Deck 5: Economics, Policy, and Sustainable Development

Question 1

Nitrogen fixation is a process that makes nitrogen available to plants and is carried out by .

A) nitrogen gas dissolving in fresh water and in the ocean
B) parasitic bacteria
C) volcanic eruptions
D) plants during photosynthesis
E) mutualistic and free -living bacteria

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Which of the following would reduce nutrient pollution in the Mississippi River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds?

A) removing the "buffers" around streams because they acidify the water
B) closing or update sewage treatment plants that lack a process for removing nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater
C) removing wetlands that are contaminating the waterways with nutrient pollution from wildlife waste and decaying vegetation such as cattails
D) applying fertilizer to lawns and crops just before heavy rainstorms because the fertilizer would then infiltrate the soil rather than staying at the surface, where it can contaminate waterways
E) allowing storm runoff from streets and parking lots to enter waterways rather than capturing it in lagoons because the lagoons can contaminate groundwater aquifers

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The three largest pools of the carbon cycle, in order, are .

A) sedimentary rock, the atmosphere, and plants
B) oceans, sedimentary rock, and respiration
C) freshwater streams, the atmosphere, and plants
D) fertilizers, plants, and the atmosphere
E) sedimentary rock, oceans, and fossil fuels

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Containing elements of both forests and coastal marshes, the swamplands of extreme southern Louisiana would be an example of .

A) an ecotone
B) a closed ecosystem
C) a dead zone
D) an abiotic system
E) a superbiome

Question 5

By damming rivers and creating reservoirs, we are .

A) decreasing evaporation
B) increasing transportation
C) decreasing transpiration
D) increasing transpiration while decreasing evaporation
E) increasing evaporation

Question 6

The Haber -Bosch process allows farmers to .

A) apply synthetic nitrogen -rich fertilizers to their cropland
B) apply synthetic phosphorus -rich fertilizers to their cropland
C) extract nitrogen from animal waste products for use as fertilizer
D) circumvent regulations meant to protect waterways from nutrient pollution
E) fertilize their cropland without having to worry about nutrients getting into waterways

Question 7

Ecotones are the .

A) areas between territories of organisms
B) interactive behaviors leading to communication
C) sounds that animal communities make in ecosystems
D) studies of specific biomes by ecologists
E) transitional zones between ecosystems

Question 8

All of the following are considered Earth's structural spheres EXCEPT .

A) geosphere
B) lithosphere
C) atmosphere
D) hydrosphere
E) biosphere

Question 9

The majority of Earth's fresh water exists .

A) in groundwater
B) in the form of ice
C) in the atmosphere
D) in freshwater lakes, streams, and rivers
E) in the oceans

Question 10

Humans have dramatically altered the rate of nitrogen fixation into forms usable by autotrophs by .

A) selectively removing leguminous plants
B) using antibiotics to reduce the numbers of denitrifying bacteria
C) burning of fossil fuels to meet our energy needs
D) increasing the erosion of farmlands through poor agricultural practices
E) producing synthetic fertilizers and applying them to crops, lawns, and parks

Question 11

The largest pool of carbon in the carbon cycle is .

A) the hydrosphere
B) in plants and animals
C) sedimentary rock
D) the ocean
E) the atmosphere

Question 12

Mutualistic relationships between bacteria and certain root nodules play an important role in the global cycling of .

A) carbon
B) water
C) rock
D) phosphorus
E) nitrogen

Question 13

The phosphorus in all biological tissues can be traced back to .

A) phosphorus weathered from rock
B) phosphorus dissolved in the ocean and taken up by shellfish
C) volcanic activities
D) atmospheric phosphorus gas
E) phosphorus in animal bones

Question 14

Which location on the map has the highest net primary productivity?

A) A
B) B
C) C
D) D
E) E

Question 15

The first essential step in changing atmospheric nitrogen into more usable NH3 is called .

A) nitrification
B) denitrification
C) ammonification
D) biogeochemical cycling
E) nitrogen fixation

Question 16

Nitrogen and phosphorus are referred to as macronutrients because .

A) they are needed to manufacture large biomolecules
B) their cycles have larger reservoirs than those of micronutrients
C) they are required in large amounts for organisms to survive
D) they are needed by large organisms
E) they are larger than other nutrients needed by plants

Question 17

Biodiversity is partially influenced by net primary productivity (NPP). Where can the highest terrestrial rates of NPP be found?

A) polar regions
B) tundra
C) deserts
D) tropical rainforests
E) deciduous forests

Question 18

Overall, it appears that terrestrial biomes with more available fresh water .

