Deck 21: Landscape Ecology

Question 1

Vegetation in southern California burns frequently because

A) summers there are hot and very dry.
B) the vegetation contains highly flammable oils.
C) lightning strikes easily ignite dry vegetation.
D) human activities provide sources of ignition.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Expansion of forest in Veluwe,Netherlands at the expense of heathland has occurred primarily as a result of

A) reduction of grazing pressure as native herbivore populations were decimated by hunting.
B) changing climates due to the greenhouse effect.
C) new legal restrictions on land use.
D) reductions in sheep farming as Australian wool became less expensive.
E) reductions in sheep farming as young people left family farms for other careers.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The "Mann-Whitney test"

A) assumes that data from the populations being compared are normally distributed.
B) is identical in calculation to a t-test.
C) is based on ranked data rather than actual measurements.
D) is a procedure for measuring concentrations of dissolved nitrates in freshwater.
E) is a procedure for measuring levels of calcium and potassium in soils.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which is NOT an important effect of floods on landscapes and ecosystems in riverine floodplains?

A) isolating oxbow lakes
B) reducing rates of decomposition
C) enriching soils through silt deposition
D) creating new river channels
E) causing pulses of seed germination in riparian plants

Question 5

When measuring the coastline of Texas,which of these rulers would give you the shortest estimate of coastline length?

A) 1 cm
B) 10 cm
C) 1 m
D) 10 m
E) 1 km

Question 6

A "caliche layer" in soil is

A) a hard layer formed by precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃).
B) a hard layer formed by precipitation of nitrates (KNO₃, MgNO₃) from over-fertilization.
C) a water-absorptive layer of peat.
D) a layer of younger soil overlaying an old, depleted soil.
E) a layer polluted with heavy metals.

Question 7

Mowing experiments in a Kansas prairie established that,for small mammals,

A) moving individuals travel farther in more fragmented landscapes.
B) moving individuals travel farther in less fragmented landscapes.
C) more individuals move in more fragmented landscapes.
D) fragmentation affects movement distance but not the likelihood of movement.
E) fragmentation affects the likelihood of movement, but not movement distance.

Question 8

Recent conversion of forests to beaver ponds and wet meadows

A) is producing a novel landscape structure, because beavers have never been as numerous as they are now.
B) is producing a novel landscape structure, because beavers previously exploited natural wetlands.
C) is restoring prehistoric landscape structure.
D) decreases nutrient levels in areas affected by beaver damming.
E) increases nutrient levels in remaining forests, but not in beaver ponds.

Question 9

Studies by Hanski,Kuussaari,and Nieminen determined that ______ and _____ of patches strongly influence the size and density of Glanville fritillary butterfly,Melitaea cinxia,populations.

A) area, shape
B) perimeter length, area
C) area, isolation
D) elevation, shape
E) isolation, shape

Question 10

A large value of the patch shape index,S = P/(2 $\surd$$\pi$ A),indicates a

A) shape near a circle, with a high perimeter-to-area ratio.
B) shape near a circle, with a low perimeter-to-area ratio.
C) very elongated shape, with a low perimeter-to-area ratio.
D) very elongated shape, with a high perimeter-to-area ratio.

Question 11

"Argyllic horizons" in soil are rich in

A) phosphorous.
B) organic matter.
C) sand.
D) gravel.
E) clay.

Question 12

Flood control on the Kissimmee River of Florida

A) was achieved primarily by regulating water input to Lake Kissimmee.
B) greatly decreased wetland area in the river basin.
C) allowed increased populations of game fish, including largemouth bass.
D) All of the choices are correct.
E) both greatly decreased wetland area in the river basin and allowed increased populations of game fish, including largemouth bass.

Question 13

Groundwater inputs to lakes tend to

A) increase from the upper to lower end of a flow system.
B) decrease from the upper to lower end of a flow system.
C) remain roughly constant from the upper to lower end of a flow system.
D) be higher for lakes with less input from surface runoff.
E) make up the great majority of water supply for all lakes.

