Question 1

Most of the world's deserts are located at latitudes where

Accepted Answer

A) hot, dry air moving toward the equator rises. 
B) hot, dry air moving toward the poles rises. 
C) cold, dry air moving toward the poles descends. 
D) cold, dry air moving toward the equator descends. 
A) hot, dry air moving toward the equator rises. 
B) hot, dry air moving toward the poles rises. 
C) cold, dry air moving toward the poles descends. 
D) cold, dry air moving toward the equator descends.

Question 2

Which of the following could be a topic for a community-level study of a hydrothermal vent ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A) the relationships between crabs at the vent and other areas of the ocean 
B) the evolution of a certain species of bacteria in response to the changing composition of the water emitted by the hydrothermal vents 
C) the composition of the water emitted by hydrothermal vents 
D) the interactions between Yeti crabs and other species near hydrothermal vents 
A) the relationships between crabs at the vent and other areas of the ocean 
B) the evolution of a certain species of bacteria in response to the changing composition of the water emitted by the hydrothermal vents 
C) the composition of the water emitted by hydrothermal vents 
D) the interactions between Yeti crabs and other species near hydrothermal vents

Question 3

Which of the following statements about deserts and the organisms that live there is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Air temperatures in cold deserts, such as those west of the Rocky Mountains, may never fall below 30°C. 
B) Growth and reproduction occur year-round in deserts. 
C) Desert plants typically produce very few seeds. 
D) Many desert animals are nocturnal. 
A) Air temperatures in cold deserts, such as those west of the Rocky Mountains, may never fall below 30°C. 
B) Growth and reproduction occur year-round in deserts. 
C) Desert plants typically produce very few seeds. 
D) Many desert animals are nocturnal.

Question 4

You are reading the journal of an amateur naturalist who visited the Sonoran Desert in the last century. Which of his descriptions of desert plants would you question?

Accepted Answer

A) a plant whose seeds will not germinate unless soaked 
B) a perennial that flowers only after years of vegetative growth and produces a large number of seeds 
C) a late winter hillside covered with wildflowers 
D) a common annual that produces one large seed per plant 
A) a plant whose seeds will not germinate unless soaked 
B) a perennial that flowers only after years of vegetative growth and produces a large number of seeds 
C) a late winter hillside covered with wildflowers 
D) a common annual that produces one large seed per plant

Question 5

Which of the following factors is fundamentally responsible for the character of arctic tundra soils?

Accepted Answer

A) secretion of acid by lichens and plant roots 
B) permafrost 
C) summer aridity 
D) abundant winter snow 
A) secretion of acid by lichens and plant roots 
B) permafrost 
C) summer aridity 
D) abundant winter snow

Question 6

Except near hydrothermal vents, the communities of the oceanic aphotic zone get their energy mainly from

Accepted Answer

A) photosynthesis by local phytoplankton. 
B) photosynthesis by local zooplankton. 
C) oxidation of sulfur by sulfur bacteria. 
D) organic matter sinking from the photic zone. 
A) photosynthesis by local phytoplankton. 
B) photosynthesis by local zooplankton. 
C) oxidation of sulfur by sulfur bacteria. 
D) organic matter sinking from the photic zone.

Question 7

Chaparral vegetation occurs around much of the central valley of central and southern California. This biome is very similar to that found

Accepted Answer

A) in the Australian interior. 
B) in the Mediterranean region. 
C) on the southeast coast of the United States. 
D) in central Asia. 
A) in the Australian interior. 
B) in the Mediterranean region. 
C) on the southeast coast of the United States. 
D) in central Asia.

Question 8

While on a walk through a forest, you notice birds in trees, earthworms in the soil, and fungi on plant litter on the forest floor. Based on your observations, you conclude that each of these organisms occupies a different

Accepted Answer

A) habitat. 
B) ecosystem. 
C) biosphere. 
D) biome. 
A) habitat. 
B) ecosystem. 
C) biosphere. 
D) biome.

Question 9

After reading the paragraph below, answer the questions that follow.
California condors, large, predatory birds that were previously on the edge of extinction, have benefited from a program that raises birds in captivity and then releases them into the wild. The reintroduction program, however, is having variable success.
-If it were determined that condor reproduction along the coast is being harmed by DDT in the condors' foods, which of the following actions would be most useful to improve the situation?

