Chapter 51

Question 0

The study of the interactions between organisms and their environments

Answer 0

ecology

Question 1

All regions of Earth’s crust, waters, and atmosphere that sustain life

Answer 1

biosphere

Question 2

“biological”, often in reference to living components of the environment

Answer 2

biotic

Question 3

“nonbiological”, often in reference to physical factors in the environment

Answer 3

abiotic

Question 4

The component of the biosphere that encompasses all the water on Earth, including oceans, rivers, and polar ice caps

Answer 4

hydrosphere

Question 5

The component of the biosphere that includes the rocks, sediments, and soils of the crust

Answer 5

lithosphere

Question 6

The component of the biosphere that includes the gases and airborne particles enveloping the planet

Answer 6

atmosphere

Question 7

An ecological discipline in which researchers study the genetic, biochemical, physiological, morphological, and behavioral adaptations of organisms to their abiotic environments

Answer 7

organismal ecology

Question 8

The ecological discipline that focuses on how a population’s size and other characteristics change in space and time

Answer 8

population ecology

Question 9

The ecological discipline that examines groups of populations occuring together in one area

Answer 9

community ecology

Question 10

An ecological discipline that explores the cycling of nutrients and the flow of energy between the biotic components of an ecological community and the abiotic environment

Answer 10

ecosystem ecology

Question 11

Why are studies of ecosystems more “inclusive” than studies of populations?

Answer 11

Studies of ecosystems are more “inclusive” than studies of populations because ecosystems include the populations of many different species

Question 12

In what ways are mathematical models useful in ecological research?

Answer 12

Mathematical models are useful in ecological research because they help scientists formalize hypotheses about the relationships between variables and because they allow researchers to simulate the effects of changing variables before investing time and resources in experiments or observational studies

Question 13

The latitudes between 23.5 degrees N and 23.5 degrees S, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn

Answer 13

tropics

Question 14

A decrease in temperature without the actual loss of heat energy, occuring in air masses that expand as they rise in the atmosphere

Answer 14

adiabatic cooling

Question 15

Climate not moderated by the distant ocean

Answer 15

continental climate

Question 16

Climate temperature by ocean winds

Answer 16

maritime climate

Question 17

A wind pattern that brings seasonally heavy rains to a region by blowing moistureladen air from the sea to the land

Answer 17

monsoon cycles

Question 18

An area of reduced precipitation on the leeward side of a mountain

Answer 18

rain shadow

Question 19

The abiotic conditions immediately surrounding an organism

Answer 19

microclimate

Question 20

How does Earth’s spherical shape influence temperature and air movements at different latitudes?

Answer 20

Because of Earth’s spherical shape, sunlight striking the planet’s surface is more concentrated near the equator than at the poles. As a result, temperatures are higher at low latitudes. The concentrated sunlight near the equator heats the atmosphere, causing air masses near the equator to rise, establishing 3 circulation cells in the Northern Hemisphere and 3 in the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 21

What causes seasonality of the climate in the temperate zone?

Answer 21

Earth’s fixed tilt on its axis causes seasonal variation in the amount of sunlight striking the temperate zone as the planet orbits the sun

Question 22

Why do dry conditions occur at 30 degrees N and S latitude

Answer 22

Dry conditions prevail at 30 degrees N and S latitudes because sinking air masses warm as they descend, causing them to absorb water form the land

Question 23

Describe how mountain influence local precipitation?

Answer 23

Mountains affect local precipitation because rising air masses on the windward side of a mountain cool adiabatically and release moisture. When the air masses descend on the leeward side of a mountain, they warm and absorb moisture, causing a rain shadow.

Question 24

How does the behavior of Anolis lizards in the Dominican Republic change over altitude?

Answer 24

Anolis lizard in the Dominican Republic bask more frequently at high elevation that they do at low elevation

Question 25

What effect is global warming likely to have on the geographical distribution of organisms?

