Deck 11: Biogeography

Question 1

Grasslands are considered abiotic. ​

Answer 1

False

Question 2

A great deal more biomass (and food energy)is available in a field of corn than there is in the cattle that eat the corn. ​

Answer 2

True

Question 3

On land, a traveler would notice a decrease in primary productivity by traveling from the tropics to higher latitudes.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Humans have eliminated or have had a significant impact on much of Earth's natural vegetation, except in regions too remote to be altered significantly by civilization. ​

Question 5

The second law of thermodynamics states that whenever energy is transformed from one state to another, there will be a loss (dissipation)of energy through heat. ​

Question 6

Rainforest trees commonly depend on lianas for support because their root systems are shallow. ​

Question 7

The first law of thermodynamics states that ____. ​

A)energy can only be released from a system through the process of oxidation
B)energy can be created, destroyed, or change forms
C)energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only change forms
D)energy stored in a biomass decreases with each successive trophic level
E)energy stored in a biomass increases with each successive trophic level

Question 8

The nonliving environment is not technically part of the ecosystem of a species. ​

Question 9

Monsoon rainforests have a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees. ​

Question 10

Xerophytes grow on the limbs of rainforest trees, deriving nutrients from the water and plant debris that falls from higher levels. ​

Question 11

As compared to other biomes, polar regions have a lower amount of precipitation. ​

Question 12

Benthos animals include sponges and corals. ​

Question 13

Which of these is an example of an autotroph (producer)?

A)animals
B)plants
C)minerals
D)nutrients
E)omnivores

Question 14

Formation of new organic matter through photosynthesis by autotrophs is referred to as ____.

A)net production
B)gross production ​
C)secondary production ​
D)primary production ​
E)thermodynamic production ​

Question 15

Forests are found only under conditions where annual moisture balance is positive. ​

Question 16

Trophic structure refers to the pattern of food consumption in an ecosystem. ​

Question 17

Midlatitude grasslands occupy the transition zone between midlatitude forests and deserts. ​

Question 18

The total amount of living material in an ecosystem is referred to as its ____. ​

A)biomass
B)food web
C)secondary productivity
D)trophic total
E)succession

Question 19

In highlands, topography influences ecosystems by limiting the number of microclimates present to only one or two.

Question 20

The ecological efficiency of herbivores and carnivores is estimated by most authorities to be roughly ____. ​

A)1 percent
B)10 percent ​
C)30 percent ​
D)60 percent ​
E)90 percent

Question 21

Trees that have taken on a low, twisted form to minimize their wind exposure in the harsh conditions near the limit of tree growth are referred to as ____. ​

A)krummholz
B)bergmann ​
C)slope aspect ​
D)epiphytes ​
E)pioneer communities ​

Question 22

Tropical grasslands differ from midlatitude grasslands in that ____. ​

A)the environmental control factor of fire is insignificant
B)savanna grasses are very short ​
C)tropical grassland includes a scattering of trees ​
D)tropical grasslands terminate rather abruptly against rain forest ​
E)the tropical grasslands support grazing animals ​

Question 23

Species that can survive on a wide variety of food are called ____. ​

A)abiotic
B)heterotrophs ​
C)specialists ​
D)secondary producers ​
E)generalists ​

Question 24

Short-grass prairies ____. ​

A)are often cultivated without irrigation
B)grow in areas where the subsoil is permanently dry ​
C)cannot support grazing animals ​
D)tend to coincide with areas of tropical monsoon climate ​
E)only occur in the Southern Hemisphere ​

Question 25

Heterotrophs that eat only living plant material are called ____. ​

A)omnivores
B)vegevores ​
C)carnivores ​
D)herbivores ​
E)detritivores ​

Question 26

Thornbush and scrub forests tend to be found ____. ​

A)on the subtropical margins of rainforests, where soils are especially poor in nutrients
B)in the wettest regions of tropical rainforest climates ​
C)in midlatitude desert climates ​
D)at the poleward boundary of the taiga ​
E)in marine west coast climates ​

Question 27

In a mixed forest, where are deciduous trees found as compared to evergreens? ​

A)on the soil with more clay
B)on less acidic soil ​
C)on the thicker soil ​
D)on shallower slopes ​
E)at lower elevations

Question 28

Which biome once extended continuously from Alberta, Canada to Texas in North America? ​

A)broadleaf deciduous forest
B)coniferous forest ​
C)tall-grass prairie ​
D)desert ​
E)tundra ​

Question 29

The major reason why large-scale areas of broadleaf evergreen trees occur only in the southern hemisphere is that ____. ​

A)only ocean areas are found in the northern hemisphere at the latitude necessary for sustaining these forests
B)broadleaf evergreen species are continentally isolated from the northern hemisphere ​
C)ocean influence maintains the moderate temperatures needed by this type of tree ​
D)large areas of these trees in North America were cleared for cultivation ​
E)they prefer the higher elevations found in the Southern Hemisphere ​

