Exam 15: Ecosystems and the Biosphere

Your community has a wonderful lake as a recreational resource. The water is relatively clear, nuisance algae are minimal, and the fishing is great. Swimming is one of the many popular activities in this clean water. Devise a community plan that will protect the water quality of your lake and protect against an algal bloom (a thick growth of algae).

Some environmental scientists think that global warming will lead to an even greater increase in the amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This would most likely be due to

What does sustainability mean? What strategies might be employed to reach sustainable levels of agriculture?

Compare the movement of energy and materials through an ecosystem.

In estuaries,

The carbon cycle is closely linked to energy flow within an ecosystem because

The progressive accumulation of toxins such as DDT in higher trophic levels is known as

Organisms that take complex organic molecules and break them into smaller inorganic subunits that can be used by producers are called

Your book lists several ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle (using alternative energy sources and natural fertilizers, rotating crops, and preventing soil erosion). What other sustainable activities can you list?

Which of the following is not true of estuaries?

Five hundred minnows consume 1000 kilograms of algae over a four-month period. Five bass consume these 500 minnows over a period of two weeks. Louisa catches and eats the bass. How much of the original 1000 kilograms of algae would you expect to become the biomass of Louisa?

Which greenhouse gas can be generated in the guts of cattle?

Which biome is home to almost half of the world's species?

Certain chemicals like DDT undergo biological magnification because

Which trophic level usually contains more energy than any other trophic level in an ecosystem?

All of the following are greenhouse gases except