Question 1

Trophic efficiency in an ecosystem can be illustrated by a pyramid because energy flow

Accepted Answer

A)  varies with each type of ecosystem. 
B)  cannot be compared between ecosystems. 
C)  increases at each successive trophic level. 
D)  decreases at each successive trophic level. 
E)  remains the same while the biomass is less at each trophic level. 
A)  varies with each type of ecosystem. 
B)  cannot be compared between ecosystems. 
C)  increases at each successive trophic level. 
D)  decreases at each successive trophic level. 
E)  remains the same while the biomass is less at each trophic level.

Question 2

In the equation NPP = GPP - respiration, the term "GPP" is best defined by total

Accepted Answer

A)  plant biomass produced. 
B)  plant and animal biomass produced. 
C)  carbon fixed by primary producers. 
D)  carbon fixed by producers and consumers. 
E)  carbon used by producers in all activities, including respiration. 
A)  plant biomass produced. 
B)  plant and animal biomass produced. 
C)  carbon fixed by primary producers. 
D)  carbon fixed by producers and consumers. 
E)  carbon used by producers in all activities, including respiration.

Question 3

An organism obtains its nutrients from inorganic chemicals present in soil, water, and air.It incorporates these materials into its tissues in the form of organic compounds.This organism is a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  autotroph. 
B)  heterotroph. 
C)  detritivore. 
D)  decomposer. 
E)  predator. 
A)  autotroph. 
B)  heterotroph. 
C)  detritivore. 
D)  decomposer. 
E)  predator.

Question 4

Organisms both on land and in the oceans release some sulfur back into the atmosphere.On land, the gas released is _______; from the oceans, the gas released is _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  hydrogen sulfide (H2S); hydrogen sulfide (H2S) 
B)  dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3); dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3) 
C)  dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3); hydrogen sulfide (H2S) 
D)  hydrogen sulfide (H2S); dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3) 
E)  DMSP; dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3) 
A)  hydrogen sulfide (H2S); hydrogen sulfide (H2S) 
B)  dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3); dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3) 
C)  dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3); hydrogen sulfide (H2S) 
D)  hydrogen sulfide (H2S); dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3) 
E)  DMSP; dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3)

Question 5

A pond ecosystem exists in the middle of a grassland ecosystem.Of the two, the _______ ecosystem most likely has the highest trophic efficiency.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A pond ecosystem exists in the middle...

Question 6

Discuss why some people do not understand or care about "ecosystem values." Incorporate the concept of "public goods" into your answer, and suggest ways to improve public understanding and perception of these issues.

Accepted Answer

The hardest part of preserving natural a

Question 7

In the 1960s and 1970s, Lake Erie was choked with plants and algae because of excess nutrients from farming and urban areas.As the algae died, bacterial decomposition led to oxygen depletion and a nearly "dead" lake.Now, the Gulf of Mexico is also receiving excess nutrients from agricultural and sewage runoff and is suffering from eutrophication.A major difference between these two examples is that Lake Erie

Accepted Answer

A)  was affected by human activity. 
B)  was affected by excess nutrients. 
C)  suffered from eutrophication. 
D)  is a freshwater ecosystem. 
E)  suffered from decomposition and oxygen depletion. 
A)  was affected by human activity. 
B)  was affected by excess nutrients. 
C)  suffered from eutrophication. 
D)  is a freshwater ecosystem. 
E)  suffered from decomposition and oxygen depletion.

Question 8

As excess carbon dioxide from global warming enters the oceans, it has different effects on different organisms.Which organisms are thought to be increasing their production as a result of having more carbon dioxide?

Accepted Answer

A)  All carnivores 
B)  All herbivores 
C)  Phytoplankton, algae, and sea grasses 
D)  Corals, mollusks, and crustaceans 
E)  Detritivores and decomposers 
A)  All carnivores 
B)  All herbivores 
C)  Phytoplankton, algae, and sea grasses 
D)  Corals, mollusks, and crustaceans 
E)  Detritivores and decomposers

Question 9

Coral reefs have been one of the ecosystems most seriously affected by climate change.Spikes of high temperature and acidity have killed more than half of all corals in some reef systems, including the Caribbean.A process called coral bleaching leaves the corals without color, appearing white.Coral bleaching occurs because the

Accepted Answer

A)  high acidity causes the coral skeleton to disintegrate. 
B)  high temperature and acidity cause corals' algal symbionts to be expelled. 
C)  corals' algal symbionts change color as temperature and acidity rise. 
D)  acid caused by excess CO2 has a bleaching effect on corals. 
E)  increased water temperature has a bleaching effect on corals. 
A)  high acidity causes the coral skeleton to disintegrate. 
B)  high temperature and acidity cause corals' algal symbionts to be expelled. 
C)  corals' algal symbionts change color as temperature and acidity rise. 
D)  acid caused by excess CO2 has a bleaching effect on corals. 
E)  increased water temperature has a bleaching effect on corals.

