Life on Earth
Chapter 31
Earth's Diverse Ecosystems
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  1. Most plant species fit into only a few morphological types. Which type seems most restricted by temperature and rainfall?
    1. trees
    2. shrubs
    3. grasses
    4. perennial herbs
    5. annual weeds

  2. In which biome is the smallest fraction of carbon and nutrients present in the soil?
    1. tropical rain forest
    2. savanna
    3. tundra
    4. grassland
    5. coniferous forest

  3. How do mountain ranges create deserts?
    1. by lifting land up into colder, drier air
    2. by completely blocking the flow of air into desert areas, thus preventing clouds from getting there
    3. by forcing air to first rise and then fall, thus causing rain on one side of the mountains and desert on the other
    4. by causing the world wind patterns that make certain latitudes very dry
    5. by causing very steep slopes that are subject to erosion

  4. What is the primary reason that plants from distant, but climatically similar, places often look the same?
    1. common ancestry
    2. adaptation to the same physical conditions
    3. adaptation to similar herbivores
    4. continental drift
    5. effects of past climate change

  5. Which of these biomes has been increased in area by human activities?
    1. savanna
    2. temperate rain forest
    3. grassland
    4. coniferous forest
    5. desert

  6. What biome has the richest soil and has largely been converted to agriculture?
    1. tundra
    2. coniferous forest
    3. grassland
    4. tropical rain forest
    5. deciduous forest

  7. The earth is generally hotter at the equator because:
    1. The earth bulges out at the equator, making it closer to the sun.
    2. The natural curve of the earth places the equator nearer the sun.
    3. The sun shines over the equator more hours in the day.
    4. There are large oceans near the equator to absorb large amounts of heat.
    5. The sun's rays strike the earth at nearly a right angle at the equator.

  8. At 30 degrees north and south of the equator, there are very dry regions on the earth. Why ?
    1. Cool air falls, is warmed, and absorbs moisture.
    2. Warm air falls and absorbs moisture.
    3. Cool air rises and water condenses.
    4. Warm air rises and water is evaporated.
    5. Air flows laterally across the land from the temperate zone.

  9. A circular pattern of rotating water is called a ________.
    1. gyre
    2. cirque
    3. arete
    4. biome
    5. rotor

  10. Which of the following factors is (are) frequently limiting in terrestrial environments?
    1. water
    2. appropriate temperatures
    3. oxygen and nutrients
    4. nitrogen gas
    5. water and appropriate temperatures

  11. All of the following are(is) a characteristic of a tropical rain forest except:
    1. very high species diversity
    2. stratified vegetation
    3. fertile soil
    4. high temperatures
    5. arboreal animals

  12. A region with grasses as the dominant vegetation form, widely spaced trees and thorny shrubs, and a pronounced dry season is
    1. tropical deciduous forest
    2. savanna
    3. desert
    4. tundra
    5. chaparral

  13. Overgrazing and overuse of dry areas can cause them to receive even less rainfall, a process known as
    1. sahelization
    2. salinization
    3. dehydration
    4. laterization
    5. desertification

  14. Which of the following North American biomes has been almost completely destroyed and used for agriculture?
    1. desert
    2. temperate deciduous forest
    3. grassland
    4. tundra
    5. taiga

  15. The open water zone of a lake can be divided into the ________ and ________ zones.
    1. limnetic, littoral
    2. limnetic, profundal
    3. profundal, stratification
    4. temperate, taiga
    5. littoral, benthos

      


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