Campbell Biology, 11e (Urry)

Chapter 52 An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

52.1 Multiple-Choice Questions

1) 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?
A) landscape ecology
B) population ecology
C) global ecology
D) ecosystem ecology

2) What would happen to the seasons if 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 causes seasons on Earth?

A) the variation in proximity of the Earth to the sun at different times of the year
B) the constant tilt of the Earth, combined with its orbit around the sun
C) the distance between the Earth and the sun in winter versus in the summer
D) the variation or wobble of Earth's tilt during the year

4) 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 among various species of songbirds during spring
migration
D) how sunlight intensity affects plant community composition in the zone where a
forest transitions into a meadow
5) In creating global climate patterns, which of the following factors is the primary
cause of all of the other factors that are listed?
A) precipitation differences between tropical and polar regions
B) global ocean currents
C) global wind patterns
D) variation in the heating of Earth's surface

6) For mountain ranges that are subjected to prevailing winds, why is the climate drier
on the leeward (downwind) side?
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.

7) 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.

8) Subtropical plants are commonplace in Land's End, England, whose latitude is the
equivalent of Labrador in coastal Canada, where the local flora is instead 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.

9) 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

10) In the region of the Rocky Mountains, imagine that one local variety of Ponderosa
pine (Pinus ponderosa) predominantly occurs between 5,000-8,500 feet in elevation,
where it can best tolerate temperatures and precipitation. If future climate change in
this region causes the temperature to increase and rainfall to decrease, then which of
the following changes might an ecologist predict about the variety's range?
A) that variety will occur at lower elevations
B) that variety will occur at higher elevations
C) that variety will occur at lower elevations and/or lower latitudes
D) that variety will occur at higher elevations and/or higher latitudes

11) 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

12) The main reason polar regions are cooler than the equator is that ________.
A) solar radiation strikes the poles at a lower angle and travels through more
atmosphere
B) the poles are farther from the sun than is the equator
C) the polar atmosphere is thinner and contains fewer greenhouse gases
D) the poles are permanently tilted away from the sun
13) The success of plants extending their range northward following glacial retreat is
primarily determined by ________.
A) whether there is simultaneous migration of herbivores
B) their tolerance to shade
C) their seed dispersal rate
D) their tolerance to cooler temperatures

14) 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 larger, more contiguous established populations to begin with
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

15) Generalized global air circulation and precipitation patterns are caused by
________.
A) solar radiation that warms moist air masses near the equator, which then cool and
release precipitation as they rise, and then, at high altitude, move north or south of the
tropics and sink back to the surface as dry air masses
B) air masses that are dried and heated over continental areas, which then 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) solar radiation that warms dry air masses at the poles, causing them to sink toward
the tropics, gain moisture, and then release it as precipitation.
16) At 15-30°N, air masses formed over the Pacific Ocean are moved by prevailing
westerlies, where they encounter extensive north-south mountain ranges. Which
statement best describes the outcome of this encounter between a landform and an air
mass?
A) The cool, moist Pacific air heats as it rises, releasing its precipitation as it passes
the tops of the mountains. This now warm and 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 now cool and 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.

17) 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?
A) air temperatures driven by precipitation
B) day length
C) water temperatures driven by ocean currents
D) salinity differences

18) 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.
19) Generally speaking, deserts are located in places where air masses are usually
________.
A) tropical
B) ascending
C) at the start of trade winds
D) descending

20) 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