The Economy of Nature 6th Edition By Robert E. Ricklefs - Test bank

The Economy of Nature 6th Edition By Robert E. Ricklefs – Test bank

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Name Test Bank Chapter 05
Description
Instructions A very wealthy friend of yours has decided to construct a massive indoor “biome
garden,” containing representative ecosystems from many parts of the world.
Your friend is in the early planning stages of this venture and has hired you as an
ecological consultant. Your task is to help solve the many problems associated
with designing several independent greenhouse-style modules with appropriate
environmental conditions for each of the biomes. The biome garden is to be
developed in Asheville, North Carolina, where warm summers alternate with mild
winters to create conditions naturally suitable for the Temperate seasonal forest
biome. The site chosen for development of the biome garden is a pine plantation
that was established approximately 70 years ago. The soils are clayey, acidic,
relatively infertile, and have low organic matter content. You are free to make any
recommendations for environmental conditions in the greenhouse modules,
regardless of the expense associated with implementing them. Also, you do not
need to worry about how to implement these conditions; your friend’s engineering
team will address such details. Now, put your knowledge of biomes to work and
answer the following short answer/essay questions.Question 1
Essay
Question Your friend wants to develop a greenhouse module representing the
Temperate seasonal forest biome. Discuss some of the important
considerations involved in developing a greenhouse replicating the conditions
found immediately outside the greenhouse.
Answer The soil of this site would probably need little attention, aside from
addition of lime (calcium carbonate) to counteract the acidification
caused by decades of pine cultivation on the site. Because the
vegetation planned for this greenhouse would be essentially the same
as that found under natural conditions immediately outside the
greenhouse, the main concern would be to avoid overheating of the
system caused by the greenhouse enclosure itself. Excellent year-
round ventilation of the greenhouse would be necessary, with a
possible assist from an auxiliary air-cooling system during the summer
months. The greenhouse would have to be sufficiently tall to
accommodate the tree species characteristic of this biome. Control of
day length would not be an issue, and plant materials could be
obtained locally.Question 2
Essay
Question Another temperate biome planned for the biome garden is the
Temperate grassland/desert biome. Your friend is particularly interested in
developing a temperate grassland. Discuss some of the considerations
involved in establishing such a grassland under greenhouse conditions.
Answer Perhaps the greatest challenge in establishing a grassland would be
developing the proper soil environment. Grassland soils tend to be
non-acidic and rich in organic matter and nutrients. Amendment of the
existing soil with lime (to raise the pH), organic matter, and
appropriate fertilizers would probably suffice. Climate control would
include hot summer temperatures (again avoiding excessive heating)
with plenty of “rainfall,” alternating with cold winter temperatures. It
would be interesting to discuss with the greenhouse engineers the
possibility of burning the grassland occasionally! Control of day length
would not be an issue, but most plants would have to be imported
from native grassland sites.Question 3
Essay
Question How would you establish a greenhouse supporting a Subtropical
desert biome?
Answer Soil conditions would again require considerable attention. The
aridisols of subtropical deserts are shallow, have little organic matter,
are neutral in pH, and often have lime hardpans at shallow depth. A
synthetic soil mix might be necessary, and a concrete “subsoil” (with
adequate drainage) could contain the soil. The greenhouse would be
sufficiently hot during the summer, but supplemental heating in winter
would be necessary to avoid freezing. Moderate “rainfall” could be
supplied in summer as needed. Day length would probably not require
extensive manipulation, but supplemental lighting in winter might be
considered. All plants would need to be imported.Question 4
Essay
Question Your friend is quite interested in establishing a Tropical rain forest
greenhouse. What would be your recommendations?
Answer It might be possible to utilize the existing soil of the site with little
amendment. However, a preliminary study would be necessary to
determine if the higher clay content of the temperate soil would create
problems for rain forest plants used to growing on soils with lower clay
content and higher content of iron and aluminum oxides. The
greenhouse would have to be massive, of course, to accommodate
the large trees that dominate tropical rain forests. Tight climate control
would also be essential, with air-conditioning (in summer), heating (in
winter), and humidity (year-round) regulation important. The goal
would be to establish continually warm and moist conditions, with
some seasonality of “precipitation.” Day length would probably not
require extensive manipulation, but supplemental lighting in winter
might be considered. All plants would need to be imported.Question 5
Essay
Question How would you establish a greenhouse supporting a Tundra biome?
