ES14e - TB - ch04, Final - BLOOMS
ES14e - TB - ch04, Final - BLOOMS
ES14e - TB - ch04, Final - BLOOMS
MULTIPLE CHOICE
2. Which of the following are reasons why sharks should be considered important to humans?
a. They never get cancer, and may provide information about how to prevent this disease.
b. They are an important source of food
c. They are a keystone species
d. They never get cancer and are an important source of food
e. They never get cancer and are a keystone species
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate TOP: CORE CASE STUDY
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
3. Biomes are
a. large aquatic regions of the earth with distinct climate and certain species adapted to them
b. large terrestrial regions of the earth with distinct climate and certain species adapted to
them
c. groups of populations living in harmony in a given ecosystem
d. all the biological portions of the planet
e. types of forests that are extensive and widespread on a continent
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 4-1 WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
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5. Which of the following statements best describes insect species as a group?
a. They have backbones.
b. About two million species have been identified by scientists.
c. They are resistant to extinction.
d. They have skin or integument similar to mammals.
e. They do not spread human diseases.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 4-1 WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
6. Deserts, tropical forests, prairie grasslands, and coniferous forests are all examples of
a. different species
b. ecosystems with the highest biodiversity
c. ecosystems with low genetic biodiversity
d. Biomes
e. Populations
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-1 WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
7. Which of the following biomes are found along the 39th parallel in the United States?
a. Chaparral
Chaparral and coniferous forest
b.
c. Chaparral, coniferous forest and desert
d. Chaparral, coniferous forest, desert and prairie grassland
e. Chaparral, coniferous forest, desert, prairie grassland and deciduous forest
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 4-1 WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
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TOP: 4-2 HOW DOES THE EARTH'S LIFE CHANGE OVER TIME?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
In a population of wild bees, a mutation resulted in slightly larger wingspan in some of the bees. This
larger wingspan made the bees more efficient in their flights to flowers to collect nectar. Thus, these
bees became more successful. This trait was passed on to offspring, and eventually the larger
wingspan variety of bee replaced their smaller-winged relatives completely.
13. Since the mutation produced a specific wing trait that was passed on, the mutation must have occurred
a. in wing cells
b. in reproductive cells
c. as a result of exposure to a chemical agent
d. as a result of UV light
e. because of the type of pollen the bee collected
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-2 HOW DOES THE EARTH'S LIFE CHANGE OVER TIME?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: APPLICATION
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14. The larger wingspan could be called
a. an adaptive trait
b. genetic variability
c. a heritable trait
d. an adaptive trait and a genetic variability
e. a heritable trait, an adaptive trait and a genetic variability
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-2 HOW DOES THE EARTH'S LIFE CHANGE OVER TIME?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: COMPREHENSION
15. It could be said that _____ favored the bee with the larger wingspan, and so the _____ evolved.
a. adaptation, bee
b. evolution, population
c. mutation, bee
d. natural selection, population
e. mutation, population
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
TOP: 4-2 HOW DOES THE EARTH'S LIFE CHANGE OVER TIME?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: APPLICATION
16. Which of the following characteristics must be true in order for a trait to be impacted by the forces of
natural selection and then play a role in the process of biological evolution?
a. The trait must be the result of environmental conditions.
b. The trait must be genetically based.
c. The trait must impact the social rank of its possessor.
d. The trait must be a physical characteristic of the organism.
e. The trait must be a behavioral characteristic of the organism.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
TOP: 4-2 HOW DOES THE EARTH'S LIFE CHANGE OVER TIME?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: COMPREHENSION
17. Which of the following is true of a trait that creates a specific advantage for some organisms in the
struggle to survive?
a. It enables individuals with the trait to leave more offspring than other members of the
population leave.
b. It results in greater genetic diversity in the offspring of those organisms that possess it
than in those that do not possess the trait.
c. It causes the ratio of male and female offspring produced to be equal.
d. It results in offspring that are genetically different than the parents.
e. It results in non-heritable traits being passed from parent to offspring.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-2 HOW DOES THE EARTH'S LIFE CHANGE OVER TIME?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: COMPREHENSION
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18. Which of the following is/are thought to be in part responsible for the evolutionary success of humans?
a. Humans possess strong opposable thumbs.
b. Humans walk upright.
c. Humans have complex brains, walk upright and have opposable thumbs
d. Humans walk upright and have opposable thumbs
e. Humans walk upright, have opposable thumbs, complex brains and can use tools
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-2 HOW DOES THE EARTH'S LIFE CHANGE OVER TIME?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
20. How has the geological process of plate tectonics influenced the process of evolution over geologic
time?
a. The changing location of the plates across the Earth's surface exposes organisms to
differing concentrations of mutagens, thus increasing or decreasing the rate of evolution.
b. The rate of evolutionary change is directly proportional to the speed with which the Earth's
tectonic plates are moving.
c. The changing location of the plates across the Earth's surface results in changing climatic
environmental conditions for various communities and populations of organisms. This has
driven evolutionary change.
