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

Question 1

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

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

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The greatest annual input and least seasonal variation in solar radiation occurs in the

A)Southern Hemisphere.
B)temperate zones.
C)tropics.
D)polar regions.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In many dense forests, plants living near the ground level engage in intense competition for

A)oxygen.
B)water.
C)carbon dioxide.
D)sunlight.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The reason the pronghorn antelope is not found outside North America is most likely that

A)it has never dispersed beyond this region.
B)its nutritional requirements cannot be met outside this region.
C)there are too many pronghorn predators outside North America.
D)its temperature requirements are stringent and not met outside North America.

Question 5

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

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

Question 6

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

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 7

What is the primary reason that a hot spring will kill a fish placed in it but encourage the growth of certain bacteria?

A)The high temperatures destroy most of the fish's enzymes, but the specialized bacteria have enzymes adapted to these temperatures.
B)Fish cannot feed directly on bacteria, but the bacteria can feed on dead fish.
C)At hot spring temperatures, the metabolic activity of the fish's cells is so rapid that it runs out of food reserves and dies; the bacteria feed on the dead fish.
D)Bacterial growth at high temperatures is so rapid that it deoxygenates the water and kills the fish.

Question 8

The level of ecologic organization that incorporates abiotic factors is the

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

Question 9

Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring deals with the

A)destruction of polar habitats caused by global warming.
B)environmental effects of pesticides.
C)effects of lynx predation on snow hare populations.
D)fate of tropical rain forests.

Question 10

If you travel through Ecuador from west to east, you will pass through tundra, taiga, temperate forest, and tropical forest. Which of the following climatic factors remains constant on such a trip?

A)maximum temperature
B)average rainfall
C)soil type
D)day length

Question 11

All of Earth that is inhabited by life is called the

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

Question 12

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

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 13

In terms of global air circulation, the tropics are a region where air

A)descends and warms, dropping rain.
B)rises and warms, creating an arid belt.
C)rises and cools, creating an arid belt.
D)rises and cools, dropping rain.

Question 14

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

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 15

The immediate results of the widespread use of pesticides and fertilizers included ________, but long-term results included ________.

A)dramatic increases in crop yields; the evolution of pest resistance
B)the increased spread of malaria; delayed resistance to pesticides
C)terrible declines in agricultural productivity; worldwide distribution of DDT
D)global declines in undesirable pests, such as mice, rats, crows, and sharks; increases in these pests

Question 16

A sperm whale in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is in which oceanic zone?

A)intertidal
B)benthic
C)pelagic
D)estuarine

Question 17

The adaptations of pronghorns

A)to open country could be a disadvantage in a densely forested environment.
B)include a reflective coat, an ability to find small pools of water, and chemical defenses against most predators.
C)to the open plains and shrub deserts of North America have helped them spread to nearly every continent.
D)demonstrate that meeting the demands of local environmental conditions helps organisms extend their ranges to other types of environments.

Question 18

The pronghorn antelope of the United States and the saiga antelope of the central Asian steppes live in similar habitats and have similar adaptations. Which of the following features would you be surprised to find in a saiga antelope?

A)camouflaging coloration
B)teeth adapted to grinding tough forage
C)a warmly insulating winter coat
D)a digestive tract without cellulose-digesting bacteria

Question 19

The primary source of energy for hydrothermal vent communities is

A)the heat of the water emerging from the vents.
B)oxidation of petroleum compounds in the vent water.
C)oxidation of hydrogen sulfide in the vent water.
D)reduction of carbon dioxide in the vent water.

Question 20

When people speak of the "rain shadow" of the Himalayan mountains, where the Gobi desert is, they are referring to the

A)shadow cast by the mist and clouds that hover above the crest of the range.
B)forested condition of the eastern flank of the range compared to the western flank.
C)scarcity of rain on the eastern flank and adjacent lowlands compared to the western flank.
D)dark-colored chaparral vegetation that grows on the eastern flank.

Question 21

Under the conditions known as El Niño, the inorganic nutrient content of the seawater off the coast of Peru declines to very low levels. What effect will this likely have on marine life in the area?

A)The lower the levels of minerals, the less polluted the water; hence, most populations will increase.
B)It will result in toxic red tides, which will reduce the populations of many species.
C)It will reduce the abundance of phytoplankton and, consequently, the abundance of other organisms.
D)It will increase the productivity of phytoplankton and, therefore, the productivity of other organisms by allowing sunlight to penetrate deeper into the ocean.

Question 22

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

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 23

In which of the following biomes would you expect to find the highest abundance of large, grazing mammals?

A)chaparral
B)temperate grassland
C)desert
D)temperate forest

Question 24

The dominant herbivores in savannas are

A)gophers.
B)insects.
C)antelope.
D)giraffes.

Question 25

Fresh water and seawater mix in a(n)

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

Question 26

Which of the following statements about tropical forests is true?

