Download BI101SQ Ch42

General Biology: BI101
Spring, 2007
STUDY QUESTIONS: Ch 42
1. The primary driver of both weather and climate is:
a. ocean currents.
b. the sun.
2. Air that is warm:
a. sinks.
b. moves more quickly.
c. the ozone layer.
c. rises.
d. loses moisture.
3. Which of the following factors is the most significant for explaining why Earth experiences seasons?
a. elevation
b. latitude
c. tilt of Earth d. distance of Earth from the sun
e. both B and C
4. The greatest diversity of plants and animals, in terms of numbers of species, found in terrestrial (landbased) environments is:
a. broad-leafed (deciduous) forests.
b. coniferous (evergreen) forests.
c. savanna.
d. tropical rain forests.
e. desert.
1. At about 30° north and south of the equator, there are very dry regions on Earth. Why does this occur?
a. Cool air falls, is warmed, and absorbs moisture. b. Warm air falls and absorbs moisture.
c. Cool air rises and water condenses.
d. Warm air rises and water is evaporated.
2. The prevailing winds in the Glacier Park area of Montana are from the west. Which side of this mountainous
region receives the most rain and snow?
a. east
b. west
3. Rising air _______; this causes water vapor to _______.
a. heats; evaporate
b. heats; condense
d. cools; condense
c. cools; evaporate
4. The location of most of the world's deserts is:
a. inland from major oceans or seas.
b. 30° North or South latitude.
c. on the leeward side of large mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevadas.
d. all of the above
e. A and C only
1. Explain how air currents contribute to the formation of the Tropics and the large deserts.
2. What are large, roughly circular ocean currents called? What effect do they have on climate, and where is
that effect strongest?
3. What are the four major requirements for life? Which two are most often limiting in terrestrial
ecosystems? In ocean ecosystems?
5. Where are the nutrients of the tropical forest biome concentrated? Why is life in the tropical rain forest
concentrated high above the ground?
6. Explain two undesirable effects of agriculture in the tropical rain forest biome.
11. What single environmental factor best explains why there is shortgrass prairie in Colorado, tallgrass
prairie in Illinois, and deciduous forest in Ohio?
13. Where is life in the oceans most abundant, and why?
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General Biology: BI101
Spring, 2007
STUDY QUESTIONS: Ch 42
14. Why is the diversity of life so high in coral reefs? What human impacts threaten them?
15. Distinguish among the limnetic, littoral, and profundal zones of lakes in terms of their location and the
communities they support.
1. List at least six differences between human-dominated and undisturbed ecosystems, and discuss how these
differences can be minimized.
5. Understanding the ways in which the four basic requirements for life determine where different biomes
occur can help us predict the consequences of global warming. Global warming is expected to make most areas
warmer, but it is also expected to change rainfall in ways that are hard to predict—some areas will get wetter,
and others drier. Our ignorance of how rainfall will change is not very important in understanding shifts in
more northerly biomes, but it is very important for our understanding of changes in tropical areas. Look at
Figure 42-8 and explain why this is true.
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