chapter 23
The dominant biome in mediterranean climates found between 30° and 40° latitude is A) temperate shrubland. B) temperate deciduous forest. C) desert. D) tropical savanna.
A
Typical soils of the temperate forest region are A) alfisols and inceptisols. B) oxisols. C) andosols. D) aridisols and vertisols.
A
What kind of trees dominate in ecosystems characterized by warm, wet climates with no distinct seasonality? A) broadleaf evergreen B) drought-deciduous C) winter-deciduous D) needle-leaf evergreen
A
Which biome contains the largest tree species in the world? A) coniferous forest B) deciduous forest C) tropical forest D) arctic forest
A
Which of the following organisms are adapted to living in a desert? A) spadefoot toads B) oak trees C) lemmings D) spruce trees
A
Which of the following is a management technique to reduce the effects of logging? A) clear-cutting B) shelterwood C) top harvest D) controlled burns
B
A(n) ________ is a biotic unit of plant formations and associated animal life based on the predominant plant types, with at least eight major terrestrial types
biome
Two types of Evergreen
broadleaf, needle-leaf
There are consistent patterns in the distribution and abundance of dominant plant life-forms across the biosphere because these life-forms share ________ to the selection pressures of climate and the physical environment
adaptations
_____ is the perennially frozen subsurface that develops in boreal and arctic systems where the ground temperatures remain below 0°C for extended periods of time
permafrost
permentally frozen subsurface, develops where ground temps remain below 0
permafrost
Tropical ________ refers to vegetation in the drier tropics and subtropics that is dominated by a ground cover of grasses with scattered shrubs or trees
savanna
range of vegetation types in the drier tropics and subtropics, ground cover of grasses with scattered shrubs or trees, distribution controlled by moisture, warm continental climate, year to year variation in total precipitation
savanna
adaptions that reduce water loss during the summer period
sclerophyllous vegetation
plant community in which the shrub growth is dominant or codominant, dominated by evergreen shrubs and sclerophyllous trees, hot, dry summers, 1 month protracted drought
shrublands
A belt of coniferous forest, known as ________ forest, occurs in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere
taiga
Which of the following is not a type of temperate grassland? A) veld B) pampas C) prairie D) chaparral
D
Climate diagrams are valuable because they show A) seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation. B) abundance of dominant vegetation. C) diversity of plant species present. D) variation in carbon availability.
A
Cool deserts are dominated by A) shrubs such as Artemisia tridentata. B) trees such as willow or poplar. C) tall-growth forms of saguaro. D) ground-dwelling succulents.
A
What is the primary difference between savannas and tropical forests? A) Tropical forests are typically warmer. B) Savannas have less precipitation. C) Tropical forests have more variable temperatures. D) There are no climate differences between the two.
B
Which of the following biomes contains permafrost? A) taiga B) tundra C) desert D) temperate grassland
B
Decomposition rates in the tropical rain forest are A) slow due to inhibition of decomposition by moisture. B) fast due to near optimal conditions for decomposers. C) fast due to highly fertile soils. D) slow due to stored soil organic matter pools from which plants draw nutrients.
B
Distribution patterns of biomes can be determined based almost entirely on A) only mean annual temperature. B) both mean annual temperature and precipitation. C) the distribution of soils. D) global weather patterns.
B
The broad categories of grasses, shrubs, and trees represent a diverse range of species and characteristics, and they have fundamentally different patterns of A) nutrient allocation and morphology. B) carbon allocation and morphology. C) carbon allocation and nutrient allocation
B
The dominant vegetation types in temperate shrublands are A) pine trees. B) evergreen shrubs and sclerophyllous vegetation. C) dwarf willows and Atriplex. D) grasses and dwarf oak.
B
The highest diversity of plant and animal life occurs in A) tropical savannas. B) tropical rain forests. C) temperate deciduous forests. D) boreal forests
B
The vegetation of tundra is dominated by A) broadleaf deciduous trees. B) short plants such as sedges, heaths, and willow. C) needle-leaf evergreen trees. D) sclerophyllous broadleaf evergreen shrubs.
B
Deeply weathered soils, with no distinct horizons characteristic of the tropical rain forest, are A) mollisols. B) andosols. C) oxisols. D) alfisols.
