little moisture.
C)  water is heavier than air and is not carried far over land.
D)  ascending air tends to be moist.
E)  these locations get the most intense solar radiation of any location on Earth

Question 16

"How does the foraging of animals on tree seeds affect the distribution and abundance of the trees? " This question

Accepted Answer

A)  would require an elaborate experimental design to answer.
B)  is difficult to answer because a large experimental area would be required.
C)  is difficult to answer because a long-term experiment would be required.
D)  is a question that a present-day ecologist would be likely to ask.
E)  A, B, C and D are correct.

Question 17

Which of the examples below provides appropriate abiotic and biotic factors that might determine the distribution of the species in question?

Accepted Answer

A)  The amount of nitrate and phosphate in the soil and wild flower abundance and diversity
B)  The number of frost-free days and competition between species of introduced grasses and native alpine grasses
C)  Increased predation and decreased food availability and a prairie dog population after a prairie fire
D)  Available sunlight and increased salinity in the top few meters of the ocean and the abundance and diversity of phytoplankton communities
E)  The pH and dissolved oxygen concentration and the streams in which brook trout can live

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

A)  the elimination of tides.
B)  an increase in the length of night.
C)  an increase in the length of a year.
D)  a decrease in temperature at the equator.
E)  the elimination of seasonal variation.

Question 19

Which of the following areas of study focuses on the exchange of energy, organisms, and materials between ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

A)  population ecology
B)  organismal ecology
C)  landscape ecology
D)  ecosystem ecology
E)  community ecology

Question 20

Turnover of water in temperate lakes during the spring and fall is made possible by which of the following?

Accepted Answer

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 water and cold, dense water.
D)  the density of water changes as seasonal temperatures change.
E)  currents generated by nektonic animals

Exam 52: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

The growing season would generally be shortest in which of the following biomes?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which lake zone would be absent in a very shallow lake?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An area in which different terrestrial biomes grade into each other is known as a(n)

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question. Figure 52.1 -Where would an ecologist find the most phytoplankton in a lake?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

When climbing a mountain, we can observe transitions in biological communities that are analogous to the changes

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements best describes the effect of climate on biome distribution?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question. Figure 52.1 -Phytoplankton is most frequently found in which of the following zones?

Correct AnswerverifiedB

Ecology as a discipline directly deals with all of the following levels of biological organization except

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

As climate changes because of global warming, 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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Trees are not usually found in the tundra biome because of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question. Figure 52.1 -Species introduced to new geographic locations

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following levels of organization is arranged in the correct sequence from most to least inclusive?

Correct AnswerverifiedB

Fire suppression by humans

Correct AnswerverifiedB

Deserts typically occur in a band at 30 degrees north and south latitude because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

"How does the foraging of animals on tree seeds affect the distribution and abundance of the trees? " This question

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the examples below provides appropriate abiotic and biotic factors that might determine the distribution of the species in question?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following areas of study focuses on the exchange of energy, organisms, and materials between ecosystems?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Turnover of water in temperate lakes during the spring and fall is made possible by which of the following?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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B

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