Question 14

A major recent (last 50 years)change in landscape structure of Eastern North America has been

A) fragmentation of forests due to clearing for agricultural use.
B) increases in forest cover due to abandonment of agricultural land.
C) decreases in forest cover due to climate change.
D) increases in forest cover due to climate change.
E) decreases in lake habitats due to breaching of dams.

Question 15

Vegetation in bajadas of the Arizona Sonoran Desert

A) is largely uniform, as are the soils it grows on.
B) is largely uniform, despite variation in the soils it grows on.
C) varies in space, primarily reflecting a mosaic of ancient and recently disturbed patches.
D) varies in space, primarily reflecting a mosaic of soil types.
E) varies in space, primarily reflecting patchy enrichment by agricultural fertilization.

Question 16

The element within the landscape that is most continuous is called the _______.

A) matrix
B) mosaic
C) patch
D) medium
E) substrate

Question 17

A heterogeneous area consisting of a patchwork of distinctive ecosystems is called a ___________.

A) habitat
B) matrix
C) landscape
D) geographic unit
E) community

Question 18

For Glanville fritillary butterflies in Finland,larger habitat patches (compared to smaller ones)support

A) higher population sizes and higher population densities.
B) higher population sizes but equal population densities.
C) higher population sizes but lower population densities.
D) equal population sizes, due to higher population densities.
E) equal population sizes and equal population densities.

Question 19

In studies of experimental clear-cuts at the Savannah River Site,open patches connected to other open patches

A) had higher butterfly densities.
B) supported more frequent butterfly movements.
C) had higher rates of plant pollination.
D) All of the choices are correct.
E) both had higher butterfly densities and had higher rates of plant pollination.

Question 20

Haddad and Baum demonstrated that corridors between patches of open habitat in dense 40- to 50-year-old pine forests of South Carolina

A) increased the frequency of movement of two butterfly species, common buckeye and variegated fritillary, between patches.
B) resulted in higher rates of pollination of plants growing in connected patches.
C) resulted in higher rates of seed dispersal of plants growing in connected patches.
D) both increased the frequency of movement of two butterfly species, common buckeye and variegated fritillary, between patches, and resulted in higher rates of pollination of plants growing in connected patches.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 21

Given the following data,calculate the Mann-Whitney statistic U for the stream draining the boreal forest.

A) 6
B) 7
C) 41
D) 43
E) None of the choices are correct.

Question 22

During droughts,water levels are likely to drop most steeply in lakes at the lower end of hydrological flow systems.

Question 23

Reduced regulation of water flow in the Kissimmee River has led to increases in populations of fish that require highly oxygenated water.

Question 24

Ecotones are transitional habitat between two ecosystems,which usually include a mix of the physical and biological properties of both ecosystems.

Question 25

McAuliffe found middle to late Pleistocene soils of the Sonoran Desert,which formed hundreds of thousands of years ago,were characterized by

A) a well-developed B horizon.
B) high amounts of clay.
C) a well-developed caliche layer.
D) a well-developed argillic horizon.
E) All of the choices are correct.

Question 26

Connections of similar habitat maintained between habitat fragments are known as ___________.

Question 27

The recognition that the length of a coastline depends on the scale at which it is measured is a result of the branch of mathematics called ___________.

Question 28

More isolated Finnish meadows support higher densities of Glanville fritillaries.

Question 29

There is experimental evidence to support the theory that the negative impact of fragmentation and isolation on populations can be reduced by connecting habitat fragments with corridors of similar habitat.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is true concerning the fire regimes of southern California and northern Baja California?

A) The total area burned each year in southern California is approximately 2X the total area burned each year in northern Baja California.
B) The total area burned each year in northern Baja California is approximately 2X the total area burned each year in southern California.
C) Less frequent, larger fires burn each year in southern California than in northern Baja California.
D) More frequent, smaller fires burn each year in southern California than in northern Baja California.
E) Because of similarities in climate, vegetation, and fire history, there are few quantifiable differences in the fire regime of southern California and northern Baja California.