If Earth had no oceans, would temperatures at the equator be hotter or colder than they are now? -
Answers Temperatures would be hotter
If the Earth spun on an axis that was perfectly perpendicular to the equator, then the poles would
receive the same amount of solar energy as the equator. - Answers False
If the Earth spun on an axis that was perfectly perpendicular to the equator, how might this affect the
light at the Arctic Circle? - Answers There would be no days at the Arctic Circle without solar radiation.
Why are many of the world's deserts found at 23-30 degrees latitude? - Answers Descending air masses
warm as they go, absorbing more water vapor.
A tundra ecosystem would include which of the following? - Answers
Why are the bottom waters of some lakes anoxic? - Answers The respiration of sinking organic particles
reduces oxygen in deep waters.
Physical stratification keeps bottom waters from mixing with oxygen-rich surface waters.
Runoff of fertilizers from agriculture can increase the amount of primary production and hence
respiration in the lake.
Which of the following is a process responsible for removing CO2 from the atmosphere? - Answers
Photosynthesis
The largest reservoir of the nutrient phosphorus is: - Answers rocks
Which of the following could be used to define the ecological niche of a plant species? Select all that
apply . - Answers the pH of its soil
the insects that eat it
the depth to which the soil freezes in the winter
The "realized niche" of Canada geese depends on which of the following? - Answers interspecific
competition between Canada geese and other birds
competitive exclusion of Canada geese by other organisms
the distribution of Canada geese parasites
the climate of a given environment
Which of the following best describes the kind of resource for which individuals may compete? -
Answers It can be any resource that is limited in the environment.
, When two species compete for similar resources, resource partitioning can alter the niche of the species
that compete. The figure below shows an example of this.
Resource partitioning results in: - Answers a move from the fundamental niche to the realized niche for
both species.
Spanish moss is not a moss, but a flowering plant (Tillandsia usneoides) often seen draped from the
branches of live oaks, cypress, and other large trees in the southeastern United States. The trees on
which it grows provide support but no nutrients or moisture—the plant provides those things for itself,
without apparently harming its support tree. This, then, is an example of a: - Answers commensalism
Measuring its costs and benefits in terms of energy spent and/or gained, competition among individuals:
- Answers results in a loss for both individuals
The presence of bacteria that produce essential amino acids in the bodies of aphids is an example of: -
Answers obligate mutualism
When sea otters are present in a kelp forest community, there are more than 12 species in the
community. If sea otters are removed, there are 5-7 species that remain in the community. These data
suggest that sea otters are: - Answers a keystone species
The minnow in this system is a: Select all that apply. - Answers secondary consumer, tertiary consumer
You sample the solid waste of three infants from three different families each week for 24 weeks. You
find that the population of bacteria in the gut is dominated by one species for the first 12 weeks, and
then shifts to another species. This shift in the biological composition of a community over time is called:
- Answers succession
In general, what is the relationship between a country's ecological footprint and its overall standard of
living? - Answers As the standard of living increases, so does the ecological footprint.
Remember that, as a rule, temperatures decrease with an increase in altitude. If you were studying the
effects of climate change on the geographic ranges of species living in the mountains and your climate
records showed that mean temperatures were increasing, you would predict that species ranges would
show a shift toward: - Answers higher elevations
You are given 100 acres of land and asked to use the land for long-term reduction of atmospheric CO2
levels. Which of the following is the best use of the land for this purpose? - Answers Plant trees that
grow rapidly, reach a large size, and live for a long time.
Nutrients from croplands are carried by the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. If nutrients are
good for growth, why are scientists concerned about this nutrient influx? - Answers Higher productivity
may result in increased respiration on sinking algal material, depleting oxygen within gulf waters.
One of the biggest challenges to sustainable development is: - Answers maintaining the balance
between productivity and exploitation of different resources.