Campbell Biology 8e Chapter 52 – Flashcards

11) Studying species transplants is a way that ecologists A) determine the abundance of a species in a specified area. B) determine the distribution of a species in a specified area. C) develop mathematical models for distribution and abundance of organisms. D) determine if dispersal is a key factor in limiting distribution of organisms. E) consolidate a landscape region into a single ecosystem.

12) Which of the following are important biotic factors that can affect the structure and organization of biological communities? A) precipitation, wind B) nutrient availability, soil pH C) predation, competition D) temperature, water E) light intensity, seasonality

13) Which of the following abiotic factors has the greatest influence on the metabolic rates of plants and animals? A) water B) wind C) temperature D) rocks and soil E) disturbances

14) Which of the following statements about light in aquatic environments is correct? A) Water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light. B) Photosynthetic organisms that live in deep water probably use red light. C) Longer wavelengths penetrate to greater depths. D) Light penetration seldom limits the distribution of photosynthetic species. E) Most photosynthetic organisms avoid the surface where the light is not too intense.

15) In mountainous areas of western North America, north-facing slopes would be expected to A) receive more sunlight than similar southern exposures B) be warmer and drier than comparable southern exposed slopes C) consistently steeper than southern exposures D) support biological communities similar to those found lower elevations on similar south-facing slopes. E) support biological communities similar to those found at higher elevations on similar south-facing slopes.

16) Coral reefs can be found on the southern east coast of the United States but not at similar latitudes on the southern west coast. Differences in which of the following most likely account for this? A) sunlight intensity B) precipitation C) day length D) ocean currents E) salinity

17) Deserts typically occur in a band at 30 degrees north and south latitude because A) descending air masses tend to be cool and dry. B) trade winds have a little moisture. C) water is heavier than air and is not carried far over land. D) ascending air tends to be moist. E) these locations get the most intense solar radiation of any location on Earth

18) Turnover of water in temperate lakes during the spring and fall is made possible by which of the following? A) warm, less dense water layered at the top B) cold, more dense water layered at the bottom C) a distinct thermocline between less dense warm water and cold, dense water. D) the density of water changes as seasonal temperatures change. E) currents generated by nektonic animals

19) In temperate lakes, the surface water is replenished with nutrients during turnovers that occur in the A) autumn and spring. B) autumn and winter. C) spring and summer. D) summer and winter. E) summer and autumn.

20) Which of the following is responsible for the summer and winter stratification of deep temperate lakes? A) Water is densest at 4°C. B) Oxygen is most abundant in deeper waters. C) Winter ice sinks in the summer. D) Stratification is caused by a thermocline. E) Stratification always follows the fall and spring turnovers.

21) Generally speaking, deserts are located in places where air masses are usually A) tropical. B) humid. C) rising. D) descending. E) expanding.

22) Which of the following causes Earthʹs seasons? A) global air circulation B) global wind patterns C) ocean currents D) changes in Earthʹs distance from the sun E) the tilt of Earthʹs axis

23) Which of the following events might you predict to occur if the tilt of Earthʹs axis relative to its plane of orbit was increased 33.5 degrees? A) Summers and winters in the United States would likely become warmer and colder, respectively. B) Winters and summers in Australia would likely become less distinct seasons. C) Seasonal variation at the equator might decrease. D) Both northern and southern hemispheres would experience summer and winter at the same time. E) Both poles would experience massive ice melts

24) Imagine some cosmic catastrophe jolts Earth so that its axis is perpendicular to the orbital plane between Earth and the sun. The most obvious effect of this change would be A) the elimination of tides. B) an increase in the length of night. C) an increase in the length of a year. D) a decrease in temperature at the equator. E) the elimination of seasonal variation.

25) The main reason polar regions are cooler than the equator is because A) there is more ice at the poles. B) sunlight strikes the poles at a lower angle. C) the poles are farther from the sun. D) the poles have a thicker atmosphere. E) the poles are permanently tilted away from the sun.

26) Which of the following environmental features might influence microclimates? A) a discarded soft-drink can B) a tree C) a fallen log D) a stone E) all of the above

27) The success with which plants extend their range northward following glacial retreat is best determined by A) whether there is simultaneous migration of herbivores. B) their tolerance to shade. C) their seed dispersal rate. D) their size. E) their growth rate.