d. The movement of the Earth's geologic plates is the source of energy that ultimately drives
the process of evolution.
e. The movement of the Earth's geologic plates further away from the equator resulted in an
increase in the gravitational forces on the planet. This allowed for the initial accumulation
of the gases that form the Earth's atmosphere.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-3 HOW DO GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT
EVOLUTION?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: COMPREHENSION
21. A major factor that allowed species to adapt to new environments and form new species through
natural selection happened
a. because Pangaea began splitting apart about 135 million years ago
b. about 18,000 years ago when South America and North America split apart
c. about 200-250 million years ago when India and Africa split apart
d. happened about 250 million years ago, because Pangaea began splitting apart
e. because Asia and North America split apart 180 million years ago
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-3 HOW DO GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT
EVOLUTION?
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BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
23. Approximately how long has there been life on planet Earth?
a. 3.5 million years
b. 35 million years
c. 350 million years
d. 3.5 billion years
e. 35 billion years
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 4-3 HOW DO GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT
EVOLUTION?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
24. We can say that on a long-term basis, that the _____________principle of sustainability has especially
helped life on earth to adapt to drastic environmental conditions.
a. wise use
b. energy cycling
c. nutrient cycling
d. Energy
e. Biodiversity
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 4-3 HOW DO GEOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT
EVOLUTION?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: COMPREHENSION
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26. The process by which members of isolated populations become so different in genetic makeup that
they cannot produce live, fertile offspring if they are rejoined is best described as
a. geographic isolation
b. reproductive isolation
c. evolutionary isolation
d. endemic isolation
e. niche isolation
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 4-4 HOW DO SPECIATION, EXTINCTION, AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES AFFECT
BIODIVERSITY?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
27. Which of the following is not true of the process of biological extinction?
a. The extinction of an organism can be reversed if enough government funding is provided.
b. There has always been a certain low-level amount of ongoing background extinction
occurring.
c. Completely natural processes can cause population extinctions.
d. Human activities have resulted in population extinctions.
e. a, b and c are all correct, but not d
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-4 HOW DO SPECIATION, EXTINCTION, AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES AFFECT
BIODIVERSITY?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: COMPREHENSION
29. Which of the following is not true with regards to the concept of niches?
a. A niche is the place where an organism lives.
b. A niche is the general method by which an organism attains its energy.
c. A species that is able to survive in a great range of environmental conditions and utilize a
wide variety of food resources is a generalist species.
d. The giant panda feeds almost exclusively on various types of bamboo. This being the case,
these organisms are said to have a narrow specialized niche.
e. In a rapidly-changing environment it is a great benefit to have a wide niche.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-5 WHAT ROLES DO SPECIES PLAY IN AN ECOSYSTEM?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: COMPREHENSION
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30. Which of the following organisms would best be described as a specialist species?
a. Flies
b. Cockroaches
c. white-tailed deer
d. panda bears
e. Humans
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 4-5 WHAT ROLES DO SPECIES PLAY IN AN ECOSYSTEM?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: COMPREHENSION
33. The bird species known to forage in shrublands after they have experienced a wildfire are very
different from the bird species that forage in shrublands that have not burned. In fact, the bird species
foraging in burned shrublands are closely correlated with the age of the burn, or the number of years
that have passed since the fire. Certain birds forage at one-year post fire, different birds forage at three-
years post fire, and so on. These birds could be called
a. foundation species
b. keystone species
c. generalist species
d. indicator species
e. newly evolved species
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Difficult
TOP: 4-5 WHAT ROLES DO SPECIES PLAY IN AN ECOSYSTEMS?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: APPLICATION
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34. An intertidal species of seastar helps to maintain the diversity of the intertidal region by controlling the
mussel population. Without the seastar, the mussel population would crowd out other species and take
over their territory. The seastar could be called a(n)
a. indicator species
b. keystone species
c. foundation species
d. aggressive species
e. repressor species
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-5 WHAT ROLES DO SPECIES PLAY IN AN ECOSYSTEM?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: APPLICATION
37. Approximately what percentage of amphibian species is threatened with extinction and declining
worldwide?
a. 43%
b. 33%
c. 33%, 43%
d. 80%
e. 43%, 53%
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate
TOP: 4-5 WHAT ROLES DO SPECIES PLAY IN ECOSYSTEMS?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
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38. Which of the following is not a factor that is contributing to the decline in amphibian populations?
a. habitat loss and fragmentation
b. viral and fungal diseases and parasites
c. increase in UV radiation
d. prolonged drought
e. hunting of frogs for froglegs, a delicacy that is served in restaurants
ANS: E PTS: 1 DIF: Easy
TOP: 4-5 WHAT ROLES DO SPECIES PLAY IN ECOSYSTEMS?
BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: COMPREHENSION
TRUE/FALSE
1. When local environmental conditions change, background extinction can cause loss of species.
3. The size of the planet has significant influences that impact life on the planet.
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4. Houseflies would probably adapt to an environmental change much more quickly than a human.
