Deck 4: Ecosystems: What Are They, and How Do They Work

Question 1

What is the estimated number of species on Earth? 

A) about 3 thousand to 100 thousand 
B) about 3 million to 100 million 
C) 3 billion to 100 billion 
D) about 3 trillion to 100 trillion

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which has the largest number of species? 

A) insects and microorganisms 
B) microorganisms and fungi 
C) amphibians and reptiles 
D) insects and fungi

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which statement best defines ecology? 

A) Ecology is the study of how atoms make up the environment. 
B) Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other and their nonliving environment. 
C) Ecology is the study of how humans affect the environment. 
D) Ecology is the study of how societies pass laws to protect the environment.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

What is the main goal of ecology? 

A) to learn about connections in nature 
B) to trace the flow of energy through the environment 
C) to eliminate environmental degradation 
D) to eliminate pollution

Question 5

Where would a submarine most likely be used as an exploration tool? 

A) in the lithosphere 
B) in the hydrosphere 
C) in the biosphere 
D) in the atmosphere

Question 6

Which of the following correctly lists,in sequence from narrower to broader focus,the levels of organization of matter in nature? 

A) organisms-communities-populations-ecosystems- biosphere 
B) organisms-populations-communities- biosphere -ecosystems 
C) organisms-populations-communities-ecosystems-ecosphere 
D) biosphere-ecosystems-communities-populations-ecosphere

Question 7

What is comprised of all physical forms of water (solid,liquid,and gas)? 

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

Question 8

What is characteristic of all life forms? 

A) They have many to thousands of cells. 
B) They have highly diffuse internal structures and organization. 
C) They have the ability to pollinate. 
D) They have the ability to capture and transform matter and energy from the environment.

Question 9

Which term defines a community of interacting organisms and the physical and chemical factors of their environment? 

A) lithosphere 
B) population 
C) ecosystem 
D) species

Question 10

Which term is synonymous with ecosphere? 

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

Question 11

What is the approximate number of species that biologists have identified and named? 

A) 1.4 billion 
B) 2 million 
C) 1400 
D) 140

Question 12

Which adjective applies the most to all insects? 

A) harmful 
B) pests 
C) spread diseases 
D) adaptable

Question 13

What is the lithosphere comprised of? 

A) crust and upper mantle 
B) core and upper mantle 
C) crust and lower mantle 
D) core and lower mantle

Question 14

In what sphere would a geologist most likely collect rock and soil samples? 

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

Question 15

In which of the following are fossil fuels and minerals found? 

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

Question 16

Where would a hot air balloon fly? 

A) in the lithosphere 
B) in the troposphere 
C) in the hydrosphere 
D) in the stratosphere

Question 17

What is the thin,gaseous layer of air around a planet? 

A) atmosphere 
B) hydrosphere 
C) lithosphere 
D) stratosphere

Question 18

Which service is most likely to be performed by the insect family? 

A) plant pollination 
B) chemosynthesis 
C) soil compaction 
D) plant growth

Question 19

Which term refers to a group of individuals of the same species occupying a given area at the same time? 

A) genus 
B) community 
C) population 
D) species

Question 20

What is the basic unit of life? 

A) a nucleotide 
B) a cell 
C) a mitochondrion 
D) a nucleus

Question 21

What is characteristic of photosynthesis? 

A) Photosynthesis requires the combustion of carbon. 
B) Photosynthesis produces carbon dioxide and oxygen gas. 
C) Photosynthesis converts glucose into energy and water. 
D) Photosynthesis yields glucose and oxygen gas as products.

Question 22

What is an organism that feeds on plants called? 

A) herbivore 
B) omnivore 
C) detritus feeder 
D) carnivore

Question 23

Which organism is a consumer? 

A) photosynthesizer 
B) producer 
C) omnivore 
D) autotroph

Question 24

What factor is the most important in determining which biome is found in a particular area? 

A) topography 
B) magnetic fields 
C) soil type 
D) climate

Question 25

What is most likely to be trapped in the atmosphere when solar radiation is converted to heat? 

A) carbon dioxide 
B) nitrogen gas 
C) ethyl alcohol 
D) hydrogen sulphide

Question 26

What does life on Earth depend on in addition to the interaction of gravity? 

A) one-way flow of energy 
B) one-way flow of matter 
C) the destruction of matter 
D) cycling of energy

Question 27

Which is often a limiting a limiting factor on terrestrial ecosystems? 

A) dissolved oxygen 
B) dissolved hydrogen 
C) precipitation 
D) salinity

Question 28

What is a biotic factor? 

A) light 
B) pH 
C) bacteria 
D) temperature

Question 29

Which level of organization is equivalent to an aquatic life zone? 

