Question 1

If the Gulf Stream were to slow down or stop, as predicted by models of global climate change, how would this most likely affect the climate in Europe?

Accepted Answer

A)  It would not change much because ocean currents have little effect on land temperatures. 
B)  It would become very unpredictable because of changes in ocean currents. 
C)  It would become colder because less heat would reach Europe from the Gulf Stream. 
D)  It would become warmer because climate change is raising global temperatures. 
E)  It would become warmer because more heat would reach Europe in other ocean currents.

Question 2

On the East Coast of the United States, a deciduous forest was cut down to build a city, now home to 1.5 million people.Discuss the likely impacts this had on climate, topography, and ecosystems in the region.

Accepted Answer

The answer of On the East Coast of the United...

Question 3

Because of the rotational movement of Earth, air moving north in the Northern Hemisphere will

Accepted Answer

A)  be deflected east during winter and west during summer. 
B)  be deflected east during summer and west during winter. 
C)  be deflected east. 
D)  be deflected west. 
E)  not be deflected.

Question 4

In the American Midwest, surveys show that anywhere from 82.6 to 99.9 percent of the once extensive tallgrass prairie ecosystem has been lost to agriculture in 12 states since European settlement began.The remaining prairie is in scattered fragments among croplands.Based on the theory of island biogeography, compared to the original tallgrass prairie ecosystem, the remaining prairie fragments would be expected to show

Accepted Answer

A)  less isolation. 
B)  higher extinction rates. 
C)  lower extinction rates. 
D)  higher species diversity. 
E)  higher immigration rates.

Question 5

Deforestation decreases the amount of sunlight absorbed by Earth, causing a cooling effect, in contrast to the heating caused by the loss of evapotranspiration.The change in sunlight absorbed is a result of the _______ effect.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Deforestation decreases the amount of sunlight absorbed...

Question 6

When ecologists speak of clear-cutting in the Amazon Basin as the "largest experiment on Earth," they are referring to significant and irreversible effects.They are primarily concerned about the ultimate effect of deforestation on

Accepted Answer

A)  annual rainfall. 
B)  local economies. 
C)  global biodiversity. 
D)  human habitats. 
E)  loss of lumber resources.

Question 7

Which situation is an example of an interaction at the ecosystem level of organization?

Accepted Answer

A)  A snake eats field mice. 
B)  Field mice nest in grasses. 
C)  Field mice mate with each other. 
D)  Ticks suck blood from field mice. 
E)  Field mice breathe oxygen from the air.

Question 8

The species diversification rate hypothesis for latitudinal differences in species diversity is that stable climates and larger geographical areas decrease extinction rates and result in the highest species diversity in the _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The species diversification rate hypothesis for latitudinal...

Question 9

Sunlight extends to the bottom of an ocean region, which has highly productive plankton populations at the surface, an extensive pelagic fish population, and bottom-dwelling organisms in seagrass beds and reefs.Which zone or zones are included in this region?

Accepted Answer

A)  Photic zone only 
B)  Photic and coastal zones only 
C)  Photic, benthic, and coastal zones 
D)  Coastal, benthic, and abyssal zones 
E)  Coastal, ocean, and intertidal zones

Question 10

Much of the solar radiation received by Earth is absorbed and radiated back into the atmosphere in the form of _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Much of the solar radiation received by...

Question 11

Studies show that when a forest is cut down and replaced by a pasture, the regional climate becomes hotter and drier.What is the most likely reason for this change?

Accepted Answer

A)  Forests carry out evapotranspiration; grasslands do not. 
B)  Forests carry out more evapotranspiration than grasslands do. 
C)  Cutting forests decreases both the albedo effect and convective heat loss. 
D)  Cutting forests decreases the albedo effect and causes more convective heat loss. 
E)  Albedo and convective heat loss both increase, but evapotranspiration increases more.

Question 12

A region along the west coast of North America has mild, wet winters and cool, dry summers.Its major vegetation includes very large conifers, and it occurs at middle to higher latitudes.This region is a part of which biome?

