Biomes and Biodiversity Complete Test Bank Chapter 5

Principles of Environmental Science, 9e (Cunningham)

Chapter 5 Biomes and Biodiversity

1) Which of the following statements about trade in endangered species is false?

A) The principal importers of endangered species are developed countries.

B) Overharvesting affects animals more than plants.

C) People who say they are animal lovers are the main contributors to the trade.

D) The principal exporters of endangered species are developing countries.

E) None of these statements are false.

2) Ecological diversity is a measure of the number of

A) different kinds of organisms within a community or ecosystem.

B) different versions of the same gene in an ecological community.

C) sizes, colors, and shapes of organisms within an ecological community.

D) niches, trophic levels, and ecological processes of a biological community.

E) different species in an ecosystem.

3) The main threat for the current high rate of extinctions is

A) uncontrolled sport hunting in the developed world.

B) commercial harvesting of wildlife in Africa.

C) drought conditions caused by the greenhouse effect.

D) habitat destruction worldwide.

E) there is not one, extinction rates this high are common

4) The location of specific biomes can be predicted based on

A) the Coriolis Effect.

B) the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

C) precipitation and temperature.

D) seasonal variations in sunspots.

E) large landforms in the area.

Use the following graph to answer the questions.

5) Desert biomes would fall in the area marked by the letter

A) A.

B) B.

C) C.

D) D.

E) E.

6) Temperate forest biomes would fall in the area marked by the letter

A) A.

B) B.

C) C.

D) D.

E) E.

7) You have just been beamed into a biome that has relatively stable temperatures and abundant rainfall. Along with your laser gun, your compass, and rain poncho, you have a graph of precipitation and temperature similar to the one above. Which letter marks the area you are in?

A) A

B) B

C) C

D) D

E) E

8) The area marked "A" has a

A) wide precipitation range and narrow temperature range.

B) narrow precipitation and temperature range.

C) wide precipitation and temperature range.

D) wide temperature range and narrow precipitation range.

E) varying temperature and narrow precipitation range.

9) Historically, the greatest threat to grasslands has been

A) damage by off-road vehicles.

B) air pollution.

C) conversion to farmland.

D) global climate change.

E) mineral extraction.

10) In contrast with the ________, the soil of the ________ is more nutrient-rich and this type of biome has fewer insects, parasites, and fungal diseases. Therefore, in many places, these areas are highly endangered.

A) temperate grasslands; tropical seasonal forest

B) tropical rainforest; tropical seasonal forest

C) tundra; boreal forests

D) tropical seasonal forest; tropical rainforest

E) boreal forests; tundra

11) One biome type that has not been as badly threatened as other biomes is

A) arctic tundra.

B) tropical rainforests.

C) grasslands.

D) temperate forests.

E) southern pine forests.

12) We are usually referring to species diversity when we talk about biodiversity. However, genetic diversity is also important to ecological systems because diverse genes

A) increase the efficiency and productivity of a system because all niches are filled.

B) allow an individual organism to adapt to its changing environment.

C) are necessary for a population to evolve in a changing environment.

D) lead to diverse ecological processes in a biological community.

E) are important for a balanced ecosystem.

13) Ecological diversity is a measure of the number of

A) different kinds of organisms within a community or ecosystem.

B) different versions of the same gene in an ecological community.

C) sizes, colors, and shapes of organisms within an ecological community.

D) niches, trophic levels, and ecological processes of a biological community.

E) different species in an ecosystem.

14) The total number of living species is probably

A) about 450,000.

B) between 500,000 and 1 million.

C) between 3 million and 50 million.

D) between 75 and 95 million.

E) at least 300 million.

15) Approximately how many species have been identified on Earth?

A) about 500,000

B) a little less than 1 million

C) about 1.5 million

D) a little more than 10 million

E) about 30 million

16) Most of the species that are yet undiscovered are probably

A) mammals and reptiles.

B) birds and fish.

C) fungi.

D) invertebrates.

E) multicellular plants.

17) Species diversity is most concentrated in

A) North America and Europe.

B) South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

C) South Africa, Australia, and Europe.

D) Oceania, East Asia, and Antarctica.

E) North America, South America, and Africa.

18) Habitat fragmentation usually leads to a(n)

A) decrease in biodiversity.

B) reduction in the number of introduced species.

C) increase in biodiversity due to the isolated populations.

D) increase in the number of introduced species.

E) more stable environment.

19) Which of the following is true?

A) Humans may have been causing extinctions thousands of years ago, but our impact has recently increased.

B) Humans are responsible for many of the mass extinctions in the geologic record.

C) Humans only began causing extinctions in the past 150 years.

D) Humans have never had significant impact on species extinctions until the past four decades.

E) Humans have been causing extinctions for thousands of years and we are still causing extinctions at about the same rate.

20) The main reason for the current high rate of animal extinctions is

A) uncontrolled sport hunting in the developed world.

B) commercial harvesting of wildlife in Africa.

C) drought conditions caused by the greenhouse effect.

D) habitat destruction worldwide.