A) ecosphere 
B) community 
C) ecosystem 
D) biome

Question 30

How is the life of individual organisms maintained? 

A) by cycling of energy and flow of matter 
B) by flow of energy and cycling of matter 
C) by flow of energy and matter 
D) by cycling of energy and matter

Question 31

What is a major limiting factorforaquatic ecosystems? 

A) ammonia 
B) dissolved ozone molecules 
C) dissolved oxygen 
D) urea

Question 32

Which term refers to a large ecological region with a distinct climate and specific species adapted to it? 

A) biome 
B) population 
C) community 
D) ecosystem

Question 33

In which of the following does the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy occur? 

A) chemosynthesis 
B) heterotrophic organisms 
C) photosynthesis 
D) higher levels of food chains

Question 34

What is the primary source of energy in the sun? 

A) magnetism 
B) gravity 
C) nuclear fusion 
D) nuclear fission

Question 35

What is a defining characteristic of energy? 

A) It is used over and over again. 
B) It tends to be concentrated by living organisms. 
C) It recycles through the ecosystem. 
D) It flows in only one direction.

Question 36

What comprises the most inclusive components of the biotic portion of an ecosystem? 

A) primary and secondary consumers 
B) all chemicals or matter 
C) herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores 
D) producers and consumers

Question 37

Which organism is classified as a primary consumer? 

A) detritivore 
B) carnivore 
C) omnivore 
D) herbivore

Question 38

What is an organism that feeds on both plants and animals called? 

A) omnivore 
B) herbivore 
C) carnivore 
D) detritus feeder

Question 39

What is an organism that feeds on animals called? 

A) omnivore 
B) herbivore 
C) carnivore 
D) primary consumer

Question 40

What is characteristic of an autotroph? 

A) It might eat heterotrophs. 
B) It is known to be a decomposer. 
C) It can live without heterotrophs. 
D) It cannot photosynthesize.

Question 41

Which organism is considered a tertiary consumer? 

A) jellyfish 
B) zooplankton 
C) phytoplankton 
D) osprey

Question 42

The ecological efficiency at each trophic level of a particular ecosystem is 10%.If the green plants of the ecosystem capture 1000 units of energy,which pair of numbers approximates the units of energy that will be available to support herbivores and the units of energy that will be available to support carnivores? 

A) 100; 10 
B) 1 000; 100 
C) 10; 1 
D) 100; 100

Question 43

What can an ecosystem survive without? 

A) producers 
B) decomposers 
C) consumers 
D) autotrophs

Question 44

What best represents the 10% ecological efficiency rule? 

A) the productivity circle 
B) the energy pyramid 
C) the mass pyramid 
D) the cultural pyramid

Question 45

In which category do vultures,hyenas,and flies all fit? 

A) autotroph 
B) detritivore 
C) scavenger 
D) herbivore

Question 46

Which type of diversity examines the biological and chemical processes such as energy flow and matter recycling needed for the survival of species,communities,and ecosystems? 

A) structural diversity 
B) ecological diversity 
C) functional diversity 
D) system diversity

Question 47

Which statement defines net primary productivity? 

A) It is the rate at which producers use chemical energy through respiration. 
B) It is the rate of photosynthesis plus the rate of respiration. 
C) It is the net rate at which producers convert sugar into biomass. 
D) It is the rate at which producers manufacture chemical energy through photosynthesis.

Question 48

Which term refers to a complex feeding pattern for consumers in an ecosystem? 

A) trophic level 
B) pyramid of energy 
C) food chain 
D) food web

Question 49

Which term includes the others? 

A) biological diversity 
B) ecological diversity 
C) functional diversity 
D) genetic diversity

Question 50

Which example is biodegradable? 

A) Something that can be broken down by autotrophs. 
B) Something that cannot be broken down by any living processes. 
C) Something that can be broken down by heterotrophs. 
D) Something that can be broken down by decomposers.

Question 51

Which pyramid best explains why there are typically only four to five links in a food chain? 

A) the numbers pyramid 
B) the energy pyramid 
C) the biomass pyramid 
D) the matter pyramid

Question 52

Which process is involved in making wine? 

A) aerobic respiration 
B) anaerobic respiration 
C) chemosynthesis 
D) photosynthesis

Question 53

In which ecosystem is a pyramid of biomass most likely to be distorted? 

A) coniferous forest 
B) prairie 
C) ocean 
D) tropical rainforest

Question 54

You observe a lion chase,kill,and eat a gazelle.A vulture pecks away at the meat scraps.Beetles attack the remaining fragments.Finally,bacteria complete the breakdown and recycling of organic material.Starting with the lion,which of the following is the correct sequence of general classification of the feeders? 