Answer This would probably be the most challenging of the tasks considered
thus far. Organic soils that are permanently frozen except during a
brief growing season (permafrost) would be difficult to duplicate in a
“greenhouse” setting. But such conditions could be created in a giant
walk-in chiller. The chiller would need to be well insulated and
completely enclosed. It might be possible to transport large blocks of
frozen tundra soil, complete with plants, from the arctic to Asheville
during the winter months. Artificial lighting would be necessary to re-
create long, dark winters alternating with 24-hour summer days.
Question 6Essay
Question Would you attempt to incorporate animals into the greenhouse
biomes? Explain your answer.
Answer Whereas the biome concept focuses primarily on plants and
vegetation, animals are important parts of all ecosystems and should
be incorporated as feasible. Soil fauna (small arthropods, worms, and
the like) could be introduced with appropriate soil inocula. Larger
vertebrates might be problematic because of their requirements for
large home ranges, territories, and abundant food. But smaller
vertebrates (reptiles, herbivorous birds, small mammals) might adapt
well to the greenhouse setting and could also be included.Question 7
Essay
Question The biome concept emphasizes the relationships among various
growth-forms of plants and their physical environments. However, two other
important factors influence the distributions of species. What are these?
Provide a brief example of why each of these additional factors must be taken
into account.
Answer Although factors of the physical environment play essential roles in
facilitating and limiting the distributions of species, the physical
environment alone does not provide a sufficient explanation for their
distributions. First, species interact with other species in a variety of
ways. Most grasses grow poorly in the shade cast by forest trees, but
can grow well in disturbed areas within otherwise forested
ecosystems. Thus grasses are limited by competition in forested
ecosystems, not by some inherent inability to tolerate the physical
conditions of the environment. Second, chance and history play
important roles in determining what grows where. Consider the many
common (even invasive) exotic plants (Japanese honeysuckle comes
to mind) that would be absent from the North American landscape if
humans had not transported them there.Question 8
Essay
Question
In Whittaker’s diagram relating distribution of the world’s biomes to
climate (Figure above), most locations fall within a triangular
area. Lacking are many places that experience cold
temperature combined with high precipitation. Why?
Answer Only a few localities in high mountains fall outside of the triangular
area delineated in this figure. The combination of cold temperature
and high precipitation is globally rare because little energy is available
to evaporate moisture from the earth’s surface, a necessary precursor
to precipitation. Cold air also has little capacity to hold moisture and
thus yields relatively little precipitation.Question 9
Essay
Question It may be said that biomes occupying the extremes of the
precipitation spectrum (very moist or very dry) burn infrequently, but that those
with moderate precipitation and seasonal drought burn readily and regularly.
Please explain this phenomenon.
Answer Fire is uncommon in very moist forests because fuels are rarely dry
enough to carry fire. Deserts rarely accumulate sufficient fuel to burn,
regardless of conditions. Seasonally dry, but still productive,
grasslands and shrublands have both abundant fuels and the
appropriate conditions for fire.Question 10
Essay
Question It is interesting to note that the biome concept focuses almost
exclusively on the varied forms of terrestrial plants, not animals. One reason for
this focus is that plants are the most conspicuous and readily enumerated
components of terrestrial systems. Another reason, however, is that animals
are generally less variable in their forms than plants, as climate changes from
place to place. Animals are thus less well suited as the means to designate and
recognize biomes. This observation begs the following question: Why are the
forms of plants more responsive to variations in climate than the forms of
animals?
Answer Several possible observations relevant to this question are presented
in Chapter 5. First, animals are mobile and can seek shelter or specific
microclimates in ways that plants cannot. Second, as we learned in
Chapter 1, plants must maintain large absorptive surfaces (for light
capture above ground, and for nutrient and water capture below
ground), thus exposing themselves more fully to the rigors of their
environment. Third, animals have specialized organs (such as the
kidneys, for example) that support biological functioning throughout
the individual. Fourth, plants have a relatively fixed role in ecosystems;
their activities are much less varied than those of animals. All of these
observations lead us to the conclusion that plants must “sit there and
take it” when it comes to environmental stresses. Because these
stresses vary widely from one ecosystem to another, it stands to
reason that plants would have developed myriad adaptive forms. It is
this variety of form that makes plants so useful in defining
environments. Animals, in contrast, appear to vary more within biomes
(as a function of varied ecological roles) than they do between biomes.Question 11
Essay
Question Compare and contrast arctic and alpine tundra.
