Question 1

Fire suppression by humans

Accepted Answer

A) will always result in an increase in the species diversity in a given biome. 
B) can change the species composition within biological communities. 
C) will result ultimately in sustainable production of increased amounts of wood for human use. 
D) is necessary for the protection of threatened and endangered forest species. 
E) is a management goal of conservation biologists to maintain the healthy condition of biomes. 
A) will always result in an increase in the species diversity in a given biome. 
B) can change the species composition within biological communities. 
C) will result ultimately in sustainable production of increased amounts of wood for human use. 
D) is necessary for the protection of threatened and endangered forest species. 
E) is a management goal of conservation biologists to maintain the healthy condition of biomes. B

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

A) community, ecosystem, individual, population 
B) ecosystem, community, population, individual 
C) population, ecosystem, individual, community 
D) individual, population, community, ecosystem 
E) individual, community, population, ecosystem 
A) community, ecosystem, individual, population 
B) ecosystem, community, population, individual 
C) population, ecosystem, individual, community 
D) individual, population, community, ecosystem 
E) individual, community, population, ecosystem B

Question 3

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question.
   
Figure 52.1
-Phytoplankton is most frequently found in which of the following zones?

Accepted Answer

A) oligotrophic 
B) photic 
C) benthic 
D) abyssal 
E) aphotic 
A) oligotrophic 
B) photic 
C) benthic 
D) abyssal 
E) aphotic B

Question 4

The growing season would generally be shortest in which of the following biomes?

Accepted Answer

A) savanna 
B) temperate broadleaf forest 
C) temperate grassland 
D) tropical rain forest 
E) coniferous forest 
A) savanna 
B) temperate broadleaf forest 
C) temperate grassland 
D) tropical rain forest 
E) coniferous forest

Question 5

"How does the foraging of animals on tree seeds affect the distribution and abundance of the trees? " This question

Accepted Answer

A) would require an elaborate experimental design to answer. 
B) is difficult to answer because a large experimental area would be required. 
C) is difficult to answer because a long-term experiment would be required. 
D) is a question that a present-day ecologist would be likely to ask. 
E) A, B, C and D are correct. 
A) would require an elaborate experimental design to answer. 
B) is difficult to answer because a large experimental area would be required. 
C) is difficult to answer because a long-term experiment would be required. 
D) is a question that a present-day ecologist would be likely to ask. 
E) A, B, C and D are correct.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

A) warm, less dense water layered at the top 
B) cold, more dense water layered at the bottom 
C) a distinct thermocline between less dense warm water and cold, dense water. 
D) the density of water changes as seasonal temperatures change. 
E) currents generated by nektonic animals 
A) warm, less dense water layered at the top 
B) cold, more dense water layered at the bottom 
C) a distinct thermocline between less dense warm water and cold, dense water. 
D) the density of water changes as seasonal temperatures change. 
E) currents generated by nektonic animals

Question 7

As climate changes because of global warming, species' ranges in the northern hemisphere may move northward. The trees that are most likely to avoid extinction in such an environment are those that

Accepted Answer

A) have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals. 
B) have thin seed coats. 
C) produce well-provisioned seeds. 
D) have seeds that become viable only after a forest fire. 
E) disperse many seeds in close proximity to the parent tree. 
A) have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals. 
B) have thin seed coats. 
C) produce well-provisioned seeds. 
D) have seeds that become viable only after a forest fire. 
E) disperse many seeds in close proximity to the parent tree.

Question 8

Imagine some cosmic catastrophe jolts Earth so that its axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane between Earth and the sun. The most obvious effect of this change would be

Accepted Answer

A) the elimination of tides. 
B) an increase in the length of night. 
C) an increase in the length of a year. 
D) a decrease in temperature at the equator. 
E) the elimination of seasonal variation. 
A) the elimination of tides. 
B) an increase in the length of night. 
C) an increase in the length of a year. 
D) a decrease in temperature at the equator. 
E) the elimination of seasonal variation.

