Test Questions Unit 3 (Chapters 4 & 5) Flashcards
Which of the following biomes is maintained through occasional fires: A) Tundra B) Tropical Forests C) Taiga D) Mountain Ranges E) Grassland
E) Grassland
Which of the following non-point pollution types is most likely to cause cultural eutrophication in lake ecosystems: A) Oil from parking lots B) Pesticides from agricultural fields C) Heavy metals from mining practices D) Sediments from erosion E) Fertilizer from agricultural fields
E) Fertilizer from agricultural fields
Photosynthetic organisms such as phytoplankton would be most abundant in which oceanic zone?: A) Bathyl B) Euphotic C) Littoral D) Limnetic E) Benthos
B) Euphotic
Which country would have the largest percentage of boreal forests?: A) Brazil B) United States C) Australia D) Russia E) Nepal
D) Russia
The land area that delivers recharge to smaller tributary streams that flow into larger rivers is known as: A) Delta B) Source zone C) Flood plain D) Watershed E) Estuary
D) Watershed
Oceanic currents act as a conveyor belt system creating a connected loop of deep and shallow ocean currents that transfers warm and cold water between the tropics and the poles. The strongest influence on this system of ocean currents is due to: A) Upwelling events that bring nutrient-rich cold water form the bottom up to the top B) The rotation of the earth on its axis C) Differences in water density due to temperature and salinity concentrations D) Atmospheric convection causing large inputs of freshwater into the ocean by precipitation E) Location of continents that help determine direction and flow of currents
C: Differences in water density due to temperature an salinity concentrations
The most biologically diverse areas of the ocean include coral reefs and estuaries. All of the following characteristics are reasons why these ecosystems can support such a high level of diversity EXCEPT: A) They are high areas of primary productivity B) Both ecosystems have abundant nutrient flow supporting phytoplankton populations C) Coral reefs and estuaries receive an abundant amount of light D) Both ecosystems provide plenty of habitat space for organisms E) These ecosystems do not have commercially important species therefore human impact on biodiversity is limited
E) These ecosystems do not have commercially important species therefore human impact on biodiversity is limited
Deep lakes that are characterized by steep banks and have a relatively small supply of plant nutrients are known as: A) Autotrophic B) Euphotic C) Mesotrophic D) Oligotrophic E) Eutrphic
D) Oligotrophic
Marine biologists have found that increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are lowering ocean pH, a condition known as ocean acidification. This also causes a decrease in the concentration of calcium carbonate ions. If this rise were to continue it would have a devastating impact on coral ecosystems because: A) It would cause a decline in the endosymbiotic algae the coral depend on B) It would decrease the ability of the corals to form their exoskeletons C) It would increase the amount of dissolved oxygen beyond the tolerance of the coral D) It would increase the turbidity of the water beyond the corals’ range of tolerance E) It would decrease the number of crustaceans acting as keystone species in the ecosystem
B) It would decrease the ability of the corals to form their exoskeletons
Which of the following is NOT an ecosystem service provided by forests?: A) Carbon sequestration B) Water purification C) Lumber production D) Food production E) Road construction
E) Road construction
Which of the following has the lowest average net primary productivity?: A) Swamps B) Savanna C) Tropical forest D) Tundra E) Coniferous forest
D) Tundra
This ecosystem is characterized by long, hot summers and moderate moist winters. It supports many small mammal, and most vegetation germinates after a period exposed to fire. It is mostly found along coastal areas such as the Pacific Coast of North America, the coastal hills of Chile, and the Mediterranean: A) Tundra B) Desert C) Grassland D) Chaparral E) Taiga forest
D) Chaparral
The building of a new highway in a heavily forested area separates individuals of a beetle population living in the area. Over time the population can no longer reproduce with each other and become two distinct species. The mechanism for speciation in this event is: A) Mutation B) Geographic isolation C) Genetic drift D) Selective breeding E) Gene flow by migration
B) Geographic isolation
