Multiple choice midterm ecology2 1) Which of the following biomes is characteriz
ID: 234729 • Letter: M
Question
Multiple choice midterm ecology2
1) Which of the following biomes is characterized by a codominance of woody plants and grasses? It occurs in areas characterized by seasonally variable precipitation but high and seasonally stable temperatures.
A) tropical rain forest
b) tropical dry forest
c) tropical savanna
d) temperate forest
2)__________ produce(s) soils that are typically red and acidic.
Laterization
Erosion
Dry climates
Salinization
3) Which of the following statements about organisms of flowing-water systems is false?
Benthic species tend to be flattened with limbs designed for clinging.
Most organisms in flowing-water ecosystems that live in the water column adopt a streamlined form.
Animals of fast-flowing streams are adapted to survive periods of oxygen depletion.
Some organisms that move over the bottom have sticky ventral sides.
4) If you took a trip to a location at 25° south latitude and found that the local precipitation was well below the potential evaporative demand, you would be in a
shrubland
chaparral
desert
savanna
5) An ecologist measures the influence of annual rainfall on the growth rate of Douglas fir. These data should be displayed on a
scatter plot
frequency distribution
box plot
histogram
6) Which of the following statements about arctic tundra habitats is false?
Erosion is very important in wearing down the landscape of the Arctic.
Vegetation in the tundra is structurally simple.
The arctic tundra is defined by low precipitation and low temperatures.
Vegetation in the tundra grows close to the ground, allowing it to survive high winds and abrasion by airborne particles.
7) An ecosystem is
the combination of biological communities and the physical environment.
a collection of organisms of the same species that can interbreed.
the combination of all environments on Earth.
a collection of populations of multiple species that can potentially interact.
8) Which of the following statements about tropical rain forests is true?
Mean temperatures of tropical rain forests are generally around, or exceed, 10°C each month, and monthly precipitation is usually more than 30 mm.
Tropical rain forests are found primarily between 20° N and 20° S.
Rain forests can be divided into five vertical layers.
Tropical rain forests cover only 7 percent of Earth's land but have more than 80 percent of plant and animal species.
9) Ecological communities near deep-sea thermal vents include ________ as primary producers able to use
______ to release energy that can be used to fix carbon.
chemosynthetic bacteria, reduction of oxidized sulfur compounds
zooplankton, bacteria
photosynthetic bacteria, minimal amounts of sunlight
chemosynthetic bacteria, oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds
10) In tropical rain forests, high precipitation and consistently high temperatures result in
high rates of decomposition and nutrient cycling.
high rates of decomposition but low rates of nutrient cycling.
low rates of decomposition and nutrient cycling.
low rates of decomposition but high nutrient cycling.
11) When a fire occurs in a prairie, the soil layer most directly affected is the _______ horizon.
B
C
A
O
12) What is saturated soil?
soil that is at maximum carrying capacity for plant life
soil in which the maximum size of the "A" horizon has been reached
soil in which all the soil horizons are present
soil in which the amount of water exceeds the pore space
13) Ecology is
the scientific study of human impacts on the biosphere.
the combination of social and natural sciences aimed at improving the environment.
the scientific study of relationships between organisms and their environments.
the scientific study of the environment.
14) The largest contributor to pelagic biomass in temperate and tropical waters are the
nanoplankton.
ctenophores.
larval fish.
zooplankton.
15) Using groundwater for crop irrigation can cause
valuable salts such as sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium to be leached from the soil.
a decrease in the soil particle size.
an increase in the soil particle size.
salinization of the soil.
16) As a general relationship, the amount of light available at a given height in a forest canopy is _____ to the leaf area index above that height.
unrelated
indirectly related
inversely related
positively correlated
17) Which of the following statements is false?
There is a relatively large accumulation of organic matter in soils of boreal forests.
Fires are relatively common in the taiga.
Net primary productivity of boreal forests is greater than more-temperate forests.
Permafrost does not allow water to penetrate, so the upper soils of the taiga are soggy.
18) Which of the following statements about the organisms of still-water ecosystems is false?
Aerobic bacteria are the dominant life forms of the bottom ooze in the profundal zone.
The availability of oxygen determines the life found in the profundal zone.
Warm- and cold-water species are found throughout the depth range of lakes during fall and spring.
Life tends to be scarce in the profundal zone, except during the spring and fall turnovers.
19) With the exception of areas surrounding hydrothermal vents, benthic communities are
entirely heterotrophic and dependent on dead organism sinking from above.
mostly heterotrophic but can have significant amounts of primary productivity from photoautotrophs.
mostly heterotrophic, with only small amounts of primary productivity from photoautotrophs.
entirely heterotrophic and dependent on dead organism rising from below with upwelling currents.
20) Which of the following statements about tropical savannas is false?
The dominant vegetation is fire-adapted in savannas.
Temperature has a relatively small impact on the vegetation present in savannas.
Savannas show little interannual variation in total precipitation.
Savannas are characterized by grasses and occasional shrubs or trees.
21) Which of the following statements about changes in flowing-water ecosystems is true?
Small headwater streams are characterized by greater productivity than respiration.
Shredders become scarce in increasingly higher-order streams.
Moving downstream, predator biomass and cold-water species increase greatly.
Grazers are relatively abundant in low-order streams.
22) Which of the following statements about tropical savannas is false?
The dominant vegetation is fire-adapted in savannas.
Temperature has a relatively small impact on the vegetation present in savannas.
Savannas show little interannual variation in total precipitation.
Savannas are characterized by grasses and occasional shrubs or trees.
23) Which of the following statements about oxygen in aquatic environments is false?
Rivers and streams are rarely oxygen depleted.
During summer, oxygen may become stratified in lakes and ponds with greater oxygen concentrations in surface waters.
Diffusion of gases is 100 times slower in water than in air.
During fall turnover in lakes and ponds, oxygen levels become homogenized across depths.
24) The photosynthetic organisms found in the photic zone of the oceanic zone are less productive than similar organisms in the neritic zone because
coral symbionts cannot survive in these regions.
nutrients are depleted by organisms adjacent to hydrothermal vents.
it is too cold for high productivity.
nutrients sink to the floor of the ocean and are not available.
25) If you sampled the vertical distribution of oxygen in a temperate lake during fall overturn or turnover, you would find
uniform concentrations at all depths.
the highest concentrations in the epilimnion.
the highest concentrations in the hypolimnion.
the highest concentrations in the thermocline.
A) tropical rain forest
b) tropical dry forest
c) tropical savanna
d) temperate forest
Explanation / Answer
2) Laterization produce(s) soils that are typically red and acidic
6) Erosion is very important in wearing down the landscape of the Arctic.
7) the combination of biological communities and the physical environment
8) Tropical rain forests are found primarily between 20° N and 20° S.
10) high rates of decomposition and nutrient cycling.
11) o
12) soil in which the amount of water exceeds the pore space
13) the scientific study of relationships between organisms and their environments
15) valuable salts such as sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium to be leached from the soil
17) Fires are relatively common in the taiga
20) temperature has a relatively small impact on the vegetation present in savannas
22) temperature has a relatively small impact on the vegetation present in savannas
23) During summer, oxygen may become stratified in lakes and ponds with greater oxygen concentrations in surface waters
24) nutrients are depleted by organisms adjacent to hydrothermal vents
25) the highest concentrations in the epilimnion
6) Erosion is very important in wearing down the landscape of the Arctic.
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.