A)Tropical forests occur in equatorial regions with very long (16- to 20-hour)days.
B)The forest structure consists of distinct layers that provide many different habitats.
C)Once stripped, tropical rain forests regrow quickly, although with slightly less diversity.
D)The soils of tropical rain forests are typically rich in nutrients.

Question 27

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?

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 28

The major cause of tropical deforestation is

A)hurricane destruction of large regions.
B)people clearing forests to open up land for agriculture.
C)governments clearing forests to build cities.
D)natural succession as global warming occurs.

Question 29

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

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

Question 30

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

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 31

Which ocean zone describes the interface between ocean and land?

A)intertidal
B)pelagic
C)abyssal
D)upwelling

Question 32

Why is the runoff from fertilized agricultural fields, even if free of pesticides, often harmful to the ecosystems of temperate lakes?

A)Fertilizer compounds are toxic to fish.
B)The runoff causes heavy growth of algae, which eventually die and decompose, causing oxygen depletion.
C)Runoff water pools at the lake's bottom, where the fertilizer compounds react with materials in the sediment to form toxic substances.
D)The runoff is acid, and acidification kills key lake organisms.

Question 33

Most of the best agricultural soils in the United States are found in areas that were formerly

A)temperate grasslands.
B)taiga forest.
C)tropical rain forest.
D)tundra.

Question 34

Factors that help to perpetuate temperate grasslands, such as the American prairies, and prevent them from becoming woodlands include

A)poor soil.
B)periodic drought and fires.
C)large numbers of cacti.
D)mild winters with very little rain.

Question 35

Which of the following statements about biomes, the major terrestrial ecosystems covering the Earth, is true?

A)Each of the 10 major biomes is restricted to just one or two continents.
B)The major factors affecting the distribution of biomes are wind and sunlight.
C)Most natural biomes are unaffected by human activity.
D)Fire is very important in some biomes.

Question 36

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

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

Question 37

Which of the following is characteristic of the chaparral biome?

A)dense, broadleaf shrubs
B)low amounts of rainfall at unpredictable periods throughout the year
C)many plants with seeds that need fire to germinate
D)animal species limited to lizards and snakes

Question 38

A photograph of a Victorian trophy room shows the heads of 15 species of hoofed mammals, all shot within a day's walk of a single hunting camp in Africa. This camp was probably located in

A)tropical rain forest.
B)chaparral.
C)savanna.
D)desert.

Question 39

Species in widely separated but similar biomes often appear to display similar characteristics because of

A)convergent evolution.
B)coevolution.
C)mutations.
D)evolutionary drift.

Question 40

The kind of vegetation in a tropical rain forest is generally determined by the amount of

A)rainfall.
B)organic material in the soil.
C)minerals in the soil.
D)light.

Question 41

Which of the following biomes is dominated by coniferous trees adapted to surviving long, harsh winters and short, wet summers?

A)coniferous forests
B)tundra
C)temperate broadleaf forest
D)savanna

Question 42

Pronghorn antelopes are well adapted for dry conditions with extremes of temperature, especially cold. As global climate change causes the area where the pronghorn live to change, not only in temperature but also in what plants grow there and what predators and prey live there, what is likely to happen to the pronghorn?

A)The animals will learn to eat whatever plants exist in their area and escape from any new predators that arrive.
B)If the pronghorn population includes genetic variation that allows survival and reproduction in the new conditions, they will adapt.
C)If climate change is not too rapid, the pronghorn can produce new traits needed to survive and reproduce in the changed conditions.
D)Because pronghorns will need to be cooler, their fur will become thinner.

Question 43

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

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 44

Which of the following statements about temperate broadleaf forests is true?

A)Temperate broadleaf forests have a narrow range of temperatures over the course of a year.
B)Oak, hickory, birch, beech, and maple are common trees in temperate broadleaf forests.
C)Temperate broadleaf forests have very poor soil.
D)Temperate broadleaf forests are less open than tropical rain forests.

Question 45

After reading the paragraph below, answer the questions that follow.
The largest estuary in the United States is the Chesapeake Bay, which extends through six states, including Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The bay is one of the most productive natural areas in the world. It is home to thousands of plants and animals, including many commercially important species. The water of the bay is relatively shallow. Many areas are no more than 10 feet deep, with an average depth of 30 feet. Light penetrates the shallow water and supports the submerged plants that provide food and shelter for the many species living in the bay ecosystem. However, like many estuaries, the bay receives large amounts of fertilizer runoff from farms, lawns, and wastewater treatment facilities.
The area around the bay where grasses and snails are found in abundance is a

A)wetland.
B)temperate forest.
C)tropical forest.
D)temperate grassland.

Question 46

Living things that live in the polar ice biome include

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 47

Which of these is an example of natural selection acting on genetic variation resulting in evolutionary adaptation?