The Amazon Basin in South America is the world’s largest tropical rainforest. Forest cover is rapidly decreasing due to logging and conversion of forests to agricultural land. If this trend continues it will reduce the forest coverage to 20% of its original cover by 2016. The loss of forested land would most likely: A) Increase the concentration of water vapor in the atmosphere B) Decrease the local regional flooding that occurs C) Increase available supplies for plant derived medicines D) Decrease the total amount of atmospheric nitrogen E) Increase the total amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide
E) Increase the total amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide
As temperatures warm, mountain glaciers melt. As ice sheets recede they expose new surface area that may become inhabited by organisms. Which of the following best represents the likely ecological succession to occur?: A) Lichens, grasses, shrubs, trees B) Mosses, grasses, lichens, trees C) Grasses, trees, mosses, lichens D) Shrubs, grasses, trees, lichens E) Trees, shrubs, grasses, moss
A) Lichens, grasses, shrubs, trees
Traits that allow a species to survive in its environment represent:
A) habitat
B) adaptation
C) critical factors
D) speciation
E) evolution
B) adaptation
Which of the following practices are most damaging to species of coral?: A) Whaling B) Line fishing C) Seine fishing D) Aquaculture cages E) Bottom trawling
E) Bottom trawling
Primary succession occurs before secondary succession to: A) Establish soil in the area B) Decompose fire-damaged vegetation C) Introduce early successional plants and animals D) Increase soil nutrient levels E) Provide moisture for soil
A) Establish soil in the area
Which of the following is necessary to calculate the net primary productivity of an ecosystem?: A) Amount of energy produced by photosynthesis and lost by plant respiration per unit area per unit time B) Amount of energy produced by photosynthesis and gained by heterotrophs per unit area per unit time C) Amount of energy gained by heterotrophs and lost by heterotrophic respiration per unit area per unit of time D) Amount of energy gained by heterotrophs and lost by plant respiration per unit area per unit of time E) Amount of energy lost by plant respiration and lost by heterotrophic respiration per unit area per unit of time
A) Amount of energy produced by photosynthesis and lost by plant respiration per unit area per unit time
Which of the following areas would most likely have the highest biodiversity: A) A low altitude area near the equator B) A low altitude area near a polar latitude C) A high altitude area near the temperate latitude D) A high altitude area near the polar latitude E) A high altitude area near the equator
A) A low altitude area near the equator
The size and isolation of an island will have the greatest effect on its: A) elevation B) average temperature C) climate D) species diversity E) albedo
D) species diversity
Which of the following would lead to s species adapting quickly to environmental change?: A) A role as a keystone species B) Short generational time spans C) A long life expectancy D) Bearing few offspring
B) Short generational time spans
Consider the following: a red-billed oxpecker picks ticks off a black rhinoceros. The relationships between (i) the oxpecker and the ticks (ii) the oxpecker and the rhinoceros and (iii) the ticks and the rhinoceros are best described as: A) (i) parasitism (ii) competition (iii) commensalism B) (i) predetation (ii) mutualism (iii) commensalism C) (i) predetation (ii) mutualism (iii) parasitism D) (i) commensalism (ii) parasitism (iii) parasitism E) (i) competition (ii) commensalism (iii) parasitism
C) (i) predetation (ii) mutualism (iii) parasitism
In general, what percentage of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next?: A) 0.1% B) 1% C) 3% D) 5% E) 10%
E) 10%
In lakes, the nutrient-rich water near the shore is part of the: A) bathyal zone B) euphotic zone C) littoral zone D) limnetic zone E) profundal zone
C) littoral zone
During ecological succession, these first colonists are hardy organisms such as mosses and lichens: A) climax community B) pioneer species C) ecotones D) keystone species E) parasitism
B) pioneer species
Which biome would produce the most biomass? A) desert B) tundra C) coastal zone D) estuary E) coniferous forest
D) Estuary
How do sea otters protect kelp forests in the Northern Pacific Ocean? A) build nests with it B) eat birds C) ear sea urchins D) lay on it E) eat fish
C) eat sea urchins
When harmless species resemble poisonous or distasteful species gaining protection from predators, it is called _____ _____.
Batesian Mimicry
On land, water that reaches the atmosphere from the surface of leaves does so through a process known as: A) condensation B) evaporation C) transpiration D) sublimation E) precipitation
C) transpiration
