Question 1

One of the greatest human impacts on natural ecosystems results from

Accepted Answer

A) the disruption of natural biogeochemical cycles. 
B) the generation of electricity from nuclear energy. 
C) the use of our oceans for shipping and transportation. 
D) the use of the sun and wind to generate electricity. 
A) the disruption of natural biogeochemical cycles. 
B) the generation of electricity from nuclear energy. 
C) the use of our oceans for shipping and transportation. 
D) the use of the sun and wind to generate electricity.

Question 2

Energy transfer between trophic levels in aquatic systems is generally

Accepted Answer

A) less efficient than terrestrial food pyramids. 
B) less efficient than a detritus food web because aquatic systems lack fungi. 
C) inverted,in which more energy is transferred from one trophic level up to the next. 
D) more efficient than terrestrial food pyramids. 
A) less efficient than terrestrial food pyramids. 
B) less efficient than a detritus food web because aquatic systems lack fungi. 
C) inverted,in which more energy is transferred from one trophic level up to the next. 
D) more efficient than terrestrial food pyramids.

Question 3

About 10% of a large forest experienced a severe fire that burned all but the largest trees.Soon after the fire,the landowner consulted biologists to ask what should be done to the burned region.The biologists explained that if the landowner does nothing,

Accepted Answer

A) rainfall will likely lead to a severe erosion problem. 
B) the same region will soon be expected to catch on fire again. 
C) the region will naturally recover and eventually become forest again. 
D) the opening will likely be repopulated with invasive species,not native to the region. 
A) rainfall will likely lead to a severe erosion problem. 
B) the same region will soon be expected to catch on fire again. 
C) the region will naturally recover and eventually become forest again. 
D) the opening will likely be repopulated with invasive species,not native to the region.

Question 4

Our increasing human population requires that future management of natural systems be

Accepted Answer

A) towards sustainability. 
B) focused on maximizing the harvest of natural resources. 
C) evaluated in terms of the gross national product. 
D) focused on agricultural productivity. 
A) towards sustainability. 
B) focused on maximizing the harvest of natural resources. 
C) evaluated in terms of the gross national product. 
D) focused on agricultural productivity.

Question 5

To feed its young,an owl captures mice that eat grains.The owl also eats small snakes that feed on these mice.The diet of owls represents the roles of

Accepted Answer

A) a primary and secondary consumer. 
B) a secondary and tertiary consumer. 
C) an herbivore and a carnivore. 
D) a producer and a consumer. 
A) a primary and secondary consumer. 
B) a secondary and tertiary consumer. 
C) an herbivore and a carnivore. 
D) a producer and a consumer.

Question 6

As you paddle along in your canoe,you pass alligators,herons,turtles,and tall marsh grasses on your journey through Everglades National Park.This magnificent ecosystem is one of the most famous examples of

Accepted Answer

A) the saline portion of an estuary. 
B) a lake with some incoming tidal flow. 
C) a freshwater wetland. 
D) a freshwater stream. 
A) the saline portion of an estuary. 
B) a lake with some incoming tidal flow. 
C) a freshwater wetland. 
D) a freshwater stream.

Question 7

If the sun's energy could be measured in units like money,which of the following organisms would be the most expensive to maintain?

Accepted Answer

A) a mushroom 
B) a fox 
C) a squirrel 
D) a sunflower 
A) a mushroom 
B) a fox 
C) a squirrel 
D) a sunflower

Question 8

Which of the following represent ecosystems with high average annual net primary productivity?

Accepted Answer

A) algal beds,reefs,swamps,and marshes 
B) open ocean and continental shelves 
C) boreal forest and temperate grasslands 
D) estuaries,tundra,lakes,and streams 
A) algal beds,reefs,swamps,and marshes 
B) open ocean and continental shelves 
C) boreal forest and temperate grasslands 
D) estuaries,tundra,lakes,and streams

Question 9

Primary productivity of the open oceans is very limited because of

Accepted Answer

A) the shortage of water. 
B) the shortage of light. 
C) the shortage of nutrients. 
D) low temperature. 
A) the shortage of water. 
B) the shortage of light. 
C) the shortage of nutrients. 
D) low temperature.