C
Fire in the taiga A) damages trees, resulting in excessively slow recovery due to low temperatures. B) alters nutrient cycling, making nutrients unavailable for trees. C) occurs often, resulting in decreased competition of vegetation adapted to repeated burning. D) results in systems dominated by grassland species.
C
In which biome would one find sclerophyllous vegetation? A) tundra B) taiga C) shrubland D) tropical forest
C
Increases in elevation are accompanied by decreases in temperature. The rate at which temperature drops as elevation increases is referred to as the dry adiabatic lapse rate, which gives a drop in temperature of rising unsaturated air of about 10°C for every 1000 meters. If the temperature is 25°C at the base of the mountain, what temperatures do organisms experience 3000 meters upslope? A) 5°C B) 0°C C) -5°C D) -15°C
C
Plants that root and grow on other plants in the tropical rain forest are called A) phreatophytes. B) succulents. C) epiphytes. D) halophytes.
C
The relationship between mean annual precipitation (MAP) and aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) is ANPP = 0.50 × (MAP) + (70) in mm MAP and (g/m2/yr) for ANPP in grassland systems. If precipitation is currently 1000 mm and MAP increases by 25 percent, then ANPP will be approximately A) 570. B) 625. C) 695. D) 713.
C
The vegetation formation dominated by needle-leaf evergreen trees and occurring where growth is restricted to a few months of the year due to low temperatures is referred to as A) temperate deciduous forest. B) tundra. C) boreal forest. D) temperate shrubland.
C
Tropical forests make up 6 percent of total land mass but contain an estimated ________ of all species on Earth. A) 1 percent B) 6 percent C) 50 percent D) 90 percent
C
In what layer would one find salamanders in a deciduous forest? A) canopy B) shrub layer C) understory D) ground
D
Large grazing ungulates and burrowing animals are most abundant in A) deserts. B) tropical rain forest. C) temperate shrubland. D) temperate grassland.
D
Savannas typically occur in A) cold areas with little rainfall in polar regions. B) cold areas with little rainfall at high altitudes in the tropics. C) very dry areas in the rain shadow of mountains of both temperate and tropical latitudes. D) warm areas with seasonal rainfall in the tropics.
D
The density of woody vegetation in a savanna is controlled through A) mean annual temperature. B) mean annual temperature, soil texture, and water-holding capacity. C) mean annual precipitation. D) mean annual precipitation, soil texture, and water-holding capacity.
D
Which of the following allocates the greatest amount of biomass to photosynthetic tissue and the least amount to supportive tissue? A) trees B) shrubs C) lianas D) grasses
D
Which of the following is the predominant leaf form of environments where the growing season is very short or where nutrient availability severely constrains photosynthesis and plant growth? A) winter-deciduous leaves B) drought-deciduous leaves C) broadleaf evergreen leaves D) needle-leaf evergreen leaves
D
Leaves beyond a year
Evergreen
Maintain higher proportion of biomass in photosynthetic tissue because little energy is required for support tissue.
Grasses
taiga or boreal, found primarily in broad circumpolar belt across northern hemisphere and on mountain ranges, low temperature limit growing season to few months per year
conifer forests
Leaves that live for only a single year or growing season are classified as _
deciduous
leaves live for only a single year or growing season and shed at the end of growing season
deciduous
Arid environments that occur in the rain shadow of mountain barriers or are located far inland where moist maritime air rarely penetrates are referred to as ___
deserts
lie between 15 and 30 degrees latitude in response to ITCA
deserts
organisms do not reproduce or are inactive during dry season
drought evasion
two ways to avoid droughts
drought evasion, drought resistance
organism have adaptions that make them less susceptible to dry conditions
drought resistance
Two types of Deciduous
drought, winter
Tropical rain forests are restricted primarily to the ________ zone between latitudes 10° N and 10° S.
equatorial
rainfall between 25 and 80 cm per year, not climatic, mid latitudes in mid continental regions where annual precipitation is reduced as air masses move in land, temperature grasses experience recurring drought, dominated by herbivorous species
grasslands
Native grasslands of North America, influenced by declining precipitation from east to west, consist of three main types distinguished by the ________ of the dominant species
height
Advantages of having woody plants
increased height, access to light
A(n) ________ climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters
mediterranean
dominated by broadleaf, equatorial zone between 10 N and 10 S, warm and rainfall almost daily
tropical rain forest
frozen plain that is located at highest
tundra