Question 1

Which nutrient is found only in solid or liquid form on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon 
B)  nitrogen 
C)  phosphorous 
D)  all of the above 
E)  none of the above 
A)  carbon 
B)  nitrogen 
C)  phosphorous 
D)  all of the above 
E)  none of the above

Question 2

-A bait shop wants to sell leeches and performs an experiment to determine the water temperature range of tolerance for them. Which choice best represents this range based on the data shown in the graph above?

Accepted Answer

A)  5°C to 35°C 
B)  15°C to 30°C 
C)  15°C to 20°C 
D)  5°C to 20°C 
E)  5°C to 25°C 
A)  5°C to 35°C 
B)  15°C to 30°C 
C)  15°C to 20°C 
D)  5°C to 20°C 
E)  5°C to 25°C

Question 3

What is a biome? What are the major factors that distinguish one biome from another?

Accepted Answer

A biome is one of many distinctive types

Question 4

Infographic 8.7. 
-Refer to Infographic 8.7. Using the infographic, describe what limiting factor caused the human population in Biosphere 2 to become so tired they couldn't work.

Accepted Answer

Sufficient oxygen is required to perform

Question 5

Consider the following scenario: A plant grows in the soil and is eventually eaten by a rabbit. The rabbit is eaten by a hawk. The hawk becomes ill, dies, and falls to the ground. Fungi and bacteria decompose the hawk. How is this scenario an example of both nutrient cycling and energy flow?

Accepted Answer

The above scenario is an example of nutr

Question 6

Nitrogen-rich compounds found in animal waste or the remains of dead plants and animals are converted to ___________ by decomposer bacteria.

Accepted Answer

A)  ammonium ions 
B)  protein 
C)  nitrogen gas 
D)  nitrate 
E)  nitrite 
A)  ammonium ions 
B)  protein 
C)  nitrogen gas 
D)  nitrate 
E)  nitrite

Question 7

Infographic 8.6.
 
-Refer to Infographic 8.6. 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?

Accepted Answer

The butterflies that are found in the zo

Question 8

Which of the following is known to move in only one direction?

Accepted Answer

A)  biomass 
B)  nutrient cycles 
C)  niche 
D)  energy flow 
E)  None of the choices above fit the description. 
A)  biomass 
B)  nutrient cycles 
C)  niche 
D)  energy flow 
E)  None of the choices above fit the description.

Question 9

Which choice represents the correct hierarchy of organization from largest to smallest?

Accepted Answer

A)  biome → biosphere → community → ecosystem → population → individual 
B)  biosphere → biome → ecosystem → community → population → individual 
C)  ecosystem → population → individual → community → biosphere → biome 
D)  individual → community → population → ecosystem → biome → biosphere 
E)  None of these are correct. 
A)  biome → biosphere → community → ecosystem → population → individual 
B)  biosphere → biome → ecosystem → community → population → individual 
C)  ecosystem → population → individual → community → biosphere → biome 
D)  individual → community → population → ecosystem → biome → biosphere 
E)  None of these are correct.

Question 10

How is Biosphere 2 useful today?

Accepted Answer

A)  People still live in the manmade biosphere. 
B)  Farmers use it to graze cattle. 
C)  It allows scientists to study the consequences of high CO₂ levels. 
D)  Biosphere 2 no longer exists. 
E)  It is used as training for astronauts. 
A)  People still live in the manmade biosphere. 
B)  Farmers use it to graze cattle. 
C)  It allows scientists to study the consequences of high CO₂ levels. 
D)  Biosphere 2 no longer exists. 
E)  It is used as training for astronauts.

Question 11

Why do ecologists say that Earth is a closed system for matter?

Accepted Answer

A)  They say this because there are no new inputs of matter. 
B)  They say this because there is no net loss of matter. 
C)  They say this because matter cycles in and out of organisms in ecosystems. 
D)  They say this because matter stays in the biosphere. 
E)  All of the above are correct. 
A)  They say this because there are no new inputs of matter. 
B)  They say this because there is no net loss of matter. 
C)  They say this because matter cycles in and out of organisms in ecosystems. 
D)  They say this because matter stays in the biosphere. 
E)  All of the above are correct.

