Exam 57: Ecosystems

People who do not see a direct economic benefit from maintaining a natural ecosystem are often unwilling to pay for the public goods and services it provides.They see no way to measure this "public good," so they fail to see it as a(n) _______.

Which of these ecosystem services could be considered a provisioning service?

Which is the least likely fate of a molecule of carbon dioxide dissolved in ocean water?

Humans add to nitrogen fixation in two major ways.These are

Which factor is not a consequence of eutrophication?

Pollination is considered an important ecosystem service.People value pollination, and other ecosystem services, because they provide

In a very cold northern climate, the longest residence time for water during the hydrologic cycle is most likely in

The major photosynthesizing organisms in the ocean are phytoplankton and algae.These organisms obtain most of the CO₂ necessary for photosynthesis from which source?

DMSP, a chemical produced by ocean phytoplankton and seaweed, breaks down to produce the gas dimethyl sulfide.The fact that 70 percent of Earth's surface is covered with oceans suggests that the production of dimethyl sulfide is

Refer to the figure. Based on the diagram, the carbon pool storing the largest amount of carbon is the

An ecosystem contains two food chains: A major drought disturbs both food chains.Which one is likely to recover first?

Refer to the figure. Compare the forest with the grassland ecosystem in the diagram.What is the most likely reason the grassland ecosystem has comparatively higher energy flow and biomass, particularly at the second (primary consumer) level?

The recent increase in atmospheric CO₂ levels is mainly a result of an increase in

A wetland is in danger from developers.You are in charge of determining the value of the ecosystem services provided by the wetland, as part of an effort to save it.What factors should you consider in placing a dollar value on these services? Suggest valid measurements of these services.

Nitrogen is often the limiting nutrient in ecosystems.This is because

A major difference between what we define as an ecosystem and what we define as a community is that

Coral reef fish provide the only source of protein for many people, and reef organisms are the source of many medicines.Because of their beauty, reefs are major tourist attractions.Because reefs can recycle and concentrate nutrients, rather than losing them to the open ocean, they can sustain large, diverse populations.Their structure protects shorelines from storms and erosion.These functions suggest that coral reefs provide which types of ecosystem services?

A recent study showed that in situations involving ecosystem service trade-offs, private interests usually win over public interests, and provisioning services win over more general services (such as regulating, supporting, or cultural).For example, harvesting a forest for timber wins over maintaining the forest for carbon storage, and agriculture wins over maintaining land for clean water and biodiversity.This suggests that in the future, we can expect to see

The chemical that cycles primarily on Earth's surface-through rocks, sediments, water, and organisms-and is only present in the atmosphere as dust particles is _______.

Refer to the graph. Based on the results in the graph, is sustainable management of ecosystems profitable, and on what do you base your response?