Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 2

-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?

Accepted Answer

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 3

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is a biome? What are the...

Question 4

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.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Infographic 8.7.
-Refer to Infographic 8.7. Using the...

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?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider the following scenario: A plant grows...

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

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?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Infographic 8.6.

-Refer to Infographic 8.6. For several...

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

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 10

How is Biosphere 2 useful today?

Accepted Answer

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 11

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

Accepted Answer

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 12

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of How have humans impacted the carbon cycle,...

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

The answer of In terms of the carbon cycle, how...

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

Which factors must be considered to create an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

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 17

What is biomass?

Accepted Answer

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 18

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.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Infographic 8.5.

-Refer to Infographic 8.5. Describe ways...

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 20

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?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Infographic 8.4.

-Refer to Infographic 8.4. From the...

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