Question 10

Biomes with more than 75 centimeters (30 inches)of rain a year and that never experience freezing temperatures are most likely found

Accepted Answer

A) at high altitudes. 
B) nearest the equator at low altitudes. 
C) at high altitudes in temperate zones. 
D) at high altitudes and high latitudes. 
A) at high altitudes. 
B) nearest the equator at low altitudes. 
C) at high altitudes in temperate zones. 
D) at high altitudes and high latitudes.

Question 11

Biomes with precipitation between 10-60 inches per year and seasonal temperature at lower elevations are commonly

Accepted Answer

A) coniferous forests. 
B) hot deserts. 
C) grasslands. 
D) tropical rain forests. 
A) coniferous forests. 
B) hot deserts. 
C) grasslands. 
D) tropical rain forests.

Question 12

Which of the following represents a resilience mechanism?

Accepted Answer

A) crown fires resulting from many years of fire suppression 
B) the emergence of a meadow in a recently burned forest 
C) soil erosion resulting from burned soil washing away from a forest floor 
D) burned trees accumulating on a forest floor after a fire 
A) crown fires resulting from many years of fire suppression 
B) the emergence of a meadow in a recently burned forest 
C) soil erosion resulting from burned soil washing away from a forest floor 
D) burned trees accumulating on a forest floor after a fire

Question 13

The information of an energy pyramid reveals that

Accepted Answer

A) it is expensive and inefficient to get most of your dietary calories from meats. 
B) it is expensive and inefficient to get most of your dietary calories from grains. 
C) consumers at lower trophic levels do not have as many calories as consumers at higher trophic levels. 
D) consumers at higher trophic levels are usually more abundant than consumers at lower trophic levels. 
A) it is expensive and inefficient to get most of your dietary calories from meats. 
B) it is expensive and inefficient to get most of your dietary calories from grains. 
C) consumers at lower trophic levels do not have as many calories as consumers at higher trophic levels. 
D) consumers at higher trophic levels are usually more abundant than consumers at lower trophic levels.

Question 14

In general,biomes at higher latitudes are most like

Accepted Answer

A) biomes at higher altitudes. 
B) aquatic biomes. 
C) biomes at lower altitudes. 
D) biomes at lower latitudes. 
A) biomes at higher altitudes. 
B) aquatic biomes. 
C) biomes at lower altitudes. 
D) biomes at lower latitudes.

Question 15

Which of the following industries is most similar to a natural ecosystem service?

Accepted Answer

A) pest control 
B) telecommunications 
C) urban public transportation systems 
D) the postal system 
A) pest control 
B) telecommunications 
C) urban public transportation systems 
D) the postal system

Question 16

Which biome is characterized by frequent fires and rich soils?

Accepted Answer

A) tropical rainforests 
B) tundra 
C) grasslands and prairies 
D) temperate forests 
A) tropical rainforests 
B) tundra 
C) grasslands and prairies 
D) temperate forests

Question 17

For nearly 50 years,a farmer has raised corn and soybeans on his family's 1,000-acre farm by a river.Now in retirement,the farmer wants to return the farmland to its natural state as a wetland in the floodplain of the river.The farmer will most need the services of

Accepted Answer

A) a crop scientist. 
B) a restoration ecologist and data from LTER projects. 
C) an agricultural engineer with training in successional dynamics. 
D) a functional morphologist. 
A) a crop scientist. 
B) a restoration ecologist and data from LTER projects. 
C) an agricultural engineer with training in successional dynamics. 
D) a functional morphologist.

