Question 1

What is biological magnification?

Accepted Answer

A)  The process of making small living organisms larger 
B)  The abnormal growth of organisms 
C)  The accumulation of toxic substances in a living organism 
D)  An increase in the size of a population 
E)  The breakdown of macromolecules into harmless substances

Question 2

If you were a researcher trying to design a pesticide that would not accumulate by biological magnification, what two properties should the pesticide have?

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you were a researcher trying to...

Question 3

When a rabbit eats the lettuce in your garden, the rabbit uses all of the energy in the lettuce.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The three major reservoirs of carbon are

Accepted Answer

A)  oceans, the atmosphere, and fossil fuels. 
B)  rocks, the atmosphere, and guano. 
C)  acid precipitation, carbon- fixing bacteria, and oceans. 
D)  soil, water, and the atmosphere. 
E)  fossil fuels, legumes, and micronutrients.

Question 5

Why is phosphorus so important to living organisms?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why is phosphorus so important to living...

Question 6

Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases cause Earth's temperature to increase by

Accepted Answer

A)  allowing greater transmission of incoming solar radiation. 
B)  absorbing heat energy and holding it close to Earth. 
C)  increasing the amount of radiation from Earth's surface. 
D)  increasing plant respiration. 
E)  reducing photosynthetic rates.

Question 7

A deer that gets its energy from eating plants is a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  omnivore. 
B)  producer. 
C)  carnivore. 
D)  tertiary consumer. 
E)  herbivore.

Question 8

Nitrogen is fixed by soil bacteria and is then incorporated into plant biomass and eventually into the food chain. What process(es) complete the global nitrogen cycle?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Nitrogen is fixed by soil bacteria and...

Question 9

In the cycle, water is cycled among the atmosphere, oceans, and living organisms.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the cycle, water is cycled among...

Question 10

Bacteria that live in deep- sea thermal vents use energy from inorganic hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to make organic molecules from carbon dioxide and are thus

Accepted Answer

A)  tertiary consumers. 
B)  primary consumers. 
C)  decomposers. 
D)  secondary consumers. 
E)  producers.

Question 11

The greenhouse effect, which has become a major ecological concern, is caused by

Accepted Answer

A)  the increase in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (CO2,CH4, and N2O). 
B)  overuse of fertilizers in farming. 
C)  the release of heat energy from burning fossil fuels. 
D)  the destruction of ozone in the upper atmosphere. 
E)  global warming.

Question 12

Why is the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere rapidly increasing?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

Farmers often include legumes as part of their normal crop rotation. This practice increases the overall production of their crops by

Accepted Answer

A)  suppressing the growth of weeds. 
B)  helping the soil retain water. 
C)  making the soil less acidic. 
D)  adding nitrogen to the soil. 
E)  adding phosphorus to the soil.

Question 14

A carnivore is usually a(n)

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

The global phosphorus cycle is called a "cycle," yet it has no atmospheric component. Phosphorus weathers from rocks and enters the soil. Once phosphorus is incorporated into plants or animals, how is it returned to the rock phase?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The global phosphorus cycle is called a...

Question 16

The hydrologic cycle is different from other nutrient cycles in that

Accepted Answer

A)  the ocean is 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 atmosphere is involved. 
E)  the soil is not involved.

Question 17

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

Question 18

The first trophic level of an ecosystem consists of

Accepted Answer

A)  heterotrophs. 
B)  secondary consumers. 
C)  producers. 
D)  detritus feeders. 
E)  primary consumers.

Question 19

The amount of energy captured by plants and made available to consumers in an ecosystem is called

Accepted Answer

A)  energy pyramid. 
B)  biological magnification. 
C)  nutrient cycling. 
D)  net primary productivity. 
E)  secondary trophic level.

Question 20

Phosphate fertilizers have increased the amount of phosphate in lakes and other bodies of water. What effect does this increase have on the phytoplankton in the water?

Accepted Answer

A)  It increases their likelihood of being eaten. 
B)  It stimulates their growth. 
C)  It causes them to form toxic compounds. 
D)  It reduces their photosynthetic capacity. 
E)  It kills them.

Exam 29: Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycling in Ecosystems