A) decomposer-scavenger-detritus feeder-carnivore 
B) carnivore-scavenger-decomposer-detritus feeder 
C) carnivore-scavenger-detritus feeder-decomposer 
D) carnivore-detritus feeder-scavenger-decomposer

Question 55

What happens to most of the energy input in a food chain? 

A) It is degraded to low-quality heat. 
B) It is converted to carbon dioxide. 
C) It is converted to biomass. 
D) It is recycled as it reaches the chain's end.

Question 56

Which organism lives off remains or wastes of organisms? 

A) herbivore 
B) omnivore 
C) scavenger 
D) carnivore

Question 57

Which organism feeds on dead organisms? 

A) detritivore 
B) autotroph 
C) producer 
D) carnivore

Question 58

What is required for aerobic respiration to occur? 

A) carbon dioxide and water 
B) glucose and carbon dioxide 
C) glucose and oxygen 
D) oxygen and water

Question 59

What is produced by aerobic respiration? 

A) carbon dioxide and water 
B) acetic acid 
C) hydrogen sulphide 
D) hydrochloric acid

Question 60

Which term refers to an organism that completes the final breakdown and recycling of organic materials from the remains or wastes of other organisms? 

A) carnivore 
B) scavenger 
C) detritivore 
D) decomposer

Question 61

Which soil horizon contains no organic material and is composed of parent material? 

A) A horizon 
B) B horizon 
C) C horizon 
D) O horizon

Question 62

Which ecosystem has the highest average net primary productivity? 

A) agricultural land 
B) swamps and marshes 
C) open ocean 
D) temperate forest

Question 63

Which of the following correctly describes humus? 

A) the layer of freshly fallen leaves 
B) microorganisms that are poisonous to soil 
C) partially decomposed organic matter 
D) the light coloured or nearly white layer

Question 64

Through what is soil most directly produced? 

A) movement of tectonic plates 
B) weathering 
C) mass wasting 
D) earthquakes

Question 65

Which ecosystem has the lowest level of kilocalories per square metre per year? 

A) open ocean 
B) tropical rain forest 
C) lakes and streams 
D) agricultural land

Question 66

What refers to the zones that comprise a mature soil? 

A) profiles 
B) strata 
C) laminae 
D) horizons

Question 67

Which type of soil is most likely to be alkaline,dark,and rich in humus? 

A) deciduous forest soil 
B) coniferous forest soil 
C) tropical forest soil 
D) grassland soil

Question 68

In which ecosystem would you be most likely to find a soil sample of closely packed pebbles that is a mixture of minerals and low in humus? 

A) desert 
B) tropical forest 
C) coniferous forest 
D) deciduous forest

Question 69

When does leaching occur? 

A) when water removes soluble soil components 
B) when humus is dissolved 
C) when organic compounds slowly decay 
D) when rock is shattered by frost action

Question 70

What is the name of the topsoil horizon? 

A) A horizon 
B) B horizon 
C) C horizon 
D) O horizon

Question 71

Which soil horizon refers the surface leaf litter layer? 

A) A horizon 
B) B horizon 
C) C horizon 
D) O horizon

Question 72

What consists of freshly fallen leaves,organic debris,and partially decomposed organic matter? 

A) zone of leaching 
B) surface litter 
C) subsoil 
D) parent material

Question 73

Which soil layer contains unique colours,and often iron,aluminums,humus,and clay leached from higher layers? 

A) zone of leaching 
B) topsoil 
C) subsoil 
D) parent material

Question 74

What does topsoil contain? 

A) ozone 
B) humus 
C) freshly fallen leaves 
D) aquatic plants

Question 75

What refers to the dissolving of material from the upper layers of the soil and movement to the lower horizons? 

A) weathering 
B) percolation 
C) leaching 
D) accumulation

Question 76

Which soil type consists of leaf mould,a humus-mineral mixture,and silty loam? 

A) grassland soil 
B) deciduous forest soil 
C) coniferous forest soil 
D) tropical forest soil

Question 77

Which topsoil is the most fertile? 

A) yellow 
B) red 
C) grey 
D) dark brown or black

Question 78

What gives rise to the C soil horizon through the process of weathering? 

A) parent material 
B) bedrock 
C) subsoil 
D) leaching 
E) B-horizon

Question 79

What is associated with the presence of red and yellow in a soil horizon? 

A) a high percentage of lime and gypsum 
B) a lack of iron oxide 
C) a low organic matter content 
D) a high percentage of sand

Question 80

What is the common name of the A soil horizon? 

A) parent rock 
B) subsoil 
C) topsoil 
D) surface litter