Kinds of Ecosystems and Communities Ch6 Test Bank Answers

Environmental Science, 15e (Enger)

Chapter 6 Kinds of Ecosystems and Communities

1) Which biome is characterized by organisms that are inactive during the day and burrow underground?

A) tundra

B) taiga

C) rainforest

D) desert

2) Which biome is characterized by tree frogs, large vines, and fruit-eating birds and bats?

A) grassland

B) savanna

C) tropical rainforest

D) tundra

3) Which biome is characterized by having no reptiles or amphibians and an abundance of migratory waterfowl?

A) desert

B) tundra

C) taiga

D) grassland

4) The two major factors influencing vegetation in biomes are

A) precipitation and temperature.

B) soil fertility and hydrology.

C) day length and climate.

D) topography and soil type.

5) Savannas are found in

A) Europe.

B) tropical parts of Africa.

C) Canada.

D) None of these are correct.

6) Mediterranean Shrublands (Chaparral) have been heavily impacted by humans because

A) they are near the oceans.

B) they have a moderate climate.

C) both they are near the oceans and they have a moderate climate.

D) None of these are correct.

7) In a rainforest, most of the sunlight is captured by trees and therefore only

A) small plants grow there.

B) fast growing trees and shrubs grow there.

C) vines can grow underneath them.

D) shade-tolerant plants live beneath the canopy.

8) Human impact on temperate forests include

A) farming.

B) logging.

C) population centers.

D) All of these are correct.

9) Oceans cover approximately

A) 40% of the earth's surface.

B) 50% of the earth's surface.

C) 60% of the earth's surface.

D) 70% of the earth's surface.

10) Which group of organisms forms the base of the energy pyramid in a pelagic marine ecosystem?

A) phytoplankton

B) zooplankton

C) bacteria

D) sea grass

11) In desert biomes, flowering usually coincides with

A) moisture availability.

B) Santa Ana winds.

C) cool summers.

D) migration of monarch butterflies.

12) Which of the following is NOT a threat to tropical rainforests?

A) logging

B) ranching

C) agriculture

D) All are threats.

13) In addition to northern latitudes, patches of tundra-like plant communities are also found

A) in cold deserts.

B) in marshes.

C) in bogs.

D) on mountain tops.

14) Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of temperate deciduous forests?

A) They have fewer species than a tropical rainforest.

B) They contain shade-tolerant spring wildflowers.

C) They produce useful plant products such as cashew nuts, vanilla, and rubber.

D) All of the choices are characteristics.

15) Which of the following is NOT true of climax communities?

A) They have fewer types of interactions among organisms than successional communities.

B) They have more kinds of organisms than successional communities.

C) They have a relatively constant biomass while successional communities tend to accumulate biomass.

D) They are able to maintain their mix of species and successional communities do not.

16) Which is an example of a stage in secondary succession?

A) bare rock produced from a volcano

B) a forest regenerating after a forest fire

C) a new lake produced by damming a river

D) pure sand

17) Primary succession is

A) a progression that begins with a total lack of organisms.

B) of very short duration.

C) a progression that begins with destruction of an existing ecosystem.

D) All of these are correct.

18) Human impact on desert areas is mainly due to which one of the following factors?

A) introduction of alien species

B) roads and highways

C) transport of water to deserts

D) None of these statements correct.

19) What is the dominant organism colonizing bare rock during primary succession?

A) bacteria

B) algae

C) lichens

D) submergent plants

20) Each stage in the process of succession is called a

A) seral stage.

B) primary stage.

C) reef-forming stage.

D) None of these are correct.

21) Ecologists have learned that succession is influenced by many factors other than climate alone including

A) the evolution of new species.

B) invasive species, human land use history, and seed dispersal.

C) biogeochemical cycles, available oxygen, and superfund sites.

D) slope, wind patterns, and toxicity levels.

22) A floating bog is an example of a stage in

A) secondary succession.

B) aquatic primary succession.

C) terrestrial primary succession.

D) None of these are correct.

23) Savannas differ from grasslands by having

A) less annual precipitation.

B) lower average annual temperature.

C) no grazers.

D) a period of the year with heavy rain followed by a lack of rainfall.

24) Which of the following is NOT typical of a lake ecosystem?

A) many kinds of aquatic insects

B) plankton

C) a euphotic zone

D) corals

25) Shallow, warm, nutrient-rich lakes are described as

A) oligotrophic.

B) benthic.

C) eutrophic.

D) limnetic.

26) What is the term used to describe a shallow, partially enclosed area where freshwater enters the ocean?

A) coral reef

B) abyssal ecosystem

C) mangrove swamp

D) estuary

27) Seaweed and other attached marine organisms prefer to grow in which of the following regions?

A) benthic

B) pelagic

C) abyssal

D) neritic

28) The unusual forest biome occurring in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia is called a

A) tropical rainforest.

B) boreal forest.

C) temperate rainforest.

D) temperate deciduous forest.