Question 9

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question.
   
Figure 52.1
-Where would an ecologist find the most phytoplankton in a lake?

Accepted Answer

A) profundal zone 
B) benthic zone 
C) photic zone 
D) oligotrophic zone 
E) aphotic zone 
A) profundal zone 
B) benthic zone 
C) photic zone 
D) oligotrophic zone 
E) aphotic zone

Question 10

An area in which different terrestrial biomes grade into each other is known as a(n)

Accepted Answer

A) littoral zone. 
B) vertically stratified canopy. 
C) ecotone. 
D) abyssal zone. 
E) cline. 
A) littoral zone. 
B) vertically stratified canopy. 
C) ecotone. 
D) abyssal zone. 
E) cline.

Question 11

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question.
   
Figure 52.1
-Species introduced to new geographic locations

Accepted Answer

A) are usually successful in colonizing the area. 
B) always spread because they encounter no natural predators. 
C) increase the diversity and therefore the stability of the ecosystem. 
D) can out-compete and displace native species for biotic and abiotic resources. 
E) are always considered pests by ecologists. 
A) are usually successful in colonizing the area. 
B) always spread because they encounter no natural predators. 
C) increase the diversity and therefore the stability of the ecosystem. 
D) can out-compete and displace native species for biotic and abiotic resources. 
E) are always considered pests by ecologists.

Question 12

Which of the following statements best describes the effect of climate on biome distribution?

Accepted Answer

A) Knowledge of annual temperature and precipitation is sufficient to predict which biome will be found in an area. 
B) Fluctuation of environmental variables is not important if areas have the same annual temperature and precipitation means. 
C) It is not only the average climate that is important in determining biome distribution, but also the pattern of climatic variation. 
D) Temperate forests, coniferous forests, and grasslands all have the same mean annual temperatures and precipitation. 
E) Correlation of climate with biome distribution is sufficient to determine the cause of biome patterns. 
A) Knowledge of annual temperature and precipitation is sufficient to predict which biome will be found in an area. 
B) Fluctuation of environmental variables is not important if areas have the same annual temperature and precipitation means. 
C) It is not only the average climate that is important in determining biome distribution, but also the pattern of climatic variation. 
D) Temperate forests, coniferous forests, and grasslands all have the same mean annual temperatures and precipitation. 
E) Correlation of climate with biome distribution is sufficient to determine the cause of biome patterns.

Question 13

Ecology as a discipline directly deals with all of the following levels of biological organization except

Accepted Answer

A) population. 
B) cellular. 
C) organismal. 
D) ecosystem. 
E) community. 
A) population. 
B) cellular. 
C) organismal. 
D) ecosystem. 
E) community.

Question 14

Which of the examples below provides appropriate abiotic and biotic factors that might determine the distribution of the species in question?

Accepted Answer

A) The amount of nitrate and phosphate in the soil and wild flower abundance and diversity 
B) The number of frost-free days and competition between species of introduced grasses and native alpine grasses 
C) Increased predation and decreased food availability and a prairie dog population after a prairie fire 
D) Available sunlight and increased salinity in the top few meters of the ocean and the abundance and diversity of phytoplankton communities 
E) The pH and dissolved oxygen concentration and the streams in which brook trout can live 
A) The amount of nitrate and phosphate in the soil and wild flower abundance and diversity 
B) The number of frost-free days and competition between species of introduced grasses and native alpine grasses 
C) Increased predation and decreased food availability and a prairie dog population after a prairie fire 
D) Available sunlight and increased salinity in the top few meters of the ocean and the abundance and diversity of phytoplankton communities 
E) The pH and dissolved oxygen concentration and the streams in which brook trout can live

Question 15

Deserts typically occur in a band at 30 degrees north and south latitude because

Accepted Answer

A) descending air masses tend to be cool and dry. 
B) trade winds have a little moisture. 
C) water is heavier than air and is not carried far over land. 
D) ascending air tends to be moist. 
E) these locations get the most intense solar radiation of any location on Earth 
A) descending air masses tend to be cool and dry. 
B) trade winds have a little moisture. 
C) water is heavier than air and is not carried far over land. 
D) ascending air tends to be moist. 
E) these locations get the most intense solar radiation of any location on Earth

