Deck 9: Biogeography and Soils

Question 1

What results from the conversion of plant materials to animal substances?

A)primary productivity
B)secondary productivity
C)stratification
D)first laterization

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The total amount of living material in an ecosystem is referred to as ____.

A)biomass
B)a food chain
C)mosaic
D)a life zone

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The process by which natural vegetation at a particular location develops in a sequence of stages involving different plant communities is known as ____.

A)evolution
B)regression
C)natural selection
D)succession

Answer 3

D

Question 4

____ is a stored water supply in soils that plants can use.

A)Gravitational water
B)Leached water
C)Capillary water
D)Caliche

Question 5

Natural catastrophes ____.

A)occur only to animals, not plants and humans
B)are an environmental control on the organization and structure of ecosystems
C)affect only soils
D)are an environmental control on soil distribution

Question 6

Soil air supplies plants and microorganisms with what gases that are needed for life processes?

A)nitrogen and helium
B)oxygen and methane
C)carbon dioxide and oxygen
D)nitrogen and carbon dioxide

Question 7

Evaporating soil water ____.

A)can only move downward
B)is responsible for creating caliche
C)is bound to the surface of soil particles by strong electrical forces
D)is the primary agent in transporting soil particles from one level to another

Question 8

The overlapping area between two major plant-dominated ecosystems is a(n) ____.

A)ecotone where elements of both ecosystems intermingle
B)corridor separating the two ecosystems
C)patch with elements of both ecosystems
D)region with negative ecological optimum

Question 9

Biogeographers view the landscape of an area as a(n) ____ of interlocking parts.

A)region
B)matrix
C)web
D)mosaic

Question 10

Natural catastrophes result in ____.

A)symbiotic relationships
B)patch dynamics
C)island biogeography
D)mosaics

Question 11

The soil-forming factor that has the greatest effect in differentiating soil at the global-regional scale is ____.

A)parent material
B)land surface configuration
C)climate
D)vegetation type

Question 12

Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and detritivores are subclasses of which one of the four components of a typical ecosystem?

A)abiotics
B)autotrophs
C)decomposers
D)consumers

Question 13

Formation of new organic matter through photosynthesis by producers is referred to as ____.

A)net production
B)gross production
C)secondary production
D)primary production

Question 14

On a worldwide basis, which of the following factors exerts the greatest influence over natural vegetation?

A)climate
B)soil
C)topography
D)humans

Question 15

A(n) ____ is an expression of various environmental factors functioning together.

A)climate
B)biome
C)mosaic
D)landscape

Question 16

Which of the following is the correct ordering of soil particle sizes from largest to smallest?

A)clay → sand → silt
B)clay → silt → sand
C)silt → clay → sand
D)sand → silt → clay

Question 17

Residual parent material ____.

A)has been accumulated in place
B)has been transported
C)is manufactured material
D)contains bacteria

Question 18

The combination of role and habitat for a particular species is referred to as its ____.

A)environment
B)ecological niche
C)territorial prerogative
D)hunting grounds

Question 19

Red soil color is caused by ____.

A)aluminum compounds
B)mercury compounds
C)iron compounds
D)clay

Question 20

A soil rich in organic material will be ____.

A)black or dark brown
B)gray
C)red
D)yellow

Question 21

Soil peds give the soil a particular structure and are aggregates of individual mineral particles.

Question 22

On land, a traveler would notice a decrease in primary productivity by traveling from the tropics to the higher latitudes.

Question 23

Desert soil is topped by ____.

A)a mosaic of closely packed pebbles
B)alkaline, dark, and rich humus
C)acidic and light-colored humus
D)acid litter and humus

Question 24

Soil water that percolates downwards is called capillary water.

Question 25

Salinization is the ____.

A)evaporation of water from soil
B)concentration of salts in soil
C)decreasing salt content of a soil
D)deposition of salt rocks from streams

Question 26

Calcified and salinized soils typically form in ____.

