Campbell Biology, 10e (Reece)
Chapter 52 An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere
1) Which level of ecological study focuses the most on abiotic factors?
A) speciation ecology
B) population ecology
C) community ecology
D) ecosystem ecology
2) What would happen to the seasons if the Earth were tilted 35 degrees off its orbital plane
instead of the usual 23.5 degrees?
A) The seasons would disappear.
B) Winters and summers would be more severe.
C) Winters and summers would be less severe.
D) The seasons would be shorter.
3) Which of the following might be an investigation of microclimate?
A) the effect of ambient temperature on the onset of caribou migration
B) the seasonal population fluctuation of nurse sharks in coral reef communities
C) competitive interactions between various species of songbirds during spring migration
D) the effect of sunlight intensity on species composition in a decaying rat carcass
4) Which of the following choices includes all of the others in creating global terrestrial
climates?
A) differential heating of Earth’s surface
B) ocean currents
C) global wind patterns
D) Earth’s rotation on its axis
5) Why is the climate drier on the leeward (downwind) side of mountain ranges that are
subjected to prevailing winds?
A) Deserts create dry conditions on the leeward side of mountain ranges.
B) The sun illuminates the leeward side of mountain ranges at a more direct angle, converting to
heat energy, which evaporates most of the water present.
C) Pushed by the prevailing winds on the windward side, air is forced to rise, cool, condense,
and drop its precipitation, leaving drier air to descend the leeward side.
D) Air masses pushed by the prevailing winds are stopped by mountain ranges and the moisture
is used up in the stagnant air masses on the leeward side.
6) What would be the effect on climate in the temperate latitudes if Earth were to slow its rate of
rotation from a 24-hour period of rotation to a 48-hour period of rotation?
A) Seasons would be longer and more distinct (colder winters and warmer summers).
B) Large-scale weather events such as tornadoes and hurricanes would no longer be a part of
regional climates.
C) Winter seasons in both the northern and southern hemispheres would have more abundant and
frequent precipitation events.
D) There often would be a larger range between daytime high and nighttime low temperatures.
7) Subtropical plants are commonplace in Land’s End, England, whose latitude is the equivalent
of Labrador in coastal Canada, where the local flora is subarctic. Which statement best explains
why this apparent anomaly exists between North America and Europe?
A) Labrador does not get enough rainfall to support the subtropical flora found in Land’s End.
B) Warm ocean currents interact with England, whereas cold ocean currents interact with
Labrador.
C) Rainfall fluctuates greatly in England; rainfall is consistently high in Labrador.
D) Labrador receives sunlight of lower duration and intensity than does Land’s End.
8) In mountainous areas of western North America, north-facing slopes would be expected to
_____.
A) receive more sunlight than similar southern exposures
B) be warmer and drier than comparable southern exposed slopes
C) support biological communities similar to those found at lower elevations on similar south-
facing slopes
D) support biological communities similar to those found at higher elevations on similar south-
facing slopes
9) Which of the following events might you predict to occur if the tilt of Earth’s axis relative to
its plane of orbit was increased to degrees?
A) Summers and winters in the United States would likely become warmer and colder,
respectively.
B) Seasonal variation at the equator might decrease.
C) Both northern and southern hemispheres would experience summer and winter at the same
time.
D) Both poles would experience massive ice melts.
10) Imagine some cosmic catastrophe jolts Earth so that its axis is perpendicular to the orbital
plane between Earth and the sun. The most obvious effect of this change would be _____.
A) the elimination of tides
B) an increase in the length of a year
C) a decrease in temperature at the equator
D) the elimination of seasonal variation
11) The main reason polar regions are cooler than the equator is that _____.
A) sunlight strikes the poles at a lower angle
B) the poles are farther from the sun
C) the polar atmosphere is thinner and contains fewer greenhouse gases
D) the poles are permanently tilted away from the sun
12) The success of plants extending their range northward following glacial retreat is best
determined by _____.
A) whether there is simultaneous migration of herbivores
B) their tolerance to shade
C) their seed dispersal rate
D) their size
13) As climate changes because of global warming, plant species’ ranges in the northern
hemisphere may move northward. The trees that are most likely to avoid extinction in such an
environment are those that _____.
A) have seeds that are easily dispersed by wind or animals
B) produce well-provisioned seeds
C) have seeds that become viable only after a forest fire
D) disperse many seeds in close proximity to the parent tree
14) Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are caused by _____.
