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

Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?

Which of the following is NOT a property of water?

Populations make up communities.

In the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States, scientists observed that population clusters of a small cactus were very pronounced around nests of desert woodrats. They began to think the woodrat was somehow connected to the seeding of these cactus plants.After years of counting and observing the woodrat nests and cactus plants, they collected the droppings of the woodrats and took them back to the lab to analyze them to see if they contained seeds of the cactus. They also collected the droppings and transported them to other areas to see if this would bring about new population clusters of the cactus.They also programmed the data they had collected into a computer. The computer program allowed the scientists to predict that increases in the woodrat population would result in increases in the cactus population, and likewise a decrease in woodrats would signal an impending decrease in cactus. -The study described above is best categorized as

Organisms that feed on both plants and animals are called

The planet's NPP ultimately limits the number of _____________that can live on the earth..

A ____________________ is similar to a food chain, but is much more complex and shows many interconnected feeding relationships.

Which statement least describes ecosystem modeling?

Ocean sediments and volcanoes are sources of:

According to the second law of thermodynamics, energy can be recycled.

Ecologists study interactions within and among which five levels of organization?

Match the descriptive phrase below with its appropriate cycle. -Electrical storms affect deposition into soil

Clearly explain the significant differences between UV and infrared radiation and how this relates to the greenhouse effect.

In the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States, scientists observed that population clusters of a small cactus were very pronounced around nests of desert woodrats. They began to think the woodrat was somehow connected to the seeding of these cactus plants.After years of counting and observing the woodrat nests and cactus plants, they collected the droppings of the woodrats and took them back to the lab to analyze them to see if they contained seeds of the cactus. They also collected the droppings and transported them to other areas to see if this would bring about new population clusters of the cactus.They also programmed the data they had collected into a computer. The computer program allowed the scientists to predict that increases in the woodrat population would result in increases in the cactus population, and likewise a decrease in woodrats would signal an impending decrease in cactus. -Which of the following best describes the scientists' initial observations?

Match the items listed below with the appropriate choice -On the figure of the hydrological cycle, choose the letter that represents runoff.

Photosynthesis requires both carbon dioxide and water, but could not occur without the input of____________ ______________.

Why is it that most top predators (e.g., lions, tigers, bears, and wolves) have extremely large territories and are relatively rare?

Detritivores are consumers that release nutrients from the dead bodies of living organisms and return them to the soil, water, and air.

The form of nitrogen most usable to plants is

Which of the following ecosystems has the highest net primary productivity?