BROCK UNIVERSITY

Final Examination Course: ERSC 1F90 Date of Examination: April 21, 2011 Time of Examination: 19:00-22:00

Number of Pages: 7 Number of Students: 468 Examination Time: 3 hours Instructor: Hess

No examination aids other than those specified on the examination script are permitted. NO TEXTING!!! Use or possession of unauthorized materials or use of any device other than those specified will automatically result in the award of a ZERO GRADE for this examination. This means you should not have your mobile device out for ANY REASON!!!

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Answer ALL questions on the provided SCANTRON sheet. Please use a pencil. Turn in the question sheet AND SCANTRON sheet at the end of the examination.

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Name ________________________

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MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.

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1. The positive feedback mechanism in which a population falls below a threshold level, mutations proliferate due to reduced genetic diversity, and the population is further reduced is called: A) inbreeding depression B) toxic genetics C) environmental resistance D) dieback
2. About how much solar radiation is reflected back by the atmosphere of our planet? A) 25% B) 85%

C)3%
D) 5% 3. The correct order for layers of the atmosphere, from the top to the ground surface, is as follows:

A) thermosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, troposphere B) troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere C) thermosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, troposphere D) stratosphere, mesosphere, troposphere, thermosphere
4. What classification dominates the population of organisms on Earth today?

A) arthropods B) mammals C) plants D) nematodes
5. Greater species diversity is observed near the low latitudes compared to regions closer to the poles. The term for this is: A) poleward genetic drift B) latitudinal species gradient C) equatorial speciation D) increased solar irradiance

6. There have been about how many species on Earth since the Cambrian period? A) 7 trillion B) 30 billion C) 900,000 D) 300 million 7. The most common permanent gas in our atmosphere is: A) water vapor B) carbon dioxide C) nitrogen D) oxygen 8. Air increases in density with an increase in elevation. A) True B) False 9. The correct order for Linnaean classification, ranking from highest to lowest, is: A) kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species B) class, kingdom, order, family, phylum, genus, species C) family, order, genus, phylum, kingdom, class, species D) kingdom, order, phylum, family, class, genus, species 10. A biological population of whitetail deer becomes divided by emigration. This is an example of: A) top-loading migration B) sympatric speciation C) allopatric speciation D) genetic drift 11. About how many species have been identified on Earth? A) 54 million B) 700 billion C) 1.8 million D) 750,000

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12. The change in air pressure from ground level to the top of the CN Tower is greater than the change in air pressure . from one side of the Brock campus to another. A) True B) False 13. An organism's ability to survive, reproduce, and produce viable offspring that survive to a reproductive age is termed the: A) adaptability B) survival index C) Darwin's coefficient D) fitness 14. An airmass at 10 degrees C can hold more water vapor than an airmass at 20 degrees C. A) True B) False 15. Sinking air is associated with high pressure at the ground surface. A) True B) False

16. Homo sapien is the _ _ _ _ _ _ for modern humans A) kingdom phylum B) order class C) family order D) genus species
17. The most catastrophic of the classical 5 mass extinction events is the: A) Ordovician-Silurian event B) Triassic-Jurassic event C) late Devonian event D) Permian-Triassic event 18. The timing of the event noted in question 17 is about: A) 65 millions years ago B) 444 million years ago C) 250 million years ago D) 7 billion years ago 19. You are enjoying a beautiful day with clear skies and light winds. There is most likely a low pressure system in place. A) True B) False 20. A grouping of potentially interbreeding individuals is called a : A) population B) species C) order D) ecosystem 21. The Solar Constant for our planet, measured at the top of our atmosphere, is about: A) 45 W/m2 2 B) 850W/m 2 C) 15,500 W 1m
D) 342 W 1m
2

22. The transition zone between biomes is called: A) a region of diversity B) a diffusion zone C) an ecotone D) a succession region

23. The K-T boundary represents which extinction event?

A) Cambrian-Triassic B) Cretaceous-Tertiary C) Carboniferous-Tertiary D) Chicxulub-Triassic
24. A human has how many chromosomes?

A) 24 B) 44 C)46 D) 48
25. Precession fluctuates on a cycle of roughly what duration?

