Deck 11: Terrestrial Flora and Fauna

Question 1

Most of North America, including the U.S.A. and Canada, lies within the zoogeographic realm.

A) Palearctic
B) Nearctic
C) Neotropical
D) Ethiopian
E) Australian

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The few trees that are in an area of midlatitude grassland biome probably would be .

A) hygrophytes
B) nomadic
C) riparian
D) lost
E) conifers

Answer 2

C

Question 3

There are approximately known species of birds.

A) 90,000
B) 9
C) 9,000
D) 90
E) 900

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In the interior of the biome one would find the aroma of mold and decomposition, high humidity, and much plant litter of the forest floor.

A) Tropical rainforest
B) Tropical savanna
C) Boreal forest
D) Tundra
E) Tropical scrub

Question 5

total (major plus minor) zoogeographical regions are generally recognized.

A) Nine
B) Thirty- nine
C) Five
D) Twenty
E) Fifty

Question 6

is (are) an animal's adaptation(s) to the desert biome.

A) Nomadism
B) Nocturnal habits
C) Estivation
D) Burrowing
E) all of the above

Question 7

By far, the zoogeographic region with the most distinct flora and fauna is

A) the Nearctic region.
B) the Neotropical region.
C) the Oriental region.
D) the Australian region.
E) the Palearctic region.

Question 8

"Hardwood" and "softwood"

A) are largely deciduous trees.
B) have, respectively, simple and complicated cellular structures.
C) are unsatisfactory descriptions of trees.
D) are largely evergreen trees.
E) are based on easily defined criteria.

Question 9

A major factor which aids in the understanding of contemporary distribution patterns of plants and animals is (are) .

A) reproductive success
B) evolutionary development
C) extirpation
D) migration
E) all of the above

Question 10

Which of the following is a plant which is exotic to Florida and has had disastrous environmental consequences?

A) the New Zealand oak tree
B) the algae bush
C) the hydrilla
D) the manatee
E) the palm tree

Question 11

Which of the following facilitated the interchange of animals between the Nearctic and Paleartic regions?

A) the drifting of the continents
B) the melting of ice at the end of the Ice age
C) the formation of the Rocky Mountains
D) the Bering Land Bridge
E) the ice of the Arctic Ocean

Question 12

Most of the eastern United States was originally covered with _.

A) boreal forest
B) tundra
C) grasslands
D) midlatitude forest
E) savanna

Question 13

Currently, the greatest rate of deforestation of the tropical rainforest is on the continent of

A) North America.
B) Europe.
C) Asia.
D) South America.
E) Africa.

Question 14

Which of the following are two characteristics possessed by all animals?

A) warm- blooded, hairy
B) motile, not capable of manufacturing food from air, water, and sunlight
C) hairy, motile
D) they are larger than microscopic size
E) not capable of manufacturing food from air, water, and sunlight, warm- blooded

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT descriptive of most desert animals?

A) ability to delay reproduction until wet times
B) low range of daily body temperatures
C) anatomically adapted by evolution
D) large- scale movements to follow the rains
E) nocturnal activity

Question 16

The major zoogeographic regions of the world are mapped to the original delineation by .

A) Wallace
B) Smith
C) Agassiz
D) Darwin
E) Huxley

Question 17

is a biome characterized by a sparse cover of widely scattered individual plants.

A) Desert
B) Mediterranean woodland and shrub
C) The boreal forest
D) The midlatitude grasslands
E) Tundra

Question 18

In Earth history, how many species are estimated to have become extinct?

A) all of them
B) one thousand
C) five hundred million
D) one hundred thousand
E) one million

Question 19

The higher plant type that carries its seeds in cones is the .

A) bryophyte
B) gymnosperm
C) xerophyte
D) pteridophyte
E) angiosperm

Question 20

Along with a few conifer species, this type of plant has dominated Earth for the last 50 or 60 million years:

A) pteridophytes
B) angiosperms
C) gymnosperms
D) hydrophytes
E) bryophytes

Question 21

The hardwood broadleaf deciduous trees around the world are .

A) angiosperms
B) gymnosperms
C) acacias
D) eucalyptus
E) none of the above

Question 22

Which of the following is a main factor causing the observed natural distributions of plants and animals?

A) all of the above
B) reproductive success
C) extinctions
D) evolutionary development
E) migration

Question 23

According to the concept of vertical zonation, changes in _ _ are the counterpart of changes in altitude.

A) soil
B) precipitation
C) latitude
D) slope angle
E) longitude

Question 24

Which zoogeographic region has the most limited faunal assemblage?

A) Neotropical
B) Palearctic
C) The Pacific Islands
D) Nearctic
E) New Zealand

Question 25

The world zoogeographic regions map includes ONLY animals.

A) wild
B) domesticated
C) exotic
D) feral
E) all of the above

Question 26

After the rainforest is cleared for agriculture, the most typical occurrence is that .

