Deck 21: Landscape Ecology

Question 1

A heterogeneous area consisting of a patchwork of distinctive ecosystems is called a ________.

A) habitat
B) matrix
C) landscape
D) geographic unit
E) community

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Haddad and Baum demonstrated that corridors between patches of open habitat in dense 40- to 50-year-old pine forests of South Carolina

A) increased the frequency of movement of two butterfly species, common buckeye and variegated fritillary, between patches.
B) resulted in higher rates of pollination of plants growing in connected patches.
C) resulted in higher rates of seed dispersal of plants growing in connected patches.
D) both increased the frequency of movement of two butterfly species, common buckeye and variegated fritillary, between patches, and resulted in higher rates of pollination of plants growing in connected patches.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true concerning the fire regimes of southern California and northern Baja California?

A) The total area burned each year in southern California is approximately 2X the total area burned each year in northern Baja California.
B) The total area burned each year in northern Baja California is approximately 2X the total area burned each year in southern California.
C) Less frequent, larger fires burn each year in southern California than in northern Baja California.
D) More frequent, smaller fires burn each year in southern California than in northern Baja California.
E) Because of similarities in climate, vegetation, and fire history, there are few quantifiable differences in the fire regime of southern California and northern Baja California.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Studies by Hanski, Kuussaari, and Nieminen determined that ________ and ________ of patches strongly influence the size and density of Glanville fritillary butterfly, Melitaea cinxia, populations.

A) area; shape
B) perimeter length; area
C) area; isolation
D) elevation; shape
E) isolation; shape

Question 5

McAuliffe found middle to late Pleistocene soils of the Sonoran Desert, which formed hundreds of thousands of years ago, were characterized by

A) a well-developed B horizon.
B) high amounts of clay.
C) a well-developed caliche layer.
D) a well-developed argillic horizon.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 6

Mowing experiments in a Kansas prairie established that, for small mammals,

A) moving individuals travel farther in more fragmented landscapes.
B) moving individuals travel farther in less fragmented landscapes.
C) more individuals move in more fragmented landscapes.
D) fragmentation affects movement distance but not the likelihood of movement.
E) fragmentation affects the likelihood of movement, but not movement distance.

Question 7

"Argyllic horizons" in soil are rich in

A) phosphorous.
B) organic matter.
C) sand.
D) gravel.
E) clay.

Question 8

When measuring the coastline of Texas, which of these rulers would give you the shortest estimate of coastline length?

A) 1 cm
B) 10 cm
C) 1 m
D) 10 m
E) 1 km

Question 9

A major recent (last 50 years) change in landscape structure of Eastern North America has been

A) fragmentation of forests due to clearing for agricultural use.
B) increases in forest cover due to abandonment of agricultural land.
C) decreases in forest cover due to climate change.
D) increases in forest cover due to climate change.
E) decreases in lake habitats due to breaching of dams.

Question 10

Expansion of forest in Veluwe, Netherlands at the expense of heathland has occurred primarily as a result of

A) reduction of grazing pressure as native herbivore populations were decimated by hunting.
B) changing climates due to the greenhouse effect.
C) new legal restrictions on land use.
D) reductions in sheep farming as Australian wool became less expensive.
E) reductions in sheep farming as young people left family farms for other careers.

Question 11

The element within the landscape that is most continuous is called the ________.

A) matrix
B) mosaic
C) patch
D) medium
E) substrate

Question 12

A "caliche layer" in soil is

A) a hard layer formed by precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃).
B) a hard layer formed by precipitation of nitrates (KNO₃, MgNO₃) from over-fertilization.
C) a water-absorptive layer of peat.
D) a layer of younger soil overlaying an old, depleted soil.
E) a layer polluted with heavy metals.

Question 13

For Glanville fritillary butterflies in Finland, larger habitat patches (compared to smaller ones) support

A) higher population sizes and higher population densities.
B) higher population sizes but equal population densities.
C) higher population sizes but lower population densities.
D) equal population sizes, due to higher population densities.
E) equal population sizes and equal population densities.