Accepted Answer

A) Provide carcasses of animals without DDT that the condors can eat. 
B) Move all condors away from the area where DDT exists. 
C) Monitor DDT use in the area where reproduction is failing. 
D) Remove all eggs from condor nests in the coastal population so that there will be no hatchlings with DDT. 
A) Provide carcasses of animals without DDT that the condors can eat. 
B) Move all condors away from the area where DDT exists. 
C) Monitor DDT use in the area where reproduction is failing. 
D) Remove all eggs from condor nests in the coastal population so that there will be no hatchlings with DDT.

Question 10

Which of the following statements about coniferous forests is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Coniferous forests are the smallest terrestrial biome. 
B) Coniferous forests are characterized by long but mild winters and short, dry summers that are sometimes warm. 
C) Coniferous forests usually have nutrient-rich soils. 
D) Coniferous forests may experience considerable precipitation, usually in the form of snow. 
A) Coniferous forests are the smallest terrestrial biome. 
B) Coniferous forests are characterized by long but mild winters and short, dry summers that are sometimes warm. 
C) Coniferous forests usually have nutrient-rich soils. 
D) Coniferous forests may experience considerable precipitation, usually in the form of snow.

Question 11

Which of the following correctly pairs a biome and its characteristics?

Accepted Answer

A) temperate broadleaf forest-mild winters; scarce rainfall; predominantly dicot vegetation 
B) chaparral-mild, rainy winters; long, hot, but wet summers 
C) savanna-long, cold winters; vegetation dominated by conifers 
D) tundra-very cold winters; only the upper layer of the soil thaws during summer 
A) temperate broadleaf forest-mild winters; scarce rainfall; predominantly dicot vegetation 
B) chaparral-mild, rainy winters; long, hot, but wet summers 
C) savanna-long, cold winters; vegetation dominated by conifers 
D) tundra-very cold winters; only the upper layer of the soil thaws during summer

Question 12

-If process D is decreased, what impact will that likely have on the surrounding area?

Accepted Answer

A) Increased precipitation will increase erosion. 
B) Lack of vegetation will increase the probability of drought. 
C) Areas covered by ocean will increase. 
D) More moisture will move over land from the ocean. 
A) Increased precipitation will increase erosion. 
B) Lack of vegetation will increase the probability of drought. 
C) Areas covered by ocean will increase. 
D) More moisture will move over land from the ocean.

Question 13

-If ocean waters in one area are radioactively contaminated, which processes would cause that radioactivity to show up in plant crops at some distance from the contamination?

Accepted Answer

A) processes A and B 
B) processes B and C 
C) processes C and D 
D) processes D and A 
A) processes A and B 
B) processes B and C 
C) processes C and D 
D) processes D and A

Question 14

The level of ecologic organization that incorporates abiotic factors is the

Accepted Answer

A) community. 
B) ecosystem. 
C) population. 
D) species. 
A) community. 
B) ecosystem. 
C) population. 
D) species.

Question 15

Which of the following environmental factors usually has the greatest direct effect on an organism's rate of water loss by evaporation?

Accepted Answer

A) soil type 
B) wind 
C) fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes 
D) barometric pressure 
A) soil type 
B) wind 
C) fires, hurricanes, and tornadoes 
D) barometric pressure

Question 16

-In which of the zones shown in this depiction of an aquatic biome does photosynthesis occur?

Accepted Answer

A) zone A 
B) zone B 
C) zone C 
D) zone D 
A) zone A 
B) zone B 
C) zone C 
D) zone D

Question 17

Living things that live in the polar ice biome include

Accepted Answer

A) mosses, lichens, seals, and polar bears. 
B) penguins, seals, moose, and springtails. 
C) mosses, ferns, gulls, and penguins. 
D) lichens, jaguars, gulls, and polar bears. 
A) mosses, lichens, seals, and polar bears. 
B) penguins, seals, moose, and springtails. 
C) mosses, ferns, gulls, and penguins. 
D) lichens, jaguars, gulls, and polar bears.

