Final Exam REEF Questions
Glacial polish results from...
abrasion
Alpine glaciers include all of the following except...
an ice cap
When a community is disturbed to the point that most or all of its species are eliminated, a process called ___________ occurs in which the area undergoes a series of changes in species composition as newer communities replace older ones.
ecological succession
A self-sustaining system of plants and animals, and their non-living physical environment is a (an)...
ecosystem
Near the shore, waves of transition begin to "feel bottom: and, as a result, the orbits of the water molecules in the wave become more ____. The process eventually cause ____ to form.
elliptical; breakers
A long, narrow, sinuous ridge of stratified sand and gravel located in a till plain is known as a(n)...
esker.
Energy flows through an ecosystem along a circuit called the...
food chain
Studies have shown that _________ biodiversity in an ecosystem leads to _________ long-term stability and productivity.
greater; greater
The type of environment in which an organism resides or is biologically adapted to live is a...
habitat
Organic soils that form in wet locations are...
histosols
The most abundant natural elements in living matter are...
hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon.
Salinization is likely to occur...
in areas of high potential evapotranspiration and low actual evapotranspiration
Net primary productivity is greatest...
in the tropics
What occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in alignment?
maximum tidal ranges occur
When two valley glaciers join together they form a ______ at the point at which they merge.
medial moraine
Grassland soils with much dark organic material are...
mollisols
Bears eat both plants and animals; therefore, they are...
omnivores
The process in which carbon dioxide, water, and light combine to make carbohydrates is...
photosynthesis
A coral is a type of _______ that secretes _______ to form an organic rock home.
polyp; calcium carbonate
Organisms that are capable of using carbon dioxide as their sole source of carbon are...
producers
Under cutting action of the sea results in...
sea cliffs
How is atmospheric nitrogen converted to a usable form in the biosphere?
Bacteria with root nodules of legumes chemically combine the atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates and ammonia.
Because the upper regions of a glacier flow ________ than the base of the glacier, the upper part of the glacier tends to be _______.
slower; stretched
The general name for any distinct layer in a person is...
soil horizon
Permafrost forms when...
soil temperature remain below freezing for more than two years
What region would you expect to have the highest levels of seawater salinity?
subtropical oceans
Tides are produced by...
the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun
The active layer is usually ______ toward the pole and _________ at lower latitude.
thinner; thicker
Unsorted and unstratified glacial deposits (not landforms) are called...
till
A depositional landform that takes the shape of a long ridge extending out from a coast is a...
tombolo
The R horizon refers to...
unweathered sediment or consolidated bedrock
Why, especially, is glacial ice analogous to a metamorphic rock?
It forms as a result of recrystallization caused by pressure.
Which of the following is correct regarding the snowline?
It increases in elevation with increasing latitude.
_________ refers to the biotic and abiotic characteristics in the environment that determine species distribution.
Limiting factor
A soil with 9% clay, 11% silt, and 80% sand is classified as a...
Loamy sand
A soil horizon at the top of a peon that contain at least 20% organic matter is the...
O horizon
What season is used to determine that snowing in a mountain range?
Summer
Wave action works to straighten a coast as wave energy focuses around headlands and tends to disperse energy in coves and bays on a process called...
wave refraction
What is not an example of an erosional coastal landform?
Tombolo
Which of the following life-zone lists is in the correct sequence from lowest to highest elevation?
Tropical rainforest, temperature deciduous forest, needleleaf forest, tundra, ice and snow
Which of the following ecosystems has the lowest net primary productivity?
Tundra
Periglacial environments are likely to occur in which of the following climate types?
Tundra.
Unlike a stream-cut valley that assumes a characteristic _______-shape, a glacially-carved valley evidences a characteristic ________-shape.
V; U
Oxisols are found...
where the ITCZ dominates
During a neap tide, how many relatively "high tides" can potentially occur in a same location at the ocean during one day?
4
Ultisols...
Are redder than alfisols
The process of illuviation typically dominates which soil horizon?
B horizon
An atoll is approximately ________ in shape because it forms ________.
circular; around seastacks
Correct sequence from inland to to ocean?
coast, backshore, foreshore, nearshore