Deck 8: Ecosystems and Nutrient Cycling- Engineering Earth: an Ambitious Attempt to Replicate Earths Life Support Systems Goes Awry

Question 1

A group of individuals of the same species living and interacting in the same region is a(n) ____________.

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

Answer 1

population

Question 2

Infographic 8.1.

Refer to Infographic 8.1. Use the infographic to describe examples of considerations scientists had to take into account when planning Biosphere 2.

Answer 2

For each biome, scientists needed to consider how diverse plant and animal species would interact within and across biomes. In addition, they needed to examine the nutrient requirements of each organism included. Termites, for example, would need enough dead wood at the start of the experiment to sustain them until some of the larger plants died. If termites died, organisms in the soil would not get enough oxygen because termites stir up the soil and allow air to penetrate soil particles. Hummingbirds need nectar-filled flowers. Scientists needed to calculate how many such flowers would be required to support a hummingbird population.

Question 3

The Earth's biomass cannot enter or leave the system.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Why is it difficult or impossible for ecologists to study the biosphere as a whole? Why is it useful to break down the biosphere into sections such as ecosystems, communities, and populations?

Question 5

Consider the following scenario: A plant grows in the soil and is eventually eaten by a rabbit. The rabbit is eaten by a hawk. The hawk becomes ill, dies, and falls to the ground. Fungi and bacteria decompose the hawk. How is this scenario an example of both nutrient cycling and energy flow?

Question 6

The specific role a species plays in its community is its ___________.

A) habitat
B) community
C) niche
D) physical environment
E) address

Question 7

All of the populations living and interacting in an area is known as a(n) ________.

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

Question 8

On Earth, all ecosystems function through two fundamental processes, nutrient cycling and energy flow. Which of the following statements is correct?

A) Nutrient cycling is considered an open process.
B) Energy flow is considered an open process.
C) Both nutrient cycling and energy flow are open processes.
D) Neither nutrient cycling nor energy flow are open processes.
E) Neither nutrient nor energy processes are important for ecosystem functioning.

Question 9

A bear eating a fish is an example of which of the following?

A) nutrient cycling
B) energy flow
C) solar radiation
D) both A and B
E) all of the above

Question 10

An organism's habitat can be considered its _________, while its niche can be viewed as its ___________.

A) address; profession
B) profession; address
C) place where it reproduces; place where it lives
D) life requirements; physical environment
E) role in a community; energy source

Question 11

Which of the following choices includes all of the others?

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

Question 12

What is biomass?

A) the total weight of the Earth
B) all non-living components of an ecosystem
C) the resulting mass of nutrients after a portion has left the system
D) all organic material that makes up an ecosystem
E) all organic material in an ecosystem minus the energy lost in production

Question 13

Which choice represents the correct hierarchy of organization from largest to smallest?

A) biome → biosphere → community → ecosystem → population → individual
B) biosphere → biome → ecosystem → community → population → individual
C) ecosystem → population → individual → community → biosphere → biome
D) individual → community → population → ecosystem → biome → biosphere
E) None of these are correct.

Question 14

A plant harnessing solar energy from the sun is an example of which of the following?

A) nutrient cycling
B) community interactions
C) energy flow
D) biomass
E) terrestrial radiation

Question 15

Which of the following could be defined as an ecosystem?

A) the Mojave Desert
B) a tide pool
C) a coral reef
D) a forest
E) All of these could be defined as ecosystems.

Question 16

Learning how ecosystems function can ______________.

A) help us protect current ecosystems
B) help us restore already damaged ecosystems
C) help scientists learn about the complexities of biomes
D) help humans and other species continue to live and thrive on Earth
E) All of these answers are correct.

Question 17

Which type of scientist best matches the area they would study?

A) botanist-various ecosystems within a tundra biome
B) ecologist-individual animals or plants
C) zoologist-plant community in a tropical rainforest
D) ecologist-ecosystems and the interactions between organisms and their surroundings
E) All of the above are correct.

Question 18

Which factors must be considered to create an ecosystem?

A) limiting factors, like organic matter
B) animals and plants
C) abiotic factors, like streams and soil
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 19

Why do ecologists say that Earth is a closed system for matter?

A) They say this because there are no new inputs of matter.
B) They say this because there is no net loss of matter.
C) They say this because matter cycles in and out of organisms in ecosystems.
D) They say this because matter stays in the biosphere.
E) All of the above are correct.

Question 20

A coral reef community may include all of the following EXCEPT _______.

A) water
B) fish
C) aquatic plants
D) phytoplankton
E) All of the above could be part of a coral reef community

Question 21

Which would be considered to be a part of a lake ecosystem?

