Deck 4: The Terrestrial Environment

Question 1

________ are the dominant factor that influence the vertical gradient of light in terrestrial environments.

Answer 1

Plants

Question 2

________ is a property of soils that is determined by the different sizes and types of particles in soils.

Answer 2

Soil texture

Question 3

The ________ conditions within a region impose the primary constraints on plant and animal life.

Answer 3

physical

Question 4

The layer of unconsolidated debris overlaying the layer of hard, unweathered rock is called the ________.

Question 5

It is agreed that soil is teeming with life and is a three-dimensional unit, having length, ________, and depth.

Question 6

________ particles control the water-holding capacity of soil and ion exchange.

Question 7

The two physical factors that vary most in terrestrial environments are ________ and ________.

Question 8

Distinct layers in the soil that are created by localized chemical and physical processes are called ________.

Question 9

The ________ point is the stage at which the moisture level in soil decreases to a level at which plants can no longer extract water.

Question 10

Patches of light that penetrate the canopy of a forest and reach the forest floor are called ________.

Question 11

A collective sequence of horizontal layers in soil is a ________.

Question 12

________ is the process of maximum leaching from the E horizon of a soil profile.

Question 13

A rock that is broken into smaller fragments as a result of freezing and thawing has experienced ________ weathering.

Question 14

The wavelengths that make up the visible light spectrum are referred to as ________ radiation.

Question 15

The aboveground parts (e.g., leaves)of most plants are coated with a waxy ________ that reduces water loss.

Question 16

The parent material of soils may originate from underlying bedrock or be deposited by glacial, eolian (wind), gravitational, or ________ processes.

Question 17

________-sized particles are between 0.002 and 0.05 mm in diameter.

Question 18

Although it can be used to determine important physical and chemical properties, ________ has little effect on soil function.

Question 19

When the amount of water in a soil exceeds what the pore space can hold, it is ________.

Question 20

The movement of solutes through the soil is known as ________.

Question 21

Each of the following is a challenge faced by a terrestrial plant EXCEPT

A)buoyancy.
B)desiccation.
C)cells and tissues to maintain structure.
D)variability in air temperature.

Question 22

Regions that are subjected to heavy volcanic activity have dark soils called ________.

Question 23

The mechanical destruction and/or chemical modification of rock into smaller particles is called

A)leaching.
B)mineralization.
C)percolation.
D)weathering.

Question 24

In which season would the leaf area index (LAI)of a temperate deciduous forest be lowest?

A)fall
B)spring
C)summer
D)winter

Question 25

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

A)Topography affects the erosion of parent material.
B)Soil develops very rapidly, within several years.
C)Plants move nutrients from deep in the soil to the surface.
D)Plant roots stabilize the soil surface.

Question 26

In a temperate deciduous forest, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)is greatest in

A)fall.
B)spring.
C)summer.
D)winter.

Question 27

Under which conditions are the processes of weathering, leaching, and input of organic material from plants into soil maximized?

A)warm temperatures and abundant water
B)cool temperatures and abundant water
C)cool temperatures and scarce water
D)warm temperatures and scarce water

Question 28

Which wavelength of light penetrates through plant cover the furthest?

A)violet (400 nm)
B)far-red (730 nm)
C)red (660 nm)
D)green (500 nm)

Question 29

Organisms that live in aquatic systems experience limited temperature fluctuations due to water's

A)high specific heat.
B)high viscosity.
C)high surface tension.
D)covalent nature.

Question 30

Particle size of the soil directly influences the ________ and the surface area onto which water adheres.

Question 31

________ are soils that are low in organic matter and are found in arid and semiarid regions.

Question 32

In low-lying areas with poor drainage, ________ results in a black or bluish-grey soil with a high organic content.

Question 33

Leaf area index (LAI)

A)is calculated by counting the number of leaves in a forest canopy.
B)is lowest for leaves held perpendicular to the sun's rays.
C)is the primary influence on the attenuation of light in terrestrial environments.
D)is the same regardless of season.

Question 34

Perhaps the greatest constraint imposed on life in terrestrial environments is

A)low nutrient availability.
B)ultraviolet radiation.
C)access to water.
D)difficulty of dispersal.

Question 35

A measure of the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a soil is ________.

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT considered an important function of soil?

A)to provide a heat source to plants and animals
B)to control the fate of water in terrestrial environments
C)to break down and transform the waste products of plants and animals
D)to provide habitat for a diversity of life

Question 37

________ are negatively charged particles in the soil that attract cations.

Question 38

The vertical reduction or ________ of light through a stand can be estimated by leaf area index.

Question 39

The ________ is a basic measure of soil quality and increases with higher clay and organic matter content.

Question 40

The unconsolidated mass from which different types of soil can develop is called the

A)mantle.
B)parent material.
C)lacustrine.
D)till.

Question 41

Which of the following tends to displace cations from soil exchange sites as pH decreases?

