Exam 51: An Overview of Ecology

Which of the following investigations would provide the most informative data to use for predicting the future distribution of organisms in temperate regions that are faced with climate change?

For mountain ranges that are subjected to prevailing winds, which of the following best explains why is the climate drier on the leeward (downwind) side?

Which type of biome is best defined by the following characteristics? ∙ conifers are very prevalent, as well as pines and spruce trees ∙ one of the largest biomes in terms of square kilometers of area ∙ does not receive a lot of precipitation, but is still very moist because of the presence of permafrost

Which of the following lakes is most likely to have a relatively simple community structure and clear water?

The eight panels below show average climatic values across the year on a monthly basis, as represented by first letter of each month depicted on the x-axis. Temperature values are depicted as a line graph and represented by the left vertical axis, while precipitation values are depicted as a bar graph and represented by the right vertical axis. Which panel (A-H) most likely depicts the climate for location 1 as shown on the map in the center panel?

The transitions in biological communities with increasing elevation are most analogous to the changes seen in which of the following?

Which of the following sources of information allows us to most accurately predict and draw the boundaries of Earth's biomes?

Use the following figure to answer the question below. In the figure, which shaded region is the most representative of the arctic tundra biome?

If the direction of Earth's rotation reversed, the most predictable effect would be ________.

In the region of the Rocky Mountains, one local variety of Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) predominantly occurs between 5,000 and 8,500 feet in elevation, where it can best tolerate temperatures and precipitation. Which of the following changes in pine tree range is most likely to result if future climate change in this region causes the temperature to increase and rainfall to decrease?

Which of the following biomes spans a large annual mean temperature range and the narrowest mean precipitation range?

The eight panels below show average climatic values across the year on a monthly basis, as represented by first letter of each month depicted on the x-axis. Temperature values are depicted as a line graph and represented by the left vertical axis, while precipitation values are depicted as a bar graph and represented by the right vertical axis. Which panel (A-H) most likely depicts the climate for location 5 as shown on the map in the center panel?

Which statement about dispersal is the most accurate?

If a deep temperate zone lake did not turn over during the spring and fall seasons as they normally do, which of the following conditions is most likely to result?

Which of these environmental factors has the largest control over the biotic structure of aquatic biomes?

The oceans affect the biosphere in all of the following ways except ________.

A certain species of pine tree survives only in scattered locations at elevations above 2,800 meters in the western United States. To understand why this tree grows only in these specific places, an ecologist should ________.

Two evolutionarily unrelated plant species may live within the same type of biome but on different continents. Which of the following mechanisms would most likely result in these two species having similar traits?

If global warming continues at its present rate, which biomes will most likely replace portions of the coniferous forest (taiga)?

Use the following figure to answer the question below. The shaded regions represent the expected climate conditions which give rise to the particular biomes. Which shaded region in the figure is the most representative of the biome with the highest variation in annual precipitation?