Question 1

How do terrestrial ecosystems replace nongaseous nutrients lost to leaching and runoff?

Accepted Answer

A)  weathering of bedrock and soil 
B)  atmospheric fixation 
C)  precipitation 
D)  decomposition of organic matter 
A)  weathering of bedrock and soil 
B)  atmospheric fixation 
C)  precipitation 
D)  decomposition of organic matter A

Question 2

Global climate change is primarily caused by increased levels of _____ in the atmosphere.

Accepted Answer

A)  ozone 
B)  carbon dioxide 
C)  water vapour 
D)  methane 
A)  ozone 
B)  carbon dioxide 
C)  water vapour 
D)  methane B

Question 3

In the hydrologic cycle, infiltration refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  water evaporating from the environment and condensing into water vapour. 
B)  plants taking up water from the soil. 
C)  the change of water from a liquid to a gas. 
D)  the change of water from a gas to a liquid. 
E)  water from precipitation becoming part of the groundwater. 
A)  water evaporating from the environment and condensing into water vapour. 
B)  plants taking up water from the soil. 
C)  the change of water from a liquid to a gas. 
D)  the change of water from a gas to a liquid. 
E)  water from precipitation becoming part of the groundwater. E

Question 4

From 1958 to 2012, atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements at Mauna Loa have risen approximately

Accepted Answer

A)  35 percent. 
B)  10 percent. 
C)  15 percent. 
D)  25 percent. 
E)  55 percent. 
A)  35 percent. 
B)  10 percent. 
C)  15 percent. 
D)  25 percent. 
E)  55 percent.

Question 5

Using what you know about the global carbon cycle, describe two ways that deforesting in tropical forests by burning affects atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Accepted Answer

Burning of forest biomass directly relea

Question 6

How do scientists use watersheds to study nutrient inputs and outputs?

Accepted Answer

A watershed is an aquatic syst

Question 7

What is the largest pool of nitrogen in the global nitrogen cycle?

Accepted Answer

A)  terrestrial biomass 
B)  oceans 
C)  the atmosphere 
D)  soil 
A)  terrestrial biomass 
B)  oceans 
C)  the atmosphere 
D)  soil

Question 8

The burning of fossil fuels affects the nitrogen cycle by increasing atmospheric

Accepted Answer

A)  nitrous oxide. 
B)  nitric oxide. 
C)  nitrate. 
D)  ammonia. 
E)  nitrite. 
A)  nitrous oxide. 
B)  nitric oxide. 
C)  nitrate. 
D)  ammonia. 
E)  nitrite.

Question 9

What form of nitrogen reacts with water in the air to form nitrates that fall to the ground during precipitation?

Accepted Answer

A)  nitrous oxide 
B)  ammonia 
C)  nitric acid 
D)  nitric oxide 
A)  nitrous oxide 
B)  ammonia 
C)  nitric acid 
D)  nitric oxide

Question 10

Topic: In terrestrial ecosystems most soil nutrients regenerate in the soil. In aquatic ecosystems most nutrients regenerate in the sediments.
During autumn in Ontario, you are walking by a tree near a deep lake when you see two leaves fall. One leaf drops on the ground near your feet and the other is blown out into the middle of the lake, where it sinks. Assuming that these leaves have identical physical and chemical composition, compare the rate and processes by which the nutrients in the two leaves will be recycled and used again by producers.

Accepted Answer

For both leaves, the first step in decom

Question 11

Where does most decomposition occur in aquatic systems?

Accepted Answer

A)  surface waters 
B)  equally throughout the water levels 
C)  sediments 
D)  stream and river banks 
A)  surface waters 
B)  equally throughout the water levels 
C)  sediments 
D)  stream and river banks

Question 12

What are two ways that vertical mixing of waters in lakes and oceans affects primary production?

