Question 1

A mountainous region undergoes a long period of windy,rainy weather,which increases the rate of weathering of the area's limestone rock.This releases calcium and carbonate ions,causing a flux of these ions from an _______ form to an _______ form.

Accepted Answer

A)  accessible and organic;accessible and inorganic 
B)  accessible and inorganic;accessible and organic 
C)  accessible and inorganic;inaccessible and organic 
D)  inaccessible and inorganic;accessible and inorganic 
E)  inaccessible and inorganic;accessible and organic

Question 2

Agricultural soil in a relatively dry region of the United States has been tilled for many years and has undergone both erosion and irrigation.An inadequacy of which factor is most likely to limit plant productivity in this soil?

Accepted Answer

A)  Nitrogen or phosphorus 
B)  Water 
C)  Oxygen 
D)  Temperature 
E)  Light

Question 3

Primary productivity is likely to decrease in very wet environments,where soils are water-saturated,because plants receive

Accepted Answer

A)  too much heat. 
B)  too much light. 
C)  too little water. 
D)  too few nutrients. 
E)  too little dissolved oxygen.

Question 4

Rice cultivation contributes to greenhouse warming through increases in concentration of the greenhouse gas _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Rice cultivation contributes to greenhouse warming through...

Question 5

Refer to the graphs below.Given the information in the two graphs,explain how the ant colony obtains nitrogen.Provide evidence for your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Refer to the graphs below.Given the information...

Question 6

According to the diagram below,humans are responsible for approximately _______ percent of the total amount of global nitrogen fixation on land.

Accepted Answer

A)  1 
B)  10 
C)  25 
D)  50 
E)  80

Question 7

Explain how rising global temperatures alter the global water cycle.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how rising global temperatures alter the...

Question 8

An international group formed in 1988 to collect and collaborate on scientific data regarding climate change has provided several updated reports since its beginning.This group is known as the _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of An international group formed in 1988 to...

Question 9

After microorganisms break down dead organic matter,the resulting materials are taken up in ionic form by plant roots.This represents biological uptake that converts materials from an _______ form to an _______ form.

Accepted Answer

A)  accessible and inorganic;accessible and organic 
B)  accessible and organic;accessible and inorganic 
C)  inaccessible and inorganic;accessible and organic 
D)  inaccessible and inorganic;inaccessible and organic 
E)  inaccessible and organic;accessible and organic

Question 10

One prediction about global warming is that it is likely to increase the intensity of storms.What factors might bring this about?

Accepted Answer

The answer of One prediction about global warming is that...

Question 11

The process in the water cycle that moves the most water during a given time is

Accepted Answer

A)  precipitation over land. 
B)  precipitation over oceans. 
C)  evaporation from oceans. 
D)  evaporation and transpiration from land. 
E)  movement through living biomass.

Question 12

How do humans compare with other species in their ability to cooperate with other members of their species?

Accepted Answer

A)  Humans are the only species capable of cooperating. 
B)  Unlike other social species,human primarily interact through selfishness and conflict. 
C)  Like other social species,humans cooperate only with related members of their species. 
D)  Humans are highly developed to cooperate with both related and unrelated members of their species. 
E)  Humans support and cooperate with other humans,but they show little interest in caring for other species.

Question 13

A bacterium living in nodules on the roots of legumes is able to convert nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into a soluble form that can be taken up and used by the legume. This soluble form is most likely

Accepted Answer

A)  urea. 
B)  nitrate. 
C)  nitrite. 
D)  nitric acid. 
E)  ammonium.

Question 14

How likely is it that organisms will respond to rapid climate change by undergoing short-term evolutionary adaptations?

Accepted Answer

A)  It is very likely;all organisms respond to environmental change through evolution. 
B)  It is very likely;the rate of evolution will speed up to accommodate rapid climate change. 
C)  It is very likely;populations are much more likely to respond to short-term changes than to long-term ones. 
D)  It is not very likely;evolution will not begin to occur until it is clear that climate change is a long-term process. 
E)  It is not very likely;evolution occurs continually,but it may be too slow,or a population's genetic variation may be too small,to keep up with rapid climate change.

Question 15

The two largest reservoirs of carbon on Earth are

Accepted Answer

A)  rocks and fossil fuels. 
B)  rocks and ocean waters. 
C)  rocks and the atmosphere. 
D)  fossil fuels and ocean waters. 
E)  ocean waters and the atmosphere.

Question 16

The mountains of western North America are warming rapidly,leading to more rapid death of whitebark pines in this alpine ecosystem.The mountain pine bark beetle,which once lived at lower elevations,has invaded the warming alpine ecosystem and now attacks and destroys whitebark pines.How are these responses to global warming likely to affect alpine ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

A)  Both pines and beetles will likely adapt to climate change and reach an equilibrium. 
B)  Both pines and beetles will likely go extinct because they cannot exist in the changed climate. 
C)  Beetles will likely hasten the loss of pine populations,resulting in massive ecosystem disruption. 
D)  Pines will likely die out and beetles will move south again,returning to their original habitats. 
E)  Because the climate is continuing to change,there is no basis for predicting the likely changes in either tree or beetle populations.

Question 17

Which organism response most likely represents a change in timing based on environmental cues related to climate change?

Accepted Answer

A)  A northern plant flowers several days earlier each year. 
B)  An alpine plant begins to grow as soon as the snow melts. 
C)  A desert plant undergoes a rapid bloom cycle after a rainstorm. 
D)  A night-blooming cereus always blooms once a year,for one night only. 
E)  A plant reaches peak flowering at the same time its major pollinator emerges.

Question 18

CO2 concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere follow which pattern of seasonality?

Accepted Answer

A)  They show no seasonality;they increase linearly. 
B)  They are highest in spring and fall,coinciding with upwellings. 
C)  They are highest in winter,coinciding with lowest photosynthetic rates. 
D)  They are highest in winter,coinciding with the highest atmospheric density. 
E)  They are highest in summer,correlating with the highest animal metabolism.

Question 19

Design an experiment to determine if NPP in a grassland region is limited by the amount of precipitation the plants receive.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Design an experiment to determine if NPP...

Question 20

Which process drives the cycling of water through the world system?

Accepted Answer

A)  Melting 
B)  Evaporation 
C)  Precipitation 
D)  Transpiration 
E)  Condensation

Exam 45: The Global Ecosystem

A mountainous region undergoes a long period of windy,rainy weather,which increases the rate of weathering of the area's limestone rock.This releases calcium and carbonate ions,causing a flux of these ions from an _ form to an _ form.