Question 1

Which would be considered to be a part of a lake ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A)  fish 
B)  minerals 
C)  water 
D)  rocks 
E)  All of the choices listed above would be a part of a lake ecosystem. 
A)  fish 
B)  minerals 
C)  water 
D)  rocks 
E)  All of the choices listed above would be a part of a lake ecosystem. E

Question 2

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the nitrogen cycle?

Accepted Answer

A)  Microbes convert atmospheric N₂ to NH₃. 
B)  Lightning converts N₂ to NO₃. 
C)  Microbes use NO₃ and convert it to N₂. 
D)  Microbes break down organic matter and release NH₄. 
E)  All of the above are true regarding the nitrogen cycle. 
A)  Microbes convert atmospheric N₂ to NH₃. 
B)  Lightning converts N₂ to NO₃. 
C)  Microbes use NO₃ and convert it to N₂. 
D)  Microbes break down organic matter and release NH₄. 
E)  All of the above are true regarding the nitrogen cycle. E

Question 3

Which nutrient cycle(s) do(does) not have a phase in the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon 
B)  nitrogen 
C)  phosphorous 
D)  choices A and B only 
E)  choices B and C only 
A)  carbon 
B)  nitrogen 
C)  phosphorous 
D)  choices A and B only 
E)  choices B and C only C

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Nutrient cycling is considered an open process. 
B)  Energy flow is considered an open process. 
C)  Both nutrient cycling and energy flow are open processes. 
D)  Neither nutrient cycling nor energy flow are open processes. 
E)  Neither nutrient nor energy processes are important for ecosystem functioning. 
A)  Nutrient cycling is considered an open process. 
B)  Energy flow is considered an open process. 
C)  Both nutrient cycling and energy flow are open processes. 
D)  Neither nutrient cycling nor energy flow are open processes. 
E)  Neither nutrient nor energy processes are important for ecosystem functioning.

Question 5

Which the following is NOT a main nutrient cycle?

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon cycle 
B)  nitrogen cycle 
C)  phosphorous cycle 
D)  magnesium cycle 
E)  All of the above are main nutrient cycles. 
A)  carbon cycle 
B)  nitrogen cycle 
C)  phosphorous cycle 
D)  magnesium cycle 
E)  All of the above are main nutrient cycles.

Question 6

As you hike up a mountain, you observe that the vegetation changes. What are some of the limiting factors that are determining what vegetation you observe on the mountain?

Accepted Answer

Plants need soil and water to survive. A

Question 7

Describe two abiotic factors that influence the distribution and makeup of biomes and how they do this.

Accepted Answer

Two abiotic factors that influence the d

Question 8

C:\Users\USER\Desktop\TB4358,Scientific American Environmental Science for a Changing World 2nd Edition by Jeneen InterlandI\Images\C2673 (8)_7.jpg
-Refer to Infographic 8.10. 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?

Accepted Answer

Using technology, humans "fix" more nitr

Question 9

Certain plants called legumes can fix atmospheric nitrogen thanks to a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with their root systems. How does this relationship benefit the plants? How can humans take advantage of this in agriculture?

Accepted Answer

Plants need nitrogen to survive and grow

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT an abiotic factor?

Accepted Answer

A)  rock 
B)  mineral composition of soil 
C)  rainfall 
D)  bacterium 
E)  All of the above are abiotic factors. 
A)  rock 
B)  mineral composition of soil 
C)  rainfall 
D)  bacterium 
E)  All of the above are abiotic factors.

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

A)  range of tolerance 
B)  range of survivability 
C)  range of adaptation 
D)  range of living 
E)  range of life 
A)  range of tolerance 
B)  range of survivability 
C)  range of adaptation 
D)  range of living 
E)  range of life

Question 12

A bear eating a fish is an example of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  nutrient cycling 
B)  energy flow 
C)  solar radiation 
D)  both A and B 
E)  all of the above 
A)  nutrient cycling 
B)  energy flow 
C)  solar radiation 
D)  both A and B 
E)  all of the above

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

A)  N₂ 
B)  NH₂ 
C)  NO₄ 
D)  NH₃ 
E)  N₃ 
A)  N₂ 
B)  NH₂ 
C)  NO₄ 
D)  NH₃ 
E)  N₃

Question 14

In the carbon cycle, photosynthetic organisms use carbon dioxide to produce _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  sugar molecules 
B)  lipid molecules 
C)  protein molecules 
D)  nucleic acids 
E)  protons 
A)  sugar molecules 
B)  lipid molecules 
C)  protein molecules 
D)  nucleic acids 
E)  protons

Question 15

All of the populations living and interacting in an area is known as a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  species 
B)  population 
C)  ecosystem 
D)  community 
E)  biome 
A)  species 
B)  population 
C)  ecosystem 
D)  community 
E)  biome

Question 16

Describe the two main goals of the Biosphere 2 experiment. Was the experiment a success or a failure?

Accepted Answer

The Biosphere 2 experiment had two main

Question 17

The principal of limiting factors states that the survival, growth, and _______ of a species in an ecosystem are determined by the critical resource in least supply.

