APES Quizzes

"Green architecture" refers to: a. designing structures that incorporate energy and water conservation, improved indoor air quality and recycled building material. b. designing an inexpensive structure that will be very popular and make the designers wealthy. c. designing buildings that are made entirely of wood and its by-products. d. designing structures for tropical regions that incorporate lush landscaping in order to create wildlife habitat. e. marketing a building primarily to "environmentally friendly" potential purchaser

A

In which biome would you be most likely to find a soil layer that is frozen year round, low rainfall, shallow ponds and swampy areas, few woody shrubs, and animals such as ptarmigan, weasels, and musk ox? a. Tundra b. Temperate deciduous forest c. Taiga d. Savanna

A

Leaching a. removes plant needed water-soluble materials from the soil. b. adds nutrients to the soil naturally from weathered parent material. c. can help plant growth if done sustainably. d. is a common agricultural practice that improves the sustainability of the soil. e. is caused by movement of water upward through soil from the water table.

A

The central problem of environmental science that links all other problems together is that: a. human numbers continue to grow b. we are using up our supplies of fossil fuels c. we are depleting nonrenewable resources d. we are using too much fresh water

A

The fossil record clearly shows that ________. a. All species evolve from pre-existing species. b. Several different species can hybridize to produce a single new species. c. Large complex organisms evolved long before simple. d. New species appear suddenly and fully differentiated, without an ancestral species. e. Nearly all species that have existed in the past still exist today.

A

The greatest ecological contributions of photosynthesis are: a. the production of food for organisms at the base of any food web / chain. b. the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. c. the production of secondary compounds in plant tissue that protect the plant from predators. d. the release of water into the soil by plants. e. the removal of decomposed waste material from the soil.

A

The interdisciplinary study of how humanity affects other organisms and the abiotic environment is termed: a. environmental science b. ecology c. sociology d. political science

A

The tragedy of the commons is a result of a. unregulated use of a common resource b. regulating access to common areas c. regulation which allows the benefits to be sustained d. private ownership

A

What two groups of factors comprise an environment? a. Abiotic and biotic. b. Natural and human c. Ecological and chemical. d. Atmospheric and biospheric.

A

Which of the following pairs contains, first, an r-selected organism and, second, a K-selected organism? a. grasshopper; whale b. dandelion; pine tree c. elephant; whale d. elephant; pine tree e. pine tree; dandelion

A

Which terrestrial biome has the most biodiversity? a. tropical rainforest b. temperate deciduous forest c. boreal forest d. prairie e. temperate rainforest

A

Wich is the primary advantage of no-till agriculture? a. The undisturbed soil is less susceptible to erosion b. Concentration of essential CO2 in soil is increased c. Migratory bird populations are undisturbed d. Crop residues reduce the O horizon e. Use of herbicides improves the overall stability of the soil.

A

You are hiking through a biome with acidic soil due to the partially decomposed pine and spruce needles. You find that most trees have needle like leaves and that the region is rich in numbers (but not species) of large migratory herbivores. You frequently hear the sound of chain saws and heavy machinery on the few roads in the region. In which biome are you most likely to be? a. Taiga b. Tundra c. Temperate deciduous forest d. Savanna

A

In cellular respiration, a. oxygen is released into the air by plants. b. carbon dioxide is released into the air by plants and animals c. none of these events occur. d. carbon dioxide is extracted from the air by plants

B

Saturation of soil with irrigation water or excessive precipitation so that the water table rises close to the surface which then makes plant roots unable to make adequate gas exchanges and ultimately leads to plant death. a. Terracing b. Waterlogging c. Weathering d. Overgrazing

B

The ability of the environment to function indefinitely without declining from the stresses imposed by human activities is called: a. synergism b. sustainability c. ecology d. natural balance

B

The functional role of a species in its community is its ________. a. distribution b. niche c. selection d. habitat e. place in the food chain

B

Which biome is characterized by great seasonal temperature differences, deep and rich soils with well-defined profiles, ecosystems usually maintained by fire, and the greatest amount of agricultural activities? a. Savanna b. Temperate grasslands c. Chaparral d. Tropical rainforests e. Temperate deciduous forest

B

Which biome is characterized by plants with small and leathery leaves that can be shed during the frequent summer droughts and root systems adapted for infertile and dry soils? People living in this biome must constantly watch out for fires during the hot and dry summers and landslides in the wet winters. a. Savanna b. Chaparral c. Temperate grasslands d. Temperate deciduous forest

B

Which of the following did NOT contribute to the American Dust Bowl? a. High winds b. Extensive irrigation c. Removal of native grasses d. Crop failures e. Seven years of less than normal precipitation

