BIO Chapter 52

Which of the following examples of an ecological effect leading to an evolutionary effect is most correct?

A few individuals with denser fur survive the coldest days of an ice age, and the reproducing survivors of the ice age will likely have more dense fur.

Based on the data in the figure above, which of the following statements are correct? I) Area 1 would be considered a desert because of its high average temperature. II) Area 1 has more average precipitation than Area 2. III) Area2wouldbeconsideredadesertbecauseofitslowaverageprecipitation. IV) Area 2 has a larger annual temperature variation.

Area 1 has more average precipitation than Area 2. III) Area2wouldbeconsideredadesertbecauseofitslowaverageprecipitation. IV) Area 2 has a larger annual temperature variation.

Which statement describes how climate might change if Earth was 75 percent land and 25 percent water?

Earthʹs daytime temperatures would be higher and nighttime temperatures lower.

Which statements about dispersal are correct? I) Dispersal is a common component of the life cycles of plants and animals. II) Colonization of devastated areas after floods or volcanic eruptions primarily depends upon climate. III) Seeds are important dispersal stages in the life cycles of most flowering plants. IV) Dispersal occurs only on an evolutionary time scale.

I) Dispersal is a common component of the life cycles of plants and animals. III) Seeds are important dispersal stages in the life cycles of most flowering plants.

52) A fish species known for its success in the aphotic zone may have which of the following characteristics? I) symbioses with photosynthetic organisms II) highly developed chemoreception III) adaptationsforburrowing IV) adaptations for sit-and-wait predation

II) highly developed chemoreception III) adaptationsforburrowing IV) adaptations for sit-and-wait predation

Which of the following statements regarding turnover in a lake is correct?

In fall turnover, dense water at 4°C sinks and disturbs sediments in the benthic zone.

Imagine that a deep temperate zone lake did not turn over during the spring and fall seasons. Based on the physical and biological properties of limnetic ecosystems, what would be the difference from normal seasonal turnover?

Lakes would suffer a nutrient depletion in surface layers.

Which investigations would shed the most light on the future distribution of organisms in temperate regions that are faced with climate change?

Look at the climatic changes that occurred since the last Ice Age and how species redistributed as glaciers melted, then make predictions on future distribution in species based on past trends.

Which of the following statements best describes the interaction between fire and ecosystems?

Many kinds of plants and plant communities have adapted to frequent fires.

Why is the climate drier on the leeward (downwind) side of mountain ranges that are subjected to prevailing winds?

Pushed by the prevailing winds on the windward side, air is forced to rise, cool, condense, and drop its precipitation, leaving drier air to descend the leeward side.

What events might you predict to occur if the tilt of Earthʹs axis relative to its plane of orbit was increased to 33 12 degrees?

Summers and winters in the United States would likely become warmer and colder, respectively.

In areas of permafrost, stands of black spruce are frequently observed in the landscape, while other tree species are noticeably absent. Often these stands are referred to as ʺdrunken forestsʺ because many of the black spruce are displaced from their normal vertical alignment. What is the most likely explanation for the unusual growth of these forests in this marginal habitat?

Taproot formation is impossible, so trees developed shallow root beds.

Which of the following statements best describes the effect of climate on biome distribution?

The average climate and pattern of climate are important in determining biome distribution.

A fish swimming into an estuary from a river would have which of the following as its greatest physiological challenge?

The change in water solute content would challenge the osmotic balance of the fish.

If carbon dioxide levels continue to increase and climate change continues over the next century, which of the following would best predict the directional migration of the North American ecosystems from the biomes shown in this climograph?

The ecosystems will shift to the north as temperatures warm.

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 outcome of this encounter between a landform and an air mass?

The warm, moist Pacific air rises and cools, releasing precipitation as it moves up the windward side of the range. This cool, now dry air mass heats up as it descends on the leeward side of the range.

What would be the effect on climate in the temperate latitudes if Earth were to slow its rate of rotation from a 24-hour period of rotation to a 48-hour period of rotation?

There often would be a larger range between daytime high and nighttime low temperatures.

Subtropical plants are commonplace in Landʹs End, England, whose latitude is the equivalent of Labrador in coastal Canada, where the local flora is subarctic. Which statement best explains why this apparent anomaly exists between North America and Europe?

Warm ocean currents interact with England, whereas cold ocean currents interact with Labrador.

What is responsible for the differences in summer and winter temperature stratification of deep temperate zone lakes?

Water is densest at 4°C.

What can be said about light in aquatic environments?

Water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light.

What would happen to the seasons if the Earth were tilted 35 degrees off its orbital plane instead of the usual 23.5 degrees?

Winters and summers would be more severe.

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 _____

an increase in the length of a year

If you are interested in observing a relatively simple community structure in a clear water lake, you would do well to choose diving into

an oligotrophic lake

Which of the following types of organisms is likely to have the widest geographic distribution?

bacteria

Fire suppression by humans _____

can change the species composition within biological communities.

Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of _____

convergent evolution

If a meteor impact or volcanic eruption injected a lot of dust into the atmosphere and reduced the sunlight reaching Earthʹs surface by 70 percent for one year, which of the following marine communities most likely would be least affected?

deep-sea vent

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

descending

Studying species transplants is a way that ecologists _____

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

Which level of ecological study focuses the most on abiotic factors?

ecosystem ecology

13) As climate changes because of global warming, plant 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 _____.

have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals

19) When climbing a mountain, we can observe transitions in biological communities that are analogous to the changes _____.

in biomes at different latitudes

A certain species of pine tree survives only in scattered locations at elevations above 2800 meters in the western United States. To understand why this tree grows only in these specific places, an ecologist should _____

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

In deep water, which of the following abiotic factors would most limit productivity?

light availability

Coral reefs can be found on the southeast coast of the United States but not at similar latitudes on the southwest coast. Differences in which of the following most likely account for this?

ocean currents

The oceans affect the biosphere by _____. I) producing a substantial amount of the biosphereʹs oxygen II) adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere III) being the source of most of Earthʹs rainfall IV) regulating the pH of freshwater biomes and terrestrial groundwater

producing a substantial amount of the biosphereʹs oxygen AND being the source of most of Earthʹs rainfall

Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are caused by _____.

rising, warm, moist air masses that 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

Wetlands are standing bodies of freshwater, just like lakes and ponds. However, wetlands are different from lakes and ponds because wetlands have _____.

shallow water and emergent vegetation

The main reason polar regions are cooler than the equator is that _____

sunlight strikes the poles at a lower angle

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

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

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

temperate broadleaf forest and grassland

Besides sunlight, which would be the next most important climatic factors for terrestrial plants?

temperature and moisture

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

the changes in the density of water as seasonal temperatures change

What might be an investigation of microclimate?

the effect of sunlight intensity on species composition in a decaying rat carcass

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

the species of colonizing animals

The success of plants extending their range northward following glacial retreat is best determined by _____

their seed dispersal rate

Suppose that the number of bird species is determined mainly by the number of vertical strata found in the environment. If so, in which of the following biomes would you find the greatest number of bird species?

tropical rain forest

Which of the following is an important feature of most terrestrial biomes?

vegetation demonstrating vertical layering

If the direction of Earthʹs rotation reversed, the most predictable effect would be _____

winds blowing from west to east along the equator