Answer 25

Global warming will likely cause the geographical distribution of species to shift or expand to higher latitudes and to higher elevations

Question 26

A large scale vegetation type and its associated microorganisms, fungi, and animals

Answer 26

biome

Question 27

A graph that portrays the particular combination of temperature and rainfall conditions where each terrestrial biome occurs

Answer 27

climograph

Question 28

Any forest that grows between the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, a region characterized by high temperatures and rainfall and thin, nutrient-poor topsoil such as rainforest, deciduous forest, and montaneforest

Answer 28

tropical forests

Question 29

A dense tropical forest biome that grows where some rain falls every month, mean annual rainfall exceeds 250 cm, mean annual temperature is at least 25 degrees C, and humidity is above 80%

Answer 29

tropical rainforests

Question 30

The weather conditions prevailing over an extended period of time

Answer 30

climate

Question 31

A tropical forest biome that occurs where winter drought reduces photosynthesis and most trees drop their leaves seasonally; found at low to middle altitudes at temperate latitudes with warm summers, cold winters, and annual precipitation between 75 and 250 cm

Answer 31

tropical deciduous forests

Question 32

A tropical forest biome of short trees which are frequently enveloped in mist; also known as a "cloud forest"

Answer 32

tropical montane forests

Question 33

A biome comprising grasslands with few trees which grows in areas adjacent to tropical deciduous forests

Answer 33

savanna

Question 34

A forested biome that grows at the arid borders of true savanna where large mammals are less abundant

Answer 34

thorn forests

Question 35

a sparsely vegetated biome that forms where rainfall averages less than 25 cm per year

Answer 35

Deserts

Question 36

A biome comprising a scrubby mix of short trees and shrubs that dominates coastal land between 30 degrees and 40 degrees latitude, where winters are cool and wet and summers hot and dry

Answer 36

chaparral

Question 37

A non-forested biome that stretches across the interiors of most continents where winters are cold and snowy and summers are warm and fairly dry

Answer 37

temperate grasslands

Question 38

A biome that is a circumpolar expanse of evergreen coniferous trees in Europe, Asia, and North America; "swamp forest"

Answer 38

boreal forest/ taiga

Question 39

A coniferous forest biome supported by heavy rain and fog, which grows where winters are mild and wet and the summers are cool

Answer 39

temperate forest

Question 40

A treeless biome that stretches from the boreal forests to the polar ice cap in Europe, Asia, and North America

Answer 40

arctic tundra

Question 41

perpetually frozen ground below the topsoil

Answer 41

permafrost

Question 42

A biome that occurs on high mountaintops throughout the world in which dominant plants form cushions and mats

Answer 42

alpine tundra

Question 43

Which terrestrial biomes occur in habitats that receive the most rainfall?

Answer 43

Tropical rainforest and temperate rainforest are the terrestrial biomes that receive the most rainfall

Question 44

Which terrestrial biomes are renewed by periodic fires?

Answer 44

Savannas, chaparral, and temperate grasslands are renewed by periodic fires

Question 45

Which terrestrial biomes have the tallest vegetation? Which ones have the shortest?

Answer 45

Tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests have the tallest vegetation. arctic and alpine tundra have the shortest vegetation

Question 46

In which terrestrial biomes are the trees usually evergreen?

Answer 46

Trees are usually evergreen in tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, and taiga

Question 47

A highly productive ecotone often at the border between a freshwater biome and a terrestrial biome

Answer 47

wetlands

Question 48

Surface water of a lake or ocean that sunlight penetrates

Answer 48

photic zone

Question 49

Deeper water of a lake or ocean where sunlight does not penetrate

Answer 49

aphotic zone

Question 50

The shallow, sunlit water near the shore of a lake or pond

Answer 50

littoral zone

Question 51

The sunlit, open water in a lake beyond the zone where plants rooted in the bottom can grow

