Deck 4: Ecosystems and the Physical Environment

Question 1

What part of the nitrogen cycle deals with the conversion of nitrogen in waste products (urea in urine) into ammonia?

A) Nitrification
B) Ammonification
C) Assimilation
D) Dentrification
E) Nitrogen fixation

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Biogeochemical cycles:

A) Only include processes conducted by or within living organisms.
B) Pertain only to the abiotic environment.
C) Describe the movement of water and other materials through abiotic and biotic interactions.
D) Only pertain to exchanges and interactions that occur within the atmosphere.
E) Are used to describe the attempts of humans to recycle various pollutants.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The nitrogen cycle is one of the most important and complex of the biogeochemical cycles. It is important because nitrogen:

A) is stored in sedimentary rock
B) is an essential part of biological molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids (DNA)
C) is the most toxic element to living organisms
D) dilutes the oxygen in the atmosphere causing respiratory problems
E) is a crucial part of the process of photosynthesis

Answer 3

is an essential part of biological molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids (DNA)

Question 4

By what process do plants take the nitrate (NO3-) absorbed by their roots and incorporate the nitrogen into plant proteins and other molecules.

A) Nitrification
B) Ammonification
C) Assimilation
D) Dentrification
E) Nitrogen fixation

Question 5

The pathway by which carbon is transferred from living organisms to the atmosphere is called:

A) Photosynthesis
B) Cellular respiration
C) Evaporation
D) Burning fossil fuels
E) transpiration

Question 6

Which of the following is not an example of a fossil fuel?

A) Wood
B) Oil
C) Natural gas
D) Coal
E) The remains of ancient organisms

Question 7

Nitrogen is essential for living organisms to synthesize:

A) Lipids
B) Proteins
C) Carbohydrates
D) Sulfates
E) Benzene rings

Question 8

Nitrogen gas accounts for what percentage of the atmosphere?

A) 0.03%
B) 1%
C) Approximately 50%
D) 78%
E) 99%

Question 9

Which of the following is not one of the biogeochemical cycles considered of particular importance for organisms?

A) carbon
B) hydrogen
C) nitrogen
D) phosphorus
E) water

Question 10

Which of the following statements describes a storm surge?
1) A sudden increase in water that moves onto land before a hurricane makes landfall
2) A sudden increase in water that moves onto land as a hurricane makes landfall
3) A sudden increase in water that moves onto land after a hurricane makes landfall

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 1,2, and 3
E) None of these statements is true

Question 11

Nitrogen fertilizer:

A) contributes to acid rain.
B) leads to the formation of dioxins.
C) may contaminate groundwater.
D) contributes to the production of photochemical smog.
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 12

Which of the following is not a source of carbon for the carbon cycle?

A) Shells of marine organisms
B) Oil
C) Decomposers
D) Inorganic fertilizer
E) The atmosphere

Question 13

The movement of water from land to rivers, lakes, wetlands and ultimately, the ocean is called:

A) groundwater
B) transpiration
C) hydrologic cycle
D) runoff
E) precipitation

Question 14

The reduction of nitrate (NO3-) to gaseous nitrogen (N2) is called:

A) Nitrification
B) Ammonification
C) Assimilation
D) Dentrification
E) Nitrogen fixation

Question 15

Why was Hurricane Katrina such a devastating storm?

A) The city is at or below sea level
B) Sea level has been rising
C) Destruction of wetlands due to construction
D) The city has been subsiding
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 16

In the carbon cycle, carbon can be found in:

A) Limestone, animals, and plants
B) Biocarbonate and sugar
C) Carbon dioxide and coal
D) The atmosphere
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 17

Which of the following plants is a legume which may have nitrogen fixing bacteria attached to their roots?

A) Bean
B) Beet
C) Potato
D) Cucumber
E) Carrot

Question 18

Nitrogen fixation is

A) the conversion of gaseous nitrogen into an organism friendly form (ammonia (NH₄⁺).
B) preplanned setting of atmospheric levels of nitrogen at 78%
C) stabilizing elemental nitrogen into a gaseous two-atom molecule (N2)
D) the reduction of nitrate (NO3-) to gaseous nitrogen.
E) the repair of D.N.A. by adding nitrogen to the organism's diet

Question 19

Approximately what percentage of the atmosphere is CO2?

A) 0.001%
B) 0.04%
C) 10%
D) 30%
E) 75%

Question 20

What is the first step in the nitrogen cycle, in which gaseous nitrogen is converted into ammonia?

