Question 1

According to MacArthur and Wilson's island biogeography theory,which of the following would be expected to have the smallest species diversity?

Accepted Answer

A) the mainland 
B) a large island near the mainland 
C) a large island far from the mainland 
D) a small island near the mainland 
E) a small island far from the mainland 
A) the mainland 
B) a large island near the mainland 
C) a large island far from the mainland 
D) a small island near the mainland 
E) a small island far from the mainland E

Question 2

Even though nitrogen constitutes 78% of Earth's atmosphere,the amount available for living things nearly all comes from

Accepted Answer

A) a few groups of nitrogen-fixing bacteriA. 
B) the breakdown of minerals. 
C) a few genera of detritivores. 
D) the breakdown of dead plants. 
E) nitrogen-containing fertilizers. 
A) a few groups of nitrogen-fixing bacteriA. 
B) the breakdown of minerals. 
C) a few genera of detritivores. 
D) the breakdown of dead plants. 
E) nitrogen-containing fertilizers. A

Question 3

In a marine ecosystem with an inverted biomass pyramid,which trophic level should have the smallest number of organisms?

Accepted Answer

A) phytoplankton 
B) zooplankton 
C) primary carnivores (sardines) 
D) secondary carnivores (tuna) 
E) detritivores 
A) phytoplankton 
B) zooplankton 
C) primary carnivores (sardines) 
D) secondary carnivores (tuna) 
E) detritivores D

Question 4

Which one of the following statements about the trophic cascade in the sea otter and sea urchin-kelp communities along the West Coast of North America is false?

Accepted Answer

A) Increased sea otter populations are linked to more profuse growth of the kelp forests. 
B) Increased sea otter populations are linked to reduced sea urchin populations. 
C) Increased orca (killer whale)predation on sea otters is linked to more profuse growth of the kelp forests. 
D) Increased orca (killer whale)predation on sea otters is linked to increased sea urchin populations. 
E) Increased sea urchin populations are linked to less profuse growth of the kelp forests. 
A) Increased sea otter populations are linked to more profuse growth of the kelp forests. 
B) Increased sea otter populations are linked to reduced sea urchin populations. 
C) Increased orca (killer whale)predation on sea otters is linked to more profuse growth of the kelp forests. 
D) Increased orca (killer whale)predation on sea otters is linked to increased sea urchin populations. 
E) Increased sea urchin populations are linked to less profuse growth of the kelp forests.

Question 5

Which one of the following cycles is characterized by often being a limiting nutrient in ecosystems and having no atmospheric component in its cycle?

Accepted Answer

A) phosphorus 
B) carbon 
C) nitrogen 
D) iron 
E) water 
A) phosphorus 
B) carbon 
C) nitrogen 
D) iron 
E) water

Question 6

A ____________ cycle is a cyclic path that involves both biological and chemical processes of an ecosystem.

Accepted Answer

A) biogeochemical 
B) complete 
C) hydrological 
D) complementary 
A) biogeochemical 
B) complete 
C) hydrological 
D) complementary

Question 7

During the 1960s,a group of scientists in the northeastern United States conducted an experiment at Hubbard Brook,New Hampshire.A 38-acre watershed was completely deforested and the runoff (water flow)monitored for several years.It was compared to an adjacent watershed that was left untouched.The scientists collected data during those years and found that

Accepted Answer

A) there was no difference in the amount of runoff from the two areas. 
B) there was a difference but it was not significant,and there was less nitrogen in the runoff from Hubbard Brook than at the control site. 
C) there was a tremendous increase in the total amount of runoff but the nitrogen levels were fairly constant in both areas. 
D) there was a tremendous increase in the amount of runoff and the nitrogen levels in the runoff were huge compared with the control. 
E) there was a tremendous increase in the amount of runoff but the vegetation was able to reestablish itself very quickly and the runoff soon returned to its normal level. 
A) there was no difference in the amount of runoff from the two areas. 
B) there was a difference but it was not significant,and there was less nitrogen in the runoff from Hubbard Brook than at the control site. 
C) there was a tremendous increase in the total amount of runoff but the nitrogen levels were fairly constant in both areas. 
D) there was a tremendous increase in the amount of runoff and the nitrogen levels in the runoff were huge compared with the control. 
E) there was a tremendous increase in the amount of runoff but the vegetation was able to reestablish itself very quickly and the runoff soon returned to its normal level.

