Exam 4: Ecosystems and Nutrient Cycling Engineering Earth

Refer to Infographic 4.For several years,you have been investigating the effects of a warmer climate on a butterfly population.Recently,you have noticed that the butterflies found in what would traditionally be the zone of physiological stress are growing and breeding more successfully than the butterflies in the zone of optimum range.How do you explain this shift?

Which of the following could be defined as an ecosystem?

On Earth,all ecosystems function through two fundamental processes,nutrient cycling and energy flow.Which of the following statements is correct?

The specific role a species plays in its community is its ___________.

Refer to Infographic 8.Each year a "dead zone" appears in the Gulf of Mexico when oxygen levels in the water drop to levels insufficient to support the fish and shrimp that live there.The drop-in oxygen is due to the decomposition of photosynthetic phytoplankton that grow in huge numbers,die,and sink to the bottom; they are then decomposed by bacteria that use up oxygen in the process.Use the infographic to describe what the limiting factor to phytoplankton normally is and how that factor is removed each spring when rains wash runoff from Midwestern farm fields into rivers that empty into the Gulf.What could be done to help prevent this from occurring?

When an oak tree undergoes photosynthesis,it is essentially __________.

Carbon cycles in and out of living things during which process(es)?

Science Literacy Use the following graph to answer the next questions: -Which best describes the climate of the tropical scrub biome?

Which form of nitrogen can be taken up by plant roots?

How have humans impacted the carbon cycle,and how can humans use nature to address this issue?

Dr.Rock,the scientist studying nutrient cycles,discovers all the nutrients on Plant Y move through the atmosphere.This is different than the nutrient cycles on Earth since the ____ cycle does not move through the atmosphere.

The range,within upper and lower limits,of a limiting factor that allows a species to survive and reproduce is called the range of ________.

Which biome has abundant biodiversity,with warm temperatures and a great deal of rain?

In the carbon cycle,plants release carbon back to the environment through the process of _________.

The length of time nutrients spend in a sink (or reservoir)is called the ______________ time.

Several years ago,you planted a pine tree at the base of a mountain and another on the summit of the mountain.On a recent hike,you photographed each tree.Do you expect to see any differences in their appearance? Explain.

Refer to Infographic 6.Describe what limiting factor caused the human population in Biosphere 2 to become so tired they couldn't work.

If no new matter enters the system,how can Earth continue to exist?

Science Literacy Use the following graph to answer the next questions: -Which biome has the greatest range of mean annual temperature?

Learning how ecosystems function can help ______________.