A) rising, warm, moist air masses that cool and release precipitation as they rise and then, at high
altitude, cool and sink back to the surface as dry air masses after moving north or south of the
tropics
B) air masses that are dried and heated over continental areas that rise, cool aloft, and descend
over oceanic areas followed by a return flow of moist air from ocean to land, delivering high
amounts of precipitation to coastal areas
C) polar, cool, moist high-pressure air masses from the poles that move along the surface,
releasing precipitation along the way to the equator, where they are heated and dried
D) the revolution of Earth around the sun
15) Air masses formed over the Pacific Ocean are moved by prevailing westerlies where they
encounter extensive north-south mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades.
Which statement best describes the outcome of this encounter between a landform and an air
mass?
A) The cool, moist Pacific air heats up as it rises, releasing its precipitation as it passes the tops
of the mountains. This warm, now dry air cools as it descends on the leeward side of the range.
B) The warm, moist Pacific air rises and cools, releasing precipitation as it moves up the
windward side of the range. This cool, now dry air mass heats up as it descends on the leeward
side of the range.
C) The cool, dry Pacific air heats up and picks up moisture from evaporation of the snowcapped
peaks of the mountain range, releasing this moisture as precipitation when the air cools while
descending on the leeward side of the range.
D) These air masses are blocked by the mountain ranges, producing high annual amounts of
precipitation on the windward sides of these mountain ranges.
16) Coral reefs can be found on the southeast coast of the United States but not at similar
latitudes on the southwest coast. Differences in which of the following most likely account for
this?
A) precipitation
B) day length
C) ocean currents
D) salinity
17) Which of the following investigations would shed the most light on the future distribution of
organisms in temperate regions that are faced with climate change?
A) Remove, to the mineral soil, all of the organisms from an experimental plot and monitor the
colonization of the area over time in terms of both species diversity and abundance.
B) Look at the climatic changes that occurred since the last Ice Age and how species
redistributed as glaciers melted, then make predictions on future distribution in species based on
past trends.
C) Compare and contrast the flora and fauna of warm/cold/dry/wet climates to shed light on how
they evolved to be suited to their present-day environment.
D) Quantify the impact of man’s activities on present-day populations of threatened and
endangered species to assess the rate of extirpation and extinction.
18) Generally speaking, deserts are located in places where air masses are usually _____.
A) tropical
B) humid
C) rising
D) descending
19) When climbing a mountain, we can observe transitions in biological communities that are
analogous to the changes _____.
A) in biomes at different latitudes
B) in a community through different seasons
C) in an ecosystem as it evolves over time
D) across the United States from east to west
20) If the direction of Earth’s rotation reversed, the most predictable effect would be _____.
A) a big change in the length of the year
B) winds blowing from west to east along the equator
C) a loss of seasonal variation at high latitudes
D) the elimination of ocean currents
21) Based on the data in the figure above, which of the following statements are correct?
I) Area 1 would be considered a desert because of its high average temperature.
II) Area 1 has more average precipitation than Area 2.
III) Area 2 would be considered a desert because of its low average precipitation.
IV) Area 2 has a larger annual temperature variation.
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only I, II, and IV
D) only II, III, and IV
22) Based on the data in the figure above, which of the following statements are correct?
I) Area 1 has more average precipitation than Area 2.
II) Area 1 has a higher average temperature than Area 2.
III) Both areas have low variation in monthly precipitation.
IV) Area 2 has a lower annual temperature variation compared to Area 1.
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only II, III, and IV
D) only I, II, and III
23) Besides sunlight, which would be the next most important climatic factors for terrestrial
plants?
A) wind and fire
B) moisture and wind
C) temperature and wind
D) temperature and moisture
24) Which statement describes how climate might change if Earth was 75 percent land and 25
percent water?
A) Terrestrial ecosystems would likely experience more precipitation.
B) Earth’s daytime temperatures would be higher and nighttime temperatures lower.
C) Summers would be longer and winters shorter at midlatitude locations.
D) Earth would experience an unprecedented global warming.
25) If global warming continues at its present rate, which biomes will likely take the place of the
coniferous forest (taiga)?
A) temperate broadleaf forest and grassland
B) desert and chaparral
C) tropical forest and savanna
D) chaparral and temperate broadleaf forest
26) Fire suppression by humans _____.
A) can change the species composition within biological communities.
B) will result ultimately in sustainable production of increased amounts of forest products for
human use.
C) is necessary for the protection of threatened and endangered forest species.
D) is a management goal of conservation biologists to maintain the healthy condition of forest
communities.
27) Which of the following statements best describes the interaction between fire and
ecosystems?
A) The likelihood of a wildfire occurring in a given ecosystem is highly predictable over the
short term.
B) Many kinds of plants and plant communities have adapted to frequent fires.
C) The suppression of forest fires by man has prevented certain communities, such as grasslands,
from reaching their climax stage.
D) Chaparral communities have evolved to the extent that they rarely burn.
