Environmental Science Midterm Q4

Herbivory is actually a type of ________.

predation

Microbes in our digestive tract that help us digest food demonstrate a ________ association.

symbiotic

Of the following, ________ is (are) an abiotic factor. -snails -butterflies -grasses -oak trees -temperature

temperature

Which statement is correct concerning the process of ecological succession? -Planting pines in an abandoned farm field mimics the natural progression of species during succession. -Shrubs will replace pines during succession. -Primary succession starts after a forest fire. -After a disturbance, the community goes through a somewhat predictable set of changes until reaching a final state.

After a disturbance, the community goes through a somewhat predictable set of changes until reaching a final state.

________ capture solar energy and use photosynthesis to produce sugars.

Producers

Which of the following is true about top predators? -They include bacteria and fungi. -They are likely to be producers. -They are likely to be keystone species. -They are likely to be herbivores. -Their removal increases biodiversity.

They are likely to be keystone species.

________ terrestrial biome has the most biodiversity.

Tropical rainforest

Which biome features soil that contains a layer of permafrost?

tundra

Which of the following biomes has acidic soil with few nutrients and little organic matter?

a tropical rainforest

If global climate change results in an area of temperate grassland receiving less rainfall and higher temperatures, it will ________.

begin to support more desert species

Temperate deciduous forests are characterized by ________.

moderate temperatures and moderate amounts of precipitation

The statement, "hiking up a mountain in the southwestern United States is like walking from Mexico to Canada," is meant to demonstrate that ________ change(s) rapidly as you change altitude and latitude.

biomes

This biome often features wildfires due to extensive dry seasons.

chaparral

Human activities, including fossil fuel combustion, farming, and deforestation, are known to increase the levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides in our atmosphere. Measurable warming of Earth due to these greenhouse gases can alter ecosystem dynamics. In addition to the direct climatic effects on organisms within biomes, warming can lower levels of sea ice and increase precipitation in arctic areas. Global warming also can increases sea surface temperatures, which can subsequently melt permafrost in the tundra and increase the intensity of hurricanes in vulnerable areas. Within communities, climatic change can shift interdependent species "out-of-sync," potentially causing indirect loss of species. Global warming has been hypothesized to cause many plants to flower earlier. If bees and other pollinators begin search for food earlier in response to this, this would represent ________ within the community.

coevolution

Prairie dogs dig extensive series of tunnels. Beavers build dams that alter the hydrologic profile of an area. What sort of organisms are prairie dogs and beavers?

ecosystem engineers

By definition, parasites ________ their host.

feed on and harm

Taiga and tundra both ________.

have comparatively low temperatures throughout the year

Desert and tundra both ________.

have relatively low precipitation

Human activities, including fossil fuel combustion, farming, and deforestation, are known to increase the levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides in our atmosphere. Measurable warming of Earth due to these greenhouse gases can alter ecosystem dynamics. In addition to the direct climatic effects on organisms within biomes, warming can lower levels of sea ice and increase precipitation in arctic areas. Global warming also can increases sea surface temperatures, which can subsequently melt permafrost in the tundra and increase the intensity of hurricanes in vulnerable areas. Within communities, climatic change can shift interdependent species "out-of-sync," potentially causing indirect loss of species. The relationship between flowering plants and caterpillars is best described as ________.

herbivory

What kind of interaction occurs when two cardinals (birds of the same species) are trying to build a nest in the same tree?

intraspecific competition

Of the following, ________ are pioneer species. -lichens -beavers -aspen trees -wolves and mountain lions -zebra mussels

lichens

What moves through the community from one trophic level to another as organisms feed on one another?

matter and energy

Global climate change may produce major shifts in biomes for any given location because ________.

mean temperature, precipitation and salinity will change

Detritivores include ________.

millipedes, soil insects, many ants

Human activities, including fossil fuel combustion, farming, and deforestation, are known to increase the levels of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides in our atmosphere. Measurable warming of Earth due to these greenhouse gases can alter ecosystem dynamics. In addition to the direct climatic effects on organisms within biomes, warming can lower levels of sea ice and increase precipitation in arctic areas. Global warming also can increases sea surface temperatures, which can subsequently melt permafrost in the tundra and increase the intensity of hurricanes in vulnerable areas. Within communities, climatic change can shift interdependent species "out-of-sync," potentially causing indirect loss of species. The relationship between flowering plants and bees is best described as ________.

mutualism

What two types of relationships exhibit symbiosis?

mutualism and parasitism

Secondary succession ________.

occurs after a fire or flood

Grazing animals such as deer are ________.

primary consumers or herbivores

A climax community always ________.

remains in place until a disturbance restarts succession

Zooplankton-eating fish are ________.

secondary consumers

Which is enhanced by decomposers and detritivores as they recycle nutrients?

soil

The energy content and biomass of ________ is lowest in any food web.

top carnivores

A trophic cascade is the effect of ________ on ________.

top consumers; abundance of lower consumers

Which of the following biomes features distinct wet and dry seasons?

tropical dry forest