A)As global warming has continued, many species that were found near the tropics have migrated either northward or southward toward the poles.
B)During years of drought, tree rings are narrower.
C)As the African environment became drier and the grasslands more prevalent, arched feet and non-opposable toes, both more effective for walking upright, became more common in hominins.
D)Insect diversity in temperate broadleaf forests varies from year to year based on the amount of precipitation.

Question 48

Which arrow in this image of the global water cycle includes transpiration?

A)arrow A
B)arrow B
C)arrow C
D)arrow D

Question 49

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.
Which of the following would have been a surprise to wildlife biologists who, after successfully breeding and raising condors, were reintroducing the condors to the wild following a precipitous decline in their number in the 1970s? (In 1982 there were only 19 condors in the wild.)

A)Twelve of 19 nests had no hatchlings, and nests of the coastal population had shell fragments 34% thinner than those of condor populations more inland.
B)Only some of the released condors fed on marine mammals; others fed on carcasses of animals as different as wolves and cows.
C)Sea otter and sea lion populations declined in areas where the condors were released.
D)Reintroduced condors laid the same number of eggs as condor pairs in captivity.

Question 50

Which of the following statements about coniferous forests is true?

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 51

After reading the paragraph below, answer the questions that follow.
The largest estuary in the United States is the Chesapeake Bay, which extends through six states, including Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The bay is one of the most productive natural areas in the world. It is home to thousands of plants and animals, including many commercially important species. The water of the bay is relatively shallow. Many areas are no more than 10 feet deep, with an average depth of 30 feet. Light penetrates the shallow water and supports the submerged plants that provide food and shelter for the many species living in the bay ecosystem. However, like many estuaries, the bay receives large amounts of fertilizer runoff from farms, lawns, and wastewater treatment facilities.
Fertilizer runoff contains ________, which are the most important limiting factors for phytoplankton growth.

A)carbon and hydrogen
B)oxygen and carbon dioxide
C)nitrogen and phosphorus
D)sulfur and magnesium

Question 52

In what ways are zones A and C similar to other biomes?

A)In abiotic factors, A is similar to rivers and C is most like lakes.
B)In species diversity, A is most like tropical rain forests and C is like temperate broadleaf forests.
C)In sunlight, A is most like the tundra and C is like coniferous forests.
D)In organism sizes, A is most like savannas and C is most like deserts.

Question 53

Forest destruction would have the greatest impact on which arrow?

A)arrow A
B)arrow B
C)arrow C
D)arrow D

Question 54

Which of the following tundra features can be found at the top of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador?

A)fierce winds and frigid nights
B)permafrost
C)large trees with shallow roots
D)a brief, bright growing season and a long, dark winter

Question 55

Which of the following has the greatest impact on the global water cycle?

A)removing animals from their biome
B)human destruction of forests
C)connecting aquatic and terrestrial biomes
D)human overuse of water resources for large cities

Question 56

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.
Which of the following provides the best evidence to help develop a hypothesis about what is causing the difficulties faced by a coastal condor population?

A)Sea lions, food for condors along the coast, live near an old dumping ground for a chemical manufacturing plant and have a significant amount of DDT in their blubber.
B)Air currents along the coast are stronger, allowing coastal condors to cover more area in their search for prey.
C)California bans ammunition containing lead (Pb)to prevent lead ingestion by condors feeding on carcasses of animals shot by hunters but not retrieved.
D)Hatching success in birds farther from the coast was greater than that in birds along the coast.

Question 57

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

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

Question 58

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

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

Question 59

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?

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

Question 60

After reading the paragraph below, answer the questions that follow.
The largest estuary in the United States is the Chesapeake Bay, which extends through six states, including Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The bay is one of the most productive natural areas in the world. It is home to thousands of plants and animals, including many commercially important species. The water of the bay is relatively shallow. Many areas are no more than 10 feet deep, with an average depth of 30 feet. Light penetrates the shallow water and supports the submerged plants that provide food and shelter for the many species living in the bay ecosystem. However, like many estuaries, the bay receives large amounts of fertilizer runoff from farms, lawns, and wastewater treatment facilities.
Which of the following is the most probable sequence of events when fertilizer runoff reaches the bay?

A)submerged vegetation increases, food for fish and shellfish increases, fish and shellfish populations increase
B)phytoplankton population increases, food for fish and shellfish increases, fish and shellfish populations increase
C)phytoplankton population increases, it blocks sunlight to submerged vegetation, submerged vegetation dies, fish and shellfish populations decrease
D)submerged vegetation decreases, fish and shellfish feed on decaying plants, phytoplankton feed on fish and shellfish, commercial fisheries decline

Question 61

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?

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.

Question 62

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?

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 63

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.
Which of the following could best explain how condor reproduction along the coast is being harmed by DDT in the condors' foods now, even though DDT was banned in 1972?

A)Condors may be feeding on animals that contain DDT.
B)Eggshells are made of a material that accumulates tiny amounts of DDT from the environment.
C)A chemical company dumped a large amount of DDT in the ocean near Southern California.
D)Condors are very large and long-lived animals.