Deck 22: Geographic Ecology

Question 1

The "time since perturbation" hypothesis proposes that,compared to temperate and polar regions,the tropics are

A) more diverse because humans have not yet had much impact there.
B) more diverse because they are disturbed more severely by cooling during glaciations.
C) less diverse because they are disturbed more severely by cooling during glaciations.
D) more diverse because they are less heterogeneous in habitat.
E) more diverse because they are disturbed less frequently.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

In the American Southwest,forest habitats

A) currently extend unbroken between mountaintops over thousands of km.
B) have never extended unbroken between mountaintops.
C) last extended unbroken between mountaintops in the Cretaceous.
D) last extended unbroken between mountaintops in the Permian.
E) last extended unbroken between mountaintops in the Pleistocene.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The equilibrium model of island biogeography predicts that,once equilibrium is reached,an island will be occupied

A) by an unchanging set of species as extinctions and immigrations stop.
B) by an unchanging number of species, but extinctions and immigrations will continue.
C) by a steadily increasing number of species.
D) by a steadily decreasing number of species.
E) only by species that evolved on that island.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In the equilibrium model of island biogeography,the immigration rate to an island is assumed to depend mainly on

A) distance from sources of migrants.
B) island size.
C) extinction rate.
D) extent of introductions by human colonists.
E) existence or lack of a climax community.

Question 5

Birds on oceanic islands have highest diversity on

A) large islands close to the mainland.
B) large islands far from the mainland.
C) small islands close to the mainland.
D) small islands far from the mainland.
E) small islands of recent geologic origin.

Question 6

For most groups,species diversity most often

A) increases from the tropics to the poles.
B) increases from the poles to the tropics.
C) is low at the equator and the poles, and peaks at temperate latitudes.
D) is high at the equator and the poles, and lowest at temperate latitudes.
E) shows no clear relationship with latitude.

Question 7

The scientific exploration of the New World by Alexander van Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland

A) was limited to several coastal sites in modern day Ecuador.
B) was limited to low elevation sites along the western coast of modern day Mexico.
C) recorded altitudinal distributions of plants and animals.
D) reached elevations as high as 3,000 m on the slopes of Chimborazo.
E) both covered latitudes ranging from 12 ^$\circ$ S to 52 ^$\circ$ N and reached elevations as high as 3,000 m on the slopes of Chimborazo.

Question 8

MacArthur and Wilson found as distance from New Guinea _______ the number of bird species on Pacific Islands ________.

A) increases, decreases
B) increases, increases
C) decreases, decreases
D) increases, remains constant
E) Distance from New Guinea has no affect on the number of bird species.

Question 9

For aquatic organisms,

A) drainage lakes are more isolated than seepage lakes.
B) seepage lakes are more isolated than drainage lakes.
C) seepage and drainage lakes are equally isolated.
D) seepage lakes include more habitat area than drainage lakes.
E) because they have stream inlets and outlets, seepage lakes include more habitat types than drainage lakes.

Question 10

A positive relationship between area and species diversity is commonly observed for

A) oceanic islands.
B) lakes.
C) wooded mountaintops in the American Southwest.
D) All of the choices are correct.
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 11

Daniel Simberloff studied recolonization by

A) birds on California islands after defaunation by storms.
B) birds on California islands after defaunation by experimental fumigation.
C) arthropods on Florida mangrove islands after defaunation by storms.
D) arthropods on Florida mangrove islands after defaunation by experimental fumigation.
E) small mammals on desert mountaintops after defaunation by climate change.

Question 12

Which of the following correctly explains the relationship between number of bird species and the area of islands in the West Indies?

A) Smaller islands support the fewest number of bird species.
B) Larger islands support the fewest number of bird species.
C) Intermediate sized islands support the greatest number of bird species.
D) Intermediate sized islands support the fewest number of bird species.
E) Island area has no affect on the number of bird species.

Question 13

MacArthur and Wilson hypothesized that larger islands would experience more extinction events because more species present means

A) more chances for extinctions.
B) more likelihood of competitive exclusion.
C) smaller population size of each.
D) All of the choices are correct.
E) Only more chances for extinctions and smaller population size of each.

