Exam 15: Ecosystems, Biomes, and Cycles of Life

Unlike materials, which cannot be recycled, energy is cycled endlessly through ecosystems.

Carbohydrate production and the consequent building of body mass by autotrophs is called __________ production.

Which of the following sources contains large amounts of carbon?

A life-supporting system must have a source of usable __________ and a sink for degraded energy.

If a soil contains high humus content and prized for high agricultural fertility, what is the most likely color of the soil?

__________ biomes are distinguished primarily on the basis of salinity.

__________ is weathered rock material that has been altered by the presence of living and decaying organisms.

Which dissolved gas is present in the ocean in much greater proportion than in the atmosphere?

The total amount of energy that is converted to organic compounds in a given area per unit of time is called

The parts of the ocean that are near the shoreline are referred to as the __________ zone.

There are five major groups of aquatic biomes.

An __________ is the basic life-supporting system in which living organisms interact with each other and with the abiotic components of their environment.

Temperature forests include all of the following except

Why is it difficult to pull nitrogen from the atmosphere into the nitrogen cycle of the biosphere?

What is the role of volcanism in biogeochemical cycles? In your discussion, include the gases and potential nutrients that emanate from a volcanic eruption.

A flow of energy is a fundamental requirement for any life-supporting system.

The aphotic zone is the topmost layer of ocean water, where light penetrates and photosynthesis can occur.

The total amount of organic matter on Earth or in any particular ecosystem is called the ___________ of that system.

Some elements are essential for life, others are toxic, and others are neutral.

On a world-wide basis, which of the following factors has the greatest influence over the distribution of biomes?