LET REVIEWER BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE

Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

____ 1. Important abiotic factors in ecosystems include which of the following?

a. Temperature
b. Water
c. Wind
d. All of the Above

____ 2. "How does the foraging of animals on tree seeds affect the distribution and abundance of the trees?"
This question
a. is a valid ecological question.
b. is difficult to answer because a large experimental area would be required.
c. is difficult to answer because a long-term experiment would be required.
d. All of the Above

____ 3. Which of the following statements about ecology is incorrect?

a. Ecologists may study populations and communities of organisms.
b. Ecological studies may involve the use of models and computers.
c. Ecology is a discipline that is independent from natural selection and
evolutionary history.
d. Ecology spans increasingly comprehensive levels of organization, from individuals to
ecosystems.

____ 4. Which of the following levels of organization is arranged in the correct sequence from most to least
inclusive?
a. community, ecosystem, individual, population
b. ecosystem, community, population, individual
c. population, ecosystem, individual, community
d. individual, population, community, ecosystem

____ 5. Landscape ecology is best described as the study of

a. the array of interacting species within a community.
b. abiotic factors and the community of species that exist in a particular area.
c. related arrays of ecosystems.
d. physiological and behavioral ways in which organisms meet the challenges of their
environment.

____ 6. The biogeographic realms described by Darwin, Wallace, and others are associated with patterns of
a. continental drift.
b. precipitation and temperature.
c. rocks and soil.
d. climate.
____ 7. Species transplants are one direct way of
a. determining the abundance of a species in a specified area.
b. determining the distribution of a species in a specified area.
c. developing mathematical models for distribution and abundance of organisms.
d. determining if dispersal is a key factor in limiting distribution of
organisms.

____ 8. Introduced species

a. often fail to colonize the new area.
b. may become common enough to become pests.
c. can disrupt the balance of the natural species with which they become associated.
d. All of the Above

____ 9. Which of the following are important biotic factors that can affect the structure and organization of
biological communities?
a. precipitation, wind
b. nutrient availability, soil pH
c. predation, competition
d. temperature, water
e. light intensity, seasonality

____ 10. Which of the following abiotic factors has the greatest influence on the metabolic rates of plants and
animals?
a. Water
b. Wind
c. Temperature
d. Disturbances

____ 11. Which of the following statements about aquatic biomes is false?
a. The distribution of photosynthetic organisms is not limited by the quality
and intensity of light in marine biomes.
b. Many lakes in temperate regions are characterized by seasonal thermal
stratification.
c. Marine algae and photosynthetic bacteria produce a substantial portion of the
biosphere's atmospheric oxygen.
d. Many aquatic biomes exhibit pronounced vertical stratification of chemical variables.

____ 12. All of the following would have a direct effect on the amount of precipitation in an area except
a. air circulation cells.
b. continental drift.
c. ocean currents.
d. mountain ranges.

____ 13. Westerly winds in temperate zones are the result of

a. descending air masses flowing toward the poles.
 b. the rotation of Earth.
c. the unequal speed of land moving through space at the equator and the poles.
d. All of the above

____ 14. In mountainous areas of western North America, north-facing slopes (compared with south-facing
slopes) would be expected to
a. receive more sunlight.
b. be warmer and drier.
c. support biological communities similar to those found at lower elevations and higher
latitudes.
d. support biological communities similar to those found at higher
elevations and higher latitudes.

____ 15. Coral reefs can be found on the southern east coast of the United States but not at similar latitudes on
the southern west coast. Differences in which of the following most likely account for this?
a. Sunlight
b. Precipitation
c. day length
d. ocean currents

____ 16. Deserts typically occur in a band at 30 degrees north and south latitude or at different latitudes in the
interior of continents. This supports the idea that
a. descending air masses tend to be dry.
b. trade winds have a little moisture.
c. water is heavier than air and is not carried far over land.
d. ascending air tends to be moist.

____ 17. In an altitudinal gradient, all of the following would change in the same way as in a latitudinal gradient
EXCEPT
a. temperature.
b. humidity.
c. vegetation.
d. day length.

____ 18. Thorough mixing of water in temperate lakes during the spring and fall turnovers is made possible by
which of the following?
a. warm water layered at the top
b. cold water layered at the bottom
c. a pronounced thermocline under the surface
d. changing water temperature profiles

____ 19. In temperate lakes, the surface water is replenished with nutrients during turnovers that occur in the
a. autumn and spring.
b. autumn and winter.
c. spring and summer.
d. summer and winter.

____ 20. Which of the following is responsible for the summer and winter stratification of 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.

____ 21. Generally speaking, deserts are located in places where air masses are usually
a. cold.
b. humid.
c. rising.
d. falling.

____ 22. Which of the following causes Earth's seasons?

a. global air circulation
b. global wind patterns
c. ocean currents
d. The tilt of Earth’s axis

____ 23. 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 beyond 23.5 degrees?
a. Summers in the United States might become warmer.
b. Winters in Australia might become more severe.
c. Seasonal variation at the equator might decrease.
d. Only A and B are correct.

____ 24. 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 night.
c. the elimination of seasonal variation
d. the elimination of the greenhouse effect and a cooling of the equator.

