Question 1

The term ecosystem services is used to describe beneficial activities performed by healthy ecosystems.Which of the following is NOT an example of ecosystem services?

Accepted Answer

A)  pollination of crops 
B)  flood control 
C)  filtering of pollutants from water 
D)  construction of dikes and levees 
A)  pollination of crops 
B)  flood control 
C)  filtering of pollutants from water 
D)  construction of dikes and levees

Question 2

Human activities

Accepted Answer

A)  rarely affect nutrient cycles. 
B)  can alter nutrient cycles on a global scale. 
C)  tend to cause only local changes in nutrient cycles. 
D)  generally improve nutrient cycling in ecosystems. 
A)  rarely affect nutrient cycles. 
B)  can alter nutrient cycles on a global scale. 
C)  tend to cause only local changes in nutrient cycles. 
D)  generally improve nutrient cycling in ecosystems.

Question 3

Which of the following would most likely take longest to replace if lost from a terrestrial ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A)  sulfur 
B)  carbon 
C)  oxygen 
D)  phosphorous 
A)  sulfur 
B)  carbon 
C)  oxygen 
D)  phosphorous

Question 4

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 5

Sedimentary nutrients

Accepted Answer

A)  cycle very slowly and can often become limiting. 
B)  are easily replaced if lost from an ecosystem by erosion of the local rock. 
C)  are distributed from locally abundant reservoirs through atmospheric circulation. 
D)  include carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. 
A)  cycle very slowly and can often become limiting. 
B)  are easily replaced if lost from an ecosystem by erosion of the local rock. 
C)  are distributed from locally abundant reservoirs through atmospheric circulation. 
D)  include carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur.

Question 6

An overabundance of nutrients has no impact on plants,but it can be beneficial to animals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The following figure shows the net primary productivity (NPP)in marine biomes around the world.   The pattern of NPP in marine ecosystems as shown above suggests that

Accepted Answer

A)  marine productivity is as sensitive to temperature as terrestrial productivity. 
B)  without shade from overhead vegetation, marine productivity typically exceeds that found in terrestrial ecosystems. 
C)  marine ecosystems are also limited by sunlight, with the highest productivity at the equator. 
D)  most marine productivity results from the input of terrestrially derived nutrients. 
A)  marine productivity is as sensitive to temperature as terrestrial productivity. 
B)  without shade from overhead vegetation, marine productivity typically exceeds that found in terrestrial ecosystems. 
C)  marine ecosystems are also limited by sunlight, with the highest productivity at the equator. 
D)  most marine productivity results from the input of terrestrially derived nutrients.

Question 8

Primary consumers harvest nearly 100 percent of the energy that producers capture from the sun.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Within the ecosystem,nutrients

Accepted Answer

A)  move in a one-way path from producers toward consumers. 
B)  regularly cycle between organisms and the nonliving environment. 
C)  are consumed by their use and thus are not available for recycling. 
D)  are rarely limiting because they are constantly replenished as the Earth's crust is eroded. 
A)  move in a one-way path from producers toward consumers. 
B)  regularly cycle between organisms and the nonliving environment. 
C)  are consumed by their use and thus are not available for recycling. 
D)  are rarely limiting because they are constantly replenished as the Earth's crust is eroded.

Question 10

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 following graph 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)  Pesticides from the clear-cut areas seeped into the control area. 
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)  Pesticides from the clear-cut areas seeped into the control area.

Question 11

The impacts of acid rain

Accepted Answer

A)  are quickly reversed by most soils. 
B)  can last for long periods of time. 
C)  are almost entirely confined to terrestrial ecosystems. 
D)  presently are experienced only in the United States. 
A)  are quickly reversed by most soils. 
B)  can last for long periods of time. 
C)  are almost entirely confined to terrestrial ecosystems. 
D)  presently are experienced only in the United States.

Question 12

Each level of an energy pyramid corresponds to a step in a food chain and is called a(n)________ level.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Each level of an energy pyramid corresponds...

Question 13

Biologists use the term ________ to refer to the weight of organisms per unit area.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Biologists use the term ________ to refer...

Question 14

Urine can be a valuable resource for soil nutrients,especially ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Urine can be a valuable resource for...