Answer 51

limnetic zone

Question 52

The perpetually dark layer below the limnetic zone in a lake

Answer 52

profundal zone

Question 53

The mixing of surface water with deep water in a lake or pond, causing oxygen at the surface to move to the bottom, and nutrients from the button to move to the surface

Answer 53

spring overturn

Question 54

The top layer of the limnetic zone in a lake

Answer 54

epilimnion

Question 55

The deep water of the profundal zone of a lake

Answer 55

hypolimnion

Question 56

The narrow depth range in a lake where water temperature changes abruptly at the boundary between the epilimnion and the hypolimnion

Answer 56

thermocline

Question 57

A process in which winds mix the water in a lake vertically, equalizing the concentrations of dissolved gases and nutrients at all depths

Answer 57

autumn overturn

Question 58

A lake that is poor in nutrients and organic matter, but rich in oxygen

Answer 58

Oligotrophic lakes

Question 59

A lake that is rich in nutrients and organic matter

Answer 59

eutrophic lakes

Question 60

How does the availability of dissolved oxygen vary from the headwaters of a stream to the mouth of a river?

Answer 60

Dissolved oxygen is usually high in the headwaters of a stream, gradually diminishing as water flows into a river

Question 61

What factors cause the seasonal overturns in lakes?

Answer 61

The factors that cause seasonal overturns in lakes include seasonal changes in environmental temperature, variations in wind velocity, and the fact that water is densest at 4 degrees C

Question 62

Why are oligotrophic lakes better for recreational purposes that eutrophic lakes?

Answer 62

Oligotrophic lakes are better than eutrophic lakes for recreational purposes because the water in oligotrophic lakes in clear, whereas the water in eutrophic lakes in often clogged with strands of algae cyanobacteria

Question 63

The open water in the oceans

Answer 63

pelagic province

Question 64

The bottom sediments in the ocean

Answer 64

benthic province

Question 65

The shallow water of the oceans above the continental shelves

Answer 65

neritic zone

Question 66

The deep ocean water beyond the continental shelves

Answer 66

oceanic zone

Question 67

The shoreline that is alternately submerged and exposed by tides

Answer 67

intertidal zone

Question 68

The bottom sediments that lie permanently below deep ocean water

Answer 68

abyssal zone

Question 69

A coastal habitat where tidal seawater mixes with fresh water from rivers, streams, and runoff

Answer 69

Estuaries

Question 70

A tidal wetland dominated by emergent grasses and reeds

Answer 70

salt marshes

Question 71

A structure made from the hard skeletons of coral animals or polyps; found largely in tropical and subtropical marine environments

Answer 71

coral reefs

Question 72

Animals that can actively swim against water currents

Answer 72

nekton

Question 73

species living in and on the bottom sediments of the ocean

Answer 73

benthos

Question 74

What is the difference between the benthic and pelagic provinces of the ocean?

Answer 74

The benthic province of the ocean includes all the bottom sediments. The pelagic province includes all of the water

Question 75

Which marine environments experience the largest fluctuations in salinity (salt concentration) over time?

Answer 75

Estuaries experience the largest fluctuations in salinity over time

Question 76

Which marine regions receive abundant energy input from sunlight?

Answer 76

Estuaries, the intertidal zone, and the upper layer of the oceanic pelagic zone receive substantial energy inputs from sunlight

Question 77

What is the source of nutrients and energy for the benthos of the oceanic zone?

Answer 77

The benthos of the oceanic zone receives nutrients and energy from the detritus sinking from the upper layers of water

Question 78

What organisms are responsible for the synthesis of organic compounds in hydrothermal vent and cold seep communities, and how do they differ from those in the photic zone?

Answer 78

Chemoautotrophic bacteria are the primary producers of hydrothermal vent communities and cold seep communities. Unlike photosynthetic organisms of the photic zone, they use hydrogen sulfide and other molecules, instead of sunlight, as an energy source for their chemosynthetic activity