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

A) benthic zone 
B) aphotic zone 
C) pelagic zone 
D) littoral zone 
E) limnetic zone 
A) benthic zone 
B) aphotic zone 
C) pelagic zone 
D) littoral zone 
E) limnetic zone

Question 17

Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of

Accepted Answer

A) parallel evolution. 
B) convergent evolution. 
C) allopatric speciation. 
D) introgression. 
E) gene flow. 
A) parallel evolution. 
B) convergent evolution. 
C) allopatric speciation. 
D) introgression. 
E) gene flow.

Question 18

When climbing a mountain, we can observe transitions in biological communities that are analogous to the changes

Accepted Answer

A) in biomes at different latitudes. 
B) at different depths in the ocean. 
C) in a community through different seasons. 
D) in an ecosystem as it evolves over time. 
E) across the United States from east to west. 
A) in biomes at different latitudes. 
B) at different depths in the ocean. 
C) in a community through different seasons. 
D) in an ecosystem as it evolves over time. 
E) across the United States from east to west.

Question 19

Trees are not usually found in the tundra biome because of

Accepted Answer

A) insufficient annual precipitation. 
B) acidic soils. 
C) extreme winter temperatures. 
D) overbrowsing by musk ox and caribou. 
E) permafrost. 
A) insufficient annual precipitation. 
B) acidic soils. 
C) extreme winter temperatures. 
D) overbrowsing by musk ox and caribou. 
E) permafrost.

Question 20

Which of the following areas of study focuses on the exchange of energy, organisms, and materials between ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

A) population ecology 
B) organismal ecology 
C) landscape ecology 
D) ecosystem ecology 
E) community ecology 
A) population ecology 
B) organismal ecology 
C) landscape ecology 
D) ecosystem ecology 
E) community ecology

Exam 52: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Fire suppression by humans

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

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question. Figure 52.1 -Phytoplankton is most frequently found in which of the following zones?

The growing season would generally be shortest in which of the following biomes?

"How does the foraging of animals on tree seeds affect the distribution and abundance of the trees? " This question

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

As climate changes because of global warming, species' ranges in the northern hemisphere may move northward. The trees that are most likely to avoid extinction in such an environment are those that

Imagine some cosmic catastrophe jolts Earth so that its axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane between Earth and the sun. The most obvious effect of this change would be

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question. Figure 52.1 -Where would an ecologist find the most phytoplankton in a lake?

An area in which different terrestrial biomes grade into each other is known as a(n)

Use the following diagram from the text showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bulbulcus ibis, since its arrival in the New World, to answer the following question. Figure 52.1 -Species introduced to new geographic locations

Which of the following statements best describes the effect of climate on biome distribution?

Ecology as a discipline directly deals with all of the following levels of biological organization except

Which of the examples below provides appropriate abiotic and biotic factors that might determine the distribution of the species in question?

Deserts typically occur in a band at 30 degrees north and south latitude because

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

Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of

When climbing a mountain, we can observe transitions in biological communities that are analogous to the changes

Trees are not usually found in the tundra biome because of

Which of the following areas of study focuses on the exchange of energy, organisms, and materials between ecosystems?

Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and the Fitness of the Environment

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Structure and Function

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

From Gene to Protein

Control of Gene Expression

Viruses

Biotechnology

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent With Modification: a Darwinian View of Life

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

The History of Life on Earth

Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Plant Diversity Ii: the Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi

An Introduction to Animal Diversity

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Plant Structure, Growth, and Development

Transport in Vascular Plants

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Osmoregulation and Excretion

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling

Nervous Systems

Sensory and Motor Mechanisms

Animal Behavior

Population Ecology

Community Ecology

Ecosystems

Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology

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