A) fish
B) minerals
C) water
D) rocks
E) All of the choices listed above would be a part of a lake ecosystem.

Question 22

Infographic 8.6.

Refer to Infographic 8.6. For several years, you have been investigating the effects of a warmer climate on a butterfly population. Recently, you have noticed that the butterflies found in what would traditionally be the zone of physiological stress are growing and breeding more successfully than the butterflies in the zone of optimum range. How do you explain this shift?

Question 23

A(n) _________ factor is the one abiotic or biotic factor whose supply determines the population size of a given species in a given biome.

A) tolerance
B) stress
C) intolerance
D) finite
E) limiting

Question 24

The zone of __________ is the portion of an environmental gradient within which the species survives, grows, and reproduces the best.

A) intolerance
B) tolerance
C) optimum range
D) physiological stress
E) limiting factors

Question 25

Which biome has abundant biodiversity, with warm temperatures and a great deal of rain?

A) a tundra
B) a temperate forest
C) a savanna
D) a tropical rainforest
E) a boreal forest

Question 26

In the design of Biosphere 2, which environmental variables could be carefully controlled and precisely measured?

A) the temperature
B) water availability
C) the proportion of oxygen in the air
D) the proportion of carbon dioxide in the air
E) all of the above

Question 27

A bait shop wants to sell leeches and performs an experiment to determine the water temperature range of tolerance for them. Which choice best represents this range based on the data shown in the graph above?

A) 5°C to 35°C
B) 15°C to 30°C
C) 15°C to 20°C
D) 5°C to 20°C
E) 5°C to 25°C

Question 28

Describe two abiotic factors that influence the distribution and makeup of biomes and how they do this.

Question 29

Which of the following does NOT characterize a particular biome?

A) distinct climate
B) dominant vegetation
C) temperature
D) precipitation
E) size

Question 30

Which is NOT an example of a terrestrial biome?

A) a temperate forest
B) an open ocean
C) a Mediterranean scrub
D) a savanna
E) a desert

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT an abiotic factor?

A) rock
B) mineral composition of soil
C) rainfall
D) bacterium
E) All of the above are abiotic factors.

Question 32

The biome that contains the least amount of moisture is a __________.

A) savanna
B) temperate grassland
C) mountain
D) temperate forest
E) tropical scrub

Question 33

All of the following can be found in the biosphere EXCEPT ________.

A) the ozone layer
B) soil
C) fish
D) rocks
E) All of these are part of the biosphere.

Question 34

The principal of limiting factors states that the survival, growth, and _______ of a species in an ecosystem are determined by the critical resource in least supply.

A) maturation
B) migration
C) diversity
D) reproduction
E) development

Question 35

Infographic 8.4.

Refer to Infographic 8.4. From the infographic, which type of biome is mostly found 30° north or south of the equator? What conditions exist there?

Question 36

Populations that have a _______ range of tolerance and are _______ genetically diverse have a greater chance of surviving a change to their environment.

A) narrow; more
B) narrow; less
C) broad; more
D) broad; less
E) small; less

Question 37

What is a biome? What are the major factors that distinguish one biome from another?

Question 38

If no new matter enters the system, how can Earth continue to exist?

Question 39

The range, within upper and lower limits, of a limiting factor that allows a species to survive and reproduce is called the ________.

A) range of tolerance
B) range of survivability
C) range of adaptation
D) range of living
E) range of life

Question 40

Which of the following could be considered a limiting factor for a species?

A) pH of the soil
B) temperature
C) level of humidity
D) dissolved oxygen levels in water
E) All of the choices listed above could be a limiting factor for a species.

Question 41

Which of the following is known to move in only one direction?

A) biomass
B) nutrient cycles
C) niche
D) energy flow
E) None of the choices above fit the description.

Question 42

Several years ago, you planted a pine tree at the base of a mountain and another on the summit of the mountain. On a recent hike, you photographed each tree. Do you expect to see any differences in their appearance? Explain.

Question 43

In the carbon cycle, photosynthetic organisms use carbon dioxide to produce _____.

A) sugar molecules
B) lipid molecules
C) protein molecules
D) nucleic acids
E) protons

Question 44

Nutrient cycles, or biogeochemical cycles, refer to ______________.

A) energy passed from one organism to another
B) plants and organic matter entering and leaving the biosphere
C) the movement of life's essential chemicals or nutrients through an ecosystem
D) the sharing of nutrients between a parasite and a host
E) None of the above refer to nutrient cycles.

Question 45

Which choice best represents the factor(s) that is(are) directly involved in nitrogen fixation?

