Question 1

Plants utilize a portion of their gross primary productivity (GPP) for respiration.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Precipitation that infiltrates through soil into underground layers of rock, sand, and gravel is stored as ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Precipitation that infiltrates through soil into underground...

Question 3

Gravity is one of the three factors that sustain life on the earth.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

The ____________________ consists of the earth's intensely hot core, a thick mantle composed mostly of rock, and a thin outer crust.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ____________________ consists of the earth's intensely...

Question 5

Bacteria are more important in the ____________________ than in the carbon or phosphorous cycles.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Bacteria are more important in the ____________________...

Question 6

Nitrogen is converted to forms that can be used by plants by lightning and by ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  legumes 
B)  bacteria 
C)  algae 
D)  protozoa 
E)  round worms

Question 7

Unlike nitrogen or carbon, phosphorus ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  does not cycle through the atmosphere and it cycles more slowly 
B)  is not passed up the food chain to consumers 
C)  is not involved in plant growth 
D)  is plentiful and rarely limits primary productivity 
E)  cycling has not been affected by humans

Question 8

Although ____________________ cover only about 7% of the earth's dry land surface, studies indicate that they contain up to half of the world's known terrestrial plant and animal species.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Although ____________________ cover only about 7% of...

Question 9

Human activities affect the hydrologic cycle by making changes to the land surface that reduce infiltration and increase runoff.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Pronghorn antelope live in the high desert of the Great Basin in the western United States. Which of the following items are possible abiotic factors that an antelope has to contend with?

Accepted Answer

A)  The density of coyotes in the area 
B)  Disease caused by parasites such as ticks 
C)  Competition with wild horses for sparse vegetation for forage 
D)  Harm from encountering thorny or poisonous plants 
E)  Extreme maximum and minimum temperatures in the high desert

Question 11

About how much energy is lost with each transfer from one trophic level to the next?

Accepted Answer

A)  0% 
B)  10% 
C)  35% 
D)  65% 
E)  90%

Question 12

Phosphate can be lost from the phosphorus cycle for long periods of time when ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  phosphorus-containing fertilizer is applied to agricultural soil 
B)  bacteria convert it into a gas 
C)  exposed rocks containing phosphate are eroded by running water 
D)  it is taken up by plants 
E)  it is washed into the ocean and deposited as marine sediment

Question 13

Figure 3.12 
If an organism consumes both phytoplankton and herbivorous zooplankton, what would be its trophic level in the accompanying food web?

Accepted Answer

The answer of  
Figure 3.12 
If an organism consumes...

Question 14

A primary consumer can also be described as a(n) ____________________, a word that means "plant eater."

Accepted Answer

The answer of A primary consumer can also be described...

Question 15

Food chains and food webs show how producers, consumers, and decomposers are connected to one another as chemical energy flows through different ____ in an ecosystem.

Accepted Answer

A)  secondary producers 
B)  trophic levels 
C)  biospheres 
D)  hydrologic cycles 
E)  abiotic components

Question 16

Explain why decomposers are a necessary and important part of ecosystems.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain why decomposers are a necessary and...

Question 17

The earth's life-support system consists of four main spherical systems, including the air, water, living things, and the ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  troposphere 
B)  biosphere 
C)  geosphere 
D)  hydrosphere 
E)  atmosphere

Question 18

Compare the roles of bacteria in the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare the roles of bacteria in the...

Question 19

The chemical formula for the nitrogen gas in the atmosphere is ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  CN- 
B)  NO3- 
C)  N2 
D)  NH3 
E)  NH4+

Question 20

The air we breathe is part of the lowermost layer of the atmosphere, which is called the ____.

Accepted Answer

A)  troposphere 
B)  stratosphere 
C)  ozone layer 
D)  geosphere 
E)  biosphere

Exam 3: Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work

Plants utilize a portion of their gross primary productivity (GPP) for respiration.

Precipitation that infiltrates through soil into underground layers of rock, sand, and gravel is stored as ____________________.

Gravity is one of the three factors that sustain life on the earth.

The ____________________ consists of the earth's intensely hot core, a thick mantle composed mostly of rock, and a thin outer crust.

Bacteria are more important in the ____________________ than in the carbon or phosphorous cycles.

Nitrogen is converted to forms that can be used by plants by lightning and by ____.

Unlike nitrogen or carbon, phosphorus ____.

Although ____________________ cover only about 7% of the earth's dry land surface, studies indicate that they contain up to half of the world's known terrestrial plant and animal species.

Human activities affect the hydrologic cycle by making changes to the land surface that reduce infiltration and increase runoff.

Pronghorn antelope live in the high desert of the Great Basin in the western United States. Which of the following items are possible abiotic factors that an antelope has to contend with?

About how much energy is lost with each transfer from one trophic level to the next?

Phosphate can be lost from the phosphorus cycle for long periods of time when ____.

Figure 3.12 If an organism consumes both phytoplankton and herbivorous zooplankton, what would be its trophic level in the accompanying food web?

A primary consumer can also be described as a(n) ____________________, a word that means "plant eater."

Food chains and food webs show how producers, consumers, and decomposers are connected to one another as chemical energy flows through different ____ in an ecosystem.

Explain why decomposers are a necessary and important part of ecosystems.

The earth's life-support system consists of four main spherical systems, including the air, water, living things, and the ____.

Compare the roles of bacteria in the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles.

The chemical formula for the nitrogen gas in the atmosphere is ____.

The air we breathe is part of the lowermost layer of the atmosphere, which is called the ____.