Question 18

Some developers in your town want to fill in an estuary to build a condominium with a wonderful view of a beach.They argue that building and selling apartments in the condominium will add jobs and income to the region.However,educated citizens ask about the cost of the development in lost ecosystem functions.They argue that in their local community,the jobs added in construction may be offset by expected losses in

Accepted Answer

A) water quality and the local fishing industry. 
B) natural gas production in the region. 
C) lumber production for the regional timber industry. 
D) UVB protection. 
A) water quality and the local fishing industry. 
B) natural gas production in the region. 
C) lumber production for the regional timber industry. 
D) UVB protection.

Question 19

-The type of forest fire in this photo

Accepted Answer

A) makes crown fires more likely in the burned regions. 
B) significantly harms grasses and lodgepole pines in the burned regions. 
C) increases the frequency of scrub oaks and other broad-leaved species in the burned regions. 
D) promotes nutrient cycling in the burned regions. 
A) makes crown fires more likely in the burned regions. 
B) significantly harms grasses and lodgepole pines in the burned regions. 
C) increases the frequency of scrub oaks and other broad-leaved species in the burned regions. 
D) promotes nutrient cycling in the burned regions.

Question 20

In general,

Accepted Answer

A) food chains consist of many interrelated food webs. 
B) food chains are interconnected to form food webs. 
C) food webs consist of either consumers or producers. 
D) food webs usually consists of 8-10 trophic levels. 
A) food chains consist of many interrelated food webs. 
B) food chains are interconnected to form food webs. 
C) food webs consist of either consumers or producers. 
D) food webs usually consists of 8-10 trophic levels.

Exam 5: Ecosystems: Energy, Patterns, and Disturbance

One of the greatest human impacts on natural ecosystems results from

Energy transfer between trophic levels in aquatic systems is generally

About 10% of a large forest experienced a severe fire that burned all but the largest trees.Soon after the fire,the landowner consulted biologists to ask what should be done to the burned region.The biologists explained that if the landowner does nothing,

Our increasing human population requires that future management of natural systems be

To feed its young,an owl captures mice that eat grains.The owl also eats small snakes that feed on these mice.The diet of owls represents the roles of

As you paddle along in your canoe,you pass alligators,herons,turtles,and tall marsh grasses on your journey through Everglades National Park.This magnificent ecosystem is one of the most famous examples of

If the sun's energy could be measured in units like money,which of the following organisms would be the most expensive to maintain?

Which of the following represent ecosystems with high average annual net primary productivity?

Primary productivity of the open oceans is very limited because of

Biomes with more than 75 centimeters (30 inches)of rain a year and that never experience freezing temperatures are most likely found

Biomes with precipitation between 10-60 inches per year and seasonal temperature at lower elevations are commonly

Which of the following represents a resilience mechanism?

The information of an energy pyramid reveals that

In general,biomes at higher latitudes are most like

Which of the following industries is most similar to a natural ecosystem service?

Which biome is characterized by frequent fires and rich soils?

For nearly 50 years,a farmer has raised corn and soybeans on his family's 1,000-acre farm by a river.Now in retirement,the farmer wants to return the farmland to its natural state as a wetland in the floodplain of the river.The farmer will most need the services of

-The type of forest fire in this photo

In general,

Science and the Environment

Economics, Politics, and Public Policy

Basic Needs of Living Things

Populations and Communities

Wild Species and Biodiversity

The Use and Restoration of Ecosystems

The Human Population

Population and Development

Water: Hydrologic Cycle and Human Use

Soil: Foundation for Land Ecosystems

The Production and Distribution of Food

Pests and Pest Control

Energy From Fossil Fuels

Nuclear Power

Renewable Energy

Environmental Hazards and Human Health

Global Climate Change

Atmospheric Pollution

Water Pollution and Its Prevention

Municipal Solid Waste: Disposal and Recovery

Hazardous Chemicals: Pollution and Prevention

Sustainable Communities and Lifestyles

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