A) decomposition
B) bacteria
C) lightning
D) choices A and B only
E) choices B and C only

Question 46

Which nutrient is found only in solid or liquid form on Earth?

A) carbon
B) nitrogen
C) phosphorous
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 47

In the carbon cycle, plants remove carbon from the atmosphere through the process of _______.

A) photosynthesis
B) cellular respiration
C) oxidation
D) transpiration
E) evaporation

Question 48

Which form of nitrogen can be taken up by plant roots?

A) N₂
B) NH₂
C) NO₄
D) NH₃
E) N₃

Question 49

Which of the following is TRUE regarding the nitrogen cycle?

A) Microbes convert atmospheric N₂ to NH₃.
B) Lightning converts N₂ to NO₃.
C) Microbes use NO₃ and convert it to N₂.
D) Microbes break down organic matter and release NH₄.
E) All of the above are true regarding the nitrogen cycle.

Question 50

C:\Users\USER\Desktop\TB4358,Scientific American Environmental Science for a Changing World 2nd Edition by Jeneen InterlandI\Images\C2673 (8)_7.jpg
Refer to Infographic 8.10. Each year a "dead zone" appears in the Gulf of Mexico when oxygen levels in the water drop to levels insufficient to support the fish and shrimp that live there. The drop in oxygen is due to the decomposition of photosynthetic phytoplankton that grow in huge numbers, die, and sink to the bottom; they are then decomposed by bacteria that use up oxygen in the process. Use the infographic to describe what the limiting factor to phytoplankton normally is and how that factor is removed each spring when rains wash runoff from Midwestern farm fields into rivers that empty into the Gulf. What could be done to help prevent this from occurring?

Question 51

Carbon cycles in and out of living things during which process(es)?

A) cellular respiration
B) photosynthesis
C) decomposition
D) choices A and B only
E) choices B and C only

Question 52

In the carbon cycle, plants release carbon back to the environment through the process of _________.

A) photosynthesis
B) cellular respiration
C) oxidation
D) transpiration
E) evaporation

Question 53

Nitrogen-rich compounds found in animal waste or the remains of dead plants and animals are converted to ___________ by decomposer bacteria.

A) ammonium ions
B) protein
C) nitrogen gas
D) nitrate
E) nitrite

Question 54

Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrate into ________, thus returning nitrogen to _________.

A) ammonia; its most stable form
B) nitrogen gas; the atmosphere
C) proteins; a usable form
D) ammonia; its least stable form
E) nitrogen gas; the soil

Question 55

Biosphere 2 helped scientists realize ____________.

A) the complexities of the carbon cycle
B) they wasted their money
C) humans cannot function without technology
D) ecosystems are simpler than originally thought
E) all of the above

Question 56

As you hike up a mountain, you observe that the vegetation changes. What are some of the limiting factors that are determining what vegetation you observe on the mountain?

Question 57

Which the following is NOT a main nutrient cycle?

A) carbon cycle
B) nitrogen cycle
C) phosphorous cycle
D) magnesium cycle
E) All of the above are main nutrient cycles.

Question 58

Infographic 8.5.

Refer to Infographic 8.5. Describe ways that scientists attempted to design Biosphere 2 to minimize the effects of limiting factors and help keep organisms within their zone of optimum range.

Question 59

Infographic 8.7.
Refer to Infographic 8.7. Using the infographic, describe what limiting factor caused the human population in Biosphere 2 to become so tired they couldn't work.

Question 60

When an oak tree undergoes photosynthesis, it is essentially __________.

A) adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
B) removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
C) adding nitrogen to the atmosphere
D) removing nitrogen from the atmosphere
E) All of the above are correct.

Question 61

How have humans impacted the carbon cycle, and how can humans use nature to address this issue?

Question 62

In terms of the carbon cycle, how is combustion of fossil fuels different from burning biomass (wood) for fuel?

Question 63

Which nutrient cycle(s) do(does) not have a phase in the atmosphere?

A) carbon
B) nitrogen
C) phosphorous
D) choices A and B only
E) choices B and C only

Question 64

How is Biosphere 2 useful today?

A) People still live in the manmade biosphere.
B) Farmers use it to graze cattle.
C) It allows scientists to study the consequences of high CO₂ levels.
D) Biosphere 2 no longer exists.
E) It is used as training for astronauts.

Question 65

Describe the two main goals of the Biosphere 2 experiment. Was the experiment a success or a failure?

Question 66

Certain plants called legumes can fix atmospheric nitrogen thanks to a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with their root systems. How does this relationship benefit the plants? How can humans take advantage of this in agriculture?