Answer Arctic and alpine tundra are superficially similar in their vegetation and
even species composition, characterized by low-growing plants
adapted to harsh conditions, including extreme winter weather.
However, alpine tundra is characterized by warmer and longer
growing seasons, less severe winters, greater productivity, better-
drained soils, and higher species diversity.Question 12
Multiple Choice
Question What is the single most important determinant of plant distribution?
Answer climate
soil pH
fire frequency
activity of pollinators
diseaseQuestion 13
Multiple Choice
Question The differences between vegetation of different biomes extend to
spacing of plants. In which of the following biomes would you expect to find
widely spaced trees and shrubs with grasses growing in the gaps between the
trees?
Answer Temperate seasonal forest
Woodland/shrubland
Subtropical desert
all of the aboveQuestion 14
Multiple Choice
Question Attempts to grow sugar maple (Acer saccharum) outside of its
normal range typically fail. For example, the western limit of sugar maple in
North America is determined by:
Answer cold winter temperatures.
hot summers.
dryness.
all of the aboveQuestion 15
Multiple Choice
Question As illustrated in Figure 5.4, the German ecologist Heinrich Walter
developed a climate zone system that features conditions of moisture and cold
stress that are important determinants of plant form. Which of the following
climatic features are incorporated into this system?
Answer temperature
seasonal variation in temperature
precipitation
seasonal variation in precipitation
all of the aboveQuestion 16
Multiple Choice
Question In Whittaker’s diagram relating the distributions of major biomes to
precipitation and temperature, where on the average temperature (horizontal)
axis do we see the greatest variation in precipitation?
Answer warm temperatures (approximately 20° to 30°C)
moderate temperatures (approximately 5° to 20°C)
cold temperatures (approximately -5° to 5°C)
very cold temperatures (less than -5°C)
Question 17Multiple Choice
Question In Whittaker’s diagram relating the distributions of major biomes to
precipitation and temperature, where on the average temperature (horizontal)
axis do we see so little variation in precipitation from one locality to another that
vegetation types are poorly differentiated by climate and can be lumped into a
single type?
Answer warm temperatures (approximately 20° to 30°C)
moderate temperatures (approximately 5° to 20°C)
cold temperatures (approximately -5° to 5°C)
very cold temperatures (less than -5°C)Question 18
Multiple Choice
Question The diversity of biomes is least when average temperatures are less
than approximately -5°C. Indeed, there is only one principal biome found under
such circumstances. Which is it?
Answer Tropical rain forest
Tropical seasonal forest/savanna
Woodland/shrubland
Boreal forest
TundraQuestion 19
Multiple Choice
Question Which of the following statements is true?
Answer Regular burning favors perennial grasses and forbs because they
have extensive root systems and meristems that can survive
underground.
Regular burning favors trees because tree seedlings have an
advantage in regularlyburned habitats.Question 20
Multiple Choice
Question In addition to temperature, rainfall, and their seasonality, which of the
following is also important in shaping plant communities?
Answer topography
soils
fire
herbivory
all of the aboveQuestion 21
Multiple Choice
Question In Walter’s climate diagrams, each 10oC increase in temperature
requires a minimum increase of 20 mm of monthly precipitation for there to be
sufficient moisture for plant growth. If the monthly temperature is 10oC, 20 mm
of precipitation are required. How much precipitation is required if the monthly
temperature is 50oC?
Answer 40 mm
60 mm
80 mm
100 mm
120 mmQuestion 22
Multiple Choice
Question Which of Walter’s climate zones is always moist and lacking
temperature variation?
Answer Equatorial
Tropical
Subtropical
Mediterranean
Warm temperateQuestion 23
Multiple Choice
Question What kind of biome is found in the climate zone referred to in the
previous question?
Answer Temperate rain forest
Woodland/shrubland
Subtropical desert
Tropical seasonal forest/savanna
Tropical rain forestQuestion 24
Multiple Choice
Question Of the following biomes, which is included in the World Wildlife
Fund’s classification but is noticeably absent from the Walter classification?
Answer Tropical rain forest
Tropical seasonal forest/savanna
Mangrove wetlands
Subtropical desert
all of the aboveQuestion 25
Multiple Choice
Question Temperate climates occur in North America at latitudes between 30°
and 45°N, but at latitudes between 40° and 60°N in Europe. Why?