Question 15

In marine ecosystems,net primary productivity tends to be

Accepted Answer

A)  greater along shorelines where terrestrial nutrients enter the marine environment. 
B)  lower where the oceans border land because terrestrial pollution suppresses marine productivity. 
C)  lowest in areas where upwelling brings colder water to the surface. 
D)  greater than the net primary productivity on land. 
A)  greater along shorelines where terrestrial nutrients enter the marine environment. 
B)  lower where the oceans border land because terrestrial pollution suppresses marine productivity. 
C)  lowest in areas where upwelling brings colder water to the surface. 
D)  greater than the net primary productivity on land.

Question 16

Which of the following would use the highest percentage of net primary productivity?

Accepted Answer

A)  producers 
B)  decomposers 
C)  herbivores 
D)  predators 
A)  producers 
B)  decomposers 
C)  herbivores 
D)  predators

Question 17

The following figure 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 18

In an ecosystem,the assemblage of living organisms constitutes the ________ component.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In an ecosystem,the assemblage of living organisms...

Question 19

What best explains this observation: consumers directly use approximately 20 percent of a forest's net primary productivity (NPP),whereas decomposers directly use approximately 80 percent?

Accepted Answer

A)  Decomposers are more efficient at obtaining energy than consumers. 
B)  Forest ecosystems do not have a very high NPP, so they cannot support as many consumers as other ecosystems can. 
C)  Consumers eat only certain parts of organisms, such as fruits or muscle tissue, whereas decomposers obtain energy from the entire body of the food organism. 
D)  Secondary consumers eat the primary consumers more quickly than the primary consumers can eat the producers, thus leaving most of the NPP available to the decomposers. 
A)  Decomposers are more efficient at obtaining energy than consumers. 
B)  Forest ecosystems do not have a very high NPP, so they cannot support as many consumers as other ecosystems can. 
C)  Consumers eat only certain parts of organisms, such as fruits or muscle tissue, whereas decomposers obtain energy from the entire body of the food organism. 
D)  Secondary consumers eat the primary consumers more quickly than the primary consumers can eat the producers, thus leaving most of the NPP available to the decomposers.

Question 20

Humans have harmed hemlock populations by

Accepted Answer

A)  mining nutrients from the soil. 
B)  fertilizer runoff from fields. 
C)  logging hemlock groves. 
D)  factories producing components for acid rain. 
A)  mining nutrients from the soil. 
B)  fertilizer runoff from fields. 
C)  logging hemlock groves. 
D)  factories producing components for acid rain.

Exam 24: Ecosystems

The term ecosystem services is used to describe beneficial activities performed by healthy ecosystems.Which of the following is NOT an example of ecosystem services?

Human activities

Which of the following would most likely take longest to replace if lost from a terrestrial ecosystem?

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

Sedimentary nutrients

An overabundance of nutrients has no impact on plants,but it can be beneficial to animals.

The following figure shows the net primary productivity (NPP)in marine biomes around the world. The pattern of NPP in marine ecosystems as shown above suggests that

Primary consumers harvest nearly 100 percent of the energy that producers capture from the sun.

Within the ecosystem,nutrients

The impacts of acid rain

Each level of an energy pyramid corresponds to a step in a food chain and is called a(n)________ level.

Biologists use the term ________ to refer to the weight of organisms per unit area.

Urine can be a valuable resource for soil nutrients,especially ________.

In marine ecosystems,net primary productivity tends to be

Which of the following would use the highest percentage of net primary productivity?

The following figure 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?

In an ecosystem,the assemblage of living organisms constitutes the ________ component.

What best explains this observation: consumers directly use approximately 20 percent of a forest's net primary productivity (NPP),whereas decomposers directly use approximately 80 percent?

Humans have harmed hemlock populations by

The Nature of Science and the Characteristics of Life

The Chemistry of Life

Cell Structure and Internal Compartments

Cell Membranes, Transport, and Communication

Energy, Metabolism, and Enzymes

Photo Synthesis and Cellular Respiration

Cell Division

Cancer and Human Health

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes and Human Genetics

DNA and Genes

From Gene to Protein

DNA Technology

How Evolution Works

The Origin of Species

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Biological Diversity, Bacteria, and Archaea

Protista, Plantae, and Fungi

Animalia

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Animal Behavior

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