Deck 7: Climate and Biodiversity

Question 1

Which of the following is not a type of terrestrial ecosystem on Earth?

A)ice-covered
B)deserts
C)forests
D)grasslands
E)none of these

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is a local area's short-term temperature, precipitation, and humidity?

A)climate
B)weather
C)biomes
D)ecosystems
E)currents

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The most important factor in determining which biome is found in a particular area is

A)soil type
B)topography
C)magnetic fields
D)climate
E)tidal activity

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Desert soils take hundreds of years to recover from disturbances because of all of the following except

A)slow plant growth
B)low species diversity
C)high soil bacteria activity
D)slow nutrient cycling
E)lack of water

Question 5

Treeless, bitterly cold most of the year, winters are long and dark, low-growing plants, and permafrost are the characteristics of which of the following?

A)tall-grass prairie
B)tundra
C)short-grass prairie
D)temperate grassland
E)savanna

Question 6

Biomes are characterized by certain types of

A)light and temperature
B)climate and light
C)light and climate
D)climate and dominant plant life
E)dominant plant life and temperature

Question 7

Prevailing winds are the result of what?

A)temperature
B)direction the sun strikes the earth
C)rotation of the earth on its axis
D)ocean currents
E)sun storms

Question 8

Which of the following is the primary limiting factor that controls the vegetative character of a biome?

A)light
B)precipitation
C)nutrients
D)soil type
E)predation

Question 9

Which of the following statements about oceans is not true?

A)Ocean currents redistribute heat from the sun.
B)Most of the heat absorbed by the ocean air is absorbed in tropical waters.
C)Irregularly shaped continents cause currents to flow in circular patterns.
D)Differences in density of warm and cold seawater set up warm and cold currents.
E)Oceans currents flow counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere.

Question 10

The term greenhouse effect describes

A)occupational diseases of florists
B)the trapping of heat energy by molecules in the atmosphere
C)the effect climate change has on the economy
D)the efforts of the White House to support environmental legislation
E)mutations in DNA from UV radiation

Question 11

Scientists expect human-enhanced global warming to do all of the following except

A)alter precipitation patterns
B)shift areas where we can grow crops
C)raise average sea levels
D)lower sea levels
E)shift areas where plants and animals can be found

Question 12

Where does the largest input of solar energy occur?

A)North pole
B)South pole
C)30◦ N
D)30◦ S
E)equator

Question 13

Which of the following is not an adaptation of desert plants for their environment?

A)toxins in their stems to discourage being eaten
B)spines to discourage animals from taking their water
C)opening their pores only at night to prevent evaporation
D)store water in expandable tissues
E)reduced or no leaves

Question 14

The rain shadow effect refers to

A)more light on the windward side of mountain ranges
B)more moisture on the leeward side of mountain ranges
C)moister conditions on the windward side of mountain ranges
D)drier conditions on the windward side of mountain ranges
E)less light available on the leeward side of mountain ranges

Question 15

Which of the following is not true of prairies?

A)Winds blow almost continuously.
B)Evaporation is rapid.
C)Fires in summer and fall are common.
D)Prairies are typical of coastal regions of continents.
E)Tree growth is hindered by fires and wind.

Question 16

Which of the following climate zones would be described as not extreme, with four seasons?

A)polar
B)tundra
C)temperate
D)tropical
E)rain forests

Question 17

"Widely scattered clumps of trees, warm temperatures year-round, alternating dry and wet seasons, with herds of herbivores" are the characteristics of which of the following?

A)tall-grass prairie
B)tundra
C)short-grass prairie
D)temperate grassland
E)savanna

Question 18

Large terrestrial regions with similar characteristics are

A)ecosystems
B)communities
C)populations
D)habitats
E)biomes

Question 19

Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?

A)carbon monoxide
B)water vapor
C)carbon dioxide
D)methane
E)nitrous oxide

Question 20

Which type of desert would have high daytime temperatures in summer, low temperatures in winter, and moderate precipitation?

A)tropical deserts
B)cold deserts
C)Gobi desert
D)temperate deserts
E)Sahara desert

Question 21

Prevailing winds blowing over the oceans produce the ocean currents.

Question 22

Without wind, the tropics would be unbearably hot and the rest of the world would freeze.

Question 23

Trees of the tropical rainforest are characterized by leaves that are

A)needlelike
B)broadleaf and fall seasonally
C)needlelike and fall seasonally
D)needlelike and evergreen
E)broadleaf and evergreen

Question 24

Which of the following about temperate deciduous forests is false?

A)Average temperatures change significantly with the seasons.
B)They are predominantly a few broadleaf deciduous tree species.
C)Areas cleared of trees can return to forest in 100-200 years
D)They have nutrient-poor soil.
E)Precipitation often spreads relatively evenly throughout the year.

Question 25

Which of the following does not belong with the others?

A)taiga
B)cold forests
C)boreal forests
D)evergreen coniferous forests
E)tropical rain forests

Question 26

Which of the following would not be true of a tropical rain forest?

A)low net primary productivity
B)little ground level vegetation
C)low levels of ground level sunlight
D)high biodiversity
E)high humidity

Question 27

Which of the following biomes has been most disturbed by human activities?

A)tundra
B)tropical rain forest
C)coniferous forest
D)temperate deciduous forest
E)taiga

Question 28

Which of the following is the big disadvantage of living in a chaparral region?

A)too much rain
B)fire hazard
C)too little rain
D)too many venomous snakes
E)bothersome rodent populations

Question 29

Increasing stress levels on biomes would result in all of the following except

A)massive loss of biodiversity
B)increased crop production
C)accelerated projected climate change
D)higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
E)replacement of one biome by another

Question 30

Which of the following would be described as having ample rainfall or moisture from fog, with large conifers such as Sitka spruce and Douglas fir?

