Question 1

Some biologically important substances are transferred between organisms and the physical environment in a cyclical pattern called a ____________________ cycle.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some biologically important substances are transferred between...

Question 2

In the absence of _____, nutrient recycling within the ecosystem would completely stop.

Accepted Answer

A) rocks 
B) secondary consumers 
C) decomposers 
D) predators 
A) rocks 
B) secondary consumers 
C) decomposers 
D) predators

Question 3

Which of the following statements best describes the impact of human activities on the cycling of nutrients in natural systems?

Accepted Answer

A) Human activities are essentially benign and have little lasting impact on either atmospheric or sedimentary nutrient cycling. 
B) Human activities have profoundly impacted nutrient cycling, particularly with those nutrients that cycle within the atmosphere. 
C) Human activities like mining, construction, and road building disrupt the Earth's surface and greatly increase those nutrients with sedimentary cycling pathways. 
D) Human activities in general significantly enhance nutrient availability and are almost always associated with ecosystem improvements. 
A) Human activities are essentially benign and have little lasting impact on either atmospheric or sedimentary nutrient cycling. 
B) Human activities have profoundly impacted nutrient cycling, particularly with those nutrients that cycle within the atmosphere. 
C) Human activities like mining, construction, and road building disrupt the Earth's surface and greatly increase those nutrients with sedimentary cycling pathways. 
D) Human activities in general significantly enhance nutrient availability and are almost always associated with ecosystem improvements.

Question 4

____________________, caused by algal blooms triggered by excess nutrients in a lake, can result from excess decomposition followed by animals dying due to lack of oxygen.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ____________________, caused by algal blooms triggered by...

Question 5

The marine ecosystem with the lowest net primary productivity is

Accepted Answer

A) the coral reef. 
B) the open ocean. 
C) swamp and marsh areas. 
D) the ocean upwelling zone. 
A) the coral reef. 
B) the open ocean. 
C) swamp and marsh areas. 
D) the ocean upwelling zone.

Question 6

A spacecraft crash lands on an airless, lifeless moon. All that survives, along with the crew, are some chickens, cornflakes, and vitamins. The air and water recyclers are functioning. To maximize their food supply until rescued the crew should

Accepted Answer

A) feed the cornflakes and vitamins to the chickens, then eat the eggs until rescued. 
B) kill all the chickens immediately, eat them first, then eat the cornflakes. 
C) mark each week's survival by eating one chicken. 
D) ration the chickens first; when they are all eaten, shift to the cornflakes. 
A) feed the cornflakes and vitamins to the chickens, then eat the eggs until rescued. 
B) kill all the chickens immediately, eat them first, then eat the cornflakes. 
C) mark each week's survival by eating one chicken. 
D) ration the chickens first; when they are all eaten, shift to the cornflakes.

Question 7

The term ecosystem services is used to describe beneficial activities performed by healthy ecosystems; some examples include

Accepted Answer

A) pollination of crops. 
B) flood control. 
C) filtering of pollutants from water. 
D) all of the above 
A) pollination of crops. 
B) flood control. 
C) filtering of pollutants from water. 
D) all of the above

Question 8

Approximately 100 percent of the energy captured from the sun is passed from trophic level to trophic level.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Other than the polar tundra, the least productive biomes tend to be

Accepted Answer

A) deserts. 
B) the temperate forests. 
C) the tropical forests. 
D) estuaries. 
A) deserts. 
B) the temperate forests. 
C) the tropical forests. 
D) estuaries.

Question 10

The Arctic tundra will begin to release large amounts of the greenhouse gas methane

Accepted Answer

A) because there is a great deal of gas and oil in the tundra region that will release methane when exploration for these resources begins. 
B) as the Arctic warms, tundra peat will thaw and decay, releasing methane. 
C) as the Arctic warms, the vegetation will change to plants that release methane. 
D) carbon dioxide will be converted to methane by fungi. 
A) because there is a great deal of gas and oil in the tundra region that will release methane when exploration for these resources begins. 
B) as the Arctic warms, tundra peat will thaw and decay, releasing methane. 
C) as the Arctic warms, the vegetation will change to plants that release methane. 
D) carbon dioxide will be converted to methane by fungi.

Question 11

Pollutants from industrial areas may contain _____, which can react with water to produce airborne particles of acid.

Accepted Answer

A) oxygen 
B) carbon dioxide 
C) sulfur dioxide 
D) nitrate 
A) oxygen 
B) carbon dioxide 
C) sulfur dioxide 
D) nitrate

Question 12

Net primary productivity in a terrarium could be estimated by

Accepted Answer

A) carefully controlling the amount of light entering it. 
B) counting the change in the number of plant species in it. 
C) weighing the terrarium at regular intervals. 
D) removing the primary consumers and weighing them at regular intervals. 
A) carefully controlling the amount of light entering it. 
B) counting the change in the number of plant species in it. 
C) weighing the terrarium at regular intervals. 
D) removing the primary consumers and weighing them at regular intervals.

Question 13

Phosphorus is the only major nutrient whose cycle is ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Phosphorus is the only major nutrient whose...

Question 14

The figure below shows the net primary productivity (NPP)in marine biomes around the world.
   
One factor that influences the areas with >90 g/m² per year in the above diagram involving nutrient-rich layers being driven to the surface is ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The figure below shows the net primary...

