Exam 51: An Overview of Ecology

Use the following figures to answer the question below. The figure depicts average temperatures and total precipitation across the 12 months of the year. Annual precipitation in Area 1 is approximately 260 cm, and in Area 2, 10 cm. Based on the data in the figures, which of the following statements is most consistent with the data?

Suppose that the number of bird species is determined mainly by the number of vertical strata found in the environment. If so, in which of the following biomes would you find the greatest number of bird species?

In areas of permafrost, stands of black spruce are frequently observed in the landscape, while other tree species are noticeably absent. Often these stands are referred to as "drunken forests" because many of the black spruce often "lean over" (that is, they are displaced from their normal vertical alignment). Which of the following best explains the unusual growth of these forests in this marginal habitat?

Which of the following statements regarding turnover in a lake is the most accurate?

Which of the following explains why seasonal changes, for example, in temperature and/or precipitation, are greater at middle to high latitudes than seasonal changes at equatorial latitudes?

Which of the following biotic or abiotic factors limit(s) the range of Saguaro cactus in North America?

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

Which of the following is an important feature of most terrestrial biomes?

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

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

Which of the following types of organisms is likely to have the widest global distribution?

North-facing slopes in mountainous areas of western North America would be expected to ________.

Which of the following is the most likely effect on climate in the temperate latitudes if Earth were to slow its rate of rotation from a 24-hour period of rotation to a 48-hour period of rotation?

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 3 as shown on the map in the center panel?

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 temperature?

Which of the following best represents an investigation of the concept of a microclimate?

If an ecologist were studying the regional interactions among multiple populations of different species, and how they influence the exchange of materials between their various environments, which of the following best represents this scale of research?

Which of the following would be the most likely result if the Earth's axis were perpendicular to the orbital plane between Earth and the sun?

Which of the following is the cause of generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns?

Which of the following statements about light in aquatic environments is the most accurate?