Question 8

In an aquatic ecosystem,a secondary carnivore is temporarily excluded and then,after a period of time,is returned.Which one of the following is not an expected top-down effect after it is returned?

Accepted Answer

A) Primary carnivores become less abundant. 
B) Primary productivity increases. 
C) Algae decrease. 
D) Herbivores become more abundant. 
E) Secondary carnivore biomass increases. 
A) Primary carnivores become less abundant. 
B) Primary productivity increases. 
C) Algae decrease. 
D) Herbivores become more abundant. 
E) Secondary carnivore biomass increases.

Question 9

Which of the following contain no species that are autotrophs?

Accepted Answer

A) Bacteria 
B) Protista 
C) Plants 
D) Archaea 
E) Fungi 
A) Bacteria 
B) Protista 
C) Plants 
D) Archaea 
E) Fungi

Question 10

The fraction of Earth's surface covered by oceans is about

Accepted Answer

A) 1/10. 
B) 1/4. 
C) 1/3. 
D) 1/2. 
E) 3/4. 
A) 1/10. 
B) 1/4. 
C) 1/3. 
D) 1/2. 
E) 3/4.

Question 11

Which one of the following quantities best represents the respiratory heat lost by plants in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A) gross primary productivity 
B) net primary productivity 
C) gross primary productivity - net primary productivity 
D) gross primary productivity - standing crop biomass 
E) gross primary productivity - secondary productivity 
A) gross primary productivity 
B) net primary productivity 
C) gross primary productivity - net primary productivity 
D) gross primary productivity - standing crop biomass 
E) gross primary productivity - secondary productivity

Question 12

Secondary consumers such as _________ and the parasites of animals,feed on the herbivores.

Accepted Answer

A) decomposers 
B) carnivores 
C) herbivores 
D) bacteria 
A) decomposers 
B) carnivores 
C) herbivores 
D) bacteria

Question 13

In global terms,the production of CO2 by respiration and its fixation by photosynthesis are balanced,but the balance has been shifted towards accumulation of CO2 by the increase in use of

Accepted Answer

A) meat products. 
B) vegetable products. 
C) fossil fuels. 
D) all types of foods. 
E) nuclear energy. 
A) meat products. 
B) vegetable products. 
C) fossil fuels. 
D) all types of foods. 
E) nuclear energy.

Question 14

The carbon cycle is based on carbon dioxide.CO2 makes up about

Accepted Answer

A) 30% of the atmosphere. 
B) 3% of the atmosphere. 
C) 0.3% of the atmosphere. 
D) 0.03% of the atmosphere. 
E) 0.003% of the atmospherE. 
A) 30% of the atmosphere. 
B) 3% of the atmosphere. 
C) 0.3% of the atmosphere. 
D) 0.03% of the atmosphere. 
E) 0.003% of the atmospherE.

Question 15

Organisms that break down organic matter are called

Accepted Answer

A) detritivores. 
B) omnivores. 
C) herbivores. 
D) carnivores. 
A) detritivores. 
B) omnivores. 
C) herbivores. 
D) carnivores.

Question 16

Choose the letter of the best match from the following:
-A latitudinal increase in the number of species;ranges from the Arctic,increasing toward equatorial tropical areas.

Accepted Answer

A) ecological pyramid of energy 
B) ecosystem 
C) species diversity cline 
D) food web/food chain 
E) biogeochemical cycles 
A) ecological pyramid of energy 
B) ecosystem 
C) species diversity cline 
D) food web/food chain 
E) biogeochemical cycles

Question 17

Which of the following gases in the atmosphere appears to be changing the global climates?

Accepted Answer

A) ozone 
B) water vapor 
C) carbon dioxide 
D) hydrogen 
E) oxygen 
A) ozone 
B) water vapor 
C) carbon dioxide 
D) hydrogen 
E) oxygen

Question 18

Only about ____ of the sunlight falling on the plant leaves is captured by photosynthesis.