A) high agricultural yields occur for many years
B) the biotic diversity is increased
C) the country's standard of living increases
D) the soils soon lose their fertility
E) fertilization is unnecessary for many years

Question 27

Organisms capable of self- generated movement are called .

A) motile
B) torpid
C) ubac
D) riparian
E) adret

Question 28

Most of the "big game" mammals in Africa are naturally adapted to the biome:

A) tropical rain forest
B) monsoon forest
C) desert
D) boreal forest
E) tropical savanna

Question 29

is NOT one of the worlds biomes.

A) Ice field
B) Tundra
C) Boreal forest
D) Desert
E) Midlatitude grassland

Question 30

This biome is widespread in drier portions of the A climatic realm. It is dominated by low- growing scraggly trees and tall bushes.

A) Tropical Deciduous Forest
B) Tropical Grassland
C) Tropical Scrub
D) Tropical Rainforest
E) none of the above

Question 31

is the scientist associated with the theory of natural selection.

A) Einstein
B) Wegener
C) Bacon
D) Feral Bob
E) Darwin

Question 32

is (are) one of the features distinguishing mammals from all other animal groups.

A) Warm blood
B) True hair
C) Toenails
D) Tongues
E) Eyelids

Question 33

A is a natural but variable sequential change in vegetation patterns.

A) deciduous
B) hypertrophic
C) succession
D) food chain
E) none of the above

Question 34

The South American continent falls within the zoogeographic _ region.

A) Palearctic
B) Nearctic
C) Ethiopian
D) Neotropical
E) none of the above

Question 35

Birds are believed to have evolved from .

A) angiosperms
B) gymosperms
C) reptiles
D) mammals
E) fish

Question 36

Which biome has a high proportion of thorny plants?

A) Midlatitude grassland
B) Tropical rain forest
C) Tropical scrub
D) Midlatitude deciduous forest
E) Tropic deciduous forest

Question 37

is a biome adapted to summer fires and rapid vegetative recovery.

A) The boreal forest
B) Desert
C) Midlatitude deciduous forest
D) Mediterranean woodland and shrub
E) Tropical rainforest

Question 38

are most abundant on Earth.

A) Fishes
B) Birds
C) Arthopods
D) Amphibians
E) Reptiles

Question 39

An extensive genus of shrubs and low- growing trees common to every low latitude continental area is the .

A) boreal species
B) tamaracks
C) acacias
D) eucalypts
E) larch

Question 40

Which statement is TRUE?

A) Valley bottoms usually have little subsurface moisture.
B) Valley bottoms tend to have riparian vegetation.
C) Valley bottom vegetation is rare in arid regions.
D) Valley bottoms tend to have sparse flora.
E) Valley bottoms are also called "adret slopes".

Question 41

Because of heavy interference by humans, maps of world biomes are best thought of as maps of natural vegetation.

A) theoretical
B) useable
C) motile
D) azonal
E) total

Question 42

No other element of the physical landscape has been so transformed and rearranged by human interference as the _ .

A) glaciers
B) soil
C) water
D) air
E) plants

Question 43

Some of the spore- bearing plants are termed .

A) conifers
B) angiosperms
C) higher plants
D) trees
E) pteridophytes

Question 44

In the tropical deciduous forest, trees shed their leaves because of a short but pronounced .

A) dry season
B) wet season
C) summer season
D) high sun season
E) cold season

Question 45

Climax vegetation is most closely associated with the concept of

A) succession.
B) extinction.
C) equilibrium.
D) natural selection.
E) human disturbance.

Question 46

Plants introduced into new habitats in which they were not originally raised are .

A) anadromous
B) feral
C) exotic
D) taiga
E) selva

Question 47

The biological classification puts amphibians under the heading of _.

A) vertebrates
B) parasites
C) symbiosis
D) arthropods
E) none of the above

Question 48

were more important in past Earth history; today, the only large, surviving varieties are cone- bearing trees such as pines.

A) Gymnosperms
B) Broadleaf plants
C) Angiosperms
D) Herbaceous plants
E) Hardwoods

Question 49

Weak, pliable stems which do not give support to a plant are an identifying characteristic of a

A) xerophyte.
B) hygrophyte.
C) succulent.
D) phreatophyte.
E) neophyte.

Question 50

Ungulates are .

A) hoofed animals
B) large trees
C) vines that hang from trees
D) extinct
E) desert plants covered with thorns.

Question 51

Savanna is a type of vegetation.

A) forest
B) woodland
C) desert
D) grassland
E) subarctic

Question 52

Which of the following are NOT vertebrates?

A) reptiles
B) mammals
C) fishes
D) amphibians
E) arthropods

Question 53

In considering the major vegetational associations, we should remember that .

A) extraterrestrial factors have created the boundaries
B) they have been around as long as the Earth
C) change is inevitable
D) deforestation has accounted for it all
E) they have been stable for a billion years

Question 54

The most remarkable series of adjustment to the desert environment has been made by the .

A) snake
B) ostrich
C) kangaroo
D) dromedary
E) lion

Question 55

The boundary between middle latitude forest and middle latitude grassland is most closely related to the concept of the .