Question 10

Currently, we can describe the general status of most ecosystem services in the United States as being

Accepted Answer

A)  in excellent condition. 
B)  unchanged from the last century. 
C)  increasingly more degraded. 
D)  more functional than in the last century. 
E)  increasingly more sustainable. 
A)  in excellent condition. 
B)  unchanged from the last century. 
C)  increasingly more degraded. 
D)  more functional than in the last century. 
E)  increasingly more sustainable.

Question 11

Refer to the figure.   Based on the diagram, which component or components account for the largest pools and fluxes in the hydrologic cycle? (Boxes represent pools, and arrows represent fluxes.)

Accepted Answer

A)  The largest pools and fluxes are both associated with living biomass. 
B)  The largest pools and fluxes are both associated with ice and snow. 
C)  The largest pool is the ocean; the largest fluxes occur between the oceans and atmosphere. 
D)  The largest pool is the ocean; the largest fluxes occur between the oceans and living biomass. 
E)  The largest pool is the atmosphere; the largest fluxes occur between atmosphere and land. 
A)  The largest pools and fluxes are both associated with living biomass. 
B)  The largest pools and fluxes are both associated with ice and snow. 
C)  The largest pool is the ocean; the largest fluxes occur between the oceans and atmosphere. 
D)  The largest pool is the ocean; the largest fluxes occur between the oceans and living biomass. 
E)  The largest pool is the atmosphere; the largest fluxes occur between atmosphere and land.

Question 12

Refer to the graphs, showing global patterns of changes in NPP with changing temperatures and precipitation.   In the boreal forest, or taiga, average annual precipitation is between 20 and 200 cm, depending on location, and the average annual temperature varies between -5°C and +5°C.This suggests that the NPP of the boreal forest is _______ mg C/ha/yr.

Accepted Answer

A)  less than 1 
B)  between 1 and 5 
C)  between 5 and 10 
D)  between 10 and 12 
E)  between 12 and 15 
A)  less than 1 
B)  between 1 and 5 
C)  between 5 and 10 
D)  between 10 and 12 
E)  between 12 and 15

Question 13

Agriculture as it is practiced in the United States today is big business, which feeds and employs many people.Which of these is not a trade-off, in terms of ecological services, that results from the practice of large-scale, industrial agriculture?

Accepted Answer

A)  Loss of pollinators 
B)  Eutrophication 
C)  Less clean water 
D)  More soil erosion 
E)  Improved pollution control 
A)  Loss of pollinators 
B)  Eutrophication 
C)  Less clean water 
D)  More soil erosion 
E)  Improved pollution control

Question 14

A major difference between primary and secondary production in ecosystems is that secondary production involves

Accepted Answer

A)  using metabolism to release nutrients for use, whereas primary production does not. 
B)  obtaining energy from organic, rather than inorganic, compounds. 
C)  obtaining energy from sunlight, rather than from chemical compounds. 
D)  plants, seaweeds, and algae, whereas primary production involves animals. 
E)  production of different classes of organic compounds than primary production does. 
A)  using metabolism to release nutrients for use, whereas primary production does not. 
B)  obtaining energy from organic, rather than inorganic, compounds. 
C)  obtaining energy from sunlight, rather than from chemical compounds. 
D)  plants, seaweeds, and algae, whereas primary production involves animals. 
E)  production of different classes of organic compounds than primary production does.

Question 15

Two elements that often limit plant growth on land are nitrogen and _______, which cycles rapidly through organisms.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Two elements that often limit plant growth...

Question 16

Before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, humans had vastly changed the area.They had destroyed wetlands, extracted oil and gas (which led to sinking of the ground), constructed dams and levees, dredged, and built channels for ship traffic.Also, rising sea levels had caused the death of some cypress swamps.These changes suggest that development of New Orleans destroyed which major ecosystem service that might have lessened the hurricane's devastation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Provision of fresh water 
B)  Protection from flooding 
C)  Recreational benefits 
D)  Formation of soil 
E)  Biogeochemical cycling 
A)  Provision of fresh water 
B)  Protection from flooding 
C)  Recreational benefits 
D)  Formation of soil 
E)  Biogeochemical cycling

Question 17

Which biogeochemical cycle does not have a significant atmospheric component?

