Deck 46: Major Ecosystems of the Biosphere

Question 1

Which of the following does NOT characterize tundra?

A)permafrost
B)trees
C)shrub
D)caribou

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Climate is affected and/or characterized by all of the following factors EXCEPT

A)temperature.
B)variations in solar radiation distribution.
C)topography.
D)soil type
E)rainfall.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Kansas and Pennsylvania are approximately at the same latitude.Yet why are the potential natural communities in Kansas mostly grassland and in Pennsylvania mostly temperate forest?

A)different temperatures
B)different levels of moisture
C)different soil texture and pH levels
D)different vegetation due to different seed banks
E)different altitudes

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In the water cycle,evaporated equatorial water that rises and does not immediately rain back down proceeds to

A)the poles where it causes snow.
B)the poles if it does not encounter mountain ranges,which it usually does.
C)about 60 ^$\circ$ north or south and then cools and condenses,supporting a band of moist vegetation.
D)about 30 ^$\circ$ north or south and then cools and condenses,supporting a band of moist vegetation.

Question 5

Incoming solar radiation affects

A)the rise and fall of air masses.
B)evaporation or precipitation of moisture.
C)the seasons.
D)All of these choices are directly or indirectly affected by solar radiation.
E)None of these are correct.

Question 6

Major regional groups of interacting terrestrial ecosystems,characterized by climate and geography,are called

A)biospheres.
B)estuaries.
C)tundras.
D)taigas.
E)biomes.

Question 7

The Gulf Stream

A)brings tropical Caribbean water to the east coast of North America and upper Western Europe.
B)makes local climates uniform so that Great Britain has the same climate as Greenland.
C)is the major Atlantic Ocean current that warms the eastern coast of South America.
D)is the source of "El Nino" and is a major fishing ground.
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 8

Which region of the Earth would have the greatest solar exposure during the Vernal equinox?

A)equatorial regions
B)between 30⁰ and 60⁰ North
C)between 30⁰ and 60⁰ South
D).between 60⁰ north and the north pole
E)between 60⁰ south and the south pole

Question 9

What biome has a mean annual precipitation over 250 cm with relatively little seasonal variation,and warm temperatures over 20 ^$\circ$ C?

A)tropical dry forest
B)temperate rainforest
C)taiga
D)tropical rainforest
E)savanna

Question 10

Temperate deciduous forests are characterized by

A)dry climates with rainfall averages around 25-75 cm per year.
B)the highest variation in day and night length.
C)the highest amount of organisms living in tree canopy.
D)a growing season that ranges between 140 and 300 days.
E)the richest topsoil horizon.

Question 11

What occurs to air currents as they travel from 60⁰ north towards the pole?

A)The warmed air will rise and cool producing a low pressure area with high rainfall.
B)The warmed air will rise and cool producing a low pressure area with low rainfall.
C)The cool air will rise and warm up producing a low pressure area with high rainfall.
D)The cool air will rise producing a high pressure area with low rainfall.

Question 12

Which of the following biomes is characterized by rich soils,insufficient rainfall for trees,and many herbivores?

A)grasslands
B)chaparral
C)desert
D)taiga
E)tundra

Question 13

_____ lakes are nutrient rich and tend to have large populations of algae.

A)Oligotrophic
B)Eutrophic
C)Temperate
D)Stratified

Question 14

The largest biome on Earth is the

A)tundra.
B)taiga.
C)temperate deciduous forest.
D)desert.
E)ocean (marine aquatic).

Question 15

All of the following are terrestrial biomes EXCEPT

A)tundra.
B)lentic systems.
C)coniferous forests.
D)savannas.
E)deserts.

Question 16

Ocean currents

A)are generated by friction between winds and ocean surfaces.
B)always move clockwise in an ocean basin.
C)are important in shipping but have little effect on living environments.
D)are driven by the Earth's core rotating faster than the ocean water.
E)All of the choices are correct.

Question 17

If the Earth was standing still (not rotating)and was a solid,uniform ball,wind directions would

A)cease.
B)run north and south.
C)run east and west.
D)remain the same since the Earth's rotation does not affect wind directions.

Question 18

Which region of the Earth receives the least amount of solar radiation during the Winter solstice?

A)Northern Hemisphere
B)Equatorial regions
C)Southern Hemisphere
D)Between 30⁰ North and 30⁰ South
E)All of the Earth's regions receive the same amount of solar radiation during the Winter solstice.

Question 19

Which of the following biomes is characterized by little rainfall,permafrost,and an average temperature below 0 ^$\circ$ C?