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

Humans combust fossil fuels that had bee

Question 13

In terms of the carbon cycle, how is combustion of fossil fuels different from burning biomass (wood) for fuel?

Accepted Answer

Fossil fuels, such as coal, are the resu

Question 14

The zone of __________ is the portion of an environmental gradient within which the species survives, grows, and reproduces the best.

Accepted Answer

A)  intolerance 
B)  tolerance 
C)  optimum range 
D)  physiological stress 
E)  limiting factors 
A)  intolerance 
B)  tolerance 
C)  optimum range 
D)  physiological stress 
E)  limiting factors

Question 15

A(n) _________ factor is the one abiotic or biotic factor whose supply determines the population size of a given species in a given biome.

Accepted Answer

A)  tolerance 
B)  stress 
C)  intolerance 
D)  finite 
E)  limiting 
A)  tolerance 
B)  stress 
C)  intolerance 
D)  finite 
E)  limiting

Question 16

Which factors must be considered to create an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A)  limiting factors, like organic matter 
B)  animals and plants 
C)  abiotic factors, like streams and soil 
D)  all of the above 
E)  none of the above 
A)  limiting factors, like organic matter 
B)  animals and plants 
C)  abiotic factors, like streams and soil 
D)  all of the above 
E)  none of the above

Question 17

What is biomass?

Accepted Answer

A)  the total weight of the Earth 
B)  all non-living components of an ecosystem 
C)  the resulting mass of nutrients after a portion has left the system 
D)  all organic material that makes up an ecosystem 
E)  all organic material in an ecosystem minus the energy lost in production 
A)  the total weight of the Earth 
B)  all non-living components of an ecosystem 
C)  the resulting mass of nutrients after a portion has left the system 
D)  all organic material that makes up an ecosystem 
E)  all organic material in an ecosystem minus the energy lost in production

Question 18

Infographic 8.5.
 
-Refer to Infographic 8.5. Describe ways that scientists attempted to design Biosphere 2 to minimize the effects of limiting factors and help keep organisms within their zone of optimum range.

Accepted Answer

Scientists selected a combination of soi

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

A)  a tundra 
B)  a temperate forest 
C)  a savanna 
D)  a tropical rainforest 
E)  a boreal forest 
A)  a tundra 
B)  a temperate forest 
C)  a savanna 
D)  a tropical rainforest 
E)  a boreal forest

Question 20

Infographic 8.4.
 
-Refer to Infographic 8.4. From the infographic, which type of biome is mostly found 30° north or south of the equator? What conditions exist there?

Accepted Answer

Dry areas exist at those latit

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

Which nutrient is found only in solid or liquid form on Earth?

-A bait shop wants to sell leeches and performs an experiment to determine the water temperature range of tolerance for them. Which choice best represents this range based on the data shown in the graph above?

What is a biome? What are the major factors that distinguish one biome from another?

Infographic 8.7. -Refer to Infographic 8.7. Using the infographic, describe what limiting factor caused the human population in Biosphere 2 to become so tired they couldn't work.

Consider the following scenario: A plant grows in the soil and is eventually eaten by a rabbit. The rabbit is eaten by a hawk. The hawk becomes ill, dies, and falls to the ground. Fungi and bacteria decompose the hawk. How is this scenario an example of both nutrient cycling and energy flow?

Nitrogen-rich compounds found in animal waste or the remains of dead plants and animals are converted to ___________ by decomposer bacteria.

Which of the following is known to move in only one direction?

Which choice represents the correct hierarchy of organization from largest to smallest?

How is Biosphere 2 useful today?

Why do ecologists say that Earth is a closed system for matter?

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

In terms of the carbon cycle, how is combustion of fossil fuels different from burning biomass (wood) for fuel?

The zone of __________ is the portion of an environmental gradient within which the species survives, grows, and reproduces the best.

A(n) _________ factor is the one abiotic or biotic factor whose supply determines the population size of a given species in a given biome.

Which factors must be considered to create an ecosystem?

What is biomass?

Infographic 8.5. -Refer to Infographic 8.5. Describe ways that scientists attempted to design Biosphere 2 to minimize the effects of limiting factors and help keep organisms within their zone of optimum range.

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

Infographic 8.4. -Refer to Infographic 8.4. From the infographic, which type of biome is mostly found 30° north or south of the equator? What conditions exist there?

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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