Question 1

Autotrophs use solar energy to build their own complex organic molecules from inorganic compounds such as water and carbon dioxide.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Phosphorus, which is often a limiting nutrient in ecosystems, is important because it

Accepted Answer

A)  evaporates quickly. 
B)  is found only in sedimentary rocks. 
C)  is necessary for the production of cellulose so that autotrophs can grow and provide food for heterotrophs. 
D)  is part of the hydrologic cycle. 
E)  is needed for molecules such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), cell membranes, and nucleic acids.

Question 3

If a fox eats a rodent that ate a smaller insect that ate a plant, the fox is a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  autotroph. 
B)  tertiary consumer. 
C)  primary consumer. 
D)  producer. 
E)  secondary consumer.

Question 4

Burning coal and oil to release energy also releases__________ , which are overloading Earth?s nutrient cycles.

Accepted Answer

A)  phosphorus, carbon, and nitrogen 
B)  oxygen, methane, and sulfur 
C)  sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen 
D)  sulfur, oxygen, and acid 
E)  nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium

Question 5

The community of detritivores, such as earthworms, millipedes, slugs, and pseudoscorpions, living in the leaf litter on the shady floor of a deciduous forest obtains its energy and nutrients primarily from

Accepted Answer

A)  decomposition of the leaves of deciduous trees that fall on the surface of the soil. 
B)  photosynthesis or algae living in the soil beneath the leaves. 
C)  carbohydrates formed in the roots of the trees that leach out into the surrounding soil. 
D)  predation on one another. 
E)  chemosynthesis by green and purple sulfur bacteria living on the surface of the leaves.

Question 6

The amount of energy lost as it passes from one trophic level to another is approximately

Accepted Answer

A)  99%. 
B)  50%. 
C)  63%. 
D)  75%. 
E)  90%.

Question 7

According to the data presented in the graph, between 1960 and 2000, CO 2 levels rose approximately__________ ppm.

Accepted Answer

A)  320 
B)  50 
C)  370 
D)  20 
E)  70

Question 8

The hydrologic cycle is different from other nutrient cycles in that

Accepted Answer

A)  the soil is not involved. 
B)  water is not recycled, but flows one way through ecosystems. 
C)  the biotic part of the cycle plays only a small role. 
D)  the ocean is involved. 
E)  the atmosphere is involved.

Question 9

Why is acid rain or acid deposition more of a problem in certain areas, such as New England, than in others?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is acid rain or acid deposition...

Question 10

If the plants in a community produce 500 grams of organic matter per square meter per year that is available for animals in the community to eat, this amount of energy is known as the

Accepted Answer

A)  secondary productivity of the community. 
B)  trophic factor of the community. 
C)  net primary productivity of the community. 
D)  consumership of the community. 
E)  availability factor of the community.

Question 11

What are the most basic components of all ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

A)  Nutrients and energy 
B)  Communities of organisms 
C)  The living, or biotic part, and the abiotic 
D)  Producers, consumers, and decomposers 
E)  Volcanoes, wind, oceans, and other abiotic parts

Question 12

Why is it so hard to make definite predictions about the amount and timing of global warming as a result of greenhouse gases?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is it so hard to make...

Question 13

In a grassland of Kansas, 1,000 grams of grass are produced per square meter per year by all the different grass species. A theoretical upper limit to the biomass of secondary consumers that can be supported in this ecosystem is

Accepted Answer

A)  10 grams. 
B)  0.1 gram. 
C)  1,000 grams. 
D)  100 grams. 
E)  1 gram.

Question 14

Why is the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earthʹs atmosphere rapidly increasing?

Accepted Answer

A)  The ozone layer has become much thinner. 
B)  The oceans are cooling. 
C)  Earth is warming. 
D)  Many human activities release carbon dioxide. 
E)  More photosynthesis is occurring.

Question 15

The graph indicates that since 1960, global average temperatures have

Accepted Answer

A)  remained constant. 
B)  only decreased. 
C)  fluctuated but risen overall. 
D)  only increased. 
E)  initially increased but are now dropping.

Question 16

Bacteria and fungi that secrete enzymes into the surrounding environment to break down wastes and dead organic matter are__________ .

Accepted Answer

The answer of Bacteria and fungi that secrete enzymes into...

Question 17

Oceans, the atmosphere, and fossil fuels are large reservoirs of

Accepted Answer

A)  phosphorus. 
B)  water. 
C)  nitrogen. 
D)  oxygen. 
E)  carbon.

Question 18

The primary cause of the current increase in levels of atmospheric CO₂ is the burning of__________by humans.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The primary cause of the current increase...

Question 19

Human-caused disturbances of the__________ cycle may be contributing to global warming.

Accepted Answer

A)  carbon 
B)  hydrologic 
C)  sulfur 
D)  phosphorus 
E)  oxygen

Question 20

Burning high-sulfur coal increases acid deposition.

Accepted Answer