____ 25. Polar regions are cooler than the equator because
a. there is more ice at the poles.
b. sunlight strikes the poles at an oblique angle.
c. the poles are farther from the sun.
d. the poles have a thicker atmosphere.

____ 26. Which of the following environmental features might influence microclimates?
a. a discarded soft-drink can
b. a tree
c. a fallen log
d. a stone
e. all of the above

____ 27. The success with which plants extend 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.

____ 28. The benthic zone in an aquatic biome

a. often supports communities of organisms that feed largely on detritus.
b. is the site of most photosynthesis within the biome.
c. is where one would most expect to find a thermocline.
d. B and C only

____ 29. Where would an ecologist find the most phytoplankton in a lake?
a. profundal zone
b. benthic zone
c. photic zone
d. oligotrophic zone

____ 30. Phytoplankton is most frequently found in which of the following zones?
a. Oligotrophic
b. Photic
c. Benthic
d. Abyssal

____ 31. You are planning a dive in a lake, and are eager to watch underwater organisms both close up and far
away. You would do well to choose
a. a nutrient-poor lake.
b. a nutrient-rich lake.
c. a relatively deep lake.
d. A and C only

____ 32. You are interested in studying how organisms react to a gradient of abiotic conditions and how they
coexist in this gradient. The best biome in which to conduct such a study is
a. mountains.
b. an intertidal zone.
c. a river.
d. tropical forest.

____ 33. Coral animals

a. are a diverse group of cnidarians.
b. are predominantly photosynthetic, multicellular algae.
c. excrete external, carbonaceous skeletons.
d. A and C only

____ 34. 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% for one year, all of the following marine communities most
likely would be greatly affected EXCEPT
a. deep-sea vent communities.
b. coral reef communities.
c. benthic communities.
 d. pelagic communities.

____ 35. Which of the following is not true about estuaries?

a. Estuaries are often bordered by mudflats and salt marshes.
b. Estuaries contain waters of varying salinity.
c. Estuaries support a variety of animal life that humans consume.
d. Estuaries usually contain no or few producers.

____ 36. Which of the following statements best describes the effect of climate on biome distribution?
a. Knowledge of annual temperature and precipitation is sufficient to predict which
biome will be found in an area.
b. Fluctuation of environmental variables is not important if areas have the same
annual temperature and precipitation means.
c. It is not only the average climate that is important in determining biome
distribution, but also the pattern of climatic variation.
d. Temperate forests, coniferous forests, and grasslands all have the same mean
annual temperatures and precipitation.

____ 37. Probably the most important factor(s) affecting the distribution of biomes is (are)
a. wind and water current patterns.
b. species diversity.
c. community succession.
d. climate.

___ 38. In the development of terrestrial biomes, which factor is most dependent on all the others?
a. the species of colonizing animals
b. prevailing temperature
c. prevailing rainfall
d. mineral nutrient availability

____ 39. Within any given type of terrestrial biome

a. species composition is typically uniform.
b. there is little or no vertical stratification.
c. periodic disturbance is rare.
d. A and B only
e. None of the above is true.

____ 40. Which of the following statements about biomes is INCORRECT?

a. Biomes are major terrestrial communities.
b. Within biomes there may be extensive patchiness.
c. Climographs are often used to demonstrate climatic differences among biomes.
d. Temperature and precipitation account for most of the variation between biomes.
e. Biomes can be recognized as separate entities because they have sharp,
well-defined boundaries.
____ 41. 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. parallel evolution.
b. convergent evolution.
c. allopatric speciation.
d. introgression.

____ 42. Which of the following terrestrial biomes is (are) adapted to frequent fires?
a. savanna
b. chaparral
c. temperate grasslands
d. All of the Above

____ 43. Fire suppression by humans

a. will always result in an increase in the number of species in a given biome.
b. can change the species composition within biological communities.
c. will result ultimately in sustainable production of increased amounts of wood for
human use.
d. is necessary for the protection of threatened and endangered forest species.

____ 44. Which of the following statements best describes the interaction between fire and ecosystems?
a. The chance of fire 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 prevention of forest fires has allowed more productive and stable plant
communities to develop.
d. Chaparral communities have evolved to the extent that they rarely burn.

____ 45. Tropical dry forests may be characterized by

a. extreme variation in temperature.
b. extreme variation in precipitation.
c. thorny shrubs.
d. Both B and C

____ 46. Which biome is able to support many large animals despite receiving moderate amounts of rainfall?
a. tropical rain forest
b. temperate forest
c. chaparral
d. Savanna

____ 47. Tropical grasslands with scattered trees are also known as
a. taigas.
b. tundras.
c. savannas.
d. chaparrals.
____ 48. Which type of biome would most likely occur in a climate with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry
summers?
a. desert
b. taiga
c. temperate grassland
d. chaparral

____ 49. In which community would organisms most likely have adaptations enabling them to respond to
different photoperiods?
a. tropical forest
b. coral reef
c. savanna
d. temperate forest

____ 50. The growing season would generally be shortest in which of the following biomes?
a. savanna
b. temperate broadleaf forest
c. temperate grassland
d. Taiga