Pearson Ch. 3 Test

Which factors are used to characterize a biome, such as the desert, tropical rain forest, or temperate grasslands? Select two answers.

• biotic factors, such as plant and animal life

• abiotic factors, such as climate and soil

• precise lines of latitude and longitude

• levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere

The coastal ocean is home to kelp forests and coral reefs. Which factor explains why the coastal ocean tends to be more productive than waters of similar depths in the open ocean?

• warm water temperature

• brightness of the water

• low salinity of the water

• nutrients supplied by runoff from the land

Kevin is constructing an explanation of the importance of freshwater ecosystems. Which of these statements would be MOST useful to include in the explanation?

• Freshwater ecosystems are distributed evenly across a continent.

• Freshwater ecosystems hold less than 3 percent of Earth’s surface water.

• Freshwater ecosystems keep fresh water in one place, and do not release it.

• Freshwater ecosystems stay about the same during the year.

Estuaries serve which important role for marine ecosystems?

• providing spawning and nursery grounds for many marine animals

• adding oxygen to the ocean water

• removing carbon dioxide from the ocean water

• removing salt from the ocean water

Which of these subjects is MOST LIKELY to be studied in ecology?

• the method of water transport in a tree

• a comparison of muscle cells among birds and reptiles

• the circulatory system of earthworms

• the interaction between populations of wolves and deer

A heron is affected by many factors in its environment. What distinguishes the biotic factors from the abiotic factors?

• location in the water or out of the water

• plant or animal

• living or nonliving

• food or not food

The temperate grasslands biome includes regions of several continents. What do all of the regions have in common?

• the same species of grazing animals

• the same species of grasses

• the same seasonal patterns of temperature and precipitation

• the same amount of land that is covered in grasses

Jorge is exploring the ocean. On which of these journeys is he MOST LIKELY to pass from the photic zone into the aphotic zone?

• a boat trip from the shore to the middle of the ocean

• a boat trip from the middle of the ocean to the shore

• a submarine dive from the surface into deep ocean water

• a walk from the intertidal zone into shallow ocean water

Assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined place

• Community

• Biosphere

• Ecosystem

• Population

Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact

• Abiotic Factor

• Biotic Factor

• Geosphere

• Community