Biomes, Landscapes, Restoration, and Management
1. The two major determinants of biome distribution are the following EXCEPT (p. 94)
A. temperature and precipitation.
B. precipitation and pH.
C. diversity and stability of species.
D. carbon dioxide and oxygen concentration.
E. none of the above.
2. All of the following are major biomes EXCEPT (p. 94)
A. grasslands.
B. deserts.
C. conifer forests.
D. tundra.
E. lakes.
3. All of the following EXCEPT _________ have contributed to the loss of diversity in the grassland biome. (p. 95)
A. fencing
B. elimination of introduced species
C. wetland draining
D. fire suppression
E. intensive agriculture
4. Which biome is most likely to have the lowest diversity of species and the least primary productivity? (p. 97)
A. conifer forests
B. tropical moist forests
C. tundra
D. grasslands
E. temperate rain forests
5. Tropical moist forests grow quickly and contain a large diversity of species. As a result, (p. 99)
A. almost all (90%) of the nutrients are contained in the bodies of living organisms.
B. the soil is typically poor.
C. decomposition occurs very slowly.
D. nutrients are plentiful and available for use.
E. A and B.
F. C and D.
6. Which of the following is not part of an aquatic ecosystem? (p. 100)
A. estuaries
B. fens
C. savannas
D. coral reefs
E. barrier islands
7. Aquatic organisms are especially sensitive to (p. 100)
A. dissolved gases such as oxygen, nitrates, and phosphates.
B. suspended silts.
C. depth and light availability.
D. temperature.
E. all of the above.
F. none of the above.
8. Wetlands like bogs, swamps, and marshes are important ecologically because they (p. 101)
A. filter water.
B. trap water and prevent flooding.
C. replenish groundwater.
D. destroy aquatic insects.
E. are major breeding grounds for birds.
9. Humans pre-empt, through actual consumption, or through altering production, ____ percent of the earth's net terrestrial primary production? (p. 104)
A. 1%
B. 10%
C. 25%
D. 40%
E. 90%
10. The biome with the greatest percentage of human disturbance is (p. 105)
A. temperate broad-leaved forests.
B. temperate grasslands.
C. tundra.
D. moist tropical forests.
E. warm deserts.
11. Landscape ecologists and conservation biologists share some common tenets: (p. 107)
A. that evolutionary change is a central feature of natural systems
B. nonequilibrium dynamics and change are more characteristic of nature than stability
C. diversity is good and ought to be maintained
D. the context of the surrounding environment is an important consideration
E. human impacts are important variables
F. all of the above
12. An example of reclamation as part of the new discipline of restoration ecology is the following: (p. 108)
A. building entirely new wetlands to replace wetlands that were destroyed by a highway project
B. cleaning chemical contaminants from a polluted area
C. burning an old field in order to bring a grassland back to it's former condition
D. on a severely degraded site, restoring an abandoned mine site's contours and revegetating to minimize risks to groundwater supplies
E. none of the above.
13. Ecosystem management entails which of the following management principles: (p. 112)
A. take into account the whole landscape, watersheds, or regions
B. use a very short time scale
C. try to limit biological diversity
D. consider human needs and promote sustainable economic development
E. A and D.
F. B and D
14. Ecosystem management principles take into account human roles in the environment because (p. 112)
A. humans often play a dominant role in altering ecological patterns.
B. humans are rarely affected by ecological change.
C. humans are often separated from nature.
D. all of the above.
E. none of the above.
15. Critics of ecosystems management argue that (p. 114)
A. ecologists do not adequately understand ecosystems.
B. because of political pressures, management goals that do not take human needs first are difficult to enforce.
C. management goals are often not followed and become empty slogans.
D. it encourages humans to believe they can fix problems, thereby making them less likely to try and prevent problems.
E. none of the above.
F. all of the above.