BIO 102 unit 11

If a food chain consisted of grass to rabbits to foxes, how many pounds of foxes could be expected in a meadow that has 10,000 pounds of grass?

100

Cold deserts generally exist at:

90° N and S latitude.

Which of the following is an example of commensalism?

A remora fish removes algae and parasites from a shark's skin, and receives protection in return.

Which of the following is an example of mutualism?

A remora fish removes algae and parasites from a shark's skin, and receives protection in return.

Research on barnacle distribution in the intertidal zone reveals that species A would readily colonize the lower intertidal areas if species B was absent. This indicates that:

A.species B can outcompete species A.

over the last 200 years, the amount of CO2 in the air has:

Both a) and b) are correct.

Which of the following statements about the relationship between latitude and biome distribution is most accurate?

Elevation has a similar effect to that of latitude on biome distribution

Which of the following statements about an organism's niche is INCORRECT?

It reflects the ways in which the organism utilizes the resources of its environment.

Which statement about the 10% rule of energy conversion efficiency is NOT true?

It suggests that 10% of what an organism eats is used in cellular respiration or is lost as feces.

Why are many deserts located on the backside of mountains?

Moist air masses are forced to rise over mountains and lose their moisture in the process, resulting in very little moisture availability for the other side of the mountain.

From the following, select the correct statement about biomass pyramids.

Open ocean biomass pyramids are inverted; there is a greater biomass of primary consumers than of primary producers

Organisms play a significant role in:

Organisms play a significant role in all of the above.

____________ and __________ are the major factors that determine climate.

Temperature; precipitation

Even though there is a carbon cycle, it now appears that CO2 levels are rising around the world. Which of the following best explains this?

The burning of fossil fuels releases large amounts of CO2, thus increasing the average concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.

In marine food chains, the biomass of phytoplankton is often less than that of the herbivores that feed upon the phytoplankton. Which of the following best explains this?

The high rates of reproduction (productivity) in phytoplankton means that less biomass is required to provide the needed calories at the next level.

You plant one acorn in a forest and a second acorn in an open field. After 20 years, the oak tree in the forest is tall and thin, while the oak tree in the field is shorter, thicker, and has a broad crown. What is the most likely explanation for this outcome?

The oak tree in the forest had to compete for light with the neighboring trees.

In what way(s) does the phosphorus cycle significantly differ from the nitrogen cycle?

Unlike nitrogen, the phosphorus cycle lacks a significant atmospheric component

The term biota refers to:

all living species of all kinds.

In a rocky intertidal area of the Pacific Northwest, the removal of the keystone species (seastars) causes

an increase in the number of mussels.

When moist wind from an ocean blows onshore toward a mountain range:

as the air goes over the top of the mountain, it gets colder and loses moisture, creating a "rain shadow" desert on the far side with very little precipitation.

Most of the deserts of the world are:

at 30° N and S latitude.

Latitudinal banding of tropics, deserts, temperate, and polar climates is best explained by:

atmospheric circulation patterns

Why do many deserts exist at 30° N and S latitude?

aving released all of its moisture at lower latitudes, dry air descends at 30° N and S latitude.

Without ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream, the climate of the United Kingdom would:

be similar to that of Scandinavia.

Secondary succession is different from primary succession in that it:

begins with soil and living things already present.

The majority of the world's temperate forests exist:

between 30° and 60° latitude.

The total dry weight of all organisms in an ecosystem is called its:

biomass.

Most of the carbon in earth's atmosphere exists as:

carbon dioxide, CO2.

The phenomenon in which species that live together in the same environment tend to diverge in those characters that overlap is known as:

character displacement.

The distribution of terrestrial biomes across the globe corresponds MOST to which of the following?

climate

Small fish often follow large turtles in the open ocean, taking advantage of the turtle as a place to hide. This interaction would best be classified as:

commensalism

Resources often limit populations. When resources are used by more than one species, the initial result is:

competition

European starlings and eastern bluebirds both nest in naturally occurring cavities. In areas where both species occur, starlings often evict bluebirds from their nesting holes and raise their own young there. This is an example of:

competition.

the process in which two species battle for resources until one is driven locally extinct is called:

competitive exclusion.

