Deck 3: Economics and Values

Question 1

The artificial method of fixing atmospheric nitrogen for plant growth is called the .

A) denitrification process
B) Haber- Bosch process
C) nitrification process
D) net primary production

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The Haber- Bosch process creates nitrogen fertilizers by .

A) allowing vegetative detritus to break down under anaerobic conditions
B) extracting nitrogen oxides from the gases produced when fossil fuels are burned
C) converting nitrogen gas to ammonia
D) extracting reactive nitrogen from soils

Answer 2

C

Question 3

All of the following can be taken in and used by plants except .

A) CO₂
B) N₂
C) NH₄+
D) PO₄₃-

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The first step in changing atmospheric nitrogen into more usable NH₃ is called .

A) nitrification
B) denitrification
C) ammonification
D) nitrogen fixation

Question 5

Which step in the figure shows nitrogen fixation?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 6

By definition, inorganic fertilizers do not contain .

A) either nitrogen or phosphorus
B) carbon
C) phosphorus
D) nitrogen

Question 7

All of the following statements about the sulfur cycle are true except for the following:

A) Most sulfur is found in rocks and minerals.
B) A natural source of sulfur in soils is the weathering of rocks.
C) Unlike nitrogen and carbon, organisms do not require or contain sulfur.
D) Sulfur is released into the atmosphere when humans burn coal.

Question 8

The volume of Lake Erie is 480 km3. The main inflows into Lake Erie include the Detroit River and Buffalo River, and the main outflows include the Niagara River and Welland Canal. If the water level of Lake Erie remains level and the amount of water flowing into Lake Erie is 0.500 km3 per day, what is the approximate residence time for the water in Lake Erie?

A) 2.6 years
B) 960 years
C) 240 years
D) 8.5 months

Question 9

The largest pools of carbon in the carbon cycle are .

A) plants and animals
B) the atmosphere and land plants
C) freshwater systems and oceans
D) carbonate rocks and oceans

Question 10

Plants grow as their cells manufacture new organic molecules. The carbon in the newly created organic molecules of these plants came from .

A) carbon dioxide in the air
B) carbon compounds absorbed from water
C) proteins and carbohydrates absorbed by the roots of the plants
D) carbon dioxide released during the production of plant sugars

Question 11

Of the following forms of nitrogen, which one is least useful to plants?

A) NH₄+
B) NO₃-
C) NH₃
D) N₂O

Question 12

Which one of the following best describes a flux?

A) Movement of elements or compounds between reservoirs in a biogeochemical cycle
B) A pool or reservoir where an element or compound is stored within a biogeochemical cycle
C) A type of flower used for food and fiber; also known as linseed
D) Variation in output from a large water reservoir, such as output through a hydroelectric dam

Question 13

All organic compounds contain .

A) sulfur
B) water
C) nitrogen
D) carbon

Question 14

This figure depicts what biogeochemical cycle?

A) Carbon
B) Nitrogen
C) Sulfur
D) Phosphorus

Question 15

Which one of the following statements about the carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen cycles is true?

A) Of the three, only the phosphorus cycle has no gaseous component.
B) Bacteria drive all three cycles.
C) The major source of carbon used by plants is the soil.
D) The major source of nitrogen used by plants is the atmosphere.

Question 16

Fossil fuels were formed from .

A) sodium and calcium incorporated into ancient fossils, seashells, and limestone
B) nitrogen trapped in rocks during extensive volcanic activity
C) plants and algae trapped underground millions of years ago
D) pockets of hydrogen sulfide gas that were trapped beneath bogs and wetlands

Question 17

What human activity contributes most to the release of sulfur into the atmosphere?

A) Using automobiles
B) Cutting down trees
C) Burning wood for fuel
D) Burning coal in power plants

Question 18

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the increased flux of carbon into the atmosphere has been primarily due to .

A) desertification
B) the addition of phosphate to detergents
C) the addition of fertilizers to the soil
D) the burning of fossil fuels

Question 19

Which of the following carbon reservoirs contains the least carbon?

A) Fossil fuels
B) Oceans
C) Carbonate rocks
D) The atmosphere

Question 20

Cows release which of the following into the atmosphere?

A) SO₂
B) Phosphorus, sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen
C) CO₂ and CH₄
D) N₂ and NOx

Question 21

Production of which of the following is expected to decline around the middle of this century, as global deposits dwindle?

A) Phosphorus fertilizer
B) Reactive sulfur
C) Carbon dioxide
D) Nitrogen fertilizer

Question 22

Discuss the role of bacteria in the (a) carbon and (b) nitrogen cycles.

Question 23

Identify the human activities that negatively impact the phosphorus cycle, and explain their impacts.

Question 24

All of the following can be converted into acids in the atmosphere except .

A) sulfur
B) NO
C) N₂
D) NO₂

Question 25

Sewage treatment plants often use the same denitrification process that occurs in soils and bodies of water. The process of denitrification involves .

A) the conversion of reactive nitrogen into unreactive nitrogen
B) the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to reactive nitrogen
C) the bubbling of oxygen into sewage
D) the removal of oxygen from sewage

Question 26

Which of the following naturally convert(s) atmospheric nitrogen into reactive nitrogen?

A) Various industrial processes for making fertilizers
B) Lightning and soil bacteria
C) Denitrifying bacteria
D) Fossil fuel combustion

Question 27

Which one of the following is most likely to cause eutrophication of a waterway?

A) The eruption of a nearby volcano
B) The use of detergents containing high levels of phosphorus
C) The release of carbon monoxide from a coal- burning power plant
D) The burning of diesel containing high levels of sulfur

Question 28

Which of the following elements is found in soils and rocks but is virtually absent from Earth's atmosphere?

A) Oxygen
B) Phosphorus
C) Nitrogen
D) Carbon

Question 29

Give a brief overview of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Include the source of carbon that enters terrestrial ecosystems, how carbon moves through ecosystems, and how carbon ultimately leaves ecosystems. Explain how part of this cycle is believed to contribute to global climate change.

Question 30

Cell respiration and photosynthesis are complex processes that .

A) involve the flux of carbon between the atmosphere and organisms
B) generate oxygen from soil minerals
C) result in the production of glucose
D) release carbon dioxide

Question 31

The trends depicted in the figure are best explained by .

A) an increased use of fossil fuels, followed by recent regulations restricting the production and use of fossil fuels containing sulfur
B) a growth and subsequent decline in the global human population
C) an increased use of fossil fuels, followed by a recent decreased use of fossil fuels
D) an increased use of sulfur- containing fertilizers, followed by a recent replacement of those fertilizers with those that contain phosphorus and nitrogen rather than sulfur

Question 32

Nitrogen fixation is a process that makes nitrogen available to plants and is carried out by .

A) bacteria
B) nitrogen gas dissolving in fresh water and in the ocean
C) volcanic eruptions
D) plants during photosynthesis

Question 33

Biogeochemical cycles involve .

A) heat loss from both respiration and photosynthesis
B) only geological and chemical processes
C) the cyclic movement of materials through ecosystems
D) only biological processes