6. One of the reasons that sharks are hunted is for their fins which are widely used as a soup ingredient in
Asia.
8. Heritable traits that give an individual some advantage over other individuals in the population are
called adaptive traits.
10. The biological diversity of the Earth is only a function of the number of species on the Earth.
12. The location of continents has greatly influenced the earth’s climate, but the location of oceanic basins
has not.
13. Ice sheets in high latitudes are known to have advanced and retreated over much of the northern
hemisphere throughout the Earth’s long history.
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BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
14. Geographic isolation and reproductive isolation can both lead to speciation.
16. Cockroaches have a wide range of tolerance of environmental conditions. They are known as a
specialist species.
COMPLETION
1. A(n) ____________________ includes an organism's range of tolerance for physical and chemical
conditions.
ANS: niche
2. Biological evolution is the process by which the genetic composition of a(n) ____________________
changes over time.
ANS: population
3. Most of the historic evidence that supports the scientific theory of evolution comes from
____________________.
ANS: fossils
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4. ____________________ are random changes in the structure or number of DNA molecules in a cell.
ANS: Mutations
5. If a species of frogs becomes threatened because they can only live in a narrow range of temperatures,
they would be classified as a(n) ____________________.
6. Mutations can occur in any cell type, however only those that occur in ____________________ are
passed on to offspring, thus allowing for evolution.
7. Current environmental conditions will dictate which traits are beneficial, and will ultimately drive
evolution through the process of ____________________.
ANS: earthquakes
9. Typically speaking, organisms that are described as ____________________ tend to have broad
niches.
10. Species that are found in only one area are called ____________________ and are especially
vulnerable to extinction.
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BLOOM’S TAXONOMY: KNOWLEDGE
12. A practice that involves cutting off fins of a shark and then returning the shark to the ocean without the
fins they need to survive is called ____________________.
ANS: finning
13. Species whose roles have a large effect on the types and abundance of other species in an ecosystem
are called ___________ _____________.
14. ____________________ is a significant rise in extinction rates above the background level.
15. The scientific theory of evolution explains how life on earth changes over time due to changes in the
genes of____________________.
ANS: populations
16. In the 1960’s, E.O. Wilson and other scientists developed the theory of _______________
____________________.
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17. ____________________ occupy narrow niches.
18. Holding the pen or pencil for taking this exam is one of the things you can do as a human because you
have____________ ____________.
ANS: biomes
MATCHING
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SHORT ANSWER
1. Look at all of the bird species shown in the diagram above. What can be said about the birds?
ANS:
They all occupy different ecological niches in the same ecosystem.
ANS:
They all occupy specialist niches.
3. How does the bird labeled E compare with the birds labeled A, B, C, and D?
ANS:
The bird labeled E occupies a generalist niche.
ANS:
Functional diversity is the variety of processes such as energy flow and matter cycling that occur
within ecosystems as species interact with one another in food chains and webs.
5. What is meant by the term ‘biophilia’ that was coined by Edward O. Wilson?
ANS:
Biophilia, which literally means ‘love of life’, is the hypothesis that humans have a natural affinity for
wildlife and wild places.
ESSAY
1. Clearly explain the relationship between the geologic process of plate tectonics and the biological
process of evolution over geologic time.
ANS:
As the plates that cover the planet have gradually drifted and changed location across the surface of the
planet, they have drifted into locations with significantly different climatic conditions. In order to cope
with changing environmental conditions, organisms that inhabit these locations would have been
forced to relocate or to gradually evolve, developing adaptations more appropriate to the new climatic
conditions.
2. Clearly explain how large-scale mass extinctions can actually lead to evolutionary opportunities.
ANS:
In the event of large-scale mass extinctions, an enormous diversity of ecological niches become
vacant. These open niches provide ecological, and therefore evolutionary, opportunities for which
organisms can evolve adaptations.
3. Using specific examples, explain why sharks can actually be beneficial to the human population if we
change our view of their role.
ANS:
Most individuals view sharks as predators, and dangerous animals to be avoided. This viewpoint is
encouraged by the popular press, which profits from casting sharks in a negative light.
However, sharks possess some physiological attributes that would benefit humans if we choose to
study the underlying processes. Sharks almost never get cancer. In addition, sharks have highly
effective immune systems that allow their wounds to heal without infection. Cancer and infectious
diseases are leading causes of death in the United States. Drug-resistant strains of bacteria are
becoming an increasing concern worldwide.
If we can study the physiology of healthy sharks, much can be gained that would contribute to the
well-being of humans.
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4. In the 1960’s Edward O. Wilson, along with other scientists, developed the theory of island
biogeography. Explain the relevance of this theory in today’s world
ANS:
Island biogeography examines how the species diversity of islands is affected by the size and locations
of given islands. It can also be applied to areas or ecosystems that resemble islands because of their
isolation. For example, a mountain forest that is surrounded by human development could be
considered an island. A wildlife preserve that is surrounded by areas disturbed by human activities
could be considered an island.
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