Accepted Answer

A)  maturation 
B)  migration 
C)  diversity 
D)  reproduction 
E)  development 
A)  maturation 
B)  migration 
C)  diversity 
D)  reproduction 
E)  development

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

A)  cellular respiration 
B)  photosynthesis 
C)  decomposition 
D)  choices A and B only 
E)  choices B and C only 
A)  cellular respiration 
B)  photosynthesis 
C)  decomposition 
D)  choices A and B only 
E)  choices B and C only

Question 19

The Earth's biomass cannot enter or leave the system.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

A group of individuals of the same species living and interacting in the same region is a(n) ____________.

Accepted Answer

A)  community 
B)  population 
C)  cohort 
D)  biome 
E)  ecosystem 
A)  community 
B)  population 
C)  cohort 
D)  biome 
E)  ecosystem

Exam 8: Ecosystems and Nutrient Cycling- Engineering Earth: an Ambitious Attempt to Replicate Earths Life Support Systems Goes Awry

Which would be considered to be a part of a lake ecosystem?

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the nitrogen cycle?

Which nutrient cycle(s) do(does) not have a phase in the atmosphere?

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

Which the following is NOT a main nutrient cycle?

As you hike up a mountain, you observe that the vegetation changes. What are some of the limiting factors that are determining what vegetation you observe on the mountain?

Describe two abiotic factors that influence the distribution and makeup of biomes and how they do this.

Certain plants called legumes can fix atmospheric nitrogen thanks to a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with their root systems. How does this relationship benefit the plants? How can humans take advantage of this in agriculture?

Which of the following is NOT an abiotic factor?

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

A bear eating a fish is an example of which of the following?

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

In the carbon cycle, photosynthetic organisms use carbon dioxide to produce _____.

All of the populations living and interacting in an area is known as a(n) ________.

Describe the two main goals of the Biosphere 2 experiment. Was the experiment a success or a failure?

The principal of limiting factors states that the survival, growth, and _______ of a species in an ecosystem are determined by the critical resource in least supply.

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

The Earth's biomass cannot enter or leave the system.

A group of individuals of the same species living and interacting in the same region is a(n) ____________.

Environmental Literacy and the Goal of Sustainability - on the Road to Collapse: What Lessons Can We Learn From a Vanished Viking Society

Science Literacy and the Process of Science- Science and the Sky: Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Ozone

Information Literacy:toxic Bottles on the Trail of Chemicals in Our Everyday Lives- Human Populations and Environmental Health

Human Populations- One Child China Grows Up: a Country Faces the Outcomes of Radical Population Control

Environmental Health- Eradicating a Parasitic Nightmare: Human Health Is Intricately Linked to the Environment- Consumption and the Environmental Footprint

Ecological Economics and Consumption- Wall to Wall, Cradle to Cradle: a Leading Carpet Company Takes a Chance on Going Green

Managing Solid Waste- a Plastic Surf: Are the Oceans Teeming With Trash- Ecology

Population Ecology- the Wolf Watchers: Endangered Gray Wolves Return to the American West

Community Ecology- What the Stork Says: a Bird Species in the Everglades Reveals the Intricacies of a Threatened Ecosystem- Biodiversity and Evolution

Evolution- a Tropical Murder Mystery: Finding the Missing Birds of Guam

Biodiversity- Palm Planet: Production of a Common Household Ingredient Is Wreaking Havoc on Wildlife Across the Globe

Reserving Biodiversity- a Forest Without Elephants: Can We Save One of Earths Iconic Species- Water Resources

Freshwater Resources- Toilet to Tap: a California County Is Employing a Controversial Method to - Supply Drinking Water

Water Pollution- Into the Gulf: the Makings of a Dead Zone, Far Upstream- Food Resources

Feeding the World - a Gene Revolution: Can Genetically Engineered Food Help End Hunger

Agriculture- Farming Like an Ecosystem: Creative Solutions to Feeding the World- Conventional Energy: Fossil Fuels

Coal- Bringing Down the Mountain: in the Rubble, the True Costs of Coal

Oil and Natural Gas- the Bakken Oil Boom: Is Our Next Big Fuel Source Our Dirtiest- Air Pollution: Consequences of Using Fossil Fuels

Air Pollution- the Youngest Scientists: Kids on the Frontlines of Asthma Research

Climate Change- When the Trees Leave: Scientists Grapple With a Shifting Climate- Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

Nuclear Power - the Future of Fukushima: Can Nuclear Energy Overcome Its Bad Rep

Sustainable Energy for Stationary Sources- Fueled by the Sun: a Small Island Makes Big Strides in Renewable Energy- Sustainable Living in Community

Urbanization- the Ghetto Goes Green: in the Bronx, Building a Better Backyard

Environmental Policy

Counterfeit Cooling: in the Global Effort to Thwart Climate Change, Some Lessons Are

Learned After the Fact

Optional Chapters Available in Launchpad

Mineral Resources and Mining

Rare Earth Elements: a Bevy of Unfamiliar Minerals Are Crucial for Our Everyday

Technologies-But They Come With a Slew of Problems- Soil and Grassland Resources

Restoring the Range: the Key to Recovering the Worlds Grasslands May Be a Surprising One

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