28) As climate changes because of global warming, speciesʹ ranges in the northern hemisphere may move northward. The trees that are most likely to avoid extinction in such an environment are those that A) have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals. B) have thin seed coats. C) produce well-provisioned seeds. D) have seeds that become viable only after a forest fire. E) disperse many seeds in close proximity to the parent tree.

29) Which of the examples below provides appropriate abiotic and biotic factors that might determine the distribution of the species in question? A) The amount of nitrate and phosphate in the soil and wild flower abundance and diversity B) The number of frost-free days and competition between species of introduced grasses and native alpine grasses C) Increased predation and decreased food availability and a prairie dog population after a prairie fire D) Available sunlight and increased salinity in the top few meters of the ocean and the abundance and diversity of phytoplankton communities E) The pH and dissolved oxygen concentration and the streams in which brook trout can live

30) A certain species of pine tree survives only in scattered locations at elevations above 2,800 m in the western United States. To understand why this tree grows only in these specific places an ecologist should A) conclude that lower elevations are limiting to the survival of this species. B) study the anatomy and physiology of this species. C) investigate the various biotic and abiotic factors that are unique to high altitude. D) analyze the soils found in the vicinity of these trees, looking for unique chemicals that may support their growth. E) collect data on temperature, wind, and precipitation at several of these locations for a year.

31) How would an ecologist likely explain the expansion of the cattle egret? A) The areas to which the cattle egret has expanded have no cattle egret parasites. B) Climatic factors, such as temperature and precipitation provide suitable habitat for cattle egrets. C) There are no natural predators for cattle egrets in the New World, so they continue to expand their range. D) A habitat left unoccupied by native herons and egrets met the biotic and abiotic requirements of the cattle egret transplants and their descendants. E) The first egrets to colonize South America evolved into a new species capable of competing with the native species of herons and egrets.

32) Species introduced to new geographic locations A) are usually successful in colonizing the area. B) always spread because they encounter no natural predators. C) increase the diversity and therefore the stability of the ecosystem. D) can outcompete and displace native species for biotic and abiotic resources. E) are always considered pests by ecologists.

33) Which of the following organisms is the most likely candidate for geographic isolation? A) sparrow B) bat C) squirrel D) saltwater fish E) land snail

34) Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are caused by A) rising, warm, moist air masses cool and release precipitation as they rise and then at high altitude, cool and sink back to the surface as dry air masses after moving north or south of the tropics. B) air masses that are dried and heated over continental areas that rise, cool aloft, and descend over oceanic areas followed by a return flow of moist air from ocean to land delivering high amounts of precipitation to coastal areas. C) polar, cool, moist high pressure air masses from the poles that move along the surface, releasing precipitation along the way to the equator where they are heated and dried. D) the revolution of the Earth around the sun. E) Mountain ranges that deflect air masses containing variable amounts of moisture.

35) Air masses formed over the Pacific Ocean are moved by prevailing westerlies where they encounter extensive north-south mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. Which statement best describes the changes that these air masses undergo? A) The cool, moist Pacific air heats up as it rises, releasing its precipitation as it passes the tops of the mountains, and this warm, now dry air cools as it descends on the leeward side of the range. B) The warm, moist Pacific air rises and cools, releasing precipitation as it moves up the windward side of the range, and this cool, now dry air mass heats up as it descends on the leeward side of the range. C) The cool, dry Pacific air heats and picks up moisture from evaporation of the snowcapped peaks of the mountain range, releasing this moisture as precipitation as the air cools as it descends on the leeward side of the range. D) These air masses are blocked by these mountain ranges producing high annual amounts of precipitation on the windward sides of these mountain ranges. E) These air masses remain essentially unchanged in moisture content and temperature as they pass over these mountain ranges.

36) Experts in deer ecology generally agree that population sizes of deer that live in temperate climates are limited by winter snow. The deer congregate in ʺyardingʺ areas under evergreen trees because venturing out to feed in winter is energetically too expensive when snowfall depths accumulate to above 40 cm. Deer often stay yarded until the spring thaw. Snow depth over 40 inches for more than 60 days results in high mortality due to starvation. This observation best illustrates which of the following principles about factors that limit distribution of organisms? A) Abiotic factors, such as weather extremes, ultimately limit distribution. B) Organisms will face extinction unless they adapt to conditions or evolve new mechanisms for survival. C) Environmental factors are limiting not only in amount but also in longevity. D) Daily accumulations in snow depth gradually add up to cause increased deer mortality. E) Temporary extremes in weather conditions usually result in high mortality in the deer population.