B

Which statement is NOT true regarding soil erosion? a. Soil erosion on slopes promotes further slope erosion b. Soil erosion is now primarily a problem in developing nations with semi-arid climates c. Soil erosion reduces soil fertility by removing the top soil layers d. Soil erosion limits plant growth e. Soil erosion can be reduced by leaving abundant plant cover on the land

B

How can the nutrient poor tropical soils support the lush tropical rainforest biome? a. The poor quality of tropical rainforest soils is a myth; these soils are actually among the most nutrient-rich soils on Earth b. The dense forest canopy limits rainfall reaching the forest floor so there is little leaching of nutrients from the soil c. Organic material, and the nutrients it contains, is recycled rapidly back into the vegetation and little material remains to form soil. d. Tropical rainforest plants have evolved metabolic strategies that enable them to live in the almost total absence of nutrients

C

The Green Revolution is most closly associated with which time period a. Between WWI and WWII. b. Immediately after the Industrial Revolution, when food shortages were the greatest. c. Between WWII and the present. d. The most recent decade, when industrial agribusiness has been at its peak.

C

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. a. levels of industrial air pollutants b. carbon dioxide levels c. biomes d. oxygen levels e. human population density

C

Which is the correct sequence of trophic levels beginning with the one closest to its original energy source? a. Omnivore, carnivore, herbivore b. Carnivore, herbivore, producer. c. Producer, herbivore, carnivore d. Decomposer, carnivore, herbivore. e. Herbivore, producer, decomposer.

C

Which statement about a J-shaped curve is false? a. population grows indefinitely b. population growth accelerates with time c. population may suffer a sudden crash d. initial population is small

C

Desert and tundra both ________. a. have wide temperature variations throughout the year b. lack insects c. lack shrubs d. have relatively low precipitation

D

Ecologists focus their studies on: a. the abiotic environment. b. populations and species. c. plant or animal species only. d. the biosphere, ecosystems, communities and populations. e. individual organisms' structure and behavior.

D

Examples of non-sustainable human activities or behaviors include: a. green architecture b. attempts to limit human population growth c. careful use of renewable resources d. use of nonrenewable resources as if they were infinite

D

The decomposition and disintegration of rocks and minerals at the earth's surface by a mechanical and chemical process into smaller particles. a. Leaching b. Waterlogging c. E Horizon d. Weathering

D

The removal of dissolved minerals from soil as water moves downward is called: a. illuviation b. deposition c. decompression d. leaching e. decomposition

D

What determines a soil's texture? a. Type of humus b. Mineral composition c. Water content d. Relative proportions of different particle sizes

D

What is the primary goal of most soil conservation practices? a. Reduce amount of land used for agriculture b. Increase rate of soil formation c. Increase crop yields d. Decrease soil erosion

D

Which biome is marked by distinct seasons with great variation in precipitation and temperature? Much of the original flora is gone - replaced by agriculture and urbanization. Mammal and bird fauna are very diverse but with greatly reduced populations. a. Tundra b. Chaparral c. Savanna d. Taiga e. Temperate deciduous forest

E

Which biome supports the worlds largest concentrations of hoofed herbivores that feed on the abundant grasses and their (mostly feline) predators? Overgrazing easily converts this biome into semi-desert. a. Temperate deciduous forest b. Chaparral c. Temperate grasslands. d. Desert e. Savanna

E

Which material is NOT considered a component of the layered material known as soil? a. Organic material b. Mineral particles c. Air d. Water e. Living plant roots

E

Which of these types of organisms form mycorrhizal associations with plants? a. Bacteria b. Worms c. Humus d. Insects e. Fungus

E

Which soil characteristic most directly affects the availability of mineral nutrients to plants growing in that soil? a. Workability of the soil b. Soil texture c. Water-holding capacity d. Size of the soil particles themselves e. pH of the soil.

E

Why is an ecosystem's energy pyramid wide at the base and narrow at the top? a. Because an ecosystem is more stable at the base that at the top. b. Because there are usually more consumers that producers. c. Because the decomposers are more efficient at higher trophic levels. d. Because energy flows uphill. e. The amount of useful energy is less at higher trophic levels because of the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

E

Photosynthesis is a series of energy-releasing chemical reactions while cellular respiration is a series of energy-absorbing chemical reactions. True False

False

The total amount of energy in the Universe is slowly declining as the Universe ages. True False

False

Tropical rainforests are the world's most endangered biomes True False

False

Estuaries share both terrestrial and aquatic components. True False

True

Food webs are short because the amount of useful, high-quality, organized energy is dramatically reduced after each energy conversion. True False

True

The United States can be considered the most overpopulated nation on Earth because of its large population that consumes an enormous share of the world's resources. True False

True

The boundaries of a biome are primarily determined by climatic conditions, chiefly temperature and precipitation True False

True

The increasing use of four-wheel drive vehicles in deserts of the American Southwest is seen as a severe problem because of the topsoil erosion that occurs. True False

True