E) None of these by themselves cause high rates of animal extinctions, but together they combine to cause high rates.

21) Which of the following statements about trade in endangered species is false?

A) The principal importers of endangered species are developed countries.

B) Overharvesting affects animals more than plants.

C) People who say they are animal lovers are the main contributors to the trade.

D) The principal exporters of endangered species are developing countries.

E) Endangered species are listed globally by the IUCN.

22) The main reason that there are relatively few invertebrates categorized as endangered species is because

A) we consider other groups, such as mammals, to be more interesting and desirable.

B) worldwide there are relatively few invertebrates when compared to plants.

C) it is extremely difficult to identify and count invertebrates.

D) Since there are 532 invertebrates considered endangered, none of these are true.

E) invertebrates are more numerous and the relative percentages are similar.

23) In general, funding for recovery programs is given to species that are

A) in the most danger.

B) the most important.

C) most well known.

D) most numerous.

E) keystone species.

24) The objective of a species recovery plan is to

A) interbreed threatened species with common species.

B) increase an endangered species population until it is no longer endangered.

C) invest corporate capital in species maintenance.

D) study the species for a better understanding of its role in the biological community.

E) protect the species to aid other organisms and resources in the ecosystem.

25) Humid tropical forests have extraordinary biological diversity

A) because of the very fertile tropical soils.

B) because rainfall dissolves soil nutrients and makes them available to plants.

C) because water is not a limiting factor.

D) despite a complete absence of nutrients in the environment.

E) despite the poor, weathered soils.

26) What is unique about the Mediterranean climate area biome?

A) It is a highly desirable place to live.

B) It is only found in the Mediterranean area.

C) It has very poor soil but supports an extremely diverse array of species.

D) It has a large total area.

E) It contains a high number of unique species.

27) What biome is characterized by moderate temperatures and abundant precipitation?

A) chaparral

B) tropical rainforest

C) temperate rainforest

D) taiga

E) No biome has moderate temperatures and abundant precipitation.

28) The primary difference between a bog and a fen is

A) fens are fed by groundwater, bogs are fed by rainfall.

B) fens have many trees, bogs have none.

C) fens are always on the coast, bogs are inland.

D) bogs are found only in brackish areas.

E) There are no differences between fens and bogs, they are synonymous.

29) Which of the following is not a benefit of high biodiversity?

A) aesthetic and cultural value

B) potential medicinal value

C) potential sources of food

D) ecological value

E) production of carbon dioxide

30) The giant panda is considered to be a ________ species.

A) keystone

B) umbrella

C) flagship

D) indicator

E) principal

31) Tropical moist forests have high species diversity because they have highly developed, diverse niche opportunities and habitats.

32) Zebra mussels are a mussel species from Japan that was introduced without negative consequences into the United States to improve water quality.

33) Estuaries contain a mix of fresh and salt water.

34) In terms of species diversity and complexity, a coral reef would be similar to which terrestrial biome?

A) savannah

B) arctic tundra

C) tropical rainforest

D) chaparral

35) The biome that is most at risk due to over-harvest of organisms might be the

A) marine biome.

B) tropical rainforest biome.

C) tundra biome.

D) desert biome.

36) Estuaries are often referred to as nursery areas due to the number of organisms that use them for breeding.

37) The base of the marine food web is

A) phytoplankton.

B) sharks.

C) sea stars.

D) coral reef organisms.

38) Tuna and great white sharks would be found within the

A) benthic zone.

B) littoral zone.

C) pelagic zone.

D) hadal zone.

39) The temperature boundary in freshwater lakes is the

A) thermocline.

B) epilimnion.

C) benthos.

D) hypolimnion.

40) How is a swamp different from a marsh?

A) Swamps have trees, while marshes do not.

B) Marshes are freshwater while swamps are salt water.

C) Swamps have low productivity, while marshes have high productivity.

D) Swamps have water saturated ground composed of peat, while marshes have low productivity.

E) Swamps have high productivity, while marshes have low productivity.

41) This biome is characterized by steady levels of precipitation all year, but seasonal temperatures. Average winter temperatures are below freezing, spring and fall temperatures are mild, and summers are quite warm.

A) temperate deciduous forest

B) tropical rainforest

C) temperate rainforest

D) desert

E) tropical savanna

42) This biome occurs at mid-latitudes and is characterized by cold winters and warm summers. There are few forests, but have grasses with deep roots that help to build soil.

A) temperate grasslands

B) temperate rainforests

C) deserts

D) temperate deciduous forest

E) tundra

43) This biome is characterized by permanently frozen soil.

A) tundra

B) boreal forest

C) temperate rainforest

D) temperate deciduous forest

E) cold desert

44) This biome has steady average temperature each month of the year and high annual precipitation that is steady year-round, not seasonal.

A) tropical rainforest

B) temperate rainforest

C) tropical savanna

D) temperate grasslands

E) temperate deciduous forest

45) A/an ________ species is one that requires a large area of generally undisturbed habitat to maintain viable populations. By saving this habitat, many other species benefit.

A) umbrella

B) flagship

C) indicator

D) keystone

E) endangered