Deck 18: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Question 1

If you study how two species of finches compete for food, you are trying to answer a question about ________.

A)community ecology
B)population ecology
C)organismal ecology
D)ecosystems ecology

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What are estuaries?

A)types of freshwater biomes
B)areas near the start of a river
C)regions where ocean meets land
D)transition areas between a river and the ocean

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Suppose that a group of climate scientists claims that they can predict future impacts of global climate change with 98% accuracy. Why should you be skeptical of this claim?

A)They do not have reliable methods to measure this change.
B)Their predictions are based on incomplete information about species diversity and interactions of living organisms with each other and with their environments.
C)They should be focusing their predictions based only on climate change in the polar regions where the greatest effects of climate change are experienced.
D)They have not accounted for abiotic factors that affect global climate change in their predictions.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of these is a community?

A)all of the garden snails (Helix aspersa)living in your garden
B)all of abiotic factors that determine the health of your garden
C)all of the organisms living in your garden as well as the soil and rocks
D)all of the organisms living in your garden

Question 5

What term applies to the physical and physiological changes experienced by astronauts who spend months in space?

A)acclimation
B)camouflaging
C)"flagging"

Question 6

Which ecosystems support life in the absence of sunlight?

A)hydrothermal vent habitats
B)tundra habitats
C)photic zone habitats
D)forested habitats

Question 7

What name is given to the open ocean?

A)pelagic realm
B)intertidal zone
C)benthic realm
D)photic zone

Question 8

If their own solute concentration does not match that of their surroundings, aquatic organisms ________.

A)grow a waxy coating to prevent water loss
B)may experience problems with water balance
C)cannot metabolize nutrients
D)seek out areas of high sunlight

Question 9

Which nutrients often limit the distribution and abundance of photosynthetic organisms?

A)water and oxygen
B)nitrogen and phosphorus
C)carbon dioxide and nitrogen
D)water and carbon dioxide

Question 10

In an aquatic ecosystem, what name is given to the region where photosynthesis can occur?

A)pelagic zone
B)aphotic zone
C)benthic realm
D)photic zone

Question 11

What level of ecology is concerned with groups of individuals of the same species?

A)community
B)organism
C)ecosystem
D)population

Question 12

Which environmental factor is abiotic?

A)a protist
B)a plant
C)a fungus
D)a rock

Question 13

What level of ecology is concerned with energy flow and the cycling of chemicals among various biotic and abiotic factors?

A)community
B)organism
C)ecosystem
D)population

Question 14

What is a population?

A)a group of organisms living in a particular geographic area
B)a group of organisms of the same species living in a particular geographic area
C)a community as well as all the abiotic factors in a particular geographic area
D)all of the organisms of a species existing at a particular time

Question 15

What name is given to the region where ocean meets land?

A)pelagic realm
B)intertidal zone
C)benthic realm
D)aphotic zone

Question 16

Which biome is one of the most biologically productive of all biomes?

A)open oceans
B)estuaries
C)temperate grasslands
D)coniferous forests

Question 17

Ecology is the study of ________.

A)life
B)human effects on the environment
C)interactions between humans and other species
D)interactions between organisms and their environments

Question 18

What level of ecology is concerned with groups of individuals of different species?

A)community
B)organism
C)ecosystem
D)population

Question 19

Which is a behavioral response to environmental variability?

A)migrating to a different location
B)acclimation
C)"flagging"

Question 20

What level of ecology is concerned with the adaptations of individuals?

A)community
B)organismal
C)ecosystem
D)population

Question 21

What is one important difference between savannas and temperate grasslands?

A)Savannas only rarely experience fires.
B)Temperate grasslands are mostly treeless.
C)Savannas are inhabited by grazing mammals.
D)Temperate grasslands have nutrient-poor soil.

Question 22

Most of the temperate grassland in North America has been converted to ________.

A)cities
B)farmland
C)national parks
D)small neighborhoods

Question 23

________ is a critical abiotic factor that contributes to plant growth in savanna ecosystems.

A)Drought
B)Rain
C)Wind
D)Fire

Question 24

What name is given to the seafloor?

A)pelagic realm
B)intertidal zone
C)benthic realm
D)aphotic zone

Question 25

With regard to the environment as a whole, when is the worst time to apply pesticide to your lawn?

A)when it is raining, or is about to rain
B)when it is cold, or is about to get cold
C)at the same time you apply fertilizer

Question 26

Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted to humans from a parasite that infects mosquitoes that feed on humans. World health officials have concerns that climate change may impact the transmission of malaria into tropical highland areas in Africa. If these concerns turn out to be valid, they would imply that global climate change ________.

