NYOS Biology
Earth’s Ecosystems -- Practice Quiz
Name ______________
1) Which of the following represents a list of abiotic factors in an ecosystem?
a.
light, temperature, water, wind, and rocks
b.
disease organisms, parasites, and hosts
c.
savanna, tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, and desert
d.
plants, animals, protists, fungi and bacteria
e.
all of the above
2) Which biome is characterized by very little rainfall (less than 25 cm per year)? In this biome, rain that does
fall comes infrequently, and plants are adapted to flourish during these sporadic intervals.
a.
temperate deciduous forest
b.
grassland
c.
desert
d.
coniferous forest
e.
chaparral
3) Which of the following might influence a local climate?
a.
an ocean
b.
a lake
c.
a mountain range
d.
a high elevation
e.
all of the above
4) Which of the following biomes is not found in Australia?
a.
desert
b.
temperate deciduous forest
c.
savanna
d.
tropical forest
e.
tundra
5) The region of the ocean where sunlight penetrates is called the ____________________. Microscopic
floating algae called ___________________ are found here.
a.
photic zone; phytoplankton
b.
aphotic zone; phytoplankton
c.
intertidal zone; zooplankton
d.
neritic zone; zooplankton
e.
benthic zone; zooplankton
6) Which biome with generally very cold winters and hot summers is dominated by large trees that drop their
leaves each year?
a.
tropical rainforest
b.
temperate grassland
c.
temperate deciduous forest
d.
coniferous forest
e.
tundra
7) The floor of the ocean, known as the ____________________ zone, often has a low oxygen content, hot to
cold temperature range, and a low light intensity range.
a.
benthic
b.
pelagic
c.
photic
d.
intertidal
e.
neritic
8) You are in California standing on a coastal hillside on a hot, dry summer day. The land is dotted with dense,
spiny, evergreen scrubs that are adapted to survive wildfires. You are most likely standing in the following type
of biome:
a.
desert
b.
chaparral
c.
savanna
d.
temperate deciduous forest
e.
coniferous forest
9) Which marine organism would you expect to find in the neritic benthic zone off the coast of Florida?
a.
blue whales
b.
fire coral
c.
angler fish
d.
volcanic vent tube worms
e.
all of the above
10) Which of the following includes both biotic and abiotic factors?
a.
populations
b.
communities
c.
ecosystems
d.
individual organisms
e.
all of the above
11) Of the following biomes, you would expect the greatest diversity of life to be found in
a.
tropical rain forests.
b.
tundras.
c.
temperate grasslands.
d.
temperate deciduous forests.
e.
coniferous forests.
12) Which biome is also called the taiga?
a.
tropical rain forests
b.
savannas
c.
temperate grasslands
d.
temperate deciduous forests
e.
coniferous forests
13) The neritic benthic zone
a.
contains too little light to support organisms.
b.
community mainly relies on sinking wastes as a source of food.
c.
is composed entirely of sand and sediment.
d.
is equivalent to the oceanic neritic zone.
e.
all of the above
14) An ecosystem in which fresh and salt water mix is a(n)
a.
coral reef.
b.
estuary.
c.
river.
d.
pond.
e.
hydrothermal vent.
15) Which of the following experiments is studying the effect of an abiotic factor?
a. investigating how the amount of precipitation affects the growth of a species of grass
b. identifying the sources of food for an elephant population
c. observing the interactions between different fish inhabiting a coral reef
d. investigating how goats on a mountain compete for food
16) Warm grasslands with a few trees characterize the
a. tundra.
b. desert.
c. mangrove swamp.
d. savanna.
17) In which biome would you most expect to find maple and birch trees?
a. temperate deciduous forest
b. chaparral
c. tropical rain forest
d. coniferous forests
18) What is permafrost?
How does permafrost affect producers in the tundra?
19) Make and complete a table like the one shown below to compare and contrast the eight major terrestrial biomes.
TERRESTRIAL BIOME
CLIMATE CONDITIONS
Desert
Less than 30 cm of rain per year.
Temperatures may be hot or cold.
Example BIOTA and ADAPTATIONS
Cactus have deep roots, and can store
water within their tissues.
Small mammals that burrow & are
nocturnal (only active at night)
Savanna
Chaparral
20) What's Wrong With These Statements?
Briefly explain why each statement is inaccurate or misleading. Provide at least one example to back up your statement.
a. Deserts are hot, dry places.
b. Nothing can grow in the harsh tundra climate.
21) An ecologist has been collecting climate data from three different locations: a desert, a tundra, and a temperate
deciduous forest.
After several years, the ecologist averaged the measurements to find a mean annual temperature and mean annual
precipitation for each location.
Based on the data above, suggest which set of data came from which location. Explain your reasoning.
22) Follow the provided link (also provided on Mr. Huff’s NYOS website).
Earth Floor – Biomes -- http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/biomes.html
Use the information contained there to help you determine which biome is represented by each of the
following climatographs.
A
B
C
D
E
F
23) Sunlight is an extremely important abiotic factor in creating the climate of terrestrial biomes.
For 5 different biomes, describe how the geography of each one results in specific sunlight conditions.
Then, explain how the sunlight conditions of each is a factor of that biome’s climate patterns.
Next, explain how those climate patterns results in adaptations that the biome’s biota must adapt to.