29) Conservation easements can

A) decrease the economic value of a tract of land.

B) restrict access in order to protect endangered species.

C) prohibit the subdivision or development of a tract of land.

D) All of these are correct.

30) You would find a temperate rainforest along the coasts of all of the following locations except

A) southern Alaska.

B) northern California.

C) northern British Columbia.

D) northern New York.

31) Seasonal flooding of the Amazon can create wetland forests known as

A) the chaparral.

B) the tropical forest.

C) the varzea.

D) the terra firma.

32) This biome has snow during the year, lacks trees, and has a short summer.

A) savanna

B) tundra

C) desert

D) Mediterranean shrubland (chaparral)

33) All of the following must be in the euphotic zone EXCEPT

A) seaweed.

B) crabs.

C) phytoplankton.

D) corals.

Which of the following best matches the description?

34) Biome that lacks trees and has permanently frozen soil.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

35) Area of grasses and reeds that is either flooded permanently or for most of the year.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

36) Photosynthetic free-floating marine organisms.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

37) Biome which is dominated by grass, and in which trees are rare.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

38) Biome that receives less than 25 cm of precipitation per year.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

39) Upper layer of the ocean where the sun's rays penetrate.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic zone

40) Region with rooted vegetation in a freshwater ecosystem.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

41) Early stages of succession that begin the soil-building process.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

42) Biome that has a long growing season, supports trees, has a change of seasons, and relatively evenly distributed annual precipitation.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

43) Organisms that swim in the open ocean water.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

44) Organisms that live on the bottom of marine or freshwater ecosystems.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

45) Biome dominated by grasses and fire- and drought-resistant trees.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

46) Attached organisms in freshwater streams and rivers.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

47) Amount of oxygen used by decomposer organisms to degrade organic molecules in aquatic ecosystems.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

48) Biome composed of a coniferous and deciduous trees with a short summer.

A) phytoplankton

B) littoral zone

C) desert

D) pioneer community

E) grassland

F) boreal forest

G) pelagic

H) tundra

J) benthic

K) deciduous forest

L) biochemical oxygen demand

M) periphyton

N) marsh

O) savanna

P) euphotic

49) Recently, biologists discovered a new community of organisms that live in the canopy of tropical rainforests.

50) Most temperate deciduous forests have survived without impact from human activity due to their location.

51) Taiga, Northern Coniferous Forest, and Boreal Forest are names for the same type of biome.

52) Hurricanes, flooding, and fire are examples of disturbances that result in secondary succession.

53) In general, the soil of a climax community is less fertile than the soil of pioneer communities.

54) Muddy shores are often poor in oxygen.

55) Coral reefs are cold-water marine ecosystems dominated by tubeworms.

56) Mangrove swamps are tropical marine shoreline ecosystems dominated by trees.

57) In an aquatic ecosystem, sedges and grasses are often found in central deeper portions of the body of water.

58) Tiny photosynthetic organisms that float near the ocean surface are called zooplankton.

59) The primary determiners of biomes are the amount and distribution of rainfall and the yearly temperature cycle.

60) Organisms in each biome have adapted to the climatic conditions typical of that biome.

61) Rocky shores along the ocean provide surfaces for organisms to attach themselves.

62) Deep cold-water lakes with poor productivity are called oligotrophic systems.

63) Regional terrestrial climax communities are called eutrophic systems.

64) In the open ocean, light penetrates many miles to the ocean floor.

65) Organisms that are attached to the bottom of an aquatic ecosystem are termed pelagic.

66) The upper layer of an aquatic ecosystem where sunlight penetrates is termed the euphotic zone.

67) More than 50% of the original wetlands found in the United States have been drained and filled.

68) Coral reefs can be altered by fishing and siltation from rivers.

69) Freshwater resources in lakes and rivers account for about 0.02% of the world's water.

70) In order to save the northern spotted owl, ________ was banned on much of the old-growth forest in the Pacific Northwest where the owl lives.

71) Some planktonic organisms, known as ________, carry on photosynthesis and are the base of the food web in a pelagic ecosystem.

72) Organisms that are not attached to the bottom of the ocean are called ________ organisms.

73) Name 4 of the 11 major biomes.

74) The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization says what percent of the world's fisheries are "fully exploited."

A) 10%

B) 20%

C) 50%

D) 70%

75) A conservation easement is:

A) A legally binding agreement.

B) A document that limits the future use or development of property.

C) A document that is placed on a piece of privately owned land.

D) All of the options are correct.

76) Most grasslands in North America have been heavily influenced by:

A) Development of shopping malls.

B) Oil and gas development.

C) Agriculture and the grazing of domesticated animals.

D) Urban development.

77) Asian carp were introduced into the waters of the United States

A) to remove algae from catfish ponds.

B) as a source of inexpensive protein.

C) to establish a commercial market.

D) for sport fishing.

78) What percent of tallgrass prairie in the United States has been transformed into farmland and other uses?

A) 5%

B) 55%

C) 79%

D) 99%