A) tend to have less productivity than those without much fresh water
B) don't differentiate between fresh water as rainfall and fresh water as ice in glaciers
C) tend to have about the same productivity as those without much fresh water
D) tend to have more productivity than those without much fresh water
E) No real conclusions can be drawn.

Question 19

In some areas, cattle on an open range may compact fragile soils while grazing. This can damage plant roots, leading to fewer, smaller plants, which may in turn cause cattle to graze more and work harder to obtain food. This is an example of a .

A) positive feedback loop
B) dynamic equilibrium
C) food web
D) negative feedback loop
E) homeostatic system

Question 20

The eutrophication that has taken place in Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, and other locations appears to be due to _.

A) heavy metals dumped in the sewage
B) excess nutrients from fertilizers
C) weather alone, because it is only obvious in the summer
D) pesticide use along the waterways
E) global warming from human use of fossil fuels

Question 21

In an aquatic ecosystem experiencing eutrophication, levels of dissolved macronutrients and dissolved oxygen levels .

A) increase; increase
B) remain stable; increase
C) increase; decease
D) decrease; increase
E) decrease; decrease

Question 22

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the data shown in the figure?

A) Automobiles do not contribute to nutrient pollution in Chesapeake Bay.
B) Agriculture accounts for 77% of the nitrogen and phosphorus entering Chesapeake Bay.
C) Full protection of Chesapeake Bay will require consideration of activities within the bay's airshed and not just the bay's watershed.
D) Wastewater treatment plants do not contribute significantly to nutrient pollution in Chesapeake Bay.
E) Repairing broken septic systems will probably result in a large decrease in phosphorus pollution entering Chesapeake Bay.

Question 23

Which of the following is the best example of an ecosystem service?

A) a park ranger checking fishing licenses
B) the regulation of gas prices
C) a college environmental club cleaning up the shoulder of a highway
D) soil microbes fixing atmospheric nitrogen
E) a city cutting down a tree that is dying

Question 24

In a previous chapter you read about "keystone species." How do the prairie dogs in this story meet the definition of a keystone species?

A) Their burrows loosened the soil and served as homes for other species; they helped with nutrient recycling. They helped water infiltrate into the soil and kept soil loose for grass roots. When they were removed, the system deteriorated.
B) The availability of prairie dogs kept the predators in check; when they were removed, the predator populations grew dramatically. Prairie dogs also kept the soil aerated and compact.
C) When the prairie dogs were removed, the cattle declined, which meets the definition of a keystone species.
D) They don't meet the definition of a keystone species; the system did fine without them. The predators switched to preying on cattle, and the grasses did better in the compact soil.
E) Their burrows caused cattle to break their legs and die. This made them directly responsible for the welfare of another species, which meets the definition of a keystone species.

Question 25

One of the conclusions that can be drawn from this scenario is that .

A) once humans change one thing in an ecosystem, they may find unexpected results occurring elsewhere in the ecosystem
B) predators were unimportant components of this ecosystem; their removal caused no subsequent problems
C) prairie dogs were unimportant components of this ecosystem; their removal caused no subsequent problems
D) prairie dogs were part of a negative feedback loop once they were removed
E) cattle improved the soils, contributing to this ecosystem

Question 26

All of the following are fluxes in the hydrologic cycle EXCEPT .

A) infiltration
B) uptake
C) transpiration
D) evaporation
E) fixation

Question 27

Once the prairie dogs were poisoned and no longer a part of the ecosystem, which of the following probably occurred?

A) Soils slowly became compacted because of the cattle, increasing infiltration of moisture into the soil.
B) Soils slowly became compacted because of the cattle, decreasing infiltration of moisture into the soil.
C) Soils slowly became looser because of the cattle, so soil moisture increased.
D) Soils slowly became looser because of the cattle, decreasing infiltration of moisture into the soil.
E) Soils slowly became looser because of the cattle, so fewer nutrients were recycled.

Question 28

Which of the predators listed would seem to pose the least threat to cattle ranching?

A) mountain lions
B) eagles
C) rattlesnakes
D) wolves
E) coyotes

Question 29

Which of the following describes matter and energy flow in an ecosystem?

A) Matter and energy both flow through an ecosystem.
B) Matter and energy flow in opposite directions within an ecosystem.
C) Matter and energy both cycle within an ecosystem.
D) Matter flows through an ecosystem, whereas energy is recycled within an ecosystem.
E) Energy flows through an ecosystem, whereas matter is recycled within an ecosystem.