Exam 21: Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling

Describe how you might go about measuring the rate of decomposition of leaf litter in the upper layer of a forest soil.

The region of the open ocean where the north and south equatorial currents meet is deficient in nutrients and supports little life.

In an estuary, the zone of maximum vertical difference in density is called a(n)________.

Explain how the "quality" of plant-derived organic matter changes during the course of decomposition.

Using nitrogen cycling, explain the feedback between primary production and decomposition.

Which of the following organisms are NOT important agents of decomposition?

Discuss the effects of temperature, humidity, and oxygen availability on the rate of decomposition.

In streams and rivers, nutrients are continually transported downstream, a process better described as nutrient ________ than nutrient cycling.

The rate of nutrient cycling in an ecosystem is a function of physical characteristics of the ecosystem, not biological processes such as photosynthesis and decomposition.

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

The process of conversion of nutrients from an organic form into an inorganic form that plants can use is called

Soil organic matter typically has a residence time of ________ years.

The initial phase of animal decomposition is

Nutrient "spiraling" occurs in streams and rivers.

Aerobic bacteria are decomposers, but anaerobic bacteria are not.

Litterbags can be used to estimate the rate of decomposition.

The rate of decomposition is greatest in

Describe one major difference between nutrient cycling in a river and nutrient cycling in a lake.

In open-water systems such as lakes and oceans, decomposition occurs mostly in the surface layer.

The dominant decomposers of dead animals are ________.