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WorksheetsThe Biosphere
Total questions: 18
Worksheet time: 21mins
Kara uses a model that shows slight changes to Earth's motion through space over many thousands of years. This model helps explain long-term climate change due to what variable?
volcanic activity
meteor or asteroid strikes
ocean circulation
carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere
input of solar energy
Lionel uses a model that includes the atmosphere and sunlight to predict Earth's temperatures. In this model, why does increasing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cause temperatures to increase?
Sunlight passes through carbon dioxide
Sunlight is absorbed by carbon dioxide
Heat is trapped by carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide generates heat
Carbon dioxide reacts with water to release heat.
Scientists have concluded that human activities are affecting the atmosphere and causing rapid climate change on a global scale. Which statement provides the strongest evidence that these changes to global climate are NOT the result of natural causes, such as variations in Earth's orbit?
Until recently, Earth's climate had remained relatively constant.
Variations in Earth's orbit cannot be measured precisely.
Variations in Earth's orbit would affect climate only minimally.
Earth's climate depends mostly on the output of the sun.
Variations in Earth's orbit occur gradually over 100,000 years
The climate zone closest to the equator
polar
tropical
temperate
torrid
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
food or not food
plant or animal
living or nonliving
location in the water or out of the water
Which biome is characterized by permafrost?
(a)
Which data are MOST useful for analyzing the climate of the region?
average time of sunrise and sunset in July
average temperatures for July, measured over 30 years
the highest and the lowest daily rainfall in July of this year
the daily high temperature for every day in July of this year
What is the ocean zone in which photosynthesis cannot occur?
(a)
Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide and methane. How do greenhouse gases act to increase air temperatures near Earth's surface?
They transmit visible light that enters the atmosphere
They trap heat that is radiated from the surface
They reflect that enters the atmosphere
They emit heat when they undergo chemical reactions.
What is the relationship between global winds and global ocean currents?
A 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?
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
Samuel 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 walk from the intertidal zone into shallow ocean water
a submarine dive from the surface into the deep ocean water
Most ocean food chains depend on phytoplankton as primary producers. Where in the ocean do phytoplankton live?
throughout all ocean waters, because phytoplankton can tolerate a wide range of temperature and light conditions
within 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
In places all over the world, the populations of many species of wildlife have decreased significantly over the past 100 years. Many species are now classified as threatened or endangered.
A team of ecologists is investigating ways to restore populations of wildlife species. How does the concept of anthromes affect any solution that the team might develop?
Anthromes now cover most of Earth's land, aside from polar regions
Anthromes have replaced some natural biomes, especially along coastlines
Anthromes and natural biomes are constantly replacing one another
Anthromes include national parks and conservation land, where wildlife is protected
What is an anthrome?
biomes altered by nature
manmade biomes
biomes altered by mankind
Jose and three other students are studying effects of various factors on the growth of plants in a garden. Carlos is asked to investigate the effects of abiotic factors that involve the hydrosphere. The other students are investigating effects that involve the geosphere, biosphere and atmosphere.
Which factor would be entirely Carlos's responsibility to investigate?
the volume of rainwater collected in a month
the sizes of the rocks mixed into the garden soil
the species of insects, worms, and other small animals that live in the garden soil
the rate of decay of dead plant matter in the garden soil
Dr. Marcus and his team are studying global climate change. They develop a set of mathematical equations that relate climate data gathered over the past 100 years. 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?
observation
gathering evidence
experimentation
modeling
