APES 1.1-1.3 Exam Questions

The zone that has the greatest biodiversity a. A b. B c. C d. D e. E

a. A

Exemplified by bees consuming nectar and carrying pollen from one flower to another a. Commensalism b. Parasitism c. Mutualism d. Predation e. Competition

c. Mutualism

Decreased by the breakdown of organic waste a. Acidity b. Turbidity c. Hardness d. Dissolved oxygen e. Salinity

a. Acidity

Exemplified by moss growing on a tree trunk in a forest a. Commensalism b. Parasitism c. Mutualism d. Predation e. Competition

a. Commensalism

Which of the following is the best explanation of the fact that agricultural production on floodplains is often relatively high? a. On floodplains, soils tend to be nutrient-rich and fertile. b. On floodplains, high water tables make irrigation unnecessary. c. Periodic flooding leaches toxic pollutants out of floodplain soils. d. Periodic flooding prevents the pH of floodplain soils from becoming too high. e. Floodplains are usually sparsely settled and thus more acreage is available for agriculture.

a. On floodplains, soils tend to be nutrient-rich and fertile.

This biome is characterized by long dry seasons and is dominated by grasses, shrubs, and grazing animals. a. Savanna b. Boreal forest c. Tropical rain forest d. Desert

a. Savanna

In Mediterranean climate regions like portions of California, a wetter-than-normal winter often leads to greater severity of fires the following summer. This seeming paradox occurs because increased rain leads to a. greater accumulation of chapparal biomass b. higher pollination rates of annual flowers c. greater recreational use of parklands d. greater erosion and damage of access roads e. decreased summer rainfall

a. greater accumulation of chapparal biomass

Which of the following statements is true of aquatic biomes? a. Freshwater and marine biomes are evenly distributed on Earth. b. Freshwater biomes are a vital source of drinking water. c. Freshwater biomes supply a greater portion of Earth's oxygen than marine biomes. d. Marine biomes include streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes.

b. Freshwater biomes are a vital source of drinking water.

Where is the majority of fresh water found on Earth? a. Groundwater b. Ice caps and glaciers c. Lakes d. Oceans

b. Ice caps and glaciers

Which of the following best describes a symbiotic relationship? a. Striped bass and bluefish eat the same variety of mackerel. b. Intestinal bacteria inhabit the gut of humans. c. Mountain lions feed on white-tailed deer. d. Marsupial animals carry their young in a pouch.

b. Intestinal bacteria inhabit the gut of humans.

Exemplified by ticks feeding on a deer a. Commensalism b. Parasitism c. Mutualism d. Predation e. Competition

b. Parasitism

In a typical forest ecosystem, dead trees and fallen trees are most important because of their role in which of the following? a. Providing a valuable source of timber b. Providing habitats for wildlife c. Contributing to soil erosion d. Increasing water runoff e. Removing carbon dioxide from the air

b. Providing habitats for wildlife

Which of the following best describes soil in many tropical rain forests? a. They lack soil horizons. b. They are quickly depleted nutrients when the forest is removed. c. They are similar to soils in grasslands. d. They are well suited for growing a wide variety of crops. e. They are deep and well drained.

b. They are quickly depleted nutrients when the forest is removed.

Phytoplankton are most abundant in the upper few hundred feet of most bodies of water because a. they can most readily hide from predators there b. sunlight does not penetrate to great depths in water c. as primary producers, they must be accessible to many other organisms d. they are benthic organisms e. they feed on zooplankton, which are found only in the top layers of water

b. sunlight does not penetrate to great depths in water

Which environment is most likely to be characterized by dry scrub with frequent fires? Responses a. A b. B c. C d. D e.

c. C

Five different species of warblers, seed-eating birds, live in the same species of conifer trees. All of the birds migrate to coniferous forests during the summer, and different species reside in different areas in the same tree. They feed on the seeds of the conifer trees, but the different species do not mate with each other. Which of the following best explains why the different warbler species can all have habitats in the same conifer trees? a. Not all the warblers are residents in the forest at the same time of the year because of different migration patterns. b. Physiological differences in beak structure allow the warblers to consume different species of seeds through symbiotic relationships. c. Resource partitioning of the seeds reduces competition, and the five different species can live in the same tree. d. Niche overlap occurs between the five different species, and living in the same tree increases competition for seeds.

c. Resource partitioning of the seeds reduces competition, and the five different species can live in the same tree.