A)affects the distribution of species
B)will negatively impact the transmission of malaria only in Africa
C)affects freshwater and marine biomes
D)will enable scientists to more easily control the spread of malaria

Question 27

Water-storing plants and deeply rooted shrubs are plants that characterize ________.

A)tropical forests
B)chaparral
C)deserts
D)savanna

Question 28

Which of these biomes are maintained by fire?

A)temperate broadleaf forests and chaparral
B)chaparral and savannas
C)deserts and chaparral
D)savanna and temperate grasslands

Question 29

What can moderate climate by absorbing heat when the air is warm and releasing heat when the air is cold?

A)clouds and tropic forests
B)glaciers and deserts
C)mountains and grasslands
D)oceans and lakes

Question 30

Global warming may trigger all but one of these results to occur. Choose the EXCEPTION.

A)changes in the breeding seasons of some species
B)increased forest clearing for agricultural purposes
C)melting permafrost
D)catastrophic wildfire seasons

Question 31

In the oceans, global warming has ________.

A)decreased the amount of oxygen available
B)benefited corals
C)made the water more basic
D)made the water more acidic

Question 32

What fraction of Earth's surface has been altered by human use?

A)25%
B)50%
C)75%
D)95%

Question 33

The greenhouse effect causes an increase in global temperatures. This increase is due primarily to ________.

A)carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases allowing more solar radiation to penetrate Earth's surface
B)carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases slowing the escape of UV radiation from Earth
C)the loss of ozone that trapped cooling UV radiation in the atmosphere
D)carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases slowing the escape of heat from Earth

Question 34

Long, snowy winters as well as evergreen trees such as pine and fir are found in ________.

A)chaparral
B)temperate broadleaf forests
C)coniferous forests
D)temperate grasslands

Question 35

In what part of the ocean are phytoplankton found?

A)pelagic realm
B)intertidal zone
C)benthic realm
D)aphotic zone

Question 36

Which action would increase your carbon footprint?

A)reusing or recycling items
B)eating more vegetables and less meat
C)eating more beef and less chicken
D)walking instead of driving

Question 37

Temperature increases due to global warming have been greatest ________.

A)close to the poles
B)in the sea
C)in the tropics
D)in deserts

Question 38

An effect of deforestation has been to ________.

A)decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
B)increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
C)increase the rate at which carbon dioxide is incorporated into organic material
D)decrease the rate of carbon dioxide production through cellular respiration

Question 39

Which biome is characterized by permafrost?

A)temperate broadleaf forest
B)chaparral
C)tundra
D)coniferous forest

Question 40

Water moves from land to the atmosphere through ________.

A)precipitation only
B)transpiration only
C)transpiration and evaporation
D)evaporation and precipitation

Question 41

Latitudes between the tropics and the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle are called ________.

A)tropical zones
B)temperate zones
C)polar regions
D)savanna ecosystems

Question 42

What question would be investigated by someone who studies ecosystem ecology?

A)How do phosphoruscycling and solar energy affect water temperature and phytoplankton growth in aquatic ecosystems?
B)How does a change in vocal signals helpurban great tits (Parus major)survive in urbanized areas?
C)How does habitat destruction affect growth and density of multiple amphibian species?
D)How does the structure of a cactus plant enable it to avoid desiccation in hot, arid environments?

Question 43

Scientists have documented that spring seasons starting earlier due to climate change have resulted in some caterpillar species beginning their maturation stage earlier than normal. There are bird species that need the caterpillars to feed their chicks. However, since the caterpillars are maturing before the chicks hatch (and therefore cannot be used for chick food), the birds are experiencing a drop in their lifetime reproductive success. Interestingly, scientists have also documented that the individual birds that are successful in altering their egg-laying patterns to align with earlier spring seasons have the greatest lifetime reproductive success. These phenomena are examples of ________.

A)an evolutionary response to climate change
B)an increase in global greenhouse gas emissions due to climate change
C)a change in species distribution due to climate change
D)the effects of terrestrial biome distribution due to climate change

Question 44

The figure shows regions of an ocean. In what region do phytoplankton live?

A)aphotic zone
B)benthic realm
C)photic zone

Question 45

Which question would be investigated by someone who studies population ecology?

A)How do phosphoruscycling and solar energy affect water temperature and phytoplankton growth in aquatic ecosystems?
B)How does a change in vocal signals helpurban great tits (Parus major)survive in urbanized areas?
C)How does habitat destruction affect growth and density of multiple amphibian species?
D)How does the structure of a cactus plant enable it to avoid desiccation in hot, arid environments?

Question 46

In suburban areas with a high density of humans, it is necessary to have a well-functioning wastewater treatment system. If engineers wanted to create a wastewater treatment system that takes advantage of natural resources, they should consider incorporating ________ into their plan.