Question 30

Earth's terrestrial ecosystems can be categorized into one of four basic types: ____. ​

A)forest, grassland, desert, and highlands
B)forest, grassland, desert, and tundra ​
C)forest, shrub, grassland, and tundra ​
D)rain forest, coniferous forest, grassland, and desert ​
E)rain forest, shrub, grassland, and desert ​

Question 31

Plants or animals that people have introduced to a place that is not their native environment, where they outcompete native species and reproduce in great numbers, are called ____. ​

A)xerophytes
B)invasive exotic species ​
C)omnivores ​
D)epiphytes ​
E)specialists ​

Question 32

The formation of new organic material at the consumer level is termed ____. ​

A)net productivity
B)gross productivity ​
C)primary productivity ​
D)secondary productivity ​
E)thermodynamics productivity ​

Question 33

A pioneer community invades bare substrate during ____. ​

A)primary succession
B)secondary succession ​
C)climax succession ​
D)nutrient cycles ​
E)primary productivity ​

Question 34

Plants that have developed mechanisms to combat drought are known as ____. ​

A)driophytes
B)xerophytes ​
C)trilobytes ​
D)trogolodytes ​
E)epiphytes ​

Question 35

Terrestrial ecosystems are most easily distinguished from one another by the ____ that are present in that system. ​

A)autotrophs
B)carnivores ​
C)primary consumers ​
D)decomposers ​
E)nutrient cycles ​

Question 36

Interactions between organisms that are beneficial to both species involved are called ____. ​

A)abiotic
B)food chains ​
C)ecological niches ​
D)symbiotic relationships ​
E)Allen's Rule relationships ​

Question 37

According to ____ Rule, the body size of warm-blooded subspecies usually increases with decreasing mean annual temperature of its habitat.

A)Allen's
B)Krummholz's
C)Bergmann's
D)the Generalist
E)the Specialist

Question 38

The primary difference between tropical and middle-latitude forests is that middle-latitude forests have developed a mechanism to counteract: ​

A)long periods of sunlight
B)long periods of high temperatures ​
C)long periods of low humidity ​
D)long periods of low temperatures and annual precipitation variations ​
E)long periods of stormy weather ​

Question 39

Ecologists refer to natural processes (such as forest fires or landslides)that destroy or damage a great deal of existing vegetation as ____. ​

A)gap creation
B)mosaics ​
C)succession ​
D)ecological niches ​
E)krummholz ​

Question 40

On a global scale, grasslands tend to be found ____. ​

A)in continental interiors where most rainfall occurs in summer
B)in continental interiors where rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year ​
C)on coastlines with excessive orographic precipitation ​
D)anywhere on a continent as long as most rainfall occurs in summer ​
E)along coasts ​

Question 41

The total amount of living material in an ecosystem is referred to as the _______________. ​

Question 42

Zones of transition, or overlap, between two plant or animal communities are called _______________. ​

Question 43

The final result in the process of succession is a(n)_______________ community in equilibrium with the environment.

Question 44

Tiny plants and animals that float freely with ocean currents are termed _______________. ​

Question 45

In the western U.S., thick, scrubby, Mediterranean-type woodland is called _______________. ​

Question 46

Describe how the process of primary succession can progress from a bare, lifeless substrate to a climax community. ​

Question 47

The dominant area of a landscape mosaic is referred to as the _______________. ​

Question 48

Any animal that relies on only one or two sources of food is known as a(n)_______________.

Question 49

Those organisms of ecosystems which feed on dead plant and animal material and waste products, promote decay, and return mineral nutrients to the soil are called _______________.

Question 50

The combination of role and habitat for a particular species is referred to as its _______________. ​

Question 51

Autotrophs are responsible for _______________ productivity. ​

Question 52

Why do wolves have to hunt deer over a larger territory than the deer require for grazing? ​

Question 53

The locational setting with certain characteristics that a species lives in is called its _______________. ​

Question 54

A feeding pattern formed when food chains overlap and interact is called a food _______________. ​

Question 55

If we study plant communities on a world-wide basis, we find they can be divided into major types of terrestrial ecosystems known as _______________. ​

Question 56

Organisms that eat both plants and animals are called _______________. ​

Question 57

The process by which natural vegetation at a particular location undergoes a progressive sequence of different plant communities is called _______________. ​

Question 58

Explain how slope aspect can affect vegetation patterns in highlands. ​

Question 59

Describe the three groups of living organisms in marine ecosystems (categorized based on where or how they live), providing an example of each. ​

Question 60

What are two factors that control the species diversity of an island, according the theory of island biogeography? ​