NRES 105 quizzes
Which of the following is NOT true about climate modeling?
Attribution studies use large grid cells of a global climate model to predict values for many smaller grid cells.
T/F: Climate refers to the minute-to-minute or day-to-day conditions of Earth's atmosphere at a particular location and time, whereas weather refers to the conditions of a place over a long period of time.
FALSE (definitions should be switched)
T/F: Albedo describes the ability of surfaces to reflect solar energy. White or light-colored surfaces have a low albedo, while black or dark-colored surfaces have a high albedo.
FALSE (definitions switched)
T/F: An individual may compete with members of its own species through interspecific competition, or with members of other species through intraspecific competition.
FALSE (definitions switched)
T/F: Microrefugia are larger areas covering regional scales, while macrorefugia are smaller areas where the microclimate remains suitable within a region where conditions are generally becoming unstable.
FALSE (definitions switched)
Which of the following is true regarding decomposition?
High primary production, or NPP, offsets carbon losses in the soil because high NPP means that more carbon is entering the soil
Which of the following is NOT an example of a range shift?
If birds were to migrate to an area as they have always done around the same time of year, but the plants and insects arrive early, then this could affect food resources for bird nestlings.
Which of the following is NOT true regarding nutrient cycling?
In general, primary production is more limited by phosphorus than nitrogen in terrestrial and marine systems, whereas primary production in freshwater systems is more limited by nitrogen than phosphorus
Greenhouse gases are efficient absorbers of _______ radiation emitted by the Earth.
Infrared
Earth System Models (ESMs)
It is used to calculate global and regional environmental responses to human activity and natural processes.
A species' ecological niche is the physical and biological conditions that the species needs to grow, survive, and reproduce.
TRUE
Coral bleaching occurs when corals are exposed to high water temperatures and become stressed and expel their algae.
TRUE
Species faced with climate change have three options: adapt to the new conditions, move to a new location, or die.
TRUE
T/F: Areas at higher latitudes that are not in the direct path of the sun receive less solar energy overall because the energy is distributed over larger areas due to the curvature of the earth.
TRUE
T/F: Global warming can create changes in the biosphere that slow down global warming, initiating a negative feedback, or create changes in the biosphere that speed up warming, initiating a positive feedback.
TRUE
T/F: Mitigation refers to actions taken to reduce emissions and stabilize the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, while adaptation refers to actions aimed at preparing for and adjusting to new conditions, thereby reducing harm or taking advantage of new opportunities.
TRUE
T/F: Speleothems, like stalagmites and stalactites, are formed from mineral deposits in caves and have annual bands that accumulate over time.
TRUE
T/F: The last glacial period or "ice age" occurred around 11,000 years ago and gave way to our current warm period which is called the Holocene.
TRUE
T/F: The ocean is an important sink for excess CO2 emitted from the burning of fossil fuels.
TRUE
T/F: Theory suggests possible direct effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, while experimentation informs understanding of complex processes during warming and of the interactions of warming, changes in precipitation, and direct influences of higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
TRUE
The study of populations and their vital rates, like births, deaths, and reproduction is referred to as demography.
TRUE
Match the following species to their location of past or current climate refugia:
Talus Slopes of the Rocky Mountains: American Pika Coronation Island: Brown Bear Queen Charlotte Islands: Ground Beetle Southern Coastal Region of Chile: Patagonian Otter Cordilleran Region of western North America: Long-Toed Salamander
The idea that two species using the same limiting resource in the same way cannot co-exist is best referred to as ___________.
The competitive exclusion principle
T/F: The provision of ecosystem services may be altered by climate change, because all are made up of species whose growth, productivity, and location are determined by climate.
TRUE
gap models
used to examine species interactions and vegetation change at very fine spatial scales (plots the size of an individual canopy gap or small stand of trees) over daily to annual time steps
T/F: When the flows of incoming solar energy and outgoing solar energy are in balance, then the average temperature of Earth is stable.
TRUE
T/F: When vegetation releases water through evapotranspiration, it cools the atmosphere because the evaporation of moisture consumes heat energy, called "latent heat flux."
TRUE
T/F: Phenological mismatches occur when different species respond to warming at different rates, leading to possible mismatches in timing between species.
TRUE
T/F: The formation of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere allowed terrestrial life to emerge by blocking harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
TRUE
Which is the correct equation for photosynthesis?
6CO2 + 6H2O + solar energy à C6H12O6 + 6O2
The optimal environmental range describes the values of any environmental variable at which an organism performs better.
TRUE
Which of the following is NOT true about atmospheric aerosols?
Aerosols can increase cloud formation, which can indirectly lead to atmospheric warming.
Which of the following is NOT true regarding climate change and water provisioning?
All climate models show climate change to increase global water stress in the future
Which of the following can be used as climate proxies for reconstructing climates without direct measurements of temperature?