Question 14

A 100-year record of the colonization of Swedish islands by plants shows

A) a diversity-area relationship becoming evident only after many years of colonization.
B) a diversity-area relationship established early in colonization, but disappearing as smaller islands "caught up."
C) diversity increasing to equilibrium on large islands, but equilibrium not yet reached on smaller ones.
D) diversity increasing to equilibrium on small islands, but not on large ones.
E) diversity increasing rapidly to equilibrium on all islands.

Question 15

Remote sensing of chlorophyll a concentrations in the Earth's oceans has revealed that marine plankton biomass is

A) nearly homogenous over huge expanses of ocean.
B) highest in the open ocean.
C) highest in the warmest waters.
D) highest in the deepest waters.
E) highest in cooler, upwelling areas near shore.

Question 16

The equilibrium model of island biogeography explains diversity on islands as a balance between

A) speciation and extinction.
B) immigration and extinction.
C) speciation and emigration.
D) immigration and emigration.
E) speciation and immigration.

Question 17

The number of montane mammal species ________ as the ______ of available habitat increases in the mountain ranges of the American Southwest.

A) increases, isolation
B) decreases, area
C) remains constant, area
D) increases, area
E) remains constant, isolation

Question 18

Among the major regions of Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands,diversity is

A) highest in California, which has the largest area.
B) highest in California, although it has the smallest area.
C) highest in the fynbos of the Cape Floristic Province, which has the largest area.
D) highest in the fynbos of the Cape Floristic Province, although it has the smallest area.
E) roughly equal across regions, even though they differ in area.

Question 19

The largest fraction of land area on Earth is found in the

A) tropics.
B) temperate zone.
C) boreal forests.
D) tundra.
E) Southern hemisphere.

Question 20

Ferns often maintain high diversity even on very isolated islands.This is because

A) ferns are often planted deliberately by human colonists.
B) ferns are often introduced accidentally by human colonists.
C) ferns are easily dispersed by light wind-blown spores.
D) ferns are easily dispersed because birds carry their seeds.
E) new fern species most often evolve on isolated islands.

Question 21

The equilibrium model of island biogeography predicts

A) large islands, nearer a source of colonists, will support the fewest number of species.
B) small islands, farther from a source of colonists, will support the fewest number of species.
C) small islands, nearer a source of colonists, will support the fewest number of species.
D) large islands, farther from a source of colonists, will support the greatest number of species.
E) both large islands, farther from a source of colonists, will support the greatest number of species and small islands, farther from a source of colonists, will support the fewest number of species.

Question 22

Computer software programs for storing,analyzing,and displaying geographically-structured data are known as _______________.

Question 23

Mean annual temperature

A) is highest at the equator but decreases steadily above 10 ^$\circ$ latitude on either side of the equator.
B) is highest at the equator but decreases exponentially above 10 ^$\circ$ latitude on either side of the equator.
C) is highest at the equator but decreases exponentially above 50 ^$\circ$ latitude on either side of the equator.
D) is highest at the equator but decreases linearly above 25 ^$\circ$ latitude on either side of the equator.
E) is highest at the equator but decreases exponentially above 25 ^$\circ$ latitude on either side of the equator.

Question 24

A well-known exception to the usual dependency of diversity on latitude is the ___________ wasps.

Question 25

Temperate tree diversity is higher in Europe than in North America,because North American trees have been subject to many more glacial extinctions.

Question 26

Which of the following is not a hypothesis proposed by ecologists to explain increased species diversity in the tropics?

A) increased time since perturbation in the tropics over temperate regions
B) increased productivity in the tropics over temperate regions
C) increased environmental homogeneity in the tropics over temperate regions
D) increased favorable environments in the tropics over temperate regions
E) increased speciation rates and decreased extinction rates in the tropics over temperate regions

Question 27

Diversity tends to increase with productivity,both in surveys across habitats and in experimental manipulations within habitats.

Question 28

The negative correlation between foliage height diversity and bird species diversity in South American beech forests is attributed to

A) small area.
B) isolation.
C) cold temperatures.
D) both small area and cold temperatures.
E) both small area and isolation.

Question 29

The network of satellites allowing a handheld receiver to determine latitude,longitude,and altitude is known as a ______________.

Question 30

The equilibrium model of island biogeography predicts

A) the rate of extinction is greater for small islands.
B) the rate of extinction is greater for large islands.
C) the rate of immigration is greater for near islands.
D) the rate of immigration is greater for far islands.
E) both the rate of extinction is greater for small islands and the rate of immigration is greater for near islands.