Problem 1
Describe the various changes in climate that Occur with changing latitude,
including an explanation of why deserts are more likely to be found at around
Problem 2
How would you expect the climate to change as you crossed from west to east over the Rocky Mountains?
Problem 3
Biomes are differentiated by gross differences in the nature of their communities, not by the species that happen to be present. Explain why this is so.
Problem 4
The tropical rain forest is a diverse community supported by a nutrient-poor soil. Account for this.
Problem 5
Which of the Earth's biomes do you think have been most strongly influenced by people? How and why have some biomes been more strongly affected by human activity than others?
Problem 6
What is meant by the 'stratification' of water in lakes? How does it occur? And what are the reasons for variations in stratification from time to time and from lake to lake?
Problem 7
Describe how the logging of a forest may influence the community of organisms inhabiting a stream running through the affected area.
Problem 8
Why is much of the open ocean, in effect, a 'marine desert'?
Problem 9
Discuss some reasons why community composition changes as one moves (i) up a mountain, and (ii) down the continental shelf into the abyssal depths of the ocean.
Problem 10
Why are broad geographic classifications of aquatic communities less feasible than broad geographic classifications of terrestrial communities? What characteristics of aquatic ecosystems buffer the effects of climate?
