Need to Know # 7 ~ Natural Vegetation and Soil Systems

Complete the following questions using Chapter 11 in Physical Earth.

Multiple Choice

  1. The three basic nutrients needed for plant growth are…

a)oxygen, nitrogen, phosphate

b)carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen

c)pop, chips, and garbage

d)nitrogen, phosphate, and calcium

  1. Animals that consume plants directly are …
    a) herbivores

b) carnivores

c) omnivores

d) hungry

  1. Animals that prey on herbivores as their primary food source are …

a) herbivores

b) carnivores

c) omnivores

d) hungry

  1. Animals whose diet includes both animal flesh and plant foods are …

a) herbivores

b) carnivores

c) omnivores

d) hungry

  1. The most northern biome is the …

a)boreal forest

b)complex highland vegetation

c)deserts

d)tundra

  1. The biome that receives the highest annual rainfall is the …

a)temperate grasslands

b)tropical savannas and grasslands

c)temperate deciduous forests

d)tropical rainforests

  1. The biome that you will find cacti in is the …

a)desert

b)tropical savannas and grasslands

c)schlerophyll forests

d)tundra

  1. The largest biome is the …

a)tropical rainforest

b)desert

c)temperate grasslands

d)boreal forest

  1. What continent has the greatest extent of the tropical savanna and grassland biome?

a)Asia

b)North America

c)Africa

d)South America

  1. Which continent contains the largest variety of biomes?

a)North America

b)Asia

c)Australia

d)South America

Matching

Column A / Column B
____ ecosphere
____ biosphere
____ photosynthesis
____ ecosystems
____ food chains
____ biome
____ soils /
1. The flow of energy and nutrients in an
ecosystem.
2. the zone in which all the major processes
that affect life operate.
3. complex mixtures of animal, mineral, and
organic materials that is capable of
supporting life
4. group of ecosystems with similar plant and
animal species and similar climate
5. the thin layer on the earth’s surface where
life exists
6. communities of plants and animals that
interact with one another and with the
environment in which they live
7. the process used by plants that uses sunlight
to convert carbon dioxide and water into
glucose and oxygen
  1. A bumper sticker asks: “Have you thanked a green plant today?” Give (2) reasons why you should?
  2. Do you agree with the attitude expressed in detergent commercials that soil is only a nuisance that gets clothes dirty? Explain your answer in a brief paragraph.
  3. Identify and briefly explain the five (5) factors affecting soil formation.
  4. Draw, label and annotate a diagram of the soil horizons of a typical soil.