Chapter 21
1. A large value of the patch shape index, S = P/(2√πA), indicates a
a) shape near a circle, with a high perimeter-to-area ratio.
b) shape near a circle, with a low perimeter-to-area ratio.
c) very elongate shape, with a low perimeter-to-area ratio.
d) very elongate shape, with a high perimeter-to-area ratio.
Answer: D
2. The recognition that the length of a coastline depends on the scale at which it is
measured is a result of the branch of mathematics called ___________.
Answer: fractal geometry
3. Mowing experiments in a Kansas prairie established that, for small mammals,
a) moving individuals travel farther in more fragmented landscapes.
b) moving individuals travel farther in less fragmented landscapes.
c) more individuals move in more fragmented landscapes.
d) fragmentation affects movement distance but not the likelihood of movement.
e) fragmentation affects the likelihood of movement, but not movement distance.
Answer: A
4. For Glanville fritillary butterflies in Finland, larger habitat patches (compared to
smaller ones) support
a) higher population sizes and higher population densities.
b) higher population sizes but equal population densities.
c) higher population sizes but lower population densities.
d) equal population sizes, due to lower population densities.
e) equal population sizes and equal population densities.
Answer: C
5. More isolated Finnish meadows support higher densities of Glanville fritillaries.
Answer: F
6. Connections of similar habitat maintained between habitat fragments are known as
___________.
Answer: corridors
7. In studies of experimental clear-cuts at the Savannah River Site, open patches
connected to other open patches
a) had higher butterfly densities.
b) supported more frequent butterfly movements.
c) had higher rates of plant pollination.
d) all of the above
e) both (a) and (c)
Answer: D
8. Groundwater inputs to lakes tend to
a) increase from the upper to lower end of a flow system.
b) decrease from the upper to lower end of a flow system.
c) remain roughly constant from the upper to lower end of a flow system.
d) be higher for lakes with less input from surface runoff.
e) make up the great majority of water supply for all lakes.
Answer: A
9. During droughts, water levels are likely to drop most steeply in lakes at the lower end
of hydrological flow systems.
Answer: F
10. The “Mann-Whitney test”
a) is based on ranked data rather than actual measurements.
b) is identical in calculation to a t-test.
c) assumes that data from the populations being compared are normally distributed.
d) is a procedure for measuring concentrations of dissolved nitrates in freshwater.
e) is a procedure for measuring levels of calcium and potassium in soils.
Answer: A
11. A “caliche layer” in soil is
a) a hard layer formed by precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
b) a hard layer formed by precipitation of nitrates (KNO3, MgNO3) from overfertilization.
c) a water-absorptive layer of peat.
d) a layer of younger soil overlaying an old, depleted soil.
e) a layer polluted with heavy metals.
Answer: A
12. “Argyllic horizons” in soil are rich in
a) phosphorous.
b) organic matter.
c) sand.
d) gravel.
e) clay.
Answer: E
13. Vegetation in bajadas of the Arizona Sonoran Desert
a) is largely uniform, as are the soils it grows on.
b) is largely uniform, despite variation in the soils it grows on.
c) varies in space, primarily reflecting a mosaic of ancient and recently disturbed patches.
d) varies in space, primarily reflecting a mosaic of soil types.
e) varies in space, primarily reflecting patchy enrichment by agricultural fertilization.
Answer: D
14. A major recent (last 50 years) change in landscape structure of Eastern North
America has been
a) fragmentation of forests due to clearing for agricultural use.
b) increases in forest cover due to abandonment of agricultural land.
c) decreases in forest cover due to climate change.
d) increases in forest cover due to climate change.
e) decreases in lake habitats due to breaching of dams.
Answer: B
15. Expansion of forest in Veluwe, Netherlands at the expense of heathland has occurred
primarily as a result of
a) reduction of grazing pressure as native herbivore populations were decimated by
hunting.
b) changing climates due to the greenhouse effect.
c) new legal restrictions on land use.
d) reductions in sheep farming as Australian wool became less expensive.
e) reductions in sheep farming as young people left family farms for other careers.
Answer: D
16. Recent conversion of forests to beaver ponds and wet meadows
a) is producing a novel landscape structure, because beavers have never been as
numerous as they are now.
b) is producing a novel landscape structure, because beavers previously exploited natural
wetlands.
c) is restoring prehistoric landscape structure.
d) decreases nutrient levels in areas affected by beaver damming.
e) increases nutrient levels in remaining forests, but not in beaver ponds.
Answer: C
17. Vegetation in southern California burns frequently because
a) summers there are hot and very dry.
b) the vegetation contains highly flammable oils.
c) lightning strikes easily ignite dry vegetation.
d) human activities provide sources of ignition.
e) all of the above
Answer: E
18. Because southern California has an active fire suppression program, while northern
Baja California does not, wildfires are smaller and less severe in southern California.
Answer: F
19. Which is NOT an important effect of floods on landscapes and ecosystems in riverine
floodplains?
a) isolating oxbow lakes
b) reducing rates of decomposition
c) enriching soils through silt deposition
d) creating new river channels
e) causing pulses of seed germination in riparian plants
Answer: B
20. Flood control on the Kissimmee River of Florida
a) was achieved primarily by regulating water input to Lake Kissimmee.
b) greatly decreased wetland area in the river basin.
c) allowed increased populations of game fish, including largemouth bass.
d) all of the above
e) Both greatly decreased wetland area in the river basin and allowed increased
populations of game fish, including largemouth bass.
Answer: B
21. Reduced regulation of water flow in the Kissimmee River has led to increases in
populations of fish that require highly oxygenated water.
Answer: T