Handout 2

Question 1

non-living referring to the physical and chemical properties of an environment

Answer 1

abiotic

Question 2

the bottom surface of an aquatic environment

Answer 2

benthic zone

Question 3

the communities of organisms living in the benthic zone of an aquatic biome

Answer 3

benthos

Question 4

any of the worlds major ecosystem types, often classifies according to the predominant vegetation for terrestrial forms and the physical environment for aquatic forms and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment

Answer 4

biome

Question 5

pertaining to the living factors- the organisms- in an environment

Answer 5

biotic

Question 6

a scrubland of dense, spiny evergreen shrubs found at mid-latitudes along coasts where cold ocean currents circulate offshore; characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, hot, dry summers

Answer 6

chaparral

Question 7

a plot of the temperature and precipitation in a particular region

Answer 7

climograph

Question 8

the study of how interactions between species affect community structure and organization

Answer 8

community ecology

Question 9

typically a warm-water, tropical ecosystem dominated by secreted hard skeletal structures; some also exist in cold,deep waters

Answer 9

coral reef

Question 10

a dark, hot, oxygen-deficient environment associated with volcanic activity on or near the seafloor; producers in such a community are chemoautotrophic prokaryotes

Answer 10

deep-see hydrothermal vent

Question 11

a terrestrial biome characterized by very low precipitation

Answer 11

desert

Question 12

dead organic matter

Answer 12

detritus

Question 13

the movement of individuals or gametes away from their present location; this movement sometimes expands the geographic range of a population or species

Answer 13

dispersal

Question 14

a natural or human-caused event that changes a biological community and usually removes organisms from it; events such as fire and storms, play a pivotal role in structuring many communities

Answer 14

disturbance

Question 15

the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment

Answer 15

ecology

Question 16

the study of how organisms interact with each other and their environment

Answer 16

ecosystem ecology

Question 17

the area where a freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean

Answer 17

estuary

Question 18

the study of how the functioning and distribution of organisms across the biosphere and how the function of energy and materials affects them

Answer 18

global ecology

Question 19

the shallow zone of the ocean adjacent to land and between the high and low tides

Answer 19

intertidal zone

Question 20

the study of how the spatial arrangement of habitat types affects the distribution and abundance of organisms and ecosystem processes

Answer 20

landscape ecology

Question 21

large-scale patterns in climate; the climate of an entire region

Answer 21

macroclimate

Question 22

the ocean floor

Answer 22

marine benthic zone

Question 23

climate patterns on a very fine scale, such as the specific climate conditions underneath a log

Answer 23

microclimate

Question 24

the shallow region of the ocean overlying the contintental shelf

Answer 24

neritic zone

Question 25

a terrestrial biome characterized by long, cold winters and dominated by cone-bearing trees

Answer 25

northern coniferous forest

Question 26

most of the oceans waters far from shore, constantly mixed by ocean currents

Answer 26

ocean pelagic zone

Question 27

the branch of ecology concerned with the morphological, physiological, and behavioural ways in which individual organisms meet the challenges posed by their biotic and abiotic environments

Answer 27

organismal ecology

Question 28

the open water component of aquatic biomes

Answer 28

pelagic zone

Question 29

the study of populations in relation to their environment including environmental influences on density, distribution, age structure ad variations in size

Answer 29

population ecology

Question 30

a tropical grassland with scattered individual trees and large herbivores and maintained by occasional fires and drought

Answer 30

savannah

Question 31

a biome located throughout mid-lattitude regions where there is sufficeint moisture to support the growth of large, broadleaf deciduous trees

Answer 31

temperate broadleaf forest

Question 32

exists at mid-lattitude terrestrial regions and is dominated by grasses and forbs

Answer 32

temperate grassland

Question 33

a terrestrial biome characterized by relatively high temperatures and precipitation overall but with a pronounced dry season

Answer 33

tropical dry forest

Question 34

a terrestrial biome characterixzd by relatively high precipitation and temperatures year-round

Answer 34

tropical rain forest

Question 35

at the extreme limits of terrestrial plant growth; at the northernmost limits it is arctic variant, and at high altitudes, where plant forms are limited to low shrubby or mat-like vegetation it is alpine varient

Answer 35

tundra

Question 36

a habitat that is inundated by water at least some of the time and that supports plants adapted to water-saturated soil

Answer 36

wetland

Question 36

the mixing of waters as a result of changing water- temperature profiles in a lake

Answer 36

turnover

Question 37

A habitat that is inundated by water at least some of the time and that supports plants adapted to water-saturated soil

Answer 37

wetland

Question 38

concept 13.1

Answer 38

earths climate varies by latitude and season and is changing rapidly

Question 39

concept 13.2

Answer 39

the structure and distribution of terrestrial biomes are controlled by climate and disturbance

Question 40

concept 13.3

Answer 40

aquatic biomes are diverse and dynamic systems that cover most of earth

Question 41

concept 13.4

Answer 41

interactions between organisms and the environment limit and the distribution systems of species

Question 42

Which of the following levels of organization is arranged in the correct sequence from most to least inclusive?