In a fish species, the number of eggs that hatch and survive for one year varies depending on the number of eggs that were produced. As the number of eggs produced increases past a threshold number, the survival rate of the offspring decreases. Which of the following statements best explains why only a limited number of offspring can survive in a fish population? a. Resource partitioning allows similar species to coexist in the same ecological community. b. The number of fish surviving after one year is proportional to the number of eggs produced. c. The chance of survival decreases when there is intraspecific competition for resources among surviving yearlings. d. More yearling fish survive beyond one year when there is an abundance of prey species present.

c. The chance of survival decreases when there is intraspecific competition for resources among surviving yearlings.

Which of the following is a characteristic of tropical rain forests? a. They rarely receive more than 100 centimeters of rain per year. b. Their soils typically have a high pH. c. Their soils are relatively poor in nutrients. d. They do not exhibit a great deal of species diversity. e. They generally occur in the rain shadows of mountain ranges.

c. Their soils are relatively poor in nutrients.

This biome contains plants that are adapted to prevent water loss due to the low average rainfall and high temperatures year-round. a. Savanna b. Boreal forest c. Tropical rain forest d. Desert

d. Desert

Which of the following biomes is best characterized as an area that forms the narrow band along the coast that experiences a range of environmental conditions (including daily changes in sunlight, temperature, and water) ? a. Open ocean b. Lakes c. Coral reefs d. Intertidal zones

d. Intertidal zones

Which of the following best illustrates an abiotic component of the environment affecting a biotic component of the environment? a. Composted manure is added to agricultural soil during spring tilling. b. Coral reefs modify the direction of an ocean current. c. Plants release O2 into the atmosphere during photosynthesis. d. Low phosphorus content in soil limits the growth of vegetation. e. A thick planting of ground cover reduces soil erosion on a hillside.

d. Low phosphorus content in soil limits the growth of vegetation.

Country with the largest area of boreal forests a. Australia b. Brazil c. Chile d. Russia e. United States of America

d. Russia

The great grasslands of the world have which of the following primary characteristics in common? a. They are restricted in occurrence to the region between 30° north latitude and 30° south latitude. b. Due to high humidity, fires are uncommon and rarely affect large areas. c. They are typically created by overgrazing by livestock. d. Seasonal cycles of temperature and precipitation produce abundant vegetative growth. e. High winds blow seeds of trees away such that only grasses exist.

d. Seasonal cycles of temperature and precipitation produce abundant vegetative growth.

Traveling southward from the Arctic regions of Canada to the tropics of Panama, one passes through several biomes - tundra, coniferous forest, temperate deciduous forest, and tropical rain forest. This pattern of change in vegetation is primarily the result of a. primary and secondary succession b. the invasion of exotic species c. an increase in mean annual temperature and a decrease in mean annual precipitation d. an increase in both mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation e. an increase in the total annual hours of sunlight

d. an increase in both mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation

The graph below shows the results obtained when two species of Paramecium were grown together in the same medium. The graph above best exemplifies a. the demographic transition b. sustained logarithmic growth c. the edge effect d. competitive exclusion e. the normal distribution

d. competitive exclusion

The major biological source of dissolved oxygen in the ocean comes from a. decomposition of organic sediments on the ocean floor b. metabolic processes of coral in reefs c. oxidation of sulfur by bacteria in ocean vent communities d. photosynthesis by phytoplankton e. respiration by zooplankton

d. photosynthesis by phytoplankton

Which of the following world regions contain the greatest area of rain forest? a. Canada and the United States b. Eastern and Western Europe c. Russia and China d. Australia and New Zealand e. Brazil and Indonesia

e. Brazil and Indonesia

Exemplified by starlings displacing bluebirds from nesting sites a. Commensalism b. Parasitism c. Mutualism d. Predation e. Competition

e. Competition

The zone in which species are adapted to the lowest light and the highest pressure Responses a. A b. B c. C d. D e. E

e. E

Which of the following regions of the ocean is LEAST likely to contain photosynthetic organisms? a. intertidal zone b. zone of coastal upwelling c. pelagic zone d. eutrophic zone e. abyssal zone

e. abyssal zone