The eight climographs below show yearly temperature (line graph and left vertical axis) and
precipitation (bar graph and right vertical axis) averages for each month for some locations on
Earth.
28) Which climograph shows the climate for location 1?
A) A
B) C
C) E
D) H
29) Which climograph shows the climate for location 2?
A) C
B) D
C) F
D) H
30) Which climograph shows the climate for location 3?
A) B
B) C
C) D
D) E
31) Which climograph shows the climate for location 4?
A) A
B) C
C) E
D) G
32) Which climograph shows the climate for location 5?
A) A
B) C
C) D
D) H
33) Which of the following best substantiates why location 3 is an equatorial (tropical) climate?
A) It has a monsoon season during the winter months.
B) The temperature is high for each monthly average.
C) The temperatures reach 100°F during some months.
D) The temperatures are lower in June, July, and August.
34) In areas of permafrost, stands of black spruce are frequently observed in the landscape, while
other tree species are noticeably absent. Often these stands are referred to as “drunken forests”
because many of the black spruce are displaced from their normal vertical alignment. What is the
most likely explanation for the unusual growth of these forests in this marginal habitat?
A) Branches are adapted to absorb more carbon dioxide with this displaced alignment.
B) Taproot formation is impossible, so trees developed shallow root beds.
C) Trees are tilted so snow prevents them from breaking or tipping over.
D) Trees tip so that they do not compete with each other for sunlight.
35) Which of the following is an important feature of most terrestrial biomes?
A) annual average rainfall in excess of 250 centimeters
B) a distribution predicted almost entirely by rock and soil patterns
C) clear boundaries between adjacent biomes
D) vegetation demonstrating vertical layering
36) Suppose that the number of bird species is determined mainly by the number of vertical
strata found in the environment. If so, in which of the following biomes would you find the
greatest number of bird species?
A) tropical rain forest
B) savanna
C) temperate broadleaf forest
D) temperate grassland
37) Two plant species live in the same biome but on different continents. Although the two
species are not at all closely related, they may appear quite similar as a result of _____.
A) convergent evolution
B) allopatric speciation
C) introgression
D) gene flow
38) In the figure above, which number would designate the arctic tundra biome?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
39) In the figure above, which number would designate the biome with the highest variation in
annual precipitation?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
40) Based on the data in the figure above, which of the following statements is true?
A) Area 1 could be called a boreal forest/taiga.
B) Area 2 could be called a temperate grassland.
C) Area 1 could be called a tropical wet/rain forest.
D) Area 2 could be tundra.
41) In deep water, which of the following abiotic factors would most limit productivity?
A) temperature
B) light availability
C) solute concentration
42) Wetlands are standing bodies of freshwater, just like lakes and ponds. However, wetlands are
different from lakes and ponds because wetlands have _____.
A) emergent vegetation
B) oxygen-poor water
C) shallow water and emergent vegetation
D) emergent vegetation and oxygen-poor water
43) Which of the following statements regarding turnover in a lake is correct?
A) In fall turnover, dense water at 4°C sinks and disturbs sediments in the benthic zone.
B) In fall turnover, dense water at 4°C rises and disturbs sediments in the benthic zone.
C) The surface water gets to 4°C only by cooling.
D) Fall turnovers and spring turnovers are exactly the same.
44) A fish swimming into an estuary from a river would have which of the following as its
greatest physiological challenge?
A) The high water flow would make the fish expend more energy.
B) The low oxygen content would give the fish difficulty in swimming aerobically.
C) The temperature change would stress the fish by denaturing its proteins.
D) The change in water solute content would challenge the osmotic balance of the fish.
45) Which of the following types of organisms is likely to have the widest geographic
distribution?
A) bacteria
B) songbirds
C) bears
D) lizards
46) Which of the following can be said about light in aquatic environments?
A) Water selectively reflects and absorbs certain wavelengths of light.
B) Longer wavelengths penetrate to greater depths.
C) Light penetration seldom limits the distribution of photosynthetic species.
D) Most photosynthetic organisms avoid the surface where the light is too intense.
47) Turnover of water in temperate lakes during the spring and fall is made possible by which of
the following?
A) warm, less dense water layered at the top
B) cold, more dense water layered at the bottom
C) a distinct thermocline between less dense, warm water and cold, dense water
D) the changes in the density of water as seasonal temperatures change
48) Imagine that a deep temperate zone lake did not turn over during the spring and fall seasons.
Based on the physical and biological properties of limnetic ecosystems, what would be the
difference from normal seasonal turnover?
A) The lake would fail to freeze over in winter.
B) An algal bloom of algae would result every spring.
C) Lakes would suffer a nutrient depletion in surface layers.