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

Question 20

The Earth is actually farther from the sun during the period when the Northern Hemisphere is having summer.How can this be explained?

A)The sun grows more powerful on a half-year cycle.
B)There is a six-month lag phase between sunlight being absorbed and lost.
C)The tilt of the Earth presents the Northern Hemisphere in a more perpendicular angle,and this increased sunlight more than offsets the decrease in sunlight due to the added distance.
D)There must be some mistake in measuring the Earth's orbit because if the Earth were farther away,we would be cooler.

Question 21

The sunlit portion of a lake is specifically referred to as the

A)littoral zone.
B)limnetic zone.
C)profundal zone.
D)benthic zone.
E)abyssal zone.

Question 22

If the mean annual precipitation of a region,currently characterized by grasslands,was to increase by 50 cm per year,what type of biome(s)would evolve in that region?

A)temperate forests
B)savanna
C)deserts and tropical rainforests
D)taiga and temperate rainforests
E)temperate forests and shrublands

Question 23

The temperature is nearly uniform throughout a lake

A)during winter when the ice forms an insulating cover.
B)during summer when the sunlight warms the surface and the wind mixes the layers.
C)by the end of the fall and spring overturn.
D)at all times due to winds causing constant mixing of the layers.
E)never.The lake always has different temperature layers and they are reversed in winter and summer.

Question 24

Which association between zone and description is NOT correct?

A)littoral - lake zone closest to shore
B)benthic - stream,lake,or ocean floor
C)limnetic - lake zone on surface away from shore
D)bathypelagic - sunlit portion of the ocean

Question 25

In what order do these layers occur in deep lakes in the temperate zone? From the surface to the bottom of the lake,one would find the

A)epilimnion - thermocline - hypolimnion.
B)thermocline - epilimnion - hypolimnion.
C)hypolimnion - epilimnion - thermocline.
D)epilimnion - hypolimnion - thermocline.

Question 26

As the average global temperature continues to increase,which type of biome(s)will take over the regions currently inhabited by temperate forests?

A)Tropical seasonal forests
B)Tropical rainforests and deserts
C)Taiga and woodlands
D)Tropical seasonal forests and deserts
E)Tundra and savannas

Question 27

A biome with complex structure,warm weather,plentiful rainfall,and diverse species is a

A)tropical rainforest.
B)savanna.
C)taiga.
D)tundra.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about stratified temperate zone lakes is NOT true?

A)Solar radiation warms the surface layers in summer.
B)Rich nutrients from the continual production of detritus accumulate near the surface of the lake.
C)Temperature gradients change from summer to winter.
D)Populations of plankton and zooplankton depend on both sunlight and nutrient levels.
E)Wind aids in the circulation of water.

Question 29

Which biome is characterized by rainfall under 25 cm/year,hot days,cold nights,and quickly blooming plants?

A)grasslands
B)temperate deciduous forest
C)temperate deserts
D)taiga
E)tundra

Question 30

A biome characterized by hot days,cold nights,and cacti is the

A)tundra.
B)desert.
C)taiga.
D)tropical rain forest.

Question 31

Which ocean current runs along the western coast of South America producing cold offshore winds?

A)Humboldt Current
B)equatorial countercurrent
C)Gulf Stream
D)West wind drift current
E)East wind drift

Question 32

The tropical grassland in Africa is called the

A)savanna.
B)chaparral.
C)prairie.
D)taiga.
E)tundra.

Question 33

There are tubeworms and clams that live at the bottom of the ocean near thermal vents that do not have direct access to sunlight so they derive their energy from

A)the sun by way of burning fossil fuels like we do with coal and oil.
B)the sun,but they are deep in the dark ocean and live off dead detritus that sink to them.
C)chemosynthetic bacteria.
D)sources not yet known.

Question 34

The portion of a lake or stream that harbors worms,clams,and other organisms is the

A)littoral zone.
B)limnetic zone.
C)profundal zone.
D)benthic zone.
E)abyssal zone.

Question 35

Coniferous forests are found in all of the following locations EXCEPT

A)coastal areas of the southeastern United States.
B)northern Africa and the extreme southwestern United States.
C)the Pacific coast of North America.
D)the northern part of North America and Eurasia.

Question 36

Which of the following events will occur as an ocean current moves from an equatorial region towards a polar region?

