Chapter 52 Lecture

Question 0

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

Answer 0

ECOSYSTEM>COMMUNITY>POPULATION>INDIVIDUAL

Question 1

“How do seed-eating animals affect the distribution and abundance of the trees?” This question…

Answer 1

• would require an elaborate experimental design to answer
• would require a large area
• would be a long-term experiment
• is one that a present-day ecologist would ask

Question 2

Which of the following examples of an ecological effect leading to an evolutionary effect is most correct?

Answer 2

A few individuals with denser fur survive the coldest days of an ice age, and the reproducing survivors of the ice age all have long fur.

Question 3

Which of the following might be an investigation of microclimate?

Answer 3

the effect of sunlight intensity on species composition in a decaying rat carcass

Question 4

Which of the following choices includes all of the others in creating global terrestrial climates?

Answer 4

differential heating of Earth’s surfaces

Question 5

Why is the climate drier on the LEEWARD side of mountain ranges that are subjected to prevailing winds?

Answer 5

pushed by the prevailing winds on the WINDWARD side, air is forced to rise, cool, condense, and drop its precipitation, leaving only dry air to descend down the LEEWARD side.

Question 6

What would be the effect on climate in temperature latitudes if Earth were to slow its rate of rotation from 24-hour to 48-hours?

Answer 6

The climate would stay the same, there would be longer days & longer nights.

Question 7

Palm trees and 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 N America and England?

Answer 7

Warm ocean currents interact with England, whereas cold ocean currents interact with Labrador.

Question 8

Which statement describes how climate might change if Earth was 75% land and 25% water?

Answer 8

Earth’s daytime temperatures would be higher and nighttime temperatures would be lower.

Question 9

Which of the following abiotic factors has the greatest influence on the metabolic rates of plants and animals?

Answer 9

TEMPERATURE

Question 10

In mountainous areas of western North America, north-facing slopes would be expected to:

Answer 10

support biological communities similar to those found at higher elevations on similar south-facing slopes

Question 11

Deserts typically occur in a band at 20 degrees north and south latitude because…

Answer 11

descending air masses tend to be cool and dry.

think of the Hadley cells

Question 12

How many HADLEY CELLS are there thought to be?

Answer 12

THREE from the equator to the poles

-the first one is responsible for the desserts at 20 degrees N&S latitude

Question 13

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 33 1/2 degrees?

Answer 13

Summers and winters in the US would likely become warmer & colder, respectively.

Question 14

Imagine some cosmic catastrophe jolts Earth so that its axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane. The most obvious effect would be…

Answer 14

the elimination of SEASONAL VARIATION

Question 15

The main reason polar regions are cooler than the equator is that…

Answer 15

sunlight strikes the poles at a lower angle

Question 16

Which of the following environmental features might influence microclimates?

Answer 16

• forest canopy
• freshly plowed field
• log on the forest floor
• large boulder

Question 17

The success with which plants extend their range northward following glacial retreat is best determined by:

Answer 17

their seed dispersal rate

Question 18

As climate changes because of global warming, species’ ranges in the northern hemisphere may move northward, using effective reproductive adaptations to disperse their seeds. The trees that are most likely to avoid extinction in such an environment are those that…

Answer 18

have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals.

Question 19

Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are caused by:

Answer 19

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

Question 20

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 landform and an air mass?

Answer 20

The warm, moist PACIFIC air rises and cools, releasing precipitation as it moves up the WINDWARD side of the range, and this cool, now dry air mass heats up as it desends down the LEEWARD side of the mountain range.

Question 21

If global warming continues at its present rate, which biomes will likely take the place of the CONIFEROUS FOREST (TAIGA)?

Answer 21

TEMPERATE BROADLEAF FOREST & GRASSLANDS

Question 22

Which of the following are important biotic factors that can affect the structure and organization of biological communities?

Answer 22

PREDATION
&
COMPETITION

Question 23

CORAL REEFS can be found on the southern east coast of the US but not at similar latitudes on the southern west coast. Differences in which of the following most likely account for this?

Answer 23

OCEAN CURRENTS

Question 24

Which of the following investigations would shed themost light on the distribution of organisms in temperate regions that are faced with climate change?

Answer 24

Look back at the changes that occured since the ICE AGE and how species redistributed as glaciers melted, then make predictions on future distribution in species based on past trends.

Question 25

Name the layers, from top to bottom in a TROPICAL rain forest…

Answer 25

EMERGENT LAYER
CANOPY
UNDER STORY
SHRUB LAYER
GROUND LAYER

Question 26

What is the limiting factor for the growth of trees in the tundra?

Answer 26

PERMAFROST

Question 27

Generally speaking, deserts are located in places where air masses usually…

Answer 27

DESCENDING

Question 28

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

Answer 28

the changes in the density of water as SEASONAL TEMPERATURES CHANGE

Question 29

In TEMPERATE LAKES, the surface water is replenished with nutrients during turnovers that occur in the:

Answer 29

AUTUMN
&
SPRING

Question 30

Which of the following is responsible for the differences in summer & winter temperature stratification of deep temperate zone lakes?

Answer 30

WATER is most dense at 4 degrees Celcius

Question 31

Imagine that a deep TEMPERATE ZONE LAKE did not “turnover” during spring & fall seasons. Based on the physical and biological properties of limnetic ecosystems, what would be the difference for normal seasonal TURNOVER.

Answer 31

the lake would suffer a nutrient depletion in surface layers

Question 32

Which MARINE ZONE would have the lowest rates of primary productivity (photosynthesis)?

Answer 32

ABYSSAL