Accepted Answer

Mixing brings deep, nutrient-rich water

Question 13

Denitrification is described by

Accepted Answer

A)  NO → N2O → N2. 
B)  N2O → NO → N2. 
C)  NO → N2 → N2O. 
D)  N2 → NO → N2O. 
E)  N2 → N2O → NO. 
A)  NO → N2O → N2. 
B)  N2O → NO → N2. 
C)  NO → N2 → N2O. 
D)  N2 → NO → N2O. 
E)  N2 → N2O → NO.

Question 14

The energy required for evapotranspiration is provided by

Accepted Answer

A)  photosynthesis. 
B)  the Sun. 
C)  wind. 
D)  plant respiration. 
A)  photosynthesis. 
B)  the Sun. 
C)  wind. 
D)  plant respiration.

Question 15

(Figure 21.7) The figure shows results of nitrogen addition in eight sites around the United States. What do these results tell us about limiting resources at the sites? What did researchers conclude about declines in species richness?

Accepted Answer

All eight of the sites appear to have be

Question 16

In what form does phosphorus move through the environment?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ca(H2PO4)2 
B)  H3PO4 
C)  PO33− 
D)  PO43− 
E)  PH3 
A)  Ca(H2PO4)2 
B)  H3PO4 
C)  PO33− 
D)  PO43− 
E)  PH3

Question 17

The large marine dead zone that forms in the Gulf of Mexico each summer is caused by

Accepted Answer

A)  phytoplankton. 
B)  zooplankton. 
C)  algae. 
D)  archaebacteria. 
A)  phytoplankton. 
B)  zooplankton. 
C)  algae. 
D)  archaebacteria.

Question 18

How does ice core sampling help scientists learn what atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were in the past?

Accepted Answer

As ice forms, air bubbles are trapped in

Question 19

What is the main avenue by which phosphorus returns to the ocean?

Accepted Answer

A)  dissolved in rainwater 
B)  surface runoff 
C)  wastewater 
D)  dust 
A)  dissolved in rainwater 
B)  surface runoff 
C)  wastewater 
D)  dust

Question 20

How did logging in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest affect water and nutrient cycling in the watershed?

Accepted Answer

When the forest was logged, the amount o

Exam 21: Movement of Elements in Ecosystems

How do terrestrial ecosystems replace nongaseous nutrients lost to leaching and runoff?

Global climate change is primarily caused by increased levels of _____ in the atmosphere.

In the hydrologic cycle, infiltration refers to

From 1958 to 2012, atmospheric carbon dioxide measurements at Mauna Loa have risen approximately

Using what you know about the global carbon cycle, describe two ways that deforesting in tropical forests by burning affects atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

How do scientists use watersheds to study nutrient inputs and outputs?

What is the largest pool of nitrogen in the global nitrogen cycle?

The burning of fossil fuels affects the nitrogen cycle by increasing atmospheric

What form of nitrogen reacts with water in the air to form nitrates that fall to the ground during precipitation?

Where does most decomposition occur in aquatic systems?

What are two ways that vertical mixing of waters in lakes and oceans affects primary production?

Denitrification is described by

The energy required for evapotranspiration is provided by

(Figure 21.7) The figure shows results of nitrogen addition in eight sites around the United States. What do these results tell us about limiting resources at the sites? What did researchers conclude about declines in species richness?

In what form does phosphorus move through the environment?

The large marine dead zone that forms in the Gulf of Mexico each summer is caused by

How does ice core sampling help scientists learn what atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were in the past?

What is the main avenue by which phosphorus returns to the ocean?

How did logging in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest affect water and nutrient cycling in the watershed?

Introduction: Ecology, Evolution, and the Scientific Method

Adaptations to Aquatic Environments

Adaptations to Terrestrial Environments

Adaptations to Variable Environments

Climates and Soils

Terrestrial and Aquatic Biomes

Evolution and Adaptation

Life Histories

Reproductive Strategies

Social Behaviours

Population Distributions

Population Growth and Regulation

Population Dynamics Over Space and Time

Predation and Herbivory

Parasitism and Infectious Diseases

Competition

Community Structure

Community Succession

Movement of Energy in Ecosystems

Landscape Ecology, Biogeography, and Global Biodiversity

Global Conservation of Biodiversity

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