Deck 6: Ecosystems and Biomes

Question 1

Which biome is dominated by grasses and shrubs and experiences cold temperatures and relatively low levels of precipitation?

A) Tundra
B) Savanna
C) Desert
D) Grasslands

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following are examples of provisioning ecosystem services?

A) Soil formation and nutrient cycles
B) Climate, water flow, and disease
C) Aesthetic beauty and recreation
D) Food, water, and fiber

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of a cultural ecosystem service?

A) Providing food to the malnourished
B) Ensuring flow of traffic in and out of a city
C) Enjoying the beauty or inspiration provided by a forest
D) Ensuring good health access for populations in a community
E) Constructing a "green" building

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What organisms are involved in the process of transpiration?

A) Fish and other aquatic creatures
B) Plants
C) Grazers such as deer and elk
D) Insects

Question 5

Soil layers with distinct properties are called _ .

A) horizons
B) tiers
C) bands
D) profiles

Question 6

involves the breakdown of parent material by reactions with water and acids.

A) Erosion
B) Chemical weathering
C) Physical weathering
D) Leaching

Question 7

All of the following can be inferred from the figure except .

A) areas classified as tundra tend to be very cold and dry
B) temperate coniferous forests tend to be wetter than temperate broadleaf forests
C) plants in tropical dry forests experience both a wet season and a dry season
D) only the warmest deserts receive greater than 50 cm of precipitation annually

Question 8

What process converts atmospheric carbon to organic carbon?

A) Photosynthesis
B) Evapotranspiration
C) Transpiration
D) Respiration

Question 9

This figure depicts a ecosystem service.

A) provisioning
B) cultural
C) supporting
D) regulating

Question 10

Which of the following biomes tends to be dominated by coniferous trees?

A) Tropical moist broadleaf forest
B) Boreal forest
C) Mediterranean forest
D) Temperate broadleaf forest

Question 11

Biomes with permafrost usually .

A) are covered in coniferous forests at high latitudes
B) are located at high altitudes nearest the equator
C) are in temperate zones and have deciduous trees
D) lack trees and are located in polar regions

Question 12

Biomes are regions with similar .

A) soils, water systems, and animals
B) animals, plants, and climatic conditions
C) rocks, soil, minerals, and water
D) terrain and elevations

Question 13

Which one of the following would be a physical component of the desert ecosystem of the southwestern United States?

A) Deer
B) Rocks
C) Ferns
D) Cacti

Question 14

Tropical dry forests are characterized by all of the following except .

A) a dry season
B) high biodiversity
C) trees that retain their leaves throughout the year
D) warm temperatures year- round

Question 15

Which of the following are examples of regulating ecosystem services?

A) Soil formation and nutrient cycles
B) Food, water, and fiber
C) Pollination and chlorophyll
D) Aesthetic beauty and recreation
E) Climate, water flow, and disease control

Question 16

Which biome is characterized by the highest annual rainfalls and primary productivity?

A) Tropical broadleaf forests
B) Tropical grasslands and prairies
C) Temperate deciduous forests
D) Temperate grasslands and prairies

Question 17

Which of the following statements accurately describes gross and net primary production?

A) Gross primary production involves plants, while net primary production involves animals.
B) Gross primary production is always greater than net primary production.
C) Net primary production is always greater than gross primary production.
D) Gross primary production takes into consideration autotrophic respiration, while net primary production does not.

Question 18

Of the following, the most water would be held by a soil consisting of equal amounts of .

A) small stones and sand
B) silt and clay
C) clay and sand
D) sand and silt

Question 19

Which of the following would occur if all photosynthetic processes on Earth were to cease?

A) Carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the atmosphere would decrease.
B) Carbon dioxide and oxygen levels in the atmosphere would increase.
C) Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere would decrease, and oxygen levels would increase.
D) Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere would increase, and oxygen levels would decrease.

Question 20

The physical weathering of large rocks into smaller pieces is .

A) caused by wind, water, and ice
B) primarily caused by topsoil erosion
C) called mineralization
D) a major cause of topsoil erosion

Question 21

Describe the distinction between macronutrients and micronutrients. Give several examples of each, and describe their importance.

Question 22

Which of the following best describes von Liebig's "law of the minimum"?

A) A plant will grow at a rate limited by the nutrient in lowest supply relative to the needs of the plant.
B) A plant cannot grow at temperatures below its lower tolerance limit.
C) A plant's reproduction is limited by the minimum height of the plant.
D) A plant will grow best when levels of herbivory are as low as possible.

Question 23

Many ecosystems are damaged by attempts to make a quick profit because .

A) the value of ecosystem services is underappreciated
B) ecosystem services require sustained human development
C) the prices of most natural goods continue to fall
D) natural services are valued more than natural goods

Question 24

Primary productivity in nontropical terrestrial environments is typically limited by what nutrient?

A) K
B) P
C) N
D) Fe

Question 25

Which one of the following processes would directly increase the amount of nutrients available to plants?

A) Primary production
B) Photosynthesis
C) Respiration
D) Mineralization

Question 26

As the sugars are broken down in the cells of living creatures, the energy returns to the atmosphere through the process of .

A) photosynthesis
B) transpiration
C) respiration
D) evapotranspiration

Question 27

From largest to smallest, the soil particle sizes are .

A) silt, sand, and clay
B) clay, sand, and silt
C) sand, silt, and clay
D) sand, clay, and silt

Question 28

Tropical savannas tend to be than tropical dry forests.

A) drier and colder
B) wetter
C) wetter and colder
D) drier

Question 29

The goods and services that ecosystems provide to humanity are known as ecosystem services. Identify and explain the four categories of ecosystem services, and describe an example of each.

Question 30

Biomes with less than 10 cm (4 inches) of rain a year are .

A) high in primary productivity
B) dominated by coniferous trees
C) likely to have extremely cold winters
D) generally classified as deserts

Question 31

You are in a low- elevation area that receives an average of 51 cm (20 inches) of precipitation per year, with temperatures that are much colder in winter than summer. Which one of the following biomes are you most likely to be in?

A) Subtropical moist broadleaf forest
B) Temperate grassland
C) Desert
D) Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrublands

Question 32

Discuss two climatic factors that are most important in the distribution and characteristics of biomes. Choose one biome and explain how these two factors impact the specific plants and animals found there.

Question 33

Most plants acquire their minerals from .

A) fertilizers
B) detritus and the weathering of rock
C) the precipitation of minerals from rainfall
D) nutrients in rainfall and dust storms that transport minerals into a region