Answer Arctic oceanic currents keep Europe warmer.
The Gulf Stream and westerly winds keep Europe warmer.
The Alps and Pyrenees trap warm air moving north from the
Mediterranean.
Europe is warmed by the 15°-20° tilt of the earth’s axis relative to
the earth’s path around the sun.Question 26
Multiple Choice
Question Where would you not go to see well-developed examples of the
Temperate seasonal forest biome?
Answer United States and southeastern Canada
Europe
Southern Hemisphere
Eastern AsiaQuestion 27
Multiple Choice
Question Warmer and drier parts of the Temperate seasonal forest biome are
dominated by __________.
Answer rain forests
deciduous forests
needle-leaved forests
grasslands
woodlandsQuestion 28
Multiple Choice
Question Which of the following is not true of the Temperate rain forest
biome?
Answer It is dominated by needle-leaved trees.
It was vastly more extensive during the Mesozoic era.
It supports exceptional high biological diversity.
It is characterized by exceptionally tall trees.Question 29
Multiple Choice
Question Temperate grasslands in North America are called prairies, but
__________ in central Asia.
Answer deserts
steppes
taigas
savannasQuestion 30
Multiple Choice
Question Where in North America would you go to see a temperate desert?
Answer Baja California
Alaskan Panhandle
Great Basin
Big Bend of the Rio GrandeQuestion 31
Multiple Choice
Question The Mediterranean woodland/shrubland biome is characterized by
thick, evergreen, shrubby vegetation. The plants often have drought-resistant
foliage. The small, durable leaves of these plants are referred to as
__________.
Answer sclerophyllous
epiphytic
limnetic
emergent
recalcitrantQuestion 32
Multiple Choice
Question Subtropical deserts are found at latitudes of __________ north and
south of the equator, in areas experiencing high atmospheric pressure
associated with the descending air of the Hadley Cells.
Answer 10º-20º
20º-30º
30º-40º
40º-50ºQuestion 33
Multiple Choice
Question Although precipitation is sparse in Boreal and polar climate zones,
soils are often saturated because of __________.
Answer ground water recharge
frequent flooding
prevalence of succulent plants
reduced evaporation of waterQuestion 34
Multiple Choice
Question Which of the following is true of the Boreal forest biome?
Answer Trees are exceptionally tall.
Species diversity is high.
Temperatures may reach -60ºC during the winter.
Soils are circumneutral to alkaline.
Question 35Multiple Choice
Question Choose from among the following a word/phrase that is inconsistent
with the Tundra biome.
Answer forested
high latitude
24-hour-long summer days
permafrost
low precipitationQuestion 36
Multiple Choice
Question Which of the following is the most important climatic distinction
between the Tropical rain forest and Tropical seasonal forest/savanna biomes?
Answer seasonality of temperature
seasonality of precipitationQuestion 37
Multiple Choice
Question Tropical rain forests are the most species-rich ecological systems on
earth. They are especially rich in woody vines, called lianas, and __________
plants that grow on the branches of other plants and are not rooted in soil.
Answer sclerophyllous
epiphytic
limnetic
emergentQuestion 38
Multiple Choice
Question Large areas of the tropics are too dry to support tropical rain forests.
Listed below are several kinds of vegetation that exist under drier
environments. In which of these would you expect to find a grassland with
scattered trees?
Answer seasonal forest
thorn forest
savanna
true desertQuestion 39
Multiple Choice
Question The biome concept emphasizes differences in plant form related to
variation in environment. Why has this concept been difficult to apply to
freshwater aquatic systems?
Answer Aquatic systems lack plants altogether.
The environments of aquatic systems vary little from one place to
another.
Aquatic ecologists have been uninterested in plants.
The producers of many aquatic systems are single-celled algae,
with little characteristic large-scale structure.Question 40
Multiple Choice
Question The distinction between riffles and pools is most appropriate in which
of the following aquatic systems?
Answer streams
rivers
lakes
estuaries
oceansQuestion 41
Multiple Choice
Question What is the central idea of the “river continuum” concept?
Answer Rivers are connected at their headwaters.
Rivers are connected at their mouths.
Rivers exhibit continuous change in environments and ecosystems
from their headwaters to their mouths.