Food chains are accurate representations of energy flow through an ecosystem." This statement is:

false; real ecosystems are much more complex than simplified food chains

Rabid animals:

froth at the mouth so as to increase the likelihood that the rabies-causing virus is passed on to another host

A driving force behind ocean currents is:

global wind circulation.

A tropical savanna is characterized by:

grasses and grass-like plants with scattered trees.

The circulation of the atmosphere is the result of which of the following:

heating of earth's surface

The largest reservoir of phosphorus in most ecosystems is:

in rocks and sediments

When the sun is low in the sky, the amount of solar radiation received at the spot where the sun is observed:

is lower than when the sun is high in the sky because the same amount of solar radiation is being spread over a larger area.

Uneven heating of earth's spherical surface by the sun and the tilt of earth on its axis combine to affect which of the following:

latitudinal variation in climate

Which of the following is an example of an abiotic factor?

mean annual rainfall in an ecosystem

In reef-building corals, there is a symbiotic relationship between corals and a type of algae that live in their tissues. The corals gain energy and oxygen from this association and the algae obtain CO2, nitrogen and a stable habitat. This type of relationship is best categorized as:

mutualism.

Terrestrial primary production is highest _________________; marine primary production is highest ________________.

near the equator; along coasts

The nitrogen cycle is important biologically because

nitrogen is a component of amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids.

The "competitive exclusion principle" states that:

no two species competing for the same resources can stably coexist.

The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) and the Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) are found on different continents; however, both hunt for small mammals and birds in open country. Therefore, these two species:

occupy similar niches.

In a commensal relationship:

one species benefits while the other neither benefits nor is harmed.

In the interaction between two types of organisms in a habitat, one organism benefits from its interaction from the other but the other organism suffers. What is the name for this interaction?

parasitism

Keystone species:

play an unusually important role in determining the species composition in a habitat.

Nitrogen enters the food chain:

primarily through soil-dwelling bacteria that "fix" it by attaching it to other atoms.

Which of the following biomes has the highest average annual temperature?

savanna

The "life-dinner hypothesis" proposes that:

selection for escape ability in the prey is stronger than selection for capture ability in the predator.

The main source of energy that drives global climate is:

solar energy.

Which of the following organisms would occupy a high trophic level?

spider

The PRIMARY reason for differences in climate at different places on earth is:

that different places receive different amounts of solar energy.

Prey reduce their risk of predation through physical and behavioral defenses. Which of the following is NOT a physical defense for the reduction of predation?

the alarm call of a Belding's ground squirrel

The term "rain shadow" describes

the lower average rainfall that occurs on the backside of mountains.

Which of the following nutrient cycles has the smallest atmospheric component?

the phosphorus cycle

The "fundamental niche" of an organism is defined as:

the range of environmental conditions under which the organism can survive and reproduce.

As a result of competition:

the reproductive success of interacting individuals may be reduced.

The intensity of competition between two species increases as:

the similarity of their requirements and lifestyles increases.

The beak sizes and shapes of Darwin's finches are correlated with which environmental feature?

the size of seeds eaten

The Gulf Stream:

travels north through the Caribbean, bringing warm water up the East Coast of the United States.

Select the correct order in which you would most likely encounter the given biomes if you were moving directly south from the equator.

tropical rain forest; desert; temperate forest; polar desert

"In an energy-flow pyramid, there is always less energy available at higher trophic levels than at lower trophic levels." This statement is:

true; there is always less energy available at higher trophic levels than at lower trophic levels.

Wind circulation patterns are driven by:

uneven heating of the earth's surface

The monarch butterfly uses ___________________ as a defense for reducing predation

warning coloration