Deck 39: Biomes

Question 1

Water covers about ____ of the earth's surface.

A) 33%
B) 40%
C) 50%
D) 70%
E) 80%

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A term which applies to most trees which lose only a few leaves at a time is

A) deciduous.
B) carnivorous.
C) maple.
D) hickory.
E) coniferous.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The biosphere is defined as the portion of _____ where life exists.

A) the earth
B) the atmosphere
C) the ocean
D) land on earth
E) fresh and salt water

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which is a biotic component of an ecosystem?

A) water
B) archaea
C) rock
D) salinity
E) temperature

Question 5

Small plants that grow on the bark or leaves of another plant are called

A) epiphytes.
B) endophytes.
C) parasites.
D) lichens.
E) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 6

It is amazing that life can exist around deep sea hydrothermal vents because the pressure is ___________ times greater than on the surface of the earth.

A) 300
B) 200
C) 100
D) 50
E) 10

Question 7

Desert plants often have

A) broad leaves.
B) thick vines.
C) long taproots.
D) shallow roots.
E) soft bark.

Question 8

Producers in hydrothermal vent ecosystems are

A) archaea and bacteria.
B) archaea and plants.
C) archaea.
D) bacteria.
E) plants.

Question 9

When a travelling companion says that the light seems dimmer in Canada than it did in the Caribbean,and points to the differences in the kinds of plants in the two places,you answer that it is due to the curvature of the earth,spreading the same amount of light over a greater area as you travel north.

Question 10

If you were told that you would be blindfolded and left in the taiga,what characteristic of this biome could help you confirm that you had indeed been left there?

A) The trees are mostly coniferous.
B) The taiga has nutrient-rich soil.
C) The year has a long growing season.
D) The air is warm and dry.
E) The flora consists of mosses and lichens.

Question 11

Which feature,if added,would most change a hydrothermal vent ecosystem?

A) archaea
B) tube worms
C) sunlight
D) very low pH
E) temperatures of 100°C

Question 12

Oceanic currents help to determine coastal climates based on the temperature of the water which they carry.

Question 13

The earth has an essentially constant tilt of _____ on its axis from its plane of orbit.

A) 5.5°
B) 9°
C) 12.5°
D) 23.5°
E) 30°

Question 14

The rain shadow associated with mountains is on the _____ side and has a _____ climate than the _____ side of the mountain.

A) downwind; wetter; upwind
B) upwind; drier; downwind
C) downwind; drier; upwind
D) upwind; wetter; downwind

Question 15

The major types of ecosystems are termed

A) habitats.
B) niches.
C) biospheres.
D) terrestrial zones.
E) biomes.

Question 16

On Earth,solar energy is most intense at

A) the South Pole.
B) the North Pole.
C) 60° North latitude.
D) the equator.
E) 60° South latitude.

Question 17

The different seasons of the year are due to the

A) tilt of the earth's axis as earth travels around the sun.
B) distance from earth to the sun.
C) rotation of the earth on its axis.
D) rotation of the moon around the Earth.
E) gravitational pull of the moon as it travels around the Earth.

Question 18

Tropical rain forest soils are usually

A) nutrient-rich.
B) nutrient-poor.
C) low in organic matter.
D) nutrient-rich and low in organic matter.
E) nutrient-poor and low in organic matter.

Question 19

Which of the following is a major component of soil?

A) rock fragments
B) organic matter
C) microbes
D) bacteria
E) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 20

A grassland biome

A) consists of mostly coniferous trees.
B) has nutrient-rich soil.
C) has a long growing season.
D) is warm and dry.
E) consists of moss and lichen.

Question 21

All deserts are characterized by being hot and dry.

Question 22

The upper layer of the pelagic zone is the

A) benthic zone.
B) limnetic zone.
C) estuary.
D) photic zone.
E) continental shelf.

Question 23

Grasslands,forests,lakes,and deserts are all examples of terrestrial biomes.

Question 24

As you climb a mountain,why do the biomes change?

A) The air is thinner.
B) The latitude is changing.
C) More rain falls in a rain shadow.
D) Some animals live better at higher elevations.
E) It is colder.

Question 25

Studies of modern biomes and changes in them can help us understand the history of biomes earlier in evolution.

Question 26

A lake is usually _____ and _____ than a pond.

A) larger; deeper
B) smaller; shallower
C) smaller; deeper
D) saltier; warmer
E) larger; shallower

Question 27

At the equator,the earth receives the _____ amount of solar radiation _____.

A) maximum; per unit area
B) minimum; per unit area
C) maximum; only over the ocean
D) maximum; only over the land mass

Question 28

The sediment at the lake bottom is the _____ zone.

A) littoral
B) limnetic
C) profundal
D) benthic
E) pelagic

Question 29

The area of an ocean between the coast and the edge of the continental shelf is the _____ zone.

A) benthic
B) neritic
C) pelagic
D) intertidal
E) littoral

Question 30

Studies in the Southern Hemisphere have shown that plants that shifted biomes between generations usually migrated to a biome similar to the one that they left.

Question 31

As rainfall in an African savanna decreases,it would most likely change into

A) tiaga.
B) desert.
C) tropical rainforest.
D) temperate forest.
E) tundra.

Question 32

The shallow shoreline region of a lake where enough light reaches the bottom for photosynthesis to occur is the _____ zone.

A) limnetic
B) littoral
C) profundal
D) pelagic
E) benthic

Question 33

If you were taking a long trip and wanted to describe the different biomes which you encountered,you would note things like temperature,precipitation,kinds of plants,and kinds of animals.

Question 34

The rain shadow of a mountain is found on the downwind side of the mountain.

Question 35

Why would rapid change in climate potentially lead to ecological problems?

A) Evolution is unlikely to occur quickly enough to keep pace with biome changes.
B) Animals don't migrate fast enough.
C) Most biome shifts lead to rainforest formation and shading out of native plants.
D) Water availability will decrease, driving aquatic species extinct.
E) All of the answer choices are correct.

Question 36

Which two parameters most influence the location of biomes?

A) altitude and latitude
B) latitude and temperature
C) temperature and precipitation
D) precipitation and altitude
E) precipitation and latitude

Question 37

Streams include brooks,creeks,and rivers that carry water and sediment toward the ocean or an interior basin.

Question 38

If you moved plants from a desert-like white sand area north of Perth,Australia,to a moist-soiled forest south of Perth,what would probably happen?

A) The plants would probably do poorly since the two biomes are so different.
B) The plants would probably become weeds.
C) The plants would probably switch to asexual reproduction.
D) The plants would probably find different pollinators.
E) None of the answer choices are correct.

Question 39

If you wanted to kill the plants in a lake using a chemical which stops photosynthesis,to which zone should you apply the chemical?

A) littoral
B) profundal
C) pelagic
D) benthic
E) limnetic

Question 40

You awaken near the seacoast.You are trying to decide where you are,and,in investigating,find that there are a large number of crabs and mangrove trees around along with moist soil.You decide that you are in what zone?

A) benthic
B) littoral
C) intertidal
D) neritic
E) pelagic

Question 41

Nutrient-rich lakes are termed oligotrophic.