Target: 10 questions in 10 minutes
1. How does Shelford's Law of Tolerance explain the distribution of a species within its habitat?
  • A. Species thrive only when all environmental factors are at optimal levels.
  • B. Each species has a range of tolerance for various environmental factors, beyond which it cannot survive.
  • C. Species can adapt to any environmental condition regardless of their tolerance limits.
  • D. Tolerance limits are irrelevant to species distribution in changing environments.

2. Which of the following best defines ‘habitat’?

I. Physical surroundings in which an organism lives
II. Group of organisms of the same species, inhabiting the same area simultaneously
III. Cluster of populations coexisting and interacting within a specified area
IV. Type of ecosystem an organism lives in
  • A. I only
  • B. II and III only
  • C.  I and IV only
  • D. II and IV only

Q3. The image below shows a transverse section of a xerophyte leaf seen under a light microscope.

xerophyte_leaf

What is/are the adaptation(s) of marram grass, a xerophyte, that allow it to tolerate dry conditions on sand dunes?

I. Reduced leaves
II. Rolled leaves
III. Thick, waxy cuticle
IV. Stomata in pits surrounded by hairs
Theresa knott on en.wikipedia (adapted)
CC-BY-SA 3.0
A. I and IV only
B. II and III only
C. II, III, and IV only
D. I, II, III, and IV
4. Which factor is not considered a limiting factor for the distribution of coral reefs?
  • A. Temperature
  • B. Salinity
  • C. Wind velocity
  • D. Water depth

Q5&6. The image below shows the distribution of two species of barnacle which live on the rocky shore (not to scale).

Competitive_exclusion_in_barnacles

 Alain Sorazu (adapted)
CC-BY-SA 4.0
5. How should a student investigate the change in Semibalanus barnacle abundance as the temperature varies from the low tide line to the high tide line?
  • A. By placing quadrats randomly across the entire rocky shore and counting the number of barnacles in each quadrat
  • B. By placing quadrats parallel to the water and counting the number of barnacles in each quadrat
  • C. By recording barnacle population in each quadrat at regular intervals along a transect line spanning the intertidal zone
  • D. By counting every single Semibalanus barnacle on the rocky shore
6. Which type of graphical representation would be most appropriate for displaying the changes in relative abundance of the Semibalanus barnacle as you get further away from the low tide line?
  • A. Line graph
  • B. Pie chart
  • C. Bar graph
  • D. Kite diagram
7. Which abiotic factors are primarily responsible for determining the distribution of terrestrial biomes?
  • A. Soil type and wind patterns
  • B. Temperature and precipitation
  • C. Altitude and latitude
  • D. Ocean currents and humidity

Q8&9. The image below shows the distribution of different biomes.

Global vegitation chart

 Ville Koistinen (user Vzb83)
CC-BY-SA 3.0
8. Which biome is characterised by extreme daily temperature fluctuations, very low precipitation and supports xerophyte plants?
  • A. Tropical forest
  • B. Temperate forest
  • C. Hot desert
  • D. Grassland
9. Which of the following applies to the evolution of biomes?
  • A. Similar abiotic conditions lead to identical species in all biomes.
  • B. Convergent evolution results in similar adaptations among species facing comparable environmental challenges.
  • C. Biomes with identical climates always have the same flora and fauna regardless of location.
  • D. Similar biotic conditions lead to identical species in all biomes

Q10. The image shows a climograph.

Climograph
The climograph above shows which kind of biome?
  • A. Temperate forest
  • B. Taiga
  • C. Hot desert
  • D.Tropical forest