Exam 3: Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work

Destruction of tropical rain forests will help accelerate ____________________.

Which terrestrial ecosystem or life zone produces the lowest net primary productivity per year?

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same place at the same time is a(n)____________________.

The form of nitrogen used by plants to produce various amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, and vitamins is ____.

Scientists estimate that tropical rain forests contain up to half of the earth's land plants and animal species. What percentage of the world's land surface do tropical rain forests cover?

The hydrologic cycle is driven primarily by ____.

Ecological tipping points related to the earth's major natural systems are also called

Despite a low net primary productivity (NPP), which ecosystem or life zone produces the most biomass each year?

In the accompanying figure, notice that the fox (secondary consumer)is in the process of pouncing on the rabbit. If humans were to remove that predator (fox), what would be the effects on the rest of the ecosystem? Be as specific as possible.

What is a major difference between the phosphorus cycle and the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles?

Nitrogen gas, the major component of the atmosphere, cannot directly be used by plants and animals.

Despite its low NPP, the ____________________ produces more of the earth's biomass per year than any other ecosystem or life zone.

Examine the accompanying figure. Notice the amount of average net primary productivity gets smaller and smaller as you move down the list of terrestrial ecosystems and, similarly, in the list of aquatic ecosystems. What is the common factor in the terrestrial system that causes the decline? What is the common factor in the aquatic system that causes the decline there?

Over land, most water that reaches the atmosphere comes from transpiration.

Which of the following is a major violator of the chemical cycling principle?

Carbon cycles through the biosphere and depends on the process of ____________________ and ____________________.

The disappearance of the tropical rain forests is an important issue because it will ____.

Ozone gas in the lower part of the stratosphere filters out how much of the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV)radiation?

The very necessary process of breaking down the dead bodies of organisms is a function of ____.

Gross primary productivity (GPP)is the biomass produced by photosynthesis minus the rate at which biomass is used for aerobic respiration.