All of the Above
Which of the following is NOT the result of a field study testing the effects of elevated CO2?
All of the above are effects associated with elevated carbon dioxide
Which of the following is a limitation to ecological niche modeling?
All of the above are limitations to ecological niche modeling
T/F: Plant physiological processes regulated by temperature include which of the following?
All of the above are plant physiological processes regulated by temperature
Which of the following is true about the Earth's formation?
All of the above are true about the Earth's formation
Which of the following is NOT true regarding ocean acidification during Earth's history?
All of the above are true regarding Earth's history of ocean acidification
Which of the following is true regarding the conservation or management of future refugia?
All of the above are true regarding the protection of future refugia
Which of the following are impacts of phenology on humans and our health?
All of the above describe impacts of phenology on humans
Which of the following are NOT important abiotic factors for determining where species live?
All of the above may be important for determining where species live
Which of the following are considered specialist species?
Both A and B are considered specialist species
Which of the following is NOT true regarding major mass extinction events?
Climate has played a negligible role in most of these extinction events
Which of the following is NOT true regarding Refugia?
Climate refugia exhibit faster rates and greater extremes of climate change when compared to surrounding regions
Which of the following is NOT true regarding the effects of climate change on agricultural pests and pathogens?
Crop pests and pathogens may have altered their latitudinal ranges in response to global warming since 1960 by an average shift of up to 3.5 km per year toward the equator
The _______ photosynthetic pathway is associated with improved water efficiency and is found in many tropical grass species and is of major importance in subtropical and tropical ecosystems.
C4
Which is the correct equation for cellular respiration?
C6H12O6 + 6O2 à 6CO2 + 6H2O + ATP
Rank the following gases in order of lowest to highest global warming potential (GWP).
CO2 < CH4 < N2O
Which of the following is NOT true regarding carbon sequestration as an ecosystem service?
Carbon sequestration is primarily classified as a provisioning ecosystem service
Which of the following is an example of a radioisotope
Carbon-14
Which of the following is true about plate tectonics?
Changes in continental configuration is also important in understanding the history of our climate, a field called "paleoclimatology"
Which of the following is NOT true regarding phenology in aquatic systems?
Changes in spring ice breakup do not affect terrestrial ecosystems or animals
T/F: On average, only about 10% of the energy stored as biomass in one trophic level (e.g. primary producers) gets stored as biomass in the next trophic level (e.g. primary consumers).
TRUE
T/F: Phenology is the study of biological, seasonal cycles and how they are affected by climate and weather, while seasonality is used to describe changes in the abiotic environment.
TRUE
Which of the following is NOT a greenhouse gas?
Dinitrogen (N2)
T/F: Physical models look like the thing that they model, mathematical models are made up of numbers, equations, and other forms of data, and conceptual models are systems of ideas or comparisons of unfamiliar things with familiar things to help explain unfamiliar ideas.
TRUE
Match the following species from the lecture videos to their corresponding description:
Edith's Checkerspot Butterfly: Populations of this species are found from Mexico to Canada, and populations in the south and in lowland areas were found to be disappearing faster than populations in the north and upland areas. Mountain Pine Beetle: This species is expanding as a result of higher overwinter temperatures, causing high rates of tree mortality in the western United States. Hemlock Wooly Adelgid: This species was introduced as an invasive from Asia, and has caused widespread tree mortality across the eastern United States. Arctic Fox: Warming climate is pushing this species to expand its range northward, which is causing other similar species that reside in this new range to retreat father north due to increased resource competition. Jordan's Salamander: This is an example of an endemic species in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that will struggle to find refuge from future climate change as they move to higher elevations in the mountains.
_________ species are plants or animals that live only in one geographic area.
Endemic
Which of the following is NOT true regarding ecological niche modeling?
Environmental data like average temperature, humidity, soil type, and land cover are not required for ecological niche modeling
T/F: During evaporation of seawater, the water made up of the heavier isotope of oxygen (18O) is slightly more readily converted to water vapor.
FALSE
T/F: Given trophic relationships, consumers are expected to increase when the seasonal timing of their peak energy demand changes at a different rate from the seasonal timing of prey/resource peaks.
FALSE
T/F: If we stopped emitting all greenhouse gases today, climate change would have no impact on future generations.
FALSE
T/F: In general, plant physiological processes have shown that rates decrease by half with a 10 degree Celsius increase in temperature.
FALSE
T/F: Scientists have only been recording phenological events for the past few decades, and there is a limited temporal phenological record.
FALSE
T/F: There are two photosynthetic pathways that are used by plants, each of which is affected differently by elevated carbon dioxide.
FALSE
T/F: A community refers to all of the biotic and abiotic components of an ecological system that influence the flow of energy and materials.
FALSE
T/F: Gross primary production (GPP) represents the total input of carbon into ecosystems, and is equivalent to the net primary production (NPP) minus respiration (R).
