Mastering Ch. 52 – Flashcards
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Which of the following causes Earth's seasons?
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Earth's tilt on its axis (Earth's tilt toward or away from the sun allows for direct and indirect solar collection, respectively. When the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, it is summer because of the increased duration and intensity of insolation)
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Which of the following investigations is an example of the study of an abiotic factor?
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investigating how the amount of annual precipitation affects the distribution of a tree species (annual precipitation is not a biotic factor of an environment; it is an abiotic factor)
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Which action influences the abiotic components of an organism's environment?
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Water pollution
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Which aspects of a region's climate have the most impact on plants and animals?
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Temperature and moisture
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True or False? Weather is defined as a prevailing long-term atmospheric conditions in a particular region.
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False (Climate is defined as the prevailing long-term weather conditions in a particular region; weather is defined as the short-term atmospheric conditions of temperature, sunlight, moisture, and wind)
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Which of the following statements about Hadley cells is true?
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As warm air rises, air at the top of the atmosphere is pushed poleward and cools (this cool air causes the cooler climates away from the equator)
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Which location on Earth receives the most solar radiation per unit area?
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Equator (the equator receives the most solar radiation per unit area because sunlight arrives almost perpendicular to Earth's surface there)
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What are rain shadows?
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Dry regions on the leeward side of mountain ranges (rain shadows are dry regions on the leeward side of mountain ranges that result when an air mass releases its moisture on the windward side of the range and then is carried by winds to the leeward side)
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Which desert is caused by a Hadley cell?
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Sahara Desert in Africa (the Sahara Desert is caused by a Hadley cell; it is not the result of topography, since there are no extensive North-South mountain ranges in Africa)
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What are the two major factors determining the distribution of terrestrial biomes?
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temperature and rainfall
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Which of these biomes is characterized by little rainfall?
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desert (deserts are characterized by levels of rainfall less than 30 cm per year)
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Which of these is the largest terrestrial biome on Earth?
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coniferous forest (coniferous forests are the largest terrestrial biome on Earth. However, as a result of logging, they are disappearing at a very rapid rate)
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Which biome is characterized by an extensive canopy that allows little light to penetrate to the ground and by the presence of epiphytes?
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tropical rain forest
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Which biome is characterized by the presence of permafrost?
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tundra (permafrost, permanently frozen subsoil, is a characteristic of tundra)
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In most cases, the two major climatic factors affecting the distribution of organisms in terrestrial ecosystems are ________.
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water and temperature
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What is a biome?
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a major type of ecosystem (a biome is a type of community with certain abiotic environmental conditions)
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Which of these is characteristic of the photiczone of a freshwater biome?
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the presence of algae ("photic" means light, and light encourages the growth of photosynthetic organisms)
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The benthic zone of aquatic environments is defined as the ________.
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substrate at the bottom of the body of water
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The ________ biome is the largest of Earth's biomes.
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marine
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A(n) ________ is a region where fresh water and salt water mix.
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estuary
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Aquatic Biomes
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-tropical coral reefs generally exist in relatively shallow areas of the ocean -estuaries are very productive and are used as breeding grounds by many species of fish -temperature drives water movement in some lakes -a freshwater organism permanently attached to the substrate would be unlikely to survive and reproduce in an estuary -wetlands have slow water movement or no water movement and no turnover
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Freshwater aquatic biomes
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include lakes, rivers, and wetlands with salinity less than 1%
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Oceans
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are marine biomes, with an average salinity of 3.5%
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The salinity of an estuary
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can range from less than 1% to over 3.5%, depending on river flow, tides, and proximity to the ocean
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Of the freshwater biomes
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streams are marked by their current, whereas lakes and wetlands are standing bodies of water
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What are the most abundant animals found in the pelagic zone?
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zooplankton (zooplankton that graze on phytoplankton are the most abundant life-forms in the open ocean of the pelagic zone)
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trans-
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across
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a- (or an-)
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without, lack of, not
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bio-
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life
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-logy
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study of
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-phyte
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plant
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eco-
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house, household
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aqu- (or aqua-)
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water
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macro-
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large
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eu-
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true, good
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micro-
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small
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-vor
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eat
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prim-
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first
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de-
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from, out of, remove
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hydro-
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water
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herb-
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grass
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oligo-
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few
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sub-
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under, below
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omni-
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all
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carn-
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flesh
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zoo- (or zoa-)
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animal
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-cide
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killer
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inter-
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between
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photo-
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light
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intra-
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within
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para-
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alongside
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auto-
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self
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ultra-
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beyond
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therm-
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heat
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troph
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food, nourishment
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hetero-
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other