Question 15

The figure below illustrates how nutrients cycle between organic and inorganic reservoirs. Within each reservoir the nutrient may be available or unavailable for use.  
According to the figure above, what is the inorganic reservoir where phosphorus is unavailable?

Accepted Answer

A) the atmosphere 
B) the soil 
C) ocean sediments 
D) decomposers 
A) the atmosphere 
B) the soil 
C) ocean sediments 
D) decomposers

Question 16

On average, what percentage of the energy from one trophic level of an energy pyramid is transferred to the next trophic level?

Accepted Answer

A) 10 percent 
B) 33 percent 
C) 50 percent 
D) 100 percent 
A) 10 percent 
B) 33 percent 
C) 50 percent 
D) 100 percent

Question 17

In the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, a portion of the forest was first clear-cut, then sprayed with herbicides for 3 years to prevent growth. A second portion of the forest was not clear-cut or sprayed and served as a control plot. The graph below shows that nitrate, a form of nitrogen that is important to plants, was lost from the ecosystem in streams at a much higher rate in the clear-cut portion of the forest than in the control portion.  
What best explains the small releases of nitrogen from the control portion of the forest at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest?

Accepted Answer

A) Its nitrogen was sequestered in the forest biomass and temporarily unavailable. 
B) With intact vegetation to intercept the acid rain that falls in the area it failed to reach the soil and chemically react to release the nitrogen. 
C) With intact vegetation, rainwater washed little soil and nitrogen from the forest floor. 
D) All of the above contributed to the small amount of nitrogen loss. 
A) Its nitrogen was sequestered in the forest biomass and temporarily unavailable. 
B) With intact vegetation to intercept the acid rain that falls in the area it failed to reach the soil and chemically react to release the nitrogen. 
C) With intact vegetation, rainwater washed little soil and nitrogen from the forest floor. 
D) All of the above contributed to the small amount of nitrogen loss.

Question 18

As the northern latitudes warm, frozen peat is thawing and decaying in the tundra, releasing _____, a greenhouse gas.

Accepted Answer

A) methane 
B) propane 
C) oxygen 
D) nitrogen 
A) methane 
B) propane 
C) oxygen 
D) nitrogen

Question 19

With respect to the following values, rain with a pH of _____ would be the most acidic.

Accepted Answer

A) 7 
B) 3 
C) 8 
D) 5 
A) 7 
B) 3 
C) 8 
D) 5

Question 20

A community of organisms together with the chemical and physical environment in which the organisms live is known as a(n)____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A community of organisms together with the...

Exam 24: Ecosystems

Some biologically important substances are transferred between organisms and the physical environment in a cyclical pattern called a ____________________ cycle.

In the absence of _____, nutrient recycling within the ecosystem would completely stop.

Which of the following statements best describes the impact of human activities on the cycling of nutrients in natural systems?

____________________, caused by algal blooms triggered by excess nutrients in a lake, can result from excess decomposition followed by animals dying due to lack of oxygen.

The marine ecosystem with the lowest net primary productivity is

A spacecraft crash lands on an airless, lifeless moon. All that survives, along with the crew, are some chickens, cornflakes, and vitamins. The air and water recyclers are functioning. To maximize their food supply until rescued the crew should

The term ecosystem services is used to describe beneficial activities performed by healthy ecosystems; some examples include

Approximately 100 percent of the energy captured from the sun is passed from trophic level to trophic level.

Other than the polar tundra, the least productive biomes tend to be

The Arctic tundra will begin to release large amounts of the greenhouse gas methane

Pollutants from industrial areas may contain _____, which can react with water to produce airborne particles of acid.

Net primary productivity in a terrarium could be estimated by

Phosphorus is the only major nutrient whose cycle is ____________________.

The figure below shows the net primary productivity (NPP)in marine biomes around the world. One factor that influences the areas with >90 g/m² per year in the above diagram involving nutrient-rich layers being driven to the surface is ____________________.

The figure below illustrates how nutrients cycle between organic and inorganic reservoirs. Within each reservoir the nutrient may be available or unavailable for use. According to the figure above, what is the inorganic reservoir where phosphorus is unavailable?

On average, what percentage of the energy from one trophic level of an energy pyramid is transferred to the next trophic level?

As the northern latitudes warm, frozen peat is thawing and decaying in the tundra, releasing _____, a greenhouse gas.

With respect to the following values, rain with a pH of _____ would be the most acidic.

A community of organisms together with the chemical and physical environment in which the organisms live is known as a(n)____________________.

The Nature of Science and the Characteristics of Life

Biological Diversity, Bacteria, and Archaea

Protista, Plantae, and Fungi

Animalia

The Chemistry of Life

Cell Structure and Internal Compartments

Cell Membranes, Transport, and Communication

Energy, Metabolism, and Enzymes

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Cell Division

Stem Cells, Cancer, and Human Health

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes and Human Genetics

Dna and Genes

From Gene to Protein

Dna Technology

How Evolution Works

Evolution of Populations

Speciation and the Origins of Biological Diversity

The Evolutionary History of Life

The Biosphere

Growth of Populations

Ecological Communities

Global Change

Internal Organization and Homeostasis

Nutrition and Digestion

Circulation and Gas Exchange

Animal Hormones

Nervous and Sensory Systems

Skeletons, Muscles, and Movement

Defenses Against Disease

Reproduction and Development

Animal Behavior

Plant Structure, Nutrition, and Transport

Plant Growth and Reproduction

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