APES MCQ Questions

Decreased by the breakdown of organic waste

Dissolved oxygen

Measured on the pH scale

Acidity

Measured by the amount of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+

Hardness

The graph above shows how seed production in a plant species varied with population density in an unfragmented habitat (site A) and in a fragmented habitat (site B). Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the data?

Habitat fragmentation has more effect on seed production than does population density.

Fragmenting one large park or preserve into many small parks with human habitation in between them is most likely to lead to which of the following?

Reduction in species diversity

The factor that likely poses the greatest threat of extinction of species worldwide is

increasing loss of habitat

Researchers have found that over the last twenty years there are fewer native plants in the alpine meadows of the Rocky Mountains east of Salt Lake City and that the abundance of two species of invasive grasses has increased. Which of the following questions is most appropriate to ask when investigating the cause of the change in the alpine meadows?

Has an increase in soil nitrates from air pollution allowed the invasive grasses to outcompete the native plants?

For which of the following reasons do small isolated islands have a greater rate of species extinction than larger, less isolated islands?

Small isolated islands have a lower availability of resources.

The major biological source of dissolved oxygen in the ocean comes from

photosynthesis by phytoplankton

Reasons that the population size of an exotic species often grows rapidly when the species is introduced in a new environment include which of the following?

The exotic species is resistant to pesticides.

There is a large, underutilized food source in the new environment.

The exotic species has few natural predators in the new environment.

II and III only

Which of the following would likely reduce the threats posed by exotic species to native species?

Increasing inspections of goods coming into a country

Mandating that bilgewater from vessels be emptied in ports instead of in the open ocean

Enforcing legislation that restricts imported materials such as untreated wooden packing crates

D

I and III only

Small populations of animals, such as those typically found on islands, are prone to extinction because

they are more vulnerable to unpredictable events

Phytoplankton are most abundant in the upper few hundred feet of most bodies of water because

sunlight does not penetrate to great depths in water

Of the following, the greatest threat to populations of migratory North American songbirds is

clearing of tropical forests

Which of the following is the zone of a pond or lake in which rooted, emergent plants such as cattails and rushes are located?

Littoral

Fragmentation of tropical forests due to human activities is leading to a significant loss of biodiversity in this area.

The lower part of Africa

Most volcanism in the world is associated with

plate boundaries

Which of the following is most likely to result from destruction of wetlands surrounding a river?

An increased frequency of flooding of the river valley

The location where new crust is being created at a divergent plate boundary

C (Atlantic)

The intraplate location where hot-spot volcanism is occurring

A (Hawaii)

Desalination is used to supply much of this region with freshwater.

D (Middle East)