Answer 42

B. ecosystem, community, population, individual

Question 43

You are working for the Environmental Protection Agency and researching the effect of a potentially toxic chemical in drinking water. There is no documented scientific evidence showing that the chemical is toxic, but many suspect it to be a health hazard. Using the precautionary principle, what would be a reasonable environmental policy?

Answer 43

B. Set the acceptable levels of the chemical conservatively low, and keep them there unless future studies show that they can be safely raised.

Question 44

Studying species transplants is a way that ecologists

Answer 44

D. determine if dispersal is a key factor in limiting distribution of organisms.

Question 45

Which of the following are important biotic factors that can affect the structure and organization of biological communities?

Answer 45

C. predation, competition.

Question 46

Which of the following abiotic factors has the greatest influence on the metabolic rates of plants and animals?

Answer 46

C. temperature.

Question 47

Which of the following statements about light in aquatic environments is correct?

Answer 47

A. Water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light

Question 48

In mountainous areas of western North America, north-facing slopes would be expected to

Answer 48

E. support biological communities similar to those found at higher elevations on similar south-facing slopes.

Question 49

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?

Answer 49

D. ocean currents

Question 50

Deserts typically occur in a band at 30 degrees north and south latitude because

Answer 50

A. descending air masses tend to be cool and dry

Question 51

Turnover of water in temperate lakes during the spring and fall is made possible by which of the following?

Answer 51

D. the density of water changes as seasonal temperatures change

Question 52

Which of the following is responsible for the summer and winter stratification of deep temperate lakes?

Answer 52

A. Water is densest at 4°C

Question 53

Generally speaking, deserts are located in places where air masses are usually

Answer 53

D. descending

Question 54

Which of the following causes Earth’s seasons?

Answer 54

E. the tilt of Earth’s axis.

Question 55

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

Answer 55

E. the elimination of seasonal variation.

Question 56

The main reason polar regions are cooler than the equator is because

Answer 56

B. sunlight strikes the poles at a lower angle

Question 57

Which of the following environmental features might influence microclimates?

Answer 57

A. a discarded soft-drink can. B. a tree. C. a fallen log. D. a stone. E. all of the above

Question 58

The success with which plants extend their range northward following glacial retreat is best determined by

Answer 58

C. their seed dispersal rate

Question 59

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

Answer 59

A. have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals

Question 60

Which of the examples below provides appropriate abiotic and biotic factors that might determine the distribution of the species in question?

Answer 60

B. The number of frost-free days and competition between species of introduced grasses and native alpine grasses.

Question 61

Species introduced to new geographic locations

Answer 61

D. can out-compete and displace native species for biotic and abiotic resources.

Question 62

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

Answer 62

C. investigate the various biotic and abiotic factors that are unique to high altitude.

Question 63

Which of the following organisms is the most likely candidate for geographic isolation?

Answer 63

E. land snail

Question 64

Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are caused by

Answer 64

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

Question 65

Which marine zone would have the lowest rates of primary productivity (photosynthesis)?

Answer 65

B. abyssal

Question 66

Where would an ecologist find the most phytoplankton in a lake?

Answer 66

C. photic zone

Question 67

You are planning a dive in a lake, and are eager to observe not many underwater organisms but be able to observe them both close up and far away. You would do well to choose

Answer 67

A. an oligotrophic lake

Question 68

You are interested in studying how organisms react to a gradient of a variety of abiotic conditions and how they coexist in this gradient. The best location in which to conduct such a study is

Answer 68

B. an intertidal zone

Question 69

Which of the following statements about the ocean pelagic biome is true?

Answer 69

D. Pelagic ocean photosynthetic activity is disproportionately low in relation to the size of the biome.

Question 70

Which of the following is not true about estuaries?

Answer 70

D. Estuaries usually contain no or few producers

Question 71

Probably the most important factor(s) affecting the distribution of biomes is (are)

Answer 71

D. climate

Question 72

In the development of terrestrial biomes, which factor is most dependent on all the others?

Answer 72

A. the species of colonizing animals

Question 73

An area in which different terrestrial biomes grade into each other is known as a(n)

Answer 73

C. ecotone.

Question 74

Fire suppression by humans

Answer 74

B. can change the species composition within biological communities

Question 75

Which biome is able to support many large animals despite receiving moderate amounts of rainfall?

Answer 75

E. savannah.

Question 76

Which type of biome would most likely occur in a climate with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers?

Answer 76

D. chaparral

Question 77

In which community would organisms most likely have adaptations enabling them to respond to different photoperiods?

Answer 77

D. temperate forest

Question 78

The growing season would generally be shortest in which of the following biomes?

Answer 78

E. coniferous forest.

Question 79

Trees are not usually found in the tundra biome because of

Answer 79

E. permafrost

Question 80

If global warming continues at its present rate, which biomes will likely take the place of the coniferous forest (taiga)?

Answer 80

B. temperate broadleaf forest and grassland.