Accepted Answer

A) 1% 
B) 10% 
C) 25% 
D) 50% 
A) 1% 
B) 10% 
C) 25% 
D) 50%

Question 19

______ is defined as the total amount of energy fixed per unit of time minus the amount of energy expended by the metabolic activities of the photosynthetic organisms in the community.

Accepted Answer

A) Net primary productivity 
B) Gross primary productivity 
C) Carrying capacity 
D) Net metabolism 
A) Net primary productivity 
B) Gross primary productivity 
C) Carrying capacity 
D) Net metabolism

Question 20

The upper,unconfined portion of the groundwater constitutes the _____,which flows into streams and is partly accessible to plants.

Accepted Answer

A) aquifer 
B) hydrozone 
C) water table 
D) watershed 
A) aquifer 
B) hydrozone 
C) water table 
D) watershed

Exam 58: Dynamics of Ecosystems

According to MacArthur and Wilson's island biogeography theory,which of the following would be expected to have the smallest species diversity?

Even though nitrogen constitutes 78% of Earth's atmosphere,the amount available for living things nearly all comes from

In a marine ecosystem with an inverted biomass pyramid,which trophic level should have the smallest number of organisms?

Which one of the following statements about the trophic cascade in the sea otter and sea urchin-kelp communities along the West Coast of North America is false?

Which one of the following cycles is characterized by often being a limiting nutrient in ecosystems and having no atmospheric component in its cycle?

A ____________ cycle is a cyclic path that involves both biological and chemical processes of an ecosystem.

In an aquatic ecosystem,a secondary carnivore is temporarily excluded and then,after a period of time,is returned.Which one of the following is not an expected top-down effect after it is returned?

Which of the following contain no species that are autotrophs?

The fraction of Earth's surface covered by oceans is about

Which one of the following quantities best represents the respiratory heat lost by plants in an ecosystem?

Secondary consumers such as _________ and the parasites of animals,feed on the herbivores.

In global terms,the production of CO2 by respiration and its fixation by photosynthesis are balanced,but the balance has been shifted towards accumulation of CO2 by the increase in use of

The carbon cycle is based on carbon dioxide.CO2 makes up about

Organisms that break down organic matter are called

Choose the letter of the best match from the following: -A latitudinal increase in the number of species;ranges from the Arctic,increasing toward equatorial tropical areas.

Which of the following gases in the atmosphere appears to be changing the global climates?

Only about ____ of the sunlight falling on the plant leaves is captured by photosynthesis.

______ is defined as the total amount of energy fixed per unit of time minus the amount of energy expended by the metabolic activities of the photosynthetic organisms in the community.

The upper,unconfined portion of the groundwater constitutes the _____,which flows into streams and is partly accessible to plants.

The Science of Biology

The Nature of Molecules

The Chemical Building Blocks of Life

Cell Structure

Membranes

Energy and Metabolism

How Cells Harvest Energy

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

How Cells Divide

Sexual Reproduction and Meiosis

Patterns of Inheritance

Chromosomes Mapping and the Meiosis - Inheritance Connection

Dna: the Genetic Material

Genes and How They Work

Control of Gene Expression

Biotechnology

Genomics

Cellular Mechanisms of Development

Genes Within Populations

The Evidence for Evolution

The Origin of Species

Systematics and the Phylogenetic Revolution

Genome Evolution

Evolution of Development

The Tree of Life

Viruses

Prokaryotes

Protists

Overview of Green Plants

Fungi

Overview of Animal Diversity

Noncoelomate Invertebrates

Coelomate Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Plant Form

Vegetative Plant Development

Transport in Plants

Plant Nutrition and Soils

Plant Defense Responses

Sensory Systems in Plants

Plant Reproduction

The Animal Body and Principles of Regulation

The Nervous System

Sensory Systems

The Endocrine System

The Musculoskeletal System

The Digestive System

The Respiratory System

The Circulatory System

Osmotic Regulation and the Urinary System

The Immune System

The Reproductive System

Animal Development

Behavioral Biology

Population Ecology

Community of Ecology

The Biosphere

Conservation Biology

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In global terms,the production of CO₂ by respiration and its fixation by photosynthesis are balanced,but the balance has been shifted towards accumulation of CO₂ by the increase in use of

The carbon cycle is based on carbon dioxide.CO₂ makes up about