A)temperate rain forest
B)temperate deciduous forest
C)tropical rainforest
D)chaparral
E)taiga

Question 31

Climate determines where humans and other species can live and thrive.

Question 32

Which of the following is not true about mountains?

A)They serve as major storehouses for water.
B)They contain habitats for many endemic species.
C)They serve as sanctuaries for species driven from lowland areas.
D)They help regulate the earth's climate.
E)They contain a minority of the world's forests.

Question 33

Tropical rain forests are not good for clearing to grow crops or animals, primarily because they are low in which of the following?

A)rainfall
B)temperature
C)light
D)soil nutrients
E)wind

Question 34

On a visit to a Natural History museum you are shown a burrow-dwelling small animal with thick fur.You predict the animal came from the

A)temperate grasslands
B)desert
C)arctic tundra
D)tropical forest
E)taiga

Question 35

The El Niño Southern Oscillation changes the weather only along the Pacific coast of South America.

Question 36

Thick, spongy mats of low-growing plants, primarily grasses, mosses, and lichens, are typical of the

A)arctic tundra
B)coniferous forest
C)tall-grass prairies
D)tropical forests
E)taiga

Question 37

Most of the nutrients in the tropical rain forests are found in the

A)living organisms
B)large rivers
C)deep, rich soil
D)thick atmosphere
E)shallow soil

Question 38

Which of the following does alpine tundra receive in larger amounts than Arctic tundra?

A)rain
B)snow
C)sunlight
D)wind
E)ice

Question 39

If you are walking through a forest dense with oak and hickory trees and thick with leaf litter underfoot, you would assume you are in a

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

Question 40

How much of the world's population depends on mountain systems for all or some of their water?

A)10%
B)18%
C)36%
D)58%
E)69%

Question 41

Less than 500 million people worldwide live in the mountains or at their edge.

Question 42

The level of environmental degradation and destruction of terrestrial systems has leveled off.

Question 43

Desert ecosystem soils take decades to hundreds of years to recover from off-road vehicle use.

Question 44

Tropical rain forests cover only 2% of earth's land surface but may contain at least half of the earth's known terrestrial plant and animal species.

Question 45

Desert ecosystems are fragile.

Question 46

The greenhouse effect is a completely human-made or artificial feature.

Question 47

A large body of evidence indicates that human activities are enhancing the earth's natural greenhouse effect and changing the earth's climate.

Question 48

Succulent plants are normally found in temperate forests.

Question 49

Deserts are routinely chilly at night because the desert soils have little vegetation or moisture to help store the heat.

Question 50

Grasslands exist because few grass seeds sprout in the growing season, leaving little for the grazing herds to eat.

Question 51

Deciduous forests are typically located at higher altitudes than coniferous forests.

Question 52

Climate changes from human activities will last decades.

Question 53

Many mountains are islands of biodiversity surrounded by a sea of lower-elevation landscapes transformed by human activities.

Question 54

Heat is trapped and released more slowly by land than water.

Question 55

The six giant convection cells that surround the earth lead to a regular distribution of climates and result in the earth's deserts, grasslands and forests.

Question 56

Deserts are primarily located in the hot, tropical regions.

Question 57

Ice and snow on mountains absorb sunlight, helping to maintain the earth's warmth.

Question 58

Most tundra soils formed about 17,000 years ago.

Question 59

Cities tend to create distinct microclimates.

Question 60

Mountains, forests, deserts, and grasslands are all negatively affected by off-road vehicles.

Question 61

A desert is an area where ____________________ exceeds ____________________.

Question 62

Because of a slow rate of ____________________, temperate deciduous forests have nutrient rich soils.

Question 63

The rain shadow effect means deserts are likely to form on the ____________________ side of mountains.

Question 64

About ____________________ percent of the world's major terrestrial ecosystems are either being used unsustainably or are being degraded.

Question 65

____________________ help redistribute het from the sun, thereby influencing climate and vegetation, especially near coastal areas.

Question 66

____________________ global warming can cause climate changes that last for centuries or thousands of years.

Question 67

The highest solar energy input is at ____________________.

Question 68

Climate and vegetation vary with both latitude and _______________.

Question 69

Soil nutrients are remarkably sparse in the ____________________, considering the overall high levels of biomass.

Question 70

Wind is an indirect form of ____________________ energy.

Question 71

Boreal forests are composed of a few species of coniferous evergreen trees with small, needle-shaped leaves.These trees can withstand the intense cold and ____________________ of winter.

Question 72

Global warming has caused the melting of ____________________ in the tundra, with the release of methane and carbon dioxide, both greenhouse gases.

Question 73

Temperate shrubland, or chaparral, is found along the coastal regions of ____________________ in the United States, the Mediterranean Sea, central Chile, southern Australia, and southwestern South Africa.

Question 74

The El Niño Southern Oscillation affects the weather over at least __________ of the earth for 1 or 2 years.

Question 75

All four of the major biomes─deserts, grasslands, forests, mountains─are being degraded by human use of ____________________.

Question 76

_______________ is the average atmospheric or weather conditions in a given region during a time frame of several decades to thousands of years.

Question 77

Tropical savannas in East Africa have herds of ____________________ and ____________________ hoofed animals.

Question 78

____________________ occur in the interiors of continents in areas too moist for deserts and too dry for forests.

Question 79

The earth's air circulation patterns, prevailing winds, and configuration of continents and oceans result in ____________________ giant convection cells.

Question 80

Vegetation layers in the tropical rain forests are structured mostly according to plants' need for ____________________.