Deck 11: Terrestrial Flora and Fauna

Question 1

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

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

Answer 1

A

Question 2

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

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

Answer 2

E

Question 3

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

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

Answer 3

C

Question 4

An alternate term for tropical rainforest biomes is ________.

A) chaparral
B) savanna
C) selva
D) jungle
E) prairie

Question 5

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

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

Question 6

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

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

Question 7

Both steppe and tundra vegetation zones have ________ in common.

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

Question 8

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

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

Question 9

Changing climate has had this effect on bird populations:

A) earlier migration in the spring.
B) relative breeding success of larger species.
C) the increase of the number of species.
D) birds now winter farther south.
E) flocks will not migrate over the Gulf of Mexico.

Question 10

The richest assemblage of flora and fauna outside the tropics are in the ________ biome.

A) desert
B) tundra
C) boreal forest
D) midlatitude deciduous forest
E) mediterranean woodland and shrub

Question 11

There are approximately ________ known species of birds.

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

Question 12

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

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

Question 13

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

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

Question 14

Plants adapted to environments with surplus moisture are called ________.

A) hygrophytic
B) xerophytic
C) edaphic
D) marsupials
E) taxonomic

Question 15

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

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

Question 16

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

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

Question 17

Evidence suggests higher temperatures are already having an impact on bird populations.

Question 18

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

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

Question 19

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

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

Question 20

A synonym for the boreal forest biome is ________.

A) tundra
B) chordata
C) taiga
D) savanna
E) bryophyte

Question 21

The South American continent falls within the zoogeographic ________ region.

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

Question 22

The major biome characterized by relative absence of trees is the ________.

A) tundra
B) savanna
C) steppe
D) desert
E) all of the above

Question 23

A large component of the world's selva is located in ________.

A) central Australia
B) central Africa
C) eastern Canada
D) U.S. midwest
E) Tasmania

Question 24

The state of ________ has been called a "biological cesspool" because of all the species accidentally introduced there.

Question 25

The hardwood broadleaf deciduous trees around the world are ________.

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

Question 26

Ninety-five percent of all reptiles are ________.

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

Question 27

The egg-laying mammals of the Australian region are the ________.

A) primates
B) monotremes
C) marsupials
D) lagomorphs
E) lepidoptera

Question 28

The transfer of moisture from plant leaves to atmosphere is ________.

A) sublimation
B) estivation
C) transpiration
D) deposition
E) nivation

Question 29

The ________ is a South American plant that has been translocated and accidentally clogs Florida's waterways.

A) bamboo plant
B) sugar cane
C) day lily
D) water hyacinth
E) lilac bush

Question 30

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

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

Question 31

Xerophytes are plants of the ________ region.

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

Question 32

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

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

Question 33

Birds are believed to have evolved from ________.

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

Question 34

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

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

Question 35

Organisms capable of self-generated movement are called ________.

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

Question 36

The world zoogeographic regions map includes ONLY ________ animals.

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

Question 37

Which zoogeographic covers most of Asia?

A) Neotropical
B) Australian
C) Madagascar
D) Oriental
E) Palearctic

Question 38

The biological classification puts amphibians under the heading of ________.

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

Question 39

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

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

Question 40

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) ubac
C) forte
D) epiphyte
E) selva

Question 41

The floristic pattern of Earth

A) is doomed for catastrophe.
B) is permanent.
C) can only be change by humans.
D) cannot be mapped.
E) will inevitably change.

Question 42

Climax vegetation is most closely associated with the concept of

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

Question 43

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

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

Question 44

________ is NOT one of the world's biomes.

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

Question 45

Some of the spore-bearing plants are termed ________.

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

Question 46

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

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

Question 47

Which of the following plant types is herbaceous?

A) evergreen
B) softwood
C) deciduous
D) hardwood
E) none of the above

Question 48

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

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

Question 49

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

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

Question 50

Vegetation growing alongside streams is termed ________.

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

Question 51

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) hydrophytic
C) hygrophtic
D) most
E) tall

Question 52

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

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

Question 53

The classic example of the effects of the environment on a species is shown by the ________ on a fox.

A) size of snout
B) color of fur
C) length of tail
D) size of ears
E) color of eyes

Question 54

Animals are not as accurate environmental indicators as are plants, mainly because of their ________.

A) body temperature
B) lack of photosynthesis
C) cell structures
D) mobility
E) none of the above

Question 55

Savanna is a type of ________ vegetation.

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

Question 56

Shrubland has a wide distribution but is most common in ________ locales.

A) tundra
B) semiarid
C) marshes
D) steppes
E) none of the above

Question 57

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

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

Question 58

Which of the following does NOT belong with the others?

A) savanna
B) steppe
C) shrubland
D) prairie
E) grassland

Question 59

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

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

Question 60

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

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

Question 61

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

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

Question 62

_____ is the country with the most deforested area.

A) The United States
B) Russia
C) Panama
D) Niger
E) Brazil

Question 63

Authorities commonly accept ________ biomes.

A) 2
B) 7
C) 10
D) 25
E) 47

Question 64

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

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

Question 65

An extensive genus of shrubs and low-growing trees dominating the Australian zoographic region is is the ________.

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

Question 66

These plants perish during times of climatic stress:

A) succulents.
B) hygrophytes.
C) perennials.
D) angiosperms.
E) annuals.

Question 67

The ability to use solar energy in food production is ________.

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

Question 68

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) cold season
E) high Sun season

Question 69

__________ is the term most associated with environmental equilibrium in a vegetation community.

A) Plant succession
B) Extirpation
C) Migration
D) Reproductive success
E) Climax vegetation

Question 70

Which statement is TRUE?

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

Question 71

The zoogeographic region dominated by flightless birds is the ________.

A) Neotropical
B) New Zealand
C) Nearctic
D) Madagascar
E) Ethiopian

Question 72

Taproots, thorns, and fleshy stems are characteristics of

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

Question 73

Which biome has a high proportion of thorny plants?

A) tropical scrub
B) tropical rainforest
C) midlatitude grassland
D) tropical deciduous forest
E) midlatitude deciduous forest

Question 74

________ are most abundant on Earth.

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

Question 75

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

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

Question 76

Trees of the genus Eucalyptus dominate the vegetation of ________.

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

Question 77

"Hardwood" and "softwood"

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

Question 78

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

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

Question 79

In Brazil, the most pressing problem in its tropical rainforest region seems to be

A) the building of large cities.
B) lack of rainfall.
C) the poor attitudes of its native residents.
D) rapid deforestation.
E) the introduction of African animals.

Question 80

Which zoogeographic region has the most limited faunal assemblage?

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