Accepted Answer

A)  Temperate deciduous forest 
B)  Temperate evergreen forest 
C)  Temperate shrubland and woodland 
D)  Tropical rainforest 
E)  Tropical seasonal forest

Question 13

Giant seaweeds, or kelps, live in shallow, cold, nutrient-rich waters off the coastline of western North America.They attach to rocks and other hard surfaces, and their huge fronds often reach to the surface, forming a dense, complex, photosynthesizing ocean "forest." Which characteristic is true of kelp forests but not of land forests?

Accepted Answer

A)  They provide considerable habitat for organisms. 
B)  They are sessile organisms. 
C)  They protect the shoreline from waves and storms. 
D)  They add to the oxygen concentration of the surrounding environment. 
E)  They retain nutrients by trapping sediment or soil.

Question 14

Describe how greenhouse gases act to maintain the greenhouse effect.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe how greenhouse gases act to maintain...

Question 15

A group of scientists wants to design a project to determine the cause or causes of latitudinal patterns in species diversity.Which is not a correct statement regarding possible problems in the design of their project?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is difficult to find examples of latitudinal patterns of species diversity on Earth. 
B)  It is difficult to isolate all climatic factors that impact species diversity. 
C)  It is difficult or impossible to isolate all factors causing species diversity. 
D)  It is difficult or impossible to conduct experiments over large spatial scales. 
E)  Latitudinal patterns develop over long time spans, which are difficult to measure.

Question 16

Thomas Lovejoy and colleagues conducted a long-term field experiment on the effects of habitat fragmentation in the Amazon rainforest, studying changes in bird populations over 30 years.Do the results of these experiments suggest that high species diversity can continue in the presence of deforestation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Yes; even though many bird species were lost, other species were likely unaffected. 
B)  Yes; when distances between fragments were small enough, species moved between fragments. 
C)  No; edge effects increase hazards so much that species will decline, even though they do not decline due to small areas. 
D)  No; even the largest fragments lost more than half of their bird species, and edge effects reduced both immigration and fragment size. 
E)  Uncertain; some results indicated no effect on species diversity, whereas other results indicated a strong negative effect.

Question 17

There are approximately 40,000 species of trees in tropical rainforests.There are only 50 species of trees north of the Alps in Europe.The greater species diversity in tropical rainforests might be explained by any combination of these factors except

Accepted Answer

A)  higher productivity. 
B)  a more rapid rate of speciation. 
C)  a longer species diversification time. 
D)  greater likelihood of species extinction due to climate. 
E)  a larger geographic area, enabling greater reproductive isolation.

Question 18

Refer to the graph representing the WilsonF1F1F1S1F1F1F10MacArthur theory of island biogeography, which explains the speciesF1F1F1S1F1F1F10area relationship.  According to the graph, the number of species on an island reaches equilibrium when

Accepted Answer

A)  immigration and extinction rates are zero. 
B)  immigration and extinction rates are equal. 
C)  immigration rates rise faster than extinction rates. 
D)  extinction rates rise faster than immigration rates. 
E)  islands are large and near continents, regardless of rates.

Question 19

A once-common species of butterfly has disappeared from a region of California over the past 50 years.The butterfly's gradual disappearance is correlated with a significant rise in average annual temperature and a significant decline in average annual rainfall.This suggests that the butterfly's disappearance is due to a change in

Accepted Answer

A)  climate, because butterflies only react to climate, not weather. 
B)  climate, because the 50-year trend altered butterfly distribution. 
C)  weather, because 50 years is not long enough for climate to change. 
D)  weather, because heat and drought are weather, not climate, factors. 
E)  some factor other than weather or climate that has not been measured.

Question 20

Urban landscapes are known to produce "heat islands," which increase urban temperatures significantly above temperatures in surrounding rural areas.These high temperatures result from all urban factors except

Accepted Answer

A)  burning of fossil fuels by vehicles. 
B)  burning of fossil fuels by industries. 
C)  presence of parks that increase evapotranspiration. 
D)  absorption and radiation of heat by concrete and asphalt. 
E)  decrease in vegetation that carries out evapotranspiration.

Exam 53: The Physical Environment and Biogeography of Life