Life on Land Chapter 2 Full Test Bank

Ecology, 8e (Molles)

Chapter 2 Life on Land

1) A biome is characterized primarily by

A) flora and fauna.

B) temperature and moisture.

C) climate and predominate plant types.

D) global weather patterns.

E) None of the choices are correct.

2) Earth's climatic variation is due to

A) the spherical shape of the earth.

B) earth's axial rotation as it orbits the sun.

C) uneven heating of the earth's surface.

D) All of the choices are correct.

E) None of the choices are correct.

3) Which of the following soil horizon profiles is ordered correctly?

A) A, B, C, O

B) O, A, B, C

C) O, B, A, C

D) C, B, O, A

E) None of the choices are correct.

4) Coriolis effect causes winds in the

A) Northern Hemisphere to deflect to the left.

B) Northern Hemisphere to deflect to the right.

C) Southern Hemisphere to deflect to the right.

D) Northern and Southern Hemispheres to deflect to the left.

E) Northern and Southern Hemispheres to deflect to the right.

5) All of the following statements concerning wind are true except

A) northeast trade winds blow toward the poles.

B) southeast trade winds blow toward the equator.

C) polar easterlies blow toward the equator.

D) westerlies blow toward the south pole in the southern hemisphere.

E) westerlies blow toward the north pole in the northern hemisphere.

6) Warm tropical air

A) is dense and sinks.

B) has a low evaporative potential.

C) cools as it ascends.

D) warms as it ascends.

E) meets cool polar air causing precipitation in the tropics.

7) All of the following statements are true except

A) A horizon: mixture of organic and mineral materials.

B) B horizon: deposition of clay and humus.

C) C horizon: weathered parent material.

D) O horizon: organic layer.

E) All of the choices are correct.

8) Heating of the earth's surface causes

A) cool air to rise and warm air to sink.

B) warm air to rise and cool air to sink.

C) warm and cool air to condense.

D) warm and cool air to mix.

E) None of the choices are correct.

9) Which soil horizon is most influenced by climate?

A) A

B) B

C) C

D) O

E) All are equally influenced.

10) Which of the following terrestrial biomes are maintained by fires?

A) Tropical dry forests

B) Temperate forests and mountains

C) Mediterranean woodlands and shrublands

D) Tropical savannas and temperate grasslands

E) Boreal forests and tundra

11) There are(is) ________ convective air cell(s) per hemisphere, ________ total for the earth.

A) 1; 2

B) 2; 4

C) 3; 6

D) 4; 8

E) 5; 10

12) Climatic diagrams provide all of the following information except

A) wind patterns.

B) average minimum temperature above and below 0°C.

C) temperature and precipitation variations.

D) wet and dry season durations.

E) None of the choices are correct.

13) Most of the earth's deserts are

A) located at 0° latitude.

B) located at 30° north and south latitudes.

C) located at 60° north and south latitudes.

D) located at 90° north and south latitudes.

E) randomly scattered around the earth's surface.

14) The Northern and Southern Hemispheres receive approximately equal amounts of solar radiation on the

A) spring equinox.

B) northern summer solstice.

C) autumnal equinox.

D) southern winter solstice.

E) both spring equinox and autumnal equinox.

15) Tropical dry forests are located between

A) 0° and 10° north and south latitudes.

B) 0° and 25° south latitude.

C) 10° and 25° north and south latitudes.

D) 10° and 25° south latitude.

E) None of the choices are correct.

16) All of the following statements are true except

A) tropical rain forests are continuously warm and wet.

B) tropical dry forests have rainy and dry seasons.

C) in a desert, evaporation exceeds precipitation.

D) taigas have moderate temperatures with occasional droughts.

E) tundras are cold and dry.

17) All of the following components influence soil structure except

A) age.

B) parent material.

C) climate.

D) organisms.

E) None of the choices are correct.

18) Atmospheric circulation and precipitation patterns are influenced by which of the following?

A) Rising and sinking of warm and cool air masses

B) Uneven heating of the earth's surface and atmosphere by the sun

C) Differential ability of cool and warm air masses to hold water vapor

D) Coriolis effect

E) All of the choices are correct.

19) The ________ is a depositional horizon that contains clays, humus, and other materials which may form distinct banding patterns.

A) A horizon

B) B horizon

C) C horizon

D) D horizon

E) O horizon

20) What is true of the Palmer Drought Severity Index?

A) It uses temperature and precipitation to calculate moisture conditions relative to long-term averages.

B) Negative values reflect drought conditions.

C) Values near zero reflect average rainfall conditions.

D) It can be used to show both temporal and spatial climatic variation.

E) All of the choices are correct.

21) Which of the following is not a characteristic of the boreal forest?

A) Dominated by evergreen conifers such as spruce and fir

B) Home to moose and migratory caribou

C) Sparse plant cover

D) Thick layer of plant litter that ties up nutrients

E) Low fertility, thin, acidic soil

22) Which of the following biomes have fertile soils that contain large quantities of organic matter?

A) Tropical rain forest

B) Temperate forest

C) Temperate grassland

D) Both temperate forest and temperate grassland

E) All of the choices are correct.

23) Mycorrhizae are parasitic fungi that are depleting tropical trees of nutrients.

24) As altitude increases, temperatures decrease, likewise, as latitude decreases, temperatures decrease.

25) Trade winds move toward the equator.

26) In general, warm air can hold more moisture than cool air and therefore has a stronger evaporative effect.

27) The precipitation in moist temperate regions is caused by the meeting of cool polar air and warm subtropical air.

28) Proximity to large bodies of water moderates terrestrial temperatures.

29) In the region between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, seasonal variations in temperature and day length at low elevation are slight.

30) Desert soils are often termed ________.

31) Warm air over the equator

A) rises and moves toward the poles.

B) cools and sinks over the equator.

C) rises and absorbs moisture.

D) absorbs moisture and moves toward the poles.

32) What statement about rain shadows is accurate?

A) Rain shadows lead to very different precipitation levels at low and high elevations along a mountain range. 

B) For a mountain range along the east coast of a landmass, the western-facing slopes will receive ample precipitation. 

C) In the western United States, you would expect the rain shadow effect to produce heavier rainfall on the western-facing slopes of mountains than on the eastern-facing slopes.

D) The rain shadow effect partially why the temperature tends to decrease as elevation increases.

33) Biomes are defined by climate and vegetation. One reason for this is that the climate of a particular environment is greatly influenced by the dominant plant types in the environment. 

34) All of the following are biomes except (Select all that apply.)

A) Mediterranean rain forest

B) Tundra

C) Tropical dry forest

D) Boreal grassland

E) Mountains

F) Temperate forest

35) Why has the view of tundra shifted recently from an isolated and pristine biome to one that is experiencing detrimental human influence? (Select all that apply.)

A) Because the human population of tundra has increased with the building of large metropolitan areas

B) Because agriculture has increased as climate change lengthened the growing season within tundra

C) Because oil and gas exploration has led to an increase in the human population and pollution

D) Because new evidence has shown that tundra can receive high levels of pollution from distant regions

36) What situation would lead to a drought having occurred?

A) A wildfire burns for several days, causing severe damage to crops.

B) A coal-fired power plant has a spill, rendering the water supply undrinkable in the surrounding areas. 

C) Hotter than normal temperatures during the entire spring season cause plants to produce leaves and flowers earlier than normal. 

D) Lower than normal rainfall for several months leads to irrigation restrictions in the region, resulting in crop failures.