Chapter 3 Communities and Biomes

Mosses and lichens are the first organisms to appear during which ecological stage of an ecosystem?

• primary succession

• secondary succession

• climax community

• end succession

What is a group of interacting populations that occupy the same area at the same time?

• a biome

• a community

• an ecosystem

• an environment

Which is true of the zone of physiological stress?

• It is outside the range of tolerance

• It is the optimum zone for survival

• Organisms are unable to survive in this zone

• There are fewer organisms in this zone

What occurs in the process of ecological succession?

• Environmental factors affect the survival of organisms

• One biological community replaces another in the ecosystem

• Organisms adapt to new biotic and abiotic factors

• Pioneer species move in and replace existing species

By what characteristics are biomes primarily classified?

• their average weather conditions

• by their latitudes and climates

• by the type of animal communities within them

• by the type of plant communities within them

Which biome contains short grasses, caribou, polar bears, and has a layer of permafrost below the surface of the soil?

• taiga

• tundra

• arctic grassland

• polar regions

What is the approximate average temperature and annual precipitation in the boreal forest biome?

• 0 C 100 cm

• 10 C 150 cm

• 20 C 100 cm

• 25 C 200 cm

An area of forest that experiences very little change in species composition is a

• Climax community

• Primary succession

• secondary succession

• ecological succession

The amount of oxygen in a fish tank is a _______ that affects the number of fish that can live in the tank

• Tolerance zone

• Limiting factor

Which is a place you most likely would find pioneer species growing?

• Climax forest

• Coral reef

• Disturbed grassland

• Newly formed volcano