D) The pH of the lake would become increasingly alkaline.
49) If you are interested in observing a relatively simple community structure in a clear water
lake, you would do well to choose diving into _____.
A) an oligotrophic lake
B) a eutrophic lake
C) a relatively shallow lake
D) a nutrient-rich lake
50) If a meteor impact or volcanic eruption injected a lot of dust into the atmosphere and reduced
the sunlight reaching Earth’s surface by 70 percent for one year, which of the following marine
communities most likely would be least affected?
A) deep-sea vent
B) coral reef
C) intertidal
D) estuary
51) The oceans affect the biosphere by _____.
I) producing a substantial amount of the biosphere’s oxygen
II) adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
III) being the source of most of Earth’s rainfall
IV) regulating the pH of freshwater biomes and terrestrial groundwater
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only I, II, and IV
D) only I, II, and III
52) A fish species known for its success in the aphotic zone may have which of the following
characteristics?
I) symbioses with photosynthetic organisms
II) highly developed chemoreception
III) adaptations for burrowing
IV) adaptations for sit-and-wait predation
A) only I and III
B) only I, II, and IV
C) only II, III, and IV
D) only I, II, and III
53) Which of the following is responsible for the differences in summer and winter temperature
stratification of deep temperate zone lakes?
A) Water is densest at 4°C.
B) Oxygen is most abundant in deeper waters.
C) Winter ice sinks in the summer.
D) Stratification is caused by a thermocline.
54) A certain species of pine tree survives only in scattered locations at elevations above 2800
meters in the western United States. To understand why this tree grows only in these specific
places, an ecologist should _____.
A) study the anatomy and physiology of this species
B) investigate the various biotic and abiotic factors that are unique to high altitude
C) analyze the soils found in the vicinity of these trees, looking for unique chemicals that may
support their growth
D) collect data on temperature, wind, and precipitation at several of these locations for a year
55) Which of the following statements best describes the effect of climate on biome distribution?
A) Average annual temperature and precipitation are sufficient to predict which biome will be
found in an area.
B) Seasonal fluctuation of temperature is not a limiting factor in biome distribution if areas have
the same annual temperature and precipitation means.
C) The average climate and pattern of climate are important in determining biome distribution.
D) Correlation of climate with biome distribution is sufficient to determine the cause of biome
patterns.
56) In the development of terrestrial biomes, which factor is most dependent on all the others?
A) the species of colonizing animals
B) prevailing rainfall
C) mineral nutrient availability
D) soil structure
57) Studying species transplants is a way that ecologists _____.
A) determine the distribution of a species in a specified area
B) develop mathematical models for distribution and abundance of organisms
C) determine if dispersal is a key factor in limiting distribution of organisms
D) consolidate a landscape region into a single ecosystem
Use the following diagram showing the spread of the cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis, since its arrival
in the New World, to answer the question below.
58) The range of cattle egrets has expanded between 1937 and today. How would an ecologist
likely explain the expansion of the cattle egret?
A) Climatic factors, such as temperature and precipitation, provide a suitable habitat for cattle
egrets.
B) There are no predators for cattle egrets in the New World, so they continue to expand their
range.
C) A habitat left unoccupied by native herons and egrets met the biotic and abiotic requirements
of the cattle egret transplants and their descendants.
D) The first egrets to colonize South America evolved into a new species capable of competing
with the native species of herons and egrets.
59) Which statements about dispersal are correct?
I) Dispersal is a common component of the life cycles of plants and animals.
II) Colonization of devastated areas after floods or volcanic eruptions primarily depends upon
climate.
III) Seeds are important dispersal stages in the life cycles of most flowering plants.
IV) Dispersal occurs only on an evolutionary time scale.
A) only I and III
B) only II and IV
C) only I, II, and IV
D) only II, III, and IV
60) Which of the following examples of an ecological effect leading to an evolutionary effect is
most correct?
A) When seeds are not plentiful, trees produce more seeds.
B) A few individuals with denser fur survive the coldest days of an ice age, and the reproducing
survivors of the ice age will likely have more dense fur.
C) Fish that swim the fastest in running water catch the most prey and more easily escape
predation.
D) The insects that spend the most time exposed to sunlight have the most mutations.
61) If carbon dioxide levels continue to increase and climate change continues over the next
century, which of the following would best predict the directional migration of the North
American ecosystems from the biomes shown in this climograph?
A) The ecosystems will shift to the south due to decreasing transpiration rates.
B) The ecosystems will move to both the eastern and western coastlines as these areas will be
more moderate.
C) The ecosystems will move down mountains as the temperatures warm.
D) The ecosystems will shift to the north as temperatures warm.