Question 1

Refer to the diagrams below.  The Walter climate diagrams illustrate typical annual temperature and precipitation values for which two biomes?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the diagrams below.  The...

Question 2

As global warming progresses, plants and animals move their ranges northward.This suggests that the southern boundary of the tundra biome will most likely become

Accepted Answer

As global warming causes temperatures to rise, the southern boundary of the tundra biome is likely to shift northwards. This means that the area that was once covered by the tundra will become too warm to support tundra vegetation and will instead become suitable for boreal forest species. The other options are less likely as they do not reflect the typical temperature and precipitation patterns associated with tundra biome or the direction of climate change.

Question 3

Refer to the map below.  Suppose Australia collides with Asia many million years in the future, removing the barriers between these two biogeographic regions.The immediate result of this fusion would most likely be

Accepted Answer

The fusion of Australia and Asia would create a land bridge which would allow species to cross over from one region to another, resulting in an exchange of species between the two regions. This would potentially lead to the formation of new species and a mixing of flora and fauna from previously distinct biogeographic regions.

Question 4

Biogeographers classify biomes in terms of their basic climatic conditions, especially temperature and precipitation.Ecologists often classify them in terms of their major plant life.Why do plants represent a good method of biome classification?

Accepted Answer

Plant types are adapted to the climatic conditions of a biome and therefore reflect those conditions. As a result, they can be used as a basis for classifying biomes. While plants are a key factor in shaping biomes, they do not necessarily determine the climate.

Question 5

A new river cuts through the range of a species of terrestrial isopods, effectively ending gene flow between populations on either side and resulting in speciation.The process at work in this situation is

Accepted Answer

Vicariance refers to the splitting of a geographic region, such as the range of a species, which results in the separation of previously connected populations. This physical barrier can halt gene flow between populations, leading to the evolution of distinct species. In this scenario, the formation of a new river has divided the range of the terrestrial isopod populations and created two separate groups that may eventually evolve into different species.

Question 6

Refer to the map below.  About four million years ago, a land bridge (now Central America) formed between North America and South America.This land bridge most likely had what effect on animal species on the two continents?

Accepted Answer

The formation of the land bridge likely allowed for dispersal, with species from both North and South America moving between the two continents.

Question 7

At the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., every animal must have an environment appropriate to its native climate and environmental conditions.The Washington climate has four distinct seasons and is defined as humid subtropical, similar to the southeastern United States.Which animal would be least likely to require a specially designed habitat?

Accepted Answer

Raccoons are native to the Washington, D.C. area and are well-suited to the humid subtropical climate. They do not require a specially designed habitat.

Question 8

Refer to the diagrams below.  Of these two climate diagrams, which biome has the longer growing season?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the diagrams below.  Of...

Question 9

A species of hawk nests in a forest, hunts in fields and grasslands surrounding the forest, and drinks from a stream in the same area.This hawk is functioning at which spatial scale?

Accepted Answer

The hawk is using and interacting with different habitats that make up the landscape scale.

Question 10

A grasshopper species lives in a temperate grassland.Along the southern edge of the grasshopper's range, drought over several years changes the habitat into a semi-desert.A large population of the grasshopper in this region separates from the rest of the population, moves farther south, and eventually becomes a new species, much better adapted to arid conditions.This instance of speciation apparently resulted from which evolutionary process?

Accepted Answer

The grasshoppers moved to a new location and adapted to different environmental conditions, which is an example of dispersal leading to speciation.

Question 11

A Walter climate diagram illustrates the major characteristics of a biome by providing information on the biome's

Accepted Answer

A Walter climate diagram provides information on the temperature and precipitation of a biome, which are important factors that determine the predominant plant life and the types of animals that can thrive in that biome. It does not provide information on geographic location or specific plant and animal species.

Question 12

Which of the following is an identifying characteristic of Arctic tundra?

Accepted Answer

The presence of permafrost is a defining characteristic of Arctic tundra, as this permanently frozen layer of soil restricts the growth of most vegetation to low-growing plants like mosses, lichens, and grasses. The growing season in tundra regions is relatively short due to the cold climate, and precipitation is generally low. Coniferous trees like spruce and pine are more commonly found in subarctic regions, not true tundra. Therefore, choices A, C, D, and E are incorrect.

Question 13

Alfred Russel Wallace was associated with the discovery of all of these factors related to biogeography except:

Accepted Answer

Alfred Russel Wallace is known for his work on natural selection, biogeographical patterns, and species diversity, but the concept of continental drift and the movement of land masses were proposed by Alfred Wegener in the early 20th century, not Wallace.

Question 14

A biome has the following characteristics: long, very cold winters; coniferous trees; mammals including moose, hares, and small rodents; and predators such as foxes and owls.This biome is the

Accepted Answer

The characteristics listed (long, very cold winters; coniferous trees; mammals including moose, hares, and small rodents; and predators such as foxes and owls) are all indicative of the boreal forest (taiga) biome.

Question 15

Which type of biome has the lowest species diversity?

Accepted Answer

Deserts have extremely harsh conditions with scarce resources, which makes it difficult for many species to survive. As a result, deserts typically have the lowest species diversity compared to other biomes.

Question 16

In his book The Geographical Distribution of Animals, which began the field of biogeography, Alfred Russel Wallace discussed factors known at that time to influence animal distributions.Which factor did Wallace not include?

Accepted Answer

Alfred Russel Wallace, in his work on biogeography, did not include continental drift as a factor influencing animal distributions. At the time of his writing, the theory of continental drift had not yet been developed; it was proposed later by Alfred Wegener in 1912.

Question 17

Refer to the map below.  Wallace's Line, which separates the Oriental and Australasian biogeographic regions, is characterized by which type of geographic boundary, as described by Alfred Russel Wallace?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the map below.  Wallace's...

Question 18

Refer to the map below.  DNA analysis showed that one species of rat diverged over several thousand years to become two species.Rat species A lived in the Ethiopian biogeographic region, whereas species B lived in the Oriental region.This suggests that the process leading to divergence of the two rat species is

Accepted Answer

The fact that two rat species diverged over several thousand years in different biogeographic regions suggests that the process leading to their divergence is vicariance, which occurs when a formerly continuous geographic area becomes divided into separate parts by a geographic barrier, such as a mountain range, river or oceanic trench. In this case, the geographic barrier that facilitated the divergence of the two rat species was likely the separation of the Ethiopian and Oriental regions. Dispersal, biogeography, converging of land masses, and biotic interchange are not relevant explanations in this context.

Question 19

Which type of biome has the longest growing season?

Accepted Answer

Tropical rainforests have very little seasonal variation in temperature and rainfall, and thus have a comparatively long growing season.

Question 20

As early explorers traveled the oceans and observed the distribution of plant and animal species on different continents, the pattern of species diversity was generally

Accepted Answer

The answer of As early explorers traveled the oceans and...

Quiz 53: The Physical Environment and Biogeography of Life

Refer to the diagrams below. The Walter climate diagrams illustrate typical annual temperature and precipitation values for which two biomes?