A) Nitrification
B) Ammonification
C) Assimilation
D) Phosporication
E) Nitrogen fixation

Question 21

Gyres are:

A) prevailing winds
B) circular ocean currents
C) an effect of El Niño
D) an upwelling of deeper waters
E) major climate zones

Question 22

Which of the following does not influence climate?

A) Distance from the ocean
B) Topography
C) Latitude
D) Vegetation
E) None of these choices, all affect climate

Question 23

Subduction occurs:

A) when ozone is struck by cosmic radiation.
B) when one tectonic plate descends below another.
C) because of the Coriolis effect.
D) on the leeward side of a mountain.
E) as the result of volcanic eruptions or earthquakes.

Question 24

Transpiration occurs in:

A) oceans
B) groundwater
C) the atmosphere
D) animals
E) terrestrial plants

Question 25

The ocean conveyor belt affects:

A) The nitrogen cycle
B) Albedo
C) The greenhouse effect
D) Regional and possibly global climate
E) Surface water currents

Question 26

Which of the following processes plays an important role in the phosphorus cycle?

A) Erosion
B) Fixation
C) Combustion
D) Cellular respiration
E) ammonification

Question 27

The Earth's atmosphere is important because:

A) it is primarily composed of oxygen, essential for our survival.
B) it is composed of approximately twenty different layers.
C) it protects us from UV radiation and X-rays.
D) it is a stable and unchanging part of our global environment.
E) the densest outer layer shields the Earth's surface from dangerous forms of energy.

Question 28

Complex horizontal movements of the atmosphere are commonly known as:

A) Gyres
B) Wind
C) Climate
D) The Coriolis effect
E) upwelling

Question 29

Stratospheric ozone is important because it:

A) Absorbs UV radiation
B) Is what we breathe
C) Powers the weather cycle
D) Is an industrial pollutant
E) Is part of the troposphere

Question 30

One human impact on the phosphorus cycle occurs through:

A) burning of fossil fuels.
B) the erosion of agricultural lands.
C) the greenhouse effect.
D) global warming.
E) depletion of the ozone layer.

Question 31

El Niño-Southern Oscillation events:

A) are responsible for dramatic increases in the productivity of fisheries off South America.
B) reach coastal areas of Peru around mid-summer.
C) occur once or twice every century.
D) alter both ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns.
E) have little impact on marine organisms, but devastating effects on terrestrial weather patterns.

Question 32

Cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons are distinguished from one another by:

A) size
B) speed
C) direction of spin
D) location
E) destructive potential

Question 33

The primary reason we have seasons is because of the:

A) Earth's rotation
B) Earth's orbit
C) Earth's tilt on its axis
D) Density of the Earth's atmosphere
E) Layers of the Earth's atmosphere

Question 34

The Coriolis effect is due to:

A) variations in the amount of solar radiation reaching different locations.
B) seasonal changes in the levels of solar radiation at a given location.
C) The density of the oceans.
D) the Earth's orbit.
E) the Earth's rotation.

Question 35

Which of the following does not describe major surface winds that blow more or less continually?

A) Prevailing winds
B) Polar easterlies
C) Westerlies
D) Trade winds
E) Coriolis

Question 36

Which of the following surfaces has the highest albedo?

A) Glaciers
B) Forests
C) The ocean
D) Buildings
E) pavements

Question 37

Precipitation:

A) refers to any form of water, including rain, snow, runoff and groundwater.
B) has a profound effect on the distribution of organisms.
C) is lightest near the windward (the side from which the wind blows) coasts of continents.
D) varies among geographic locations, with the highest annual precipitation occurring in Chile.
E) occurs independently of atmospheric circulation patterns.

Question 38

Which of the following has the most concentrated energy and highest destructive potential?

A) Tornadoes
B) Ice storms
C) Thunderstorms
D) El Niño- Southern Oscillation
E) tsunamis

Question 39

Solar radiation:

A) powers the hydrologic and other biogeochemical cycles.
B) is essential for photosynthesis.
C) is the product of a massive nuclear fusion reaction.
D) is captured by plants and may eventually become the energy available from fossil fuels.
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 40

The thermosphere:

A) is the layer of atmosphere closest to the Earth's surface.
B) extends to a height of approximately 35 km.
C) is characterized by very low temperatures.
D) is characterized by steadily increasing temperatures.
E) is the layer where weather, including most clouds and wind, occurs.

