Chapter 2 Life on Land

Question 1

dry season =

rainy season =

Answer 1

dormant

flower

Question 2

Which variables cause the earth to heat unevenly?

Answer 2

the spherical shape of the earth

the angle of the earth’s rotation

Question 3

Select the core components of terrestrial ecology.

Answer 3

temperature and precipitation

Question 4

Which characteristic is most common among the soil of a savanna?

Answer 4

low permeability to water

Question 5

Which region of the earth experiences the least amount of seasonal change in temperature and day length?

Answer 5

equatorial regions

Question 6

True or false: Soil structure is determined by the short-term interactions between climate, organisms, topography, and parent minerals; thus, time is not a factor.

Answer 6

false

long term factors

Question 7

In an agricultural field, which soil horizon is closest to the surface?

Answer 7

a horizon

Question 8

Which soil component will help mix organic matter in the A horizon?

Answer 8

earthworms

Question 9

Uneven heating of the earth’s surface results in ______.

Answer 9

climatic variation

Question 10

Due to the soil quality of savannas, where are they most commonly found in south America?

Answer 10

wet areas that retain water

Question 11

Which soil component is least likely to be found in the A horizon?

Answer 11

iron

Question 12

What two environmental variables do plants have to overcome in order to survive in the desert?

Answer 12

intense sunlight and lack of water

Question 13

When do temperate grasslands receive the majority of their precipitation?

Answer 13

summer

Question 14

Evergreen conifers such as spruce, fir, and pine are characteristic of the _______ forest.

Answer 14

boreal

Question 15

Which of the following are resources that humans directly gain from mountains?

Answer 15

forage for animals

sources of wood

medicinal plants

Question 16

What two features are used to distinguish a biome?

Answer 16

plants and climates

Question 17

Which feature of the earth is primarily responsible for determining the climate of a region?

Answer 17

the spherical surface

Question 18

What characteristic of the sun changes during the year and drives the seasonal changes observed at higher latitudes?

Answer 18

the latitude where the sun is directly overhead

Question 19

In equatorial regions, the sun will cause the air to expand and ______

Answer 19

rise

Question 20

Identify what happens to equatorial air after it rises.

Answer 20

Eventually it spreads north and south.

Question 21

In the tropics, winds blowing from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere are called the ______

Answer 21

northeast trades

Question 22

Which factors help determine the geographic distribution of terrestrial biomes?

Answer 22

temp

variation in climate

soil type

Question 23

Which soil component helps decompose organic matter in the O horizon?

Answer 23

bacteria

Question 24

Which soil component is least likely to be found in the B horizon?

Answer 24

bedrock

Question 25

Which wind patterns are experienced in the tropics?

Answer 25

northeast/southeast trades

Question 26

Which soil component is least likely found in the O horizon?

Answer 26

limestone

Question 27

Which of the following regions contain tropical rainforests?

Answer 27

Southeast Asia

Question 28

Due to the heavy rains and rapid decomposition, tropical rain forest soils are nutrient- _____

Answer 28

deficient

Question 29

Which living organisms are likely to be found in the B horizon?

Answer 29

roots of plants

Question 30

The tropical dry forest soil tends to be | _______ acidic when compared to those of rain forests.

Answer 30

less

Question 31

Which factor does contribute to the reason tropical soils are nutrient-poor?

Answer 31

rapid decomposition heavy rains warm temperatures

Question 32

Which physical factor does the savanna's seasonal drought lead to?

Answer 32

An increase in the frequency of fire.

Question 33

low in organic matter soil

Answer 33

lithosols

Question 34

Identify the cycles of the savanna.

Answer 34

alternating wet and dry seasons