Question 18

Fresh water and seawater mix in a(n)

Accepted Answer

A) estuary. 
B) benthic zone. 
C) deep water zone. 
D) continental shelf zone. 
A) estuary. 
B) benthic zone. 
C) deep water zone. 
D) continental shelf zone.

Question 19

Usually, a river ________ at its source compared to farther downstream.

Accepted Answer

A) has less phytoplankton 
B) is warmer 
C) is wider 
D) flows more slowly 
A) has less phytoplankton 
B) is warmer 
C) is wider 
D) flows more slowly

Question 20

After reading the paragraph below, answer the questions that follow.
California condors, large, predatory birds that were previously on the edge of extinction, have benefited from a program that raises birds in captivity and then releases them into the wild. The reintroduction program, however, is having variable success.
-Scientists suspected that the condors eating marine mammals were ingesting DDT, causing the kind of shell fragility found in the middle part of the last century before DDT was banned. Which of the following actions would provide the best evidence that poor egg quality rather than predation or some other factor was the cause of failed condor reproduction?

Accepted Answer

A) Swap eggs from nests of reintroduced condors with eggs from successfully reproducing condors in captivity. 
B) Compare the number of eggs in nests of birds in captivity with the number of eggs in the nests of birds in the wild. 
C) Count the number of mating pairs in each area in the wild. 
D) Monitor food eaten by condors in each of the areas where condors have been reintroduced. 
A) Swap eggs from nests of reintroduced condors with eggs from successfully reproducing condors in captivity. 
B) Compare the number of eggs in nests of birds in captivity with the number of eggs in the nests of birds in the wild. 
C) Count the number of mating pairs in each area in the wild. 
D) Monitor food eaten by condors in each of the areas where condors have been reintroduced.

Exam 34: the Biosphere: an Introduction to Earths Diverse Environments

Most of the world's deserts are located at latitudes where

Which of the following could be a topic for a community-level study of a hydrothermal vent ecosystem?

Which of the following statements about deserts and the organisms that live there is true?

You are reading the journal of an amateur naturalist who visited the Sonoran Desert in the last century. Which of his descriptions of desert plants would you question?

Which of the following factors is fundamentally responsible for the character of arctic tundra soils?

Except near hydrothermal vents, the communities of the oceanic aphotic zone get their energy mainly from

Chaparral vegetation occurs around much of the central valley of central and southern California. This biome is very similar to that found

While on a walk through a forest, you notice birds in trees, earthworms in the soil, and fungi on plant litter on the forest floor. Based on your observations, you conclude that each of these organisms occupies a different

Which of the following statements about coniferous forests is true?

Which of the following correctly pairs a biome and its characteristics?

-If process D is decreased, what impact will that likely have on the surrounding area?

-If ocean waters in one area are radioactively contaminated, which processes would cause that radioactivity to show up in plant crops at some distance from the contamination?

The level of ecologic organization that incorporates abiotic factors is the

Which of the following environmental factors usually has the greatest direct effect on an organism's rate of water loss by evaporation?

-In which of the zones shown in this depiction of an aquatic biome does photosynthesis occur?

Living things that live in the polar ice biome include

Fresh water and seawater mix in a(n)

Usually, a river ________ at its source compared to farther downstream.

Biology: Exploring Life

The Chemical Basis of Life

The Molecules of Cells

A Tour of the Cell

The Working Cell

How Cells Harvest Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis: Using Light to Make Food

The Cellular Basis of Reproduction and Inheritance

Patterns of Inheritance

Molecular Biology of the Gene

How Genes Are Controlled

DNA Technology and Genomics

How Populations Evolve

The Origin of Species

Tracing Evolutionary History

Microbial Life: Prokaryotes and Protists

The Evolution of Plant and Fungal Diversity

The Evolution of Invertebrate Diversity

The Evolution of Vertebrate Diversity

Unifying Concepts of Animal Structure and Function

Nutrition and Digestion

Gas Exchange

Circulation

the Immune System

Control of Body Temperature and Water Balance

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Reproduction and Embryonic Development

Nervous Systems

the Senses

How Animals Move

Plant Structure, Growth, and Reproduction

Plant Nutrition and Transport

Control Systems in Plants

Behavioral Adaptations to the Environment

Population Ecology

Communities and Ecosystems

Conservation Biology

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