Question 41

Steps I and VII come together to complete the carbon-silicate cycle. However, two consecutive steps of this cycle are OUT OF ORDER - which two?
I. In weathering, atmospheric CO2 dissolves in rainwater to form carbonic acid
(H2C03)
II. Carbonic acid dissociates to form hydrogen ions (H+) as rainwater moves through soil
III. Hydrogen ions enter silicate-rich minerals such as feldspar, releasing calcium ions (Ca2+)
IV. Microscopic marine organisms incorporate (Ca2+) and HC03-) into their shells
V. Calcium and bicarbonate ions wash into surface waters and eventually reach the ocean
VI. Shells are incorporated into sedimentary rock
VII. Geological uplift exposes limestone, which is eroded by weathering returning C02 to the atmosphere and water.

A) II and III
B) III and IV
C) IV and V
D) V and VI
E) none, all the steps are in the correct order

Question 42

Rain shadow describes the

A) silhouette of mountains as the sun passes from east to west
B) shade on the ground produced by clouds that threaten rain
C) darkened areas of the distant sky indicating rain is falling at a far-away location
D) dry land on the side of the mountains away from the prevailing wind
E) lessening of a chance of precipitation on any given day due to dry air at the equator

Question 43

Weather incorporates all of the following atmospheric conditions except:

A) Atmospheric pressure
B) Latitude
C) Cloudiness
D) Humidity
E) Wind

Question 44

Many plants have evolved mutualistic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria because:

A) The bacteria transform nitrogen into useful forms for the plants; the plants provide carbohydrates
B) The bacteria protect the plant from harmful effects of nitrogen compounds such as ammonia; the plants provide carbohydrates for the bacteria
C) The bacteria utilize nitrogen to produce energy for the plants; the plants provide the source of the nitrogen for the bacteria
D) The bacteria provide natural immunities to the plants; the plants shelter the bacteria from predators
E) There is not a mutualistic relationship between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and plants

Question 45

Which of the following accurately represents a sequential portion of the nitrogen cycle?

A) N2 in the atmosphere → ammonification → nitrification → plants
B) N2 in the atmosphere → nitrification→ plants
C) dead organic material → ammonification → nitrification → plants
D) plant proteins → animal proteins → nitrification → N2 in the atmosphere
E) animal proteins → nitrogen fixation → N2 in the atmosphere

Question 46

Lava IS TO volcano AS tsunami IS TO

A) Tornado
B) Cyclone
C) Firestorm
D) Earthquake
E) Plate boundary

Question 47

Volcanoes are commonly found:

A) near canyons.
B) where land masses on two different plates come together.
C) above hot spots.
D) on land, but never beneath the ocean surface.
E) in the Southern Hemisphere and only rarely in the Northern Hemisphere.

Question 48

A Tropical Cyclone forms as:

A) a mass of cool, dry air collides with warm humid air
B) a sudden increase in water moves onto land
C) wind picks up speed as it moves from land to water
D) strong winds pick up moisture over warm waters
E) all of these

Question 49

The atmosphere consists of five concentric layers. What is the order of these layers starting at the Earth's surface?
I) troposphere
II) thermosphere
III) mesosphere
IV) stratosphere
V) exosphere

A) I-II-III-IV-V
B) I-IV-III-II-V
C) V-II-III-I-IV
D) II-III-V-IV-I
E) V-IV-III-II-I

Question 50

Which of the following does not affect ocean currents?

A) Position of the continents
B) Marine organisms
C) Atmospheric temperatures
D) Prevailing winds
E) Varying density of seawater

Question 51

The scale typically used by most seismologists to measure the magnitude of an earthquake is the:

A) Richter scale.
B) subduction scale.
C) earthquake scale.
D) moment magnitude scale.
E) seismologist's earth movement indicator scale.

Question 52

Put the following surfaces in descending order from those surfaces that reflect the greatest % of sunlight hitting their surfaces to those surfaces that have the lowest albedo.
I) clouds
II) ice sheets
III) forest
IV) asphalt pavement

A) I-II-III-IV
B) II-I-IV-III
C) III-I-IV-II
D) IV-III-II-I
E) II-IV-I-III

Question 53

If the temperature of the troposphere decreases with increasing altitude by about 6°C for every kilometer, then the temperature at the outermost edge of this layer is approximately __________ lower than at the Earth's surface.

A) 0°C
B) 6°C
C) 60°C
D) 360°C
E) 600°C

Question 54

Which of the following processes is not involved in the hydrologic cycle?