A)wetlands
B)oceans
C)rivers

Question 47

The data in this table describe the average global temperature anomalies measured in August 2017 for Land, Ocean, and Land/Ocean combined. NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)defines a temperature anomaly as: "a departure from a reference value or long-term average. A positive anomaly indicates that the observed temperature was warmer than the reference value, while a negative anomaly indicates that the observed temperature was cooler than the reference value." (https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/monitoring-references/faq/anomalies.php) What can you conclude from these data?

A)Land, Ocean, and Land/Ocean combined all showed negative anomalies.
B)Land, Ocean, and Land/Ocean combined all showed positive anomalies.
C)Land temperature anomalies for 2017 are the highest recorded in 138 years.
D)Land/Ocean combined anomalies for 2017 are the coldest recorded in 138 years.

Question 48

From the figure, which part of Earth receives the greatest intensity of solar radiation?

A)Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn
B)Equator
C)North and South Poles

Question 49

All but one of these are causes for increasing carbon dioxide levels. Choose the EXCEPTION.

A)transportation
B)home energy use
C)production of manufactured goods
D)creating compost piles from vegetable waste

Question 50

Please read the following scenario to answer the following questions.
CO₂ is not the only greenhouse gas (GHG)that impacts global climate change. Other GHGs may be equally or more effective than CO₂ at trapping heat on Earth. Climate scientists determine how much a GHG may impact global warming based on two factors: the efficiency with which a GHG absorbs energy (i.e., traps heat on Earth)and the length of time (in years)that the gas remains in the atmosphere. A unit of measurement called the Global Warming Potential (GWP)is used to describe how much energy a GHG absorbs over a specific period of time (100 years is a standard time frame). All GWP values of GHGs are compared to the GWP of CO₂, which is given a value of 1.
In this scenario, how would you best describe CO₂?

A)It is a baseline comparison for the GWP values of all other GHGs.
B)It is a greenhouse gas whose GWP value is dependent upon the GWP values of all other GHGs.
C)It is the greenhouse gas that is the most efficient at trapping heat on Earth.
D)It is the greenhouse gas that is the least efficient at trapping heat on Earth.

Question 51

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)are greenhouse gases that, for a specific amount of mass, trap significantly more heat than CO₂. How can you classify CFCs?

A)gases with lower GWP values than CO₂
B)gases with equal GWP values to CO₂
C)gases with greater GWP values than CO₂

Question 52

The figure indicates that ________.

A)mountains can block the flow of moist air from a coast, causing radically different climates on opposite sides of a mountain range
B)the direction of wind affects how much moisture evaporates in the photic zone of the Pacific Ocean
C)rainfall creates freezing temperatures in mountain ranges
D)groundwater runoff causes massive erosion at the base of mountain ranges

Question 53

CH₄ has a GWP over 20 times higher than CO₂. However, CH₄ emitted today lasts for only about a decade in the atmosphere, while the GWP of CO₂ can last for thousands of years. What is a possible reason that CH₄ can have such a high GWP as compared to CO₂?

A)The 100-year time frame is too short of a time frame to compare CH₄ and CO₂.
B)CH₄ absorbs more energy than CO₂.
C)CH₄ is less efficient at trapping heat on Earth.
D)CH₄ is not a proven greenhouse gas.

Question 54

What question would be investigated by someone who studies organismal ecology?

A)How do phosphoruscycling and solar energy affect water temperature and phytoplankton growth in aquatic ecosystems?
B)How does a change in vocal signals helpurban great tits (Parus major)survive in urbanized areas?
C)How does habitat destruction affect growth and density of multiple amphibian species?
D)How does the structure of a cactus plant enable it to avoid desiccation in hot, arid environments?

Question 55

At different times in their lives, salmon can be found in all but one of these biomes. Choose the EXCEPTION.

A)a freshwater biome
B)a wetland biome
C)the pelagic realm of an ocean
D)an estuary

Question 56

Please read the following scenario to answer the following questions.
Salmon eggs hatch in freshwater streams and, during their first year of life, the young salmon migrate distances up to 1,000 km in order to reach the ocean. Here they spend up to 5 years where they feed and grow, acquiring more than 95% of their biomass. During the summer of their maturing year, they begin the long journey back to their home streams to spawn. Although it is still uncertain how salmon navigate back to their spawning grounds, current hypotheses suggest that they have a highly developed sense of smell that allows them to remember odors they encountered on their migration to the ocean. They then use these odors to help them navigate back to the streams where they were born. At the spawning grounds, females use their tails to form a hollow cavity in the stream gravel where they lay up to 8,000 eggs. The males fertilize the eggs, and both adults typically die soon thereafter.
The physiological response that allows salmon to survive in fresh water, then in salt water, and then fresh water again is an example of ________.

A)a behavioral response
B)evolution
C)acclimation
D)an anatomical response