49) Which of the following soil types is most associated with the tallgrass prairie (midlatitude
grassland)?
A) Mollisols
B) Spodosols
C) Oxisols
D) Andisols
50) This biome occupies more than one-third of the Earth’s land area and is characterized by
xerophytic vegetation, low precipitation, and high potential evapotranspiration.
A) deserts
B) midlatitude grasslands
C) tropical savanna
D) Mediterranean shrubland
51) Which of the following is not a subdivision of the desert biome?
A) warm desert
B) tropical desert
C) cold desert and semidesert
D) polar desert
52)
Succulents, such as the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) found in southern Arizona,
southeastern California, northern Mexico, and the Baja Peninsula, are representative vegetation
in which biome?
A) tropical savanna
B) deserts
C) Mediterranean shrubland
D) midlatitude grassland
53) In which biome would one most likely find xerophytic species?
A) tropical rain forest
B) deserts
C) boreal and montane forest
D) midlatitude broadleaf and mixed forest
54) This biome is generally located north of the 10°C (50°F) isotherm for the warmest month,
such as the extreme northern areas of North America and Russia.
A) temperate rain forest
B) arctic and alpine tundra
C) boreal and montane forest
D) midlatitude broadleaf and mixed forest
55) Which biome occurs at high elevations above the treeline, even at lower latitudes?
A) temperate rain forest
B) arctic and alpine tundra
C) boreal and montane forest
D) midlatitude broadleaf and mixed forest
56) Which of the following would one likely no find in the Arctic and alpine tundra biome?
A) sedges and mosses
B) broadleaf deciduous trees
C) low growing shrubs
D) grasses
57) The subdiscipline of biogeography that utilizes biogeographic principles, theories, and
analyses to solve problems in biodiversity management is known as
A) island biogeography.
B) phylogenetic biogeography.
C) conservation biogeography.
D) historical biogeography.
58) Which of the following is a topic of research in conservation biogeography?
A) The distribution and effects of invasive species.
B) The effects of climate change on biodiversity.
C) Conservation planning and the establishment of protected areas.
D) Invasive species, climate change, and conservation planning are all topics of research in
conservation biology.
59) According to MacArthur and Wilson’s theory of island biogeography, which of the following
is correct?
A) The number of species decreases with island area.
B) The number of species increases with island area.
C) There is no relationship between species number and island area.
60) According to MacArthur and Wilson’s theory of island biogeography, which of the following
is correct?
A) The number of species decreases with island isolation.
B) The number of species increases with island isolation.
C) There is no relationship between species number and island isolation.
61) Distinctive oceanic regions identified on the basis of organisms, ocean floor topography,
currents, areas of nutrient-rich upwelling circulation, or areas of significant predation are called
A) mariregions.
B) large marine ecosystems (LMEs).
C) the ocean biome.
D) the littoral zone.
62) The most powerful biotic agent on Earth, influencing all ecosystems on a planetary scale is
A) the sun.
B) humans.
C) tertiary consumers.
D) detritivores.
63) The most extensive anthropogenic biome is
A) cropland.
B) rangelands.
C) settlements.
D) forested lands.
64) Which of the following is not an issue in biodiversity conservation in the 21st Century?
A) Conservation of threatened and endangered species.
B) Mitigating against the possible ill effects of climate change.
C) Reducing human population growth.
D) Biodiversity conservation in the 21st Century requires addressing threats to endangered
species, climate change, and human population pressures.
65) Which of the following is not an anthropogenic biome?
A) residential rangelands
B) populated forest
C) pastoral village
D) boreal and montane forest
20.2 True/False Questions
1) The Earth’s biodiversity is evenly spread across the planet.
2) A biome is a large, stable community of plants and animals whose boundaries are closely
linked to climate.
3) Biogeographic regions (realms) are delineated based on species assemblages and their
evolutionary history.
4) Alfred Russel Wallace’s zoogeographic realms roughly correspond to continental plate
boundaries.
5) The boundaries of biogeographic regions are usually quite arbitrary, usually following
political boundaries rather than being based on biophysical criteria.
6) New Zealand and Australia have remarkably similar fauna indicating the two were likely once
directly connected as a single land mass or via a land bridge during critical evolutionary times.
7) “Wallace’s line,” which serves as a dividing line between different biogeographic realms and
separates several present-day Indonesian islands from one another, is so named to show the
arbitrary nature of such delineations.
8) The biome concept has been applied equally to marine and aquatic systems as it has to
terrestrial systems.
9) Biomes are defined based on idealized potential mature vegetation in a given area rather than
the actual vegetation.
10) The boundaries between biomes are usually abrupt and related to rapid environmental
changes, such as in climate or topography.
11) The range of environmental conditions frequently found in ecotones make them areas of high
biodiversity.
12) Most non-native species introduced to a new community become established.
13) Invasive species can alter community dynamics and may lead to declines in native species.
14) Though occupying only 7% of the world’s total land area, tropical rain forest’s account for
approximately 50% of the Earth’s species and about half of its remaining forests.
15) Due to the dense tropical rain forest canopy, only about 1% of the sunlight arriving at the
canopy reaches the forest floor.
16) In part, the high diversity of the tropical rain forest is due to the extremely fertile soils found
in the biome.
17) Each year, an area of tropical rain forest approximately the size of Wisconsin is cleared.
18) Despite widespread tropical deforestation, tropical rain forests are able to quickly regenerate
owing to the extremely fertile conditions in the biome.
19) In general, the tropical seasonal forest and scrub biome has more erratic rainfall than the
tropical rain forest biome.