A)arid and semiarid regions
B)the middle latitudes
C)the subarctic
D)the rainforests

Question 27

Soils with a higher proportion of larger particles tend to be well-aerated and ____.

A)lead to greater evaporation
B)withstand erosion
C)retain water more efficiently
D)allow water to infiltrate quickly

Question 28

Biogeographers study abiotic environments and their relationship to biotic communities of plants and animals.

Question 29

On a global-regional basis, parent materials cause stronger and larger variations in soil characteristics than do the climate and associated plant communities.

Question 30

Topography directly influences ecosystems by providing a limited number of microclimates within a small area.

Question 31

Which of the following statements about soil profiles is true?

A)The B horizon is known as the zone of eluviation.
B)The R horizon is a zone of intense leaching.
C)The C horizon contains partially weathered parent material.
D)The A horizon is the regolith or rock layer.

Question 32

Broadly generalizing, the three primary soil-forming regimes are ____.

A)eluviation, illuviation, and alleviation
B)laterization, podzolization, and nitrification
C)calcification, podzolization, and laterization
D)podzolization, eluviation, and illuviation

Question 33

Which horizon contains the weathered parent material from which the soil is formed?

A)A
B)B
C)C
D)D

Question 34

Loam soils are best suited to support plant life.

Question 35

The A horizon of a soil consists of ____.

A)bedrock
B)unchanged parent material
C)the partly decomposed organic debris
D)the topsoil

Question 36

Specialists are in the majority in most ecosystems because they have limited competition for their food supply.

Question 37

Nutrient cycles include carbon and nitrogen.

Question 38

Trophic structure refers to the pattern of food source and consumption in an ecosystem.

Question 39

Organic matter accumulated from grassland vegetation has played a major role in creating the fertile soils of the central U.S.

Question 40

Humans have significantly affected natural vegetation except in regions too remote to be settled.

Question 41

Capillary water tends to move vertically from areas with more water to areas with less water.

Question 42

According to the "Theory of Island Biogeography," how might some plant species make their way to a remote and (initially) lifeless island?

Question 43

____________________ is the soil-forming process that occurs in humid tropical and subtropical climates due to high temperatures and abundant rainfall.

Question 44

The development of a hardpan of clay in a subsoil can restrict the downward percolation of water through the soil horizons.

Question 45

Those organisms of ecosystems which feed on dead plant and animal material, promote decay, and return mineral nutrients to the soil, are called ____________________.

Question 46

Autotrophs are responsible for ____________________ productivity.

Question 47

A plant's ____________________ can be a critical environmental determinant of weather that plant will grow, flourish, or die.

Question 48

What are the soil factors abbreviated by Cl, O, R.P, T, and how does each factor influence the development of a soil and its type? Illustrate with specific examples.

Question 49

Any animal that relies on only one or two sources of food is known as a(n) ____________________.

Question 50

____________________ are distinct layers in well-developed soils.

Question 51

The weathered fragments of rock from which soil is formed are called the ____________________ material.

Question 52

Soils have a tendency to develop toward a state of ____________________ with their environment.

Question 53

A vertical cross section of a soil from the surface down to the parent material from which it forms is called the ____________________.

Question 54

The total amount of living material in an ecosystem is referred to as the ____________________.

Question 55

Vegetative associations are called plant ____________________.

Question 56

______________ is the decayed remains of plant and animal material that have been partially transformed by bacterial action.

Question 57

____________________ are relatively straight features cutting across a mosaic.

Question 58

A feeding pattern that is formed when food chains overlap and interact within an ecosystem is called a food ____________________.

Question 59

Wind is a significant climatic control on vegetation, especially in deserts.

Question 60

Zones of transition, or overlap, between two plant or animal communities are called ____________________.

Question 61

Explain four threats to the world's soil resources and explain how they affect soil.Note whether they are natural occurrences, human related, or a combination of human-environmental.