Question 14

In studies of experimental clear-cuts at the Savannah River Site, open patches connected to other open patches

A) had higher butterfly densities.
B) supported more frequent butterfly movements.
C) had higher rates of plant pollination.
D) All of the choices are correct.
E) both had higher butterfly densities and had higher rates of plant pollination.

Question 15

Vegetation in bajadas of the Arizona Sonoran Desert

A) is largely uniform, as are the soils it grows on.
B) is largely uniform, despite variation in the soils it grows on.
C) varies in space, primarily reflecting a mosaic of ancient and recently disturbed patches.
D) varies in space, primarily reflecting a mosaic of soil types.
E) varies in space, primarily reflecting patchy enrichment by agricultural fertilization.

Question 16

During droughts, water levels are likely to drop most steeply in lakes at the lower end of hydrological flow systems.

Question 17

Recent conversion of forests to beaver ponds and wet meadows

A) is producing a novel landscape structure because beavers have never been as numerous as they are now.
B) is producing a novel landscape structure because beavers previously exploited natural wetlands.
C) is restoring prehistoric landscape structure.
D) decreases nutrient levels in areas affected by beaver damming.
E) increases nutrient levels in remaining forests, but not in beaver ponds.

Question 18

Groundwater inputs to lakes tend to

A) increase from the upper to lower end of a flow system.
B) decrease from the upper to lower end of a flow system.
C) remain roughly constant from the upper to lower end of a flow system.
D) be higher for lakes with less input from surface runoff.
E) make up the great majority of water supply for all lakes.

Question 19

Vegetation in southern California burns frequently because

A) summers there are hot and very dry.
B) the vegetation contains highly flammable oils.
C) lightning strikes easily ignite dry vegetation.
D) human activities provide sources of ignition.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 20

A large value of the patch shape index, S = P/(2√πA), indicates a

A) shape near a circle, with a high perimeter-to-area ratio.
B) shape near a circle, with a low perimeter-to-area ratio.
C) very elongated shape, with a low perimeter-to-area ratio.
D) very elongated shape, with a high perimeter-to-area ratio.

Question 21

Bowen and Burgess' work in Ohio confirmed that vastly different landscapes can arise from variation in both the ________ and ________ of habitat fragments.

A) type; density
B) shape; density
C) geology; size
D) arrangement; age

Question 22

What effects might the extinction of beavers on the landscapes in which they live?

A) Decrease in the extent of wetlands in the landscape
B) Shift from a mosaic of multiple ecosystems to one dominated by one or few ecosystem types
C) Decrease in the quantity of nutrients and ions in the environment
D) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 23

More isolated Finnish meadows support higher densities of Glanville fritillaries.

Question 24

Periods of unusually high temperatures and humidity that can result in human injury and even death, are defined as

Question 25

The proportion of the world's population living in cities has increased since 1950, but is expected to decline in the coming decades.

Question 26

There is experimental evidence to support the theory that the negative impact of fragmentation and isolation on populations can be reduced by connecting habitat fragments with corridors of similar habitat.

Question 27

Structures that dominate urban landscapes contribute to the heat island effect in all of the following ways except

A) by absorbing solar energy.
B) increase surface and air temperatures.
C) reduce air circulation and trap heat.
D) increasing air humidity levels.

Question 28

The recognition that the length of a coastline depends on the scale at which it is measured is a result of the branch of mathematics called ________.

Question 29

Which technique is an effective way to mitigate the urban heat island effect?

A) Green roofs
B) Reflective pavement materials
C) City-wide fan systems
D) Both reflective pavement materials and green roofs

Question 30

Ecotones are transitional habitat between two ecosystems, which usually include a mix of the physical and biological properties of both ecosystems.

Question 31

Which following facets of landscape ecology distinguish it from other subdisciplines of ecology? (Select all that apply.)

A) Highly interdisciplinary field
B) Quantitative approach to research questions
C) Considerations of human influence on landscapes have been part of the field since its inception
D) Focuses on spatial heterogeneity across multiple spatial scales

Question 32

Connections of similar habitat maintained between habitat fragments are known as ________.