Chapter 1 Test Biosphere Practice

A heron is affected by many factors in its environment. What distinguishes the biotic factors from the abiotic factors? p9

• location in the water or out of the water

• plant or animal

• living or nonliving

• food or not food

Which data are MOST useful for analyzing the climate of the region?p13

• average time of sunrise and sunset in July

• the highest and the lowest daily rainfall in July of this year

• the daily high temperature for every day in July of this year

• average temperatures for July, measured over 30 years

Which of these subjects is MOST LIKELY to be studied in ecology?p6-7

• the method of water transport in a treeOption 1

• a comparison of muscle cells among birds and reptiles

• the circulatory system of earthworms

• the interaction between populations of wolves and deer

Greenhouse gasses include carbon dioxide and methane. How do greenhouse gasses act to increase air temperatures near Earth’s surface?p14

• They transmit visible light that enters the atmosphere.

• They trap heat that is radiated from the surface.

• They reflect heat that enters the atmosphere.

• They emit heat when they undergo chemical reactions.

A local ecosystem includes a variety of grasses that grow on spongy soil. In spring, heavy rainfall and melted snow cover the soil in a few inches of water. The ecosystem dries up by late summer. What term BEST describes this ecosystem?p29

• pond

• estuary

• wetland

• stream bed

A developer proposes to drain an estuary, and then use the land to build an ocean-side hotel, houses, and parking lots. Which would be the most likely effect of the new development on the local ecosystem?p29

• Loss of spawning and nursery grounds for many fishes and shellfish

• Death of coral animals and loss of the coral reef ecosystem

• Reduction of primary productivity for the ocean ecosystem

• Increased salinity of ocean water

Most ocean food chains depend on phytoplankton as primary producers. Where in the ocean do phytoplankton live?p26

• throughout all ocean waters, because phytoplankton can tolerate a wide range of temperature and light conditions

• within about 200 meters of the ocean shoreline, because phytoplankton depend on nutrients that wash into the water from land

• within about 200 meters of the ocean surface, because phytoplankton require light to survive

• attached to shells along the ocean floor, because phytoplankton cannot float

Dr. Simeon and her team are studying global climate change. They develop a set of mathematical equations that relate climate data gathered over the past 100 years. Then, with the aid of a computer, they use the equations to predict climate change in the future.

The team’s use of mathematical equations and computers is an example of which science process?p8

• observation

• gathering evidence

• experimentation

• modeling

What is the relationship between global winds and global ocean currents?p16

• The pattern of global winds is one of the factors that drives global ocean currents.

• The pattern of global ocean currents is one of the factors that drives global winds.

• Both are caused by heat from the sun, and they do not affect each other.

• Both are caused by Earth’s rotation, and they do not affect each other.

The temperate grasslands biome includes regions of several continents. What do all of the regions have in common?p23

• 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