FALSE
Which of the following is true regarding nutrient cycling and climate change?
The decomposition of detritus (or dead biomass) is a key pathway by which inorganic nutrients become available to plants to support growth
Which of the following is NOT true regarding acidification chemistry?
The pH of seawater increases as it becomes more acidic
Aquatic Model
These models are used to yield important insights into the future of marine systems by using physical models of ocean chemistry and temperature to suggest changes in range limits of marine organisms, most notably corals.
Which of the following is NOT true regarding the niche theory developed by Evelyn Hutchinson?
Under Hutchinson's definition, every species has either a fundamental niche or a realized niche
All of the following are examples of phenological events EXCEPT:
Volcanic activity
Which of the following is NOT a consequence of changes in plant physiological processes under climate change?
Warming is likely to decrease plant growth and lower biomass production in warmer climates
Species distribution modelling
uses computer algorithms to predict the distribution of a species across geographic space and time using environmental data.
dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM)
simulates shifts in potential vegetation and its associated biogeochemical and hydrological cycles as a response to shifts in climate
Match the following species/events based on their phenological relationships from the lecture videos:
Leaf emergence in The Netherlands is advancing, resulting in earlier peak insect abundances: Blue tits have responded by laying eggs earlier in the spring. Oak budburst in England is occurring earlier due to warmer temperatures: Winter moth caterpillars emerge at the same time in the spring because freezing patterns have not changed. Yellow-bellied marmots emerge earlier from hibernation due to temperature rise: Plant flowering, the source of food for this species, has not changed because snowmelt has remained the same. Caribou populations time their spring migration to coincide with food resources around the landscape: Warming decreases the spatial variability in plant phenology in Greenland, and plants tended to become most nutritious more synchronously as climate warmed. Pine beetles can complete multiple life cycles in a single growing season due to warmer winter temperatures: This has caused the death of more than 100 million lodgepole pines in North America.
Which term describes the cycles of small variations in the Earth's orbit that affect how the Earth is warmed by the sun and drive Earth's glacial-interglacial cycles?
Milankovitch Cycles
Which of the following is NOT true about the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index or NDVI?
NDVI values are lower for healthy, dense green vegetation and higher for unhealthy or sparse vegetation
Which of the following is NOT true regarding non-native species?
Non-native species always become invasive when moved to a new location
All of the following are examples of macrorefugia EXCEPT:
North-facing slopes are warmer and drier than south-facing slopes because these receive less solar radiation
Which of the following is NOT true regarding climate change and phenology?
Ocean surfaces have warmed slightly faster than land surfaces, and the greatest rates of surface warming are continually found in the low latitude regions
Place the following mass extinction events in order from oldest to most recent:
Ordovician-Silurian, End-Devonian, Permian-Triassic, Triassic-Jurassic, Cretaceous-Tertiary
Which of the following shows the correct order of the levels of biological organization from smallest to largest?
Organisms < Populations < Communities < Ecosystems < Biosphere
Which of the following is an example of a native pest that has expanded its range due to climate change?
Perkinsus marinus
Which of the following is NOT true about phenology?
Phenology does not directly influence humans or agriculture
____________ are stages in a plant's or animal's life cycle.
Phenophases
Oxygen can bind to Rubisco instead of carbon dioxide and through a process called ___________, oxygen reduces C3 plant photosynthetic efficiency and water use efficiency.
Photorespiration
Which of the following is NOT true regarding acclimation in plants to altered carbon dioxide?
Plant responses to elevated carbon dioxide are always linear
Which of the following is a result of warming that has been tested in field experiments?
Productivity tends to increase with warming
Things like fossil records, ice cores, tree rings, pollen, and sediments from lakes and oceans are ALL examples of sources of _______ ?
Proxy Data
Which of the following is NOT true about the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM)?
Rainforests were only found in the lower latitudes during the PETM
Match the following types of ecosystem services to their corresponding examples:
Recreation and ecotourism: Cultural services Carbon sequestration and climate regulation:. Regulating services Nutrient cycling:. Supporting services Lumber, food, and water: Provisioning services Primary production: Supporting services
Which of the following is NOT true regarding climate feedbacks in arctic systems?
Release of greenhouse gases from thawing permafrost is expected to negatively feed back to global warming
Which of the following is NOT a limitation associated with data collection that affects phenological research?
Research on phenological changes in the tropics is limited, but this areas is less important because tropical areas have minimal seasonal temperature variations
Which of the following is NOT true regarding ocean acidification?
Rivers carry enough dissolved chemicals from rocks to the ocean to keep the ocean's chemistry relatively stable under elevated CO2 inputs
All of the following are abiotic components of ecosystems EXCEPT:
Soil microbes
Which of the following is NOT a short-term control on GPP and NPP?
Soil parent material
Which of the following is NOT true regarding seasonal warming trends?
Summers are warming at nearly twice the rate of winters