A) 41,000 years B) 23,000 years C) 100,000 years D) 400,000 years
26. The period of time between 1620-1750 where few sunspots were observed is called the:

A) Maunder minimum B) solar forcing mechanism C) propagating amplification D) Dalton minimum
27. The four earth spheres are:

A) the asthenosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, and atmosphere B) the ecosphere, oceansphere, geosphere, and atmosphere C) the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere D) the climatesphere, geosphere, watersphere, and ecosphere
28. Plants thrive on an atmosphere with relatively high levels of CO2, Their enhanced growth allows for enhanced carbon capture in soil, which of course is a mechanism by which more carbon can be pulled from the atmosphere and locked away. This is an example of what type of mechanism? A) positive feedback B) solar forcing C) propagating amplification D) negative feedback 29. The mnemonic device "HIPPO" helps one remember the:

A) the movement of frontal systems over a large mountain chain B) climate change mechanisms related to sea level rise C) impact of humans on biodiversity D) overharvesting of fish species in the North Atlantic 30. The evolutionary process by which new species arise is called: A) speciation B) natural selection C) customization D) extinction 31. What is the approximate global mean annual temperature for Earth? A) SoC B) lOOC C) 15°C
D) 20°C

32. The acronym IPCC stands for: A) International Push for Climate Cooling B) Intense Pulsar Charge Coefficient C) Ionic Positive Charge Capability D) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 33. The key mechanism of evolution by which excess offspring compete for scare resources and pass down information to their offspring that promotes success in such an environment is called: A) differential dying B) mass extinction C) speciation D) natural selection
34. Which of the following changes in Earth's orbit is most influential on climate? A) Eccentricity B) Obliquity C) Tilt and Wobble D) Precession 35. One common way to classify a species is to compare it to a type specimen. That is, a preserved individual of that species housed in a lab and available for comparison. This type of classification is known as defining by: A) standardization B) typology C) phylogeny D) taxidermology
36. It has been suggested that we will lose __ of all species by 2100. A) 20%
B) 7%

C)50% D) 85%
37. The group of individuals in a species that reside within a given area, are in communication with each other, and are capable of interbreeding is called the: A) biota B) population C)biome D) ecosystem

38. Primary succession always begins on newly created rock or soil that has never before seen life. A) True B) False 39. The customization of dog breeds by selecting traits from individuals to pass along to offspring is an example of: A) natural selection B) artificial selection C) speciation D) testable breeding 40. A certain species of treeworm has developed a toxic biochemistry that keeps pests away. Another worm has evolved to assume the appearance of the dangerous worm, but in actuality is completely harmless. This is an example of: A) Batesian mimicry B) Fuller mimicry C) Mullerian mimicry D) Darwinian mimicry

41. Customization observed within Darwin's finches is an example of:

A) competition-induced change B) niche specialization C) inbreeding depression D) mimicry
42. The amount of water vapor that can be held within an airmass is dependent on air temperature. A) True B) False 43. A process by which air changes temperature without heat being provided to the system is called:

A) latent heat
B) diabatic C) condensation

D) adiabatic
44. What is the term for a species that is indigenous to a region and found nowhere else?

A) endemic B) indigenous C) allopathic D) isolate
45. A certain species of ant will often raid the nest of another ant species to extract slave workers. These workers will

perform a task while being protected by the slave-making ant. This is an example of: A) extortion B) commensalism C) helotism D) mutualism
46. Ascomycetes are a phylum under the kingdom _ _ and have yielded 85% of all antibiotics on the market today. A) animalia B) plantae C) fungi D) bacteria 47. The dry adiabatic lapse rate for a typical airmass is about: A) IOC/lOOm B) 2,SOC/lOOm C) 6°C/lOOm D) O.loC/lOOm

48. The Coriolis force deflects objects to the ___ in the northern hemisphere and to the _ _ _ _ in the southern hemisphere. A) right, left B) left, left C) left, right D) right, right
49. Energy is transmitted from the sun to Earth by:

A) conduction B) convection C) direct transfer D) radiation
50. Approximately how thick is the atmosphere?
A) 10 km

B) 50km
C) lOOkm D) 200km

51. A biological interaction between two species that derives mutual benefit is called:

A) helotism B) commensalism C) mimicry D) mutualism
52. In general, biodiversity is highest near the equator and less toward the poles. A) True B) False
53. A non-indigenous organism that adversely impacts the habitat and bioregion they invade is known as:

A) a predatory pest B) an invasive species C) a residual group D) an environmental vector
54. All of the ecosystems on our planet compose the:

A) ecosphere
B) habitat

C) biosphere
D) geosphere
55. 99.9% of all species to ever live on our planet are now gone.

A) True B) False
56. Everything nonliving within which life resides is called the:

A) habitat
B) biosphere

C) biota
D) atmospheric temperature pressure
57. The 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan occurred along a subduction zone between the:. A) Pacific plate and the Eurasian plate B) Pacific plate and North American plate C) Japanese plate and Philippine plate D) Japanese plate and North American plate 58. An organism that feeds on dead or decaying matter is classified as a:

A) predator B) necrophage C) helotiac D) zombiolyte
59. The wavelength of visible light ranges between about:
A) 15-25 m B) 400-700 nm C) 7-12 km D) 45-65 cm 60. A wolf eats a cow. The cow was eating grass. Which is the primary consumer?

A) grass B) cow C) wolf D) none of the above