Accepted Answer

A)  Nitrogen 
B)  Carbon 
C)  Sulfur 
D)  Water 
E)  Phosphorus 
A)  Nitrogen 
B)  Carbon 
C)  Sulfur 
D)  Water 
E)  Phosphorus

Question 18

Most of Earth's water is stored in the ocean; some is also found in the atmosphere.The rate of movement of water between the ocean and atmosphere is referred to as a _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Most of Earth's water is stored in...

Question 19

Carbon cycling in the oceans differs from carbon cycling on land because in the oceans, carbon

Accepted Answer

A)  comes directly from the water and never interacts with the atmosphere. 
B)  is not cycled through photosynthesis and respiration. 
C)  is used directly by organisms, and abiotic processes are less important. 
D)  must first diffuse into the water before it can be used by organisms. 
E)  cycles only through abiotic processes, bypassing living organisms. 
A)  comes directly from the water and never interacts with the atmosphere. 
B)  is not cycled through photosynthesis and respiration. 
C)  is used directly by organisms, and abiotic processes are less important. 
D)  must first diffuse into the water before it can be used by organisms. 
E)  cycles only through abiotic processes, bypassing living organisms.

Question 20

On a Texas grassland, coyotes (the major predator) preyed on burrowing rodents, which in turn fed on grasses and insects.Managers removed coyotes from the grassland, and a year later the grasses declined in biomass.This sequence of events suggests that control of energy flow in this food web was

Accepted Answer

A)  top-down, with coyotes in control. 
B)  bottom-up, with grasses in control. 
C)  top-down while coyotes were present and bottom-up when they were gone. 
D)  bottom-up while coyotes were present and top-down when they were gone. 
E)  top-down for coyotes and rodents and bottom-up for grasses and insects. 
A)  top-down, with coyotes in control. 
B)  bottom-up, with grasses in control. 
C)  top-down while coyotes were present and bottom-up when they were gone. 
D)  bottom-up while coyotes were present and top-down when they were gone. 
E)  top-down for coyotes and rodents and bottom-up for grasses and insects.

Exam 57: Ecosystems

Trophic efficiency in an ecosystem can be illustrated by a pyramid because energy flow

In the equation NPP = GPP - respiration, the term "GPP" is best defined by total

An organism obtains its nutrients from inorganic chemicals present in soil, water, and air.It incorporates these materials into its tissues in the form of organic compounds.This organism is a(n)

Organisms both on land and in the oceans release some sulfur back into the atmosphere.On land, the gas released is _______; from the oceans, the gas released is _______.

A pond ecosystem exists in the middle of a grassland ecosystem.Of the two, the _______ ecosystem most likely has the highest trophic efficiency.

Discuss why some people do not understand or care about "ecosystem values." Incorporate the concept of "public goods" into your answer, and suggest ways to improve public understanding and perception of these issues.

As excess carbon dioxide from global warming enters the oceans, it has different effects on different organisms.Which organisms are thought to be increasing their production as a result of having more carbon dioxide?

Currently, we can describe the general status of most ecosystem services in the United States as being

Refer to the figure. Based on the diagram, which component or components account for the largest pools and fluxes in the hydrologic cycle? (Boxes represent pools, and arrows represent fluxes.)

Agriculture as it is practiced in the United States today is big business, which feeds and employs many people.Which of these is not a trade-off, in terms of ecological services, that results from the practice of large-scale, industrial agriculture?

A major difference between primary and secondary production in ecosystems is that secondary production involves

Two elements that often limit plant growth on land are nitrogen and _______, which cycles rapidly through organisms.

Which biogeochemical cycle does not have a significant atmospheric component?

Most of Earth's water is stored in the ocean; some is also found in the atmosphere.The rate of movement of water between the ocean and atmosphere is referred to as a _______.

Carbon cycling in the oceans differs from carbon cycling on land because in the oceans, carbon

On a Texas grassland, coyotes (the major predator) preyed on burrowing rodents, which in turn fed on grasses and insects.Managers removed coyotes from the grassland, and a year later the grasses declined in biomass.This sequence of events suggests that control of energy flow in this food web was

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Organisms both on land and in the oceans release some sulfur back into the atmosphere.On land, the gas released is _; from the oceans, the gas released is _.