A)Ca ²⁺
B)NH₄⁺
C)H⁺
D)SO₄²⁻

Question 42

Which soil has a high, dark clay content and shows significant expansion and contraction due to wetting and drying?

A)Chernozem
B)Gleysol
C)Podzol
D)Andisol

Question 43

When compared with sandy soils, clay soils have ________ wilting point.

A)a lower
B)a higher
C)the same
D)no

Question 44

Generally, an ion with a ________ positive charge and ________ size will bind most strongly to a soil particle.

A)greater; smaller
B)smaller; larger
C)smaller; smaller
D)greater; larger

Question 45

As soil acidity increases, the concentration of ________ is relatively unchanged.

A)Ca²⁺
B)Al³⁺
C)Na⁺
D)SO₄²⁻

Question 46

When the amount of water in soil exceeds what the pore space can hold, the soil is

A)at field capacity.
B)at the wilting point.
C)saturated.
D)desiccated.

Question 47

Organized layers of soil are known as

A)profiles.
B)tills.
C)regoliths.
D)horizons.

Question 48

The available water capacity is

A)the water available for plant uptake.
B)the same as the saturation point.
C)equal to the difference between the saturation point and field capacity.
D)unaffected by pore size.

Question 49

Which of the following is an incorrect description of the given soil order?

A)Brunisols experience intense leaching and are generally found in humid, warm climates.
B)Organics are indicative of bogs and have a high content of organic matter.
C)Oxisols are found in the tropics and subtropics and are highly weathered.
D)The surface horizons of Chernozem are dark brown to black with a soft consistency.

Question 50

Which of the following is a common soil anion?

A)NH₄⁺
B)Ca ²⁺
C)NO₃⁻
D)Mg²⁺

Question 51

Which of the following soils holds the most water?

A)a clay loam on a ridge top
B)a sandy loam in a valley
C)a clay loam in a valley
D)a sandy loam on a ridge top

Question 52

The O horizon

A)is the area of maximum deposition of nutrients as a result of illuviation.
B)contains intact and decomposing organic material.
C)is composed of very large soil particles.
D)is often referred to as topsoil.

Question 53

You examine a soil that is quite dark, even black. Because of this, you know that this soil has a high content of

A)iron.
B)calcium.
C)humus.
D)gypsum.

Question 54

Soil particles are classified based on

A)age.
B)colour.
C)water content.
D)size.

Question 55

This process is a problem in agricultural areas where irrigation is prevalent.

A)calcification
B)gleization
C)laterization
D)salinization

Question 56

Which of the following is an incorrect match between the soil-forming process and the resulting soil order?

A)laterization-Ultisol
B)podzolization-Podzol
C)gleization-Cryosol
D)calcification-Solonetzic

Question 57

Which of the following soil textures would have the largest pore spaces?

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

Question 58

Clay particles and salts tend to accumulate in the ________ horizon.

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

Question 59

The general relationship between available light and leaf area index (LAI)is described by

A)Bohr's law.
B)Beer's law.
C)Leibig's law.
D)the Central Limit Theorem.

Question 60

In general, the soils in or on ________ are the most shallow.

A)steep slopes
B)native grasslands
C)valleys
D)floodplains

Question 61

Clay soils have smaller pores and hold considerably less water than sandy soils.

Question 62

The bedrock lies above the C horizon.

Question 63

In high-latitude habitats, forest canopies that have leaves displayed at an angle will absorb light more effectively.

Question 64

In forests, most of the organic matter that enters the soil comes from plant roots.

Question 65

In terrestrial environments, the dominant factor that influences the vertical gradient of light is the absorption and reflection of solar radiation by water vapour in the air.

Question 66

The lower the leaf area index (LAI)above the forest floor, the lower the quantity of light reaching the forest floor.

Question 67

Tree roots growing through rock and splitting the rock into smaller pieces is an example of mechanical weathering.

Question 68

Soils on ridge tops are generally drier than valley soils.

Question 69

Field water is the water held between soil particles by capillary forces.

Question 70

More rainfall enters the soil on steep slopes than on level land.

Question 71

Heavy rainfall results in heavy soil leaching and rapid chemical weathering.

Question 72

The formation of well-developed soils takes approximately 500 years.

Question 73

The soil in a particular area is arranged in layers called horizons that will vary in texture, structure, and consistency from one another.

Question 74

Aquatic environments are relatively stable because water requires a large amount of energy to change states.

Question 75

The greatest limitation faced by terrestrial organisms is low nutrient availability.

Question 76

All the following are factors that affect the attenuation of light in water, EXCEPT

A)phytoplankton.
B)water itself.
C)intensity of light.
D)dissolved substances.

Question 77

Air is less dense than water and, as a result, decreases the effect of gravity on terrestrial organisms.

Question 78

Soil is best described as an abiotic environment for plants.

Question 79

Iron oxides give soil a purplish to black colour.

Question 80

The E horizon in soils is characterized by an accumulation of mineral particles.