Physical Geography Final Exam

Why are low-level consumers, like herbivores, relatively abundant in ecosystems compared to the number of carnivores? (There may be more than one correct answer. Choose all that apply.)

- All consumers at each level waste 90% of the energy available in their food. - Eating other animals wastes most of the food energy available. - Herbivores are very efficient and get more energy out of their food. - 1 pound of grass and leaves can feed more animals than 1 pound of meat.

Which of the following are threats to biodiversity: (There may be more than one correct answer. Choose all that apply.)

- Climate change - Habitat loss - Air, water, and soil pollution - Invasive species

Which is true of ecosystems? (There may be more than one correct answer. Choose all that apply.)

- Ecosystems support human life and our societies. - Ecosystems help clean and regulate our water supply. - Ecosystems are complex systems that are challenging to understand. - Rocks, soil, and air are parts of ecosystems. - Plants and animals are parts of ecosystems.

Which of the following is a limiting factor for plant growth and survival? (There may be more than one answer. Choose all that apply.)

- Sunlight - Temperature - Nitrogen availability - Water availability -Nutrient availability

Which of the following is NOT a major group of terrestrial vegetation recognized in biogeography? (There may be more than one answer. Choose all that apply.)

- Weeds - Seaweed

Invasive species can cause problems with our ____________. (There may be more than one correct answer. Choose all that apply.)

- agriculture - biodiversity - water supply

The species of plants and animals found in each biogeographic realm are a product of _________. (There may be more than one correct answer. Choose all that apply.)

- plate tectonic - evolution

Which is a region where the broadleaf and mixed forest biome is found? (There may be more than one correct answer. Choose all that apply.)

-Southeastern China -Southeastern United States

When a consumer in an ecosystem trophic pyramid eats their food, about how much of the energy in the food is wasted in the process of getting, eating, and digesting that food?

90% of the food energy is wasted.

Biogeographic realms are mainly defined by ___________.

A: barriers to species movement

Which continent has the largest area of tropical savanna?

Africa

Which is the most important in terms of ecosystem resilience and conservation?

Biodiversity

Which is an example of a trophic cascade?

Bringing wolves back to Yellowstone National Park changed rates of soil erosion.

Which best describes trophic cascades?

Changes at one trophic level can impact many species at other trophic levels and the environment, even though they do not interact directly.

What is the name given to the Mediterranean vegetation type in California?

Chaparral

If a conservation area (National Park or State Nature Preserve) is very large, but surrounded by development and isolated from other natural areas, it will tend to support fewer species than the natural ecosystem.

FALSE

True or False: Forest biomes tend to occur where the climate is drier, and grasslands occur in wetter climates.

FALSE

Which of the following is a common characteristic of Mediterranean shrubland vegetation?

Hard, leathery leaves to conserve water the hot, summer drought.

Which of the following is a type of vegetation typical in one or more of the Mediterranean shrubland regions?

Olive trees

Humans have drastically changed Earth's nitrogen cycle. What is one of the impacts that human disruption of the nitrogen cycle has caused?

Oxygen depletion and dead zones in coastal waters.

This process is responsible for creating all food on earth.

Photosynthesis

Which of the following is a problem that can be caused by invasive species?

Reduced biodiversity

Tropical savanna vegetation is maintained by fire frequently causing ecological disturbance.

TRUE

Which of the following has been an important contribution of geography to the conservation of plant and animal species?

The theory of island biogeography

Biomes are large, stable ecosystems classified and named for their main __________.

Vegetation type

An important distinction among trees for defining biomes is whether they are ___________.

evergreen or deciduous

The unique and distinctive set of plant and animal species found in Australia is the result of Australia's ____________.

long isolation from all other land areas

In terms of ecosystem energy flow, plants are known as _______________.

producers