Exam 52: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

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 ________.

Use the following figures to answer the question below. East of the Mississippi River, in Hopkinsville Kentucky, the mean annual precipitation is 130 cm. The mean annual temperature is 14.3°C. In the winter, the mean temperature is 7.3°C, while in summer it is 20.6°C. Using the climograph shown here, how would we classify the biome found in Hopkinsville?

If the direction of Earth's rotation reversed, the most predictable effect would be ________.

Use the following figure to answer the question below. In the figure, which number would designate the biome with the highest variation in both annual precipitation and temperature?

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 certain species of pine tree survives only in scattered locations at elevations above 2,800 meters in the western United States. To understand why this tree grows only in these specific places, an ecologist should ________.

Coral reefs occur 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?

The success of plants extending their range northward following glacial retreat is primarily determined by ________.

If an ecologist were studying the regional interactions among multiple populations of different species and how they influence the exchange of materials between their various environments, then this would be an example of which kind of research?

Which of the following is responsible for the differences in summer and winter temperature stratification of deep temperate zone lakes?

Which of the following areas of study focuses on the exchange of energy, organisms, and materials between ecosystems?

In deep water, which of the following abiotic factors would most limit primary productivity?

Which statement about dispersal is false?

Which of the following is an important feature of most terrestrial biomes?

If you conclude that vegetation at every point on Earth exactly resembles the predicted biome distribution in a climograph, then ________.

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?

Turnover of water in temperate lakes during the spring and fall is caused by which of the following?

In mountainous areas of western North America, north-facing slopes would be expected to ________.

The oceans affect the biosphere in all of the following ways except

Which of the following might be an investigation of microclimate?