A) food pyramid
B) biome
C) ecotone
D) food chain
E) ecosystem

Question 56

Concerning vegetation, which of the following is TRUE?

A) It influences microclimate.
B) It has influenced human settlement.
C) It acts as a resource.
D) It reflects subtle variations in environmental parameters.
E) It is correctly described by all of the above.

Question 57

Which of the following is a common animal adaptation to prolonged dry weather?

A) estivation
B) delayed implantation
C) migration
D) nocturnal activity
E) all of the above

Question 58

In plant succession, each successive community tends to be than the previous one.

A) taller
B) of lesser area
C) simpler
D) less stable
E) less prone to species stability

Question 59

Ninety- five percent of all reptiles are _ _.

A) poisonous
B) microscopic
C) capable of flight
D) water- dwellers
E) snakes and lizards

Question 60

Xerophytes are plants of the region.

A) steppe
B) desert
C) tropical rain forest
D) polar
E) midlatitude forest

Question 61

is a floralistic association usually found in slightly drier climates than the forest floralistic association.

A) Steppes
B) Shrublands
C) Beaches
D) Grasslands
E) Woodlands

Question 62

Trees of the genus Eucalyptus dominate the vegetation of .

A) Australia
B) Greenland
C) Most of Earth
D) North America
E) Europe

Question 63

Which of the following does NOT belong with the others?

A) Steppe
B) Ahrubland
C) Prairie
D) Grassland
E) Savanna

Question 64

Which of the following is NOT a difference between plants and animals?

A) Animals need nutrients and plants do not.
B) Plants have been more important to geographic study than have animals.
C) Plants can fix solar energy into chemical form and animals can not.
D) Animals tend to be motile and plants are not.
E) Plants are more prominent than animals on the landscape.

Question 65

Taproots, thorns, and fleshy stems are characteristics of

A) annuals.
B) tundra vegetation.
C) xerophytes.
D) deciduous plants.
E) plants with little environmental specialization.

Question 66

The timing of an entire life cycle into a few days after a rain and then followed by a long period of dormancy is a characteristic of plants.

A) xerophytic
B) hygrophtic
C) tall
D) most
E) hydrophytic

Question 67

Plants which survive seasonal climatic fluctuations from year to year are .

A) succulents
B) epiphytes
C) xerophytes
D) perennials
E) annuals

Question 68

is (are) characteristic(s) of a high proportion of animals.

A) Extreme susceptibility to heat stress
B) Shiny hair
C) Anatomical similarities to camels
D) Nomadism
E) Flightlessness

Question 69

Which of the following characteristics is closely associated with mammals and birds but not other groups of animals?

A) They are very plentiful compared to other animal groups.
B) They are arthropods.
C) They have spinal cords.
D) They have brains.
E) They are endothermic.

Question 70

In the desert biome, animal life can be said to be _ .

A) inconspicuous
B) composed mainly of snakes
C) sun- loving
D) non- existent
E) hygrophytic

Question 71

Except in the rainy tropics, virtually all needle- leaf trees are .

A) succulents
B) evergreen
C) extinct
D) annuals
E) deciduous

Question 72

A Florist ic association dominated by tall grasses and found in the middle latitudes is _.

A) deserts
B) wetlands
C) savanna
D) prairie
E) steppe

Question 73

In the desert biome, is rapid for almost all forms of life.

A) evolutionary anatomical applications
B) evolutionary physiological adaptations
C) rate of reproduction
D) the rate of perspiration ("sweating")
E) extinction

Question 74

A vegetation type dominated by coniferous needle- leaf evergreen trees is the biome.

A) boreal forest
B) savanna
C) desert
D) midlatitude deciduous forest
E) tundra

Question 75

Plants that live above ground and out of contact with the soil, usually growing on trees or shrubs, are .

A) deciduous
B) exotics
C) epiphytes
D) parasites
E) none of the above

Question 76

The reason that treelines at the same latitudes north and south of the Equator occur at different altitudes is .

A) that there are few mountains in the Southern Hemisphere
B) the Sun is usually higher in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere
C) unknown
D) that there is more ocean in the Southern Hemisphere
E) the varying solar radiation received by each hemisphere

Question 77

Both steppe and tundra vegetation zones have _ in common.

A) enormous average annual temperature range
B) absence of trees
C) prevalence of tornadoes
D) coastal location
E) temperate regimes

Question 78

A slope struck by a low Sun angle has relatively low evaporation and thus supports a relatively luxuriant vegetation growth and is known as a(n) slope.

A) adret
B) forte
C) ubac
D) epiphyte
E) selva

Question 79

The ability to use solar energy in food production is .

A) not exhibited in most plants
B) accomplished by all life on Earth
C) not exhibited in most animals
D) a characteristic of only the perennials
E) not accomplished by any of the life on Earth

Question 80

Which is among the natural means for dispersal of seeds?

A) wind
B) animals
C) water
D) all of the above
E) none of the above