Rivers exhibit constant environments and ecosystems from their
headwaters to their mouths.Question 42
Multiple Choice
Question The food webs of headwater ecosystems are dominated by
__________ production.
Answer autochthonous
allochthonousQuestion 43
Multiple Choice
Question Lakes are generally divided into zones, each of which has unique
physical and biological attributes. In which of the following zones would you
expect to find rooted vegetation?
Answer littoral
limnetic
pelagic
benthic
all of the aboveQuestion 44
Multiple Choice
Question Which of the following is a characteristic of a typical estuary?
Answer It is located at the mouth of a river.
It has a mix of fresh and salt water.
It is edged by tidal marshes.
It is highly productive.
All of the above are true.Question 45
Multiple Choice
Question Which of the following oceanic zones extends to the edge of the
continental shelf?
Answer littoral
neritic
oceanic
aphotic
benthicQuestion 46
Multiple Choice
Question In oceans, the biological productivity within the photic portion of the
neritic zone is usually far greater than that within the photic portion of the
oceanic zone. What factor most limits productivity in the oceanic zone?
Answer toxic substances introduced by human activities
low temperatures
low nutrient levels
low oxygenQuestion 47
Multiple Choice
Question Coral reefs are to open oceans as __________.
Answer tropical rain forests are to deserts
deserts are to tropical rain forestsQuestion 48
Multiple Choice
Question Coral reefs often surround __________.
Answer sunken ships
deep-sea vents
rift valleys
volcanic islandsQuestion 49
Fill in the Blank
Question The ________ concept is a system of classifying biological
communities based on similarities in their climates and dominant plant forms.
Answer biome
Incorrect
Feedback
The biome concept is a system of classifying biological
communities based on similarities in their climates and
dominant plant forms.Question 50
Fill in the Blank
Question Unrelated organisms often resemble one another when they have
evolved in response to similar environmental conditions. This phenomenon,
called ________, accounts for the cactus look-alikes found in the spurge family
Euphorbiaceae.
Answer convergence
Incorrect
Feedback
Unrelated organisms often resemble one another when they have
evolved in response to similar environmental conditions. This
phenomenon, called convergence, accounts for the cactus look-
alikes found in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.Question 51
Fill in the Blank
Question When we wish to characterize the physical structure of a particular
type of plant, we areconsidering its ________.
Answer growth form
Incorrect
Feedback
When we wish to characterize the physical structure of a
particular type of plant, we areconsidering its growth form.Question 52
Fill in the Blank
Question Seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation can be
presented simultaneously in a ________.
Answer climate diagram
Incorrect
Feedback
Seasonal variation in temperature and precipitation can be
presented simultaneously in a climate diagram.Question 53
Fill in the Blank
Question Most grassland species have fire-resistant underground stems, or
________, from which roots resprout.
Answer rhizomes
Incorrect
Feedback
Most grassland species have fire-resistant underground
stems, or rhizomes, from which roots resprout.Question 54
Fill in the Blank
Question Stream is to lake as lentic is to ________.
Answer lotic
Incorrect Feedback Stream is to lake as lentic is to lotic.Question 55
Fill in the Blank
Question Rivers are sometimes called ________ systems.
Answer fluvial
Incorrect Feedback Rivers are sometimes called fluvial systems.Question 56
Fill in the Blank
Question Aquatic and terrestrial communities often come together in
________, areas of land with saturated soils supporting vegetation specifically
adapted to such conditions.
Answer wetlands
Incorrect
Feedback
Aquatic and terrestrial communities often come together in
wetlands, areas of land with saturated soils supporting
vegetation specifically adapted to such conditions.Question 57
Fill in the Blank
Question Beyond the neritic zone in oceans, the seafloor drops rapidly to the
great depths of the ________ zone.
Answer oceanic
Incorrect
Feedback
Beyond the neritic zone in oceans, the seafloor drops rapidly
to the great depths of the oceanic zone.Question 58
Fill in the Blank
Question In the oceans, both the neritic and oceanic zones can be subdivided
vertically into a superficial photic zone, where there is sufficient light for
photosynthesis, and an ________ zone without light.
Answer aphotic
Incorrect
Feedback
In the oceans, both the neritic and oceanic zones can be
subdivided vertically into a superficial photic zone, where there is
sufficient light for photosynthesis, and an aphotic zone without
light.