A)The current will be warm as it leaves the equatorial region and begins to cool as it moves towards the polar region.This in turn will cause the air currents to become cooler as they move closer to the poles creating a tundra type of biome.
B)The current will be cool as it leaves the equatorial region and begins to warm as it moves towards the polar region.This in turn will cause the air currents to become cooler as they move closer to the poles creating a tundra type of biome.
C)The current will be warm as it leaves the equatorial region and begins to cool as it moves towards the polar region.This in turn will cause the air currents to become warmer as they move closer to the poles creating a grassland type of biome.
D)The current will be warm as it leaves the equatorial region and begins to cool as it moves towards the polar region.This in turn will cause the air currents to become warmer as they move closer to the poles creating a desert type of biome.
E)The current will be warm as it leaves the equatorial region and become even warmer as it moves towards the polar region.This in turn will cause the air currents to become warmer and drier as they move closer to the poles creating a tundra type of biome.

Question 37

Wetlands are generally classified by their vegetation.Wetlands dominated by trees and shrubs are _______ and wetlands dominated by grasses and sedges are _____.

A)marshes; swamps
B)swamps; marshes
C)marshes; pine savannas
D)bogs; swamps

Question 38

A treeless region with little rainfall in the far north is the

A)grassland.
B)tundra.
C)taiga.
D)chaparral.
E)desert.

Question 39

The part of a body of water where light does not penetrate is the

A)littoral zone.
B)benthic division.
C)pelagic division.
D)profundal zone.
E)limnetic zone.

Question 40

A forest found in a broad belt in northern Eurasia and North America,with conifers and swamps,is called the

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

Question 41

Due to it's high productivity and biological diversity this biome is considered the "nursery" of the sea.

A)rocky beach.
B)sandy beach.
C)estuary.
D)coral reef.
E)ocean floor.

Question 42

The Humboldt Current runs along the coast of South America carrying nitrogen rich cold water northward.

Question 43

When a cold,ocean current brings rich nutrients to the surface and influences the climate of the region,it is called a(n)

A)guano.
B)lake effect.
C)upwelling.
D)monsoon.
E)profundal zone.

Question 44

Among the many functions of wetlands is (are)

A)providing food and habitats for fish,waterfowl,and wildlife.
B)purifying water by filtering it and breaking down toxic wastes and nutrients.
C)absorbing storm and overflow waters.
D)All of the choices are functions performed by wetlands.

Question 45

Which aquatic zone will provide habitat for invertebrates and many small fish?

A)Littoral zone
B)Profundal zone
C)Epipelagic zone
D)Limnetic Zone

Question 46

The early explorers used sailing ships,which were blown by the major winds; therefore,Columbus and other sailors generally traveled from Europe to North America by the mid-latitude westerlies,and returned to Europe by the southern easterlies near the equator.

Question 47

What is the main reason that the oceans play a larger role in determining the temperature of air masses?

A)The ocean holds it's temperature longer than land masses.
B)The ocean currents are constantly moving while land masses are stationary.
C)The ocean is flat while land masses have topographical features to break up air patterns.
D)The ocean currents move in a circular pattern while land masses are stationary.

Question 48

A rain shadow is the region where heavy condensation precipitates out,as warm,moist air rises and then cools on the windward side of mountain ranges.

Question 49

Which of the following biome will receive migratory animals such as caribou,from the tundra?

A)coniferous forest
B)temperate deciduous forest
C)polar ice
D)grasslands
E)tropical rainforest

Question 50

As the Earth moves from the Summer solstice towards the Vernal equinox the equatorial regions of the Earth will be in direct alignment with the sun.

Question 51

Which of the following pairs of zones are comparable?

A)Epipelagic - Benthic
B)Mesopelagic - Profundal
C)Littoral - Bathypelagic
D)Mesopelagic - Epipelagic
E)Epipelagic - Limnetic Incorrect

Question 52

What is the correct order of biome distribution starting at the lowest elevation and moving to higher elevations?

A)tropical forest - deciduous forest - montane coniferous forest - alpine tundra
B)tropical forest - deciduous forest - desert - alpine tundra
C)deciduous forest - montane coniferous forest - tropical forest - alpine tundra
D)tropical forest - grasslands - montane coniferous forest - deciduous forest
E)montane coniferous forest - alpine tundra - temperate deciduous forest - savanna

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT strictly a freshwater community?

A)lakes
B)rivers
C)estuaries
D)streams
E)ponds

Question 54

Identify the correct sequence that freshwater will flow through.

A)clouds - streams - river - wetlands - delta - ocean
B)clouds - river - stream - delta - wetlands - ocean
C)ocean - clouds - stream - estuary - river
D)cloud - river - stream - delta - marsh - ocean
E)ocean - delta - estuary - river - stream - marsh