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

Question 55

El Niño and La Niña are similar in that both events

A) originate in the Atlantic Ocean
B) affect weather patterns
C) are predictable every year
D) cause global cooling
E) are associated with Christmas

Question 56

The phosphorus cycle differs from the carbon cycle in that:

A) there is little or no human impact on the phosphorus cycle.
B) phosphorus is not a critical component of living organisms.
C) the hydrosphere plays a role in the phosphorus cycle.
D) the atmosphere does not contribute to the phosphorus cycle.
E) plants play a role in the carbon cycle, but have no role in the phosphorus cycle.

Question 57

During photosynthesis, plants, algae, and certain bacteria remove CO2 from the air and fix it into chemical compounds such as __________ .

A) Water
B) Sugar
C) Salt
D) Acids
E) Ammonia

Question 58

Which of the following accurately represents a carbon source and the process that releases carbon from that source?

A) Fossil fuels, respiration
B) Animals, photosynthesis
C) Plants, cellular respiration
D) Biocarbonate, combustion
E) Limestone, combustion

Question 59

After the 2004 tsunami, the death tolls in 2 coastal Sri Lankan cities were examined. The village with intact mangrove vegetation recorded _________ deaths, whereas the other settlement had almost ________ deaths.

A) 2;6000
B) 20;6000
C) 6;2000
D) 60; 2000
E) 100;1000

Question 60

Which of the following statements about the sulfur cycle is true?

A) Bacteria play little or no role in the sulfur cycle.
B) Most of the planet's sulfur is found in the atmosphere.
C) Plants are unable to assimilate sulfate (SO42-)
D) Sea spray, forest fires, and dust storms release sulfates (SO42-) into the air.
E) Sedimentary rocks and erosion do not contribute to the sulfur cycle.

Question 61

What is the relationship between locations of earthquakes and plate tectonics?

A) Earthquakes frequently happen where landmasses are on the boundary between two plates.
B) Earthquakes release energy as seismic waves. Energy accumulates from the push and stretch of rocks as plates move horizontally across Earth's surface.
C) Earthquakes occur along faults. Fault zones are often found at plate boundaries.
D) Earthquakes are common in volcanic regions. Volcanoes are common where two plates meet.
E) All of these constitute a relationship between earthquakes and plate tectonics.

Question 62

Bacteria are key participants in the sulfur and nitrogen biogeochemical cycles. Briefly describe the role of oxygen in the various bacteria's ability to process sulfur and nitrogen.

Question 63

Weather is a term that refers to the conditions in the atmosphere on a ________ basis, whereas climate is a description of ___________weather conditions.

A) Hourly or daily, average, long-term
B) Permanent, temporary
C) Global, local
D) Stable, unstable
E) Long-term, short term

Question 64

What is the function of the TAO/TRITON array?

A) To assist in the prediction of ENSO weather events
B) To monitor global atmospheric CO2 concentrations
C) To help map location of the Gulf Stream
D) To monitor seismic activity on the seafloor
E) To measure daily temperature variation

Question 65

List four ways in which solar radiation makes life on Earth possible.

Question 66

Winds tend to blow from areas of _________atmospheric pressure to areas of _______atmospheric pressure, and the greater the difference between the high- and low- pressure areas, the _______ the wind.

A) Low, high, weaker
B) High, low, stronger
C) Low, high, stronger
D) High, low, weaker
E) East, west, more continuous

Question 67

List and briefly explain three ways in which human activities are impacting the biogeochemical cycles.

Question 68

Which biogeochemical cycle(s) contribute(s) to eutrophication?

A) The P cycle
B) The C cycle
C) The N cycle
D) The P cycle and the N Cycle
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 69

Which of the following contributed to the high loss of life during the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China?

A) Many buildings were not constructed to withstand earthquakes
B) The focus of the earthquake was extremely deep in the earth's crust, affecting the earth's surface over a wider area
C) Sichuan is near the boundary of two tectonic plates
D) All of these choices are correct
E) Many buildings were not constructed to withstand earthquakes and Sichuan is near the boundary of two tectonic plates

Question 70

Define "rain shadow" and explain why deserts form in the rain shadows of mountains.

Question 71

Discuss the major components of the hydrologic cycle and identify the processes involved in the transfer or exchange of water from one reservoir to another. In the correct context, use the following vocabulary in your discussion: watershed, transpiration, percolate, runoff, precipitation, groundwater, evaporation, and estuary. Draw a diagram incorporating these terms into the cycle.

Question 72

Why were the mangroves cut down in the Sri Lankan village?

A) Lumber
B) Fossil fuel used for energy
C) Export to boost their economy
D) Build tourist resorts or promote aquaculture
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 73

Briefly discuss the role of the Earth's rotation and inclination on its axis on seasonal temperature variations.