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

Question 1

Water-soluble wastes are not a significant pollution problem because liquid water cannot dissolve as many compounds as most other liquids.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Human activities affect the phosphorus cycle by greatly increasing the amount of phosphorus stored in the earth, reducing the amount available for plant growth.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Only about 0.024% of the earth's vast water supply is available to humans and other species as liquid freshwater.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Plants, but not animals, carry out photosynthesis while animals, but not plants, carry out aerobic respiration.

Question 5

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

Question 6

Water has the ability to filter out wavelengths of the sun's ultraviolet radiation that would harm some aquatic organisms.

Question 7

Water exists as a liquid over a wide range of temperatures because of the lack of attractive forces between its molecules.

Question 8

If an ecologist spent a summer recording the behavior of grasshoppers in a meadow, the work would be considered laboratory research.

Question 9

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

Question 10

Aerobic respiration is the process by which cells use oxygen to produce energy that they can use to fuel life processes.

Question 11

Water contracts when it freezes, making ice more dense than liquid water.

Question 12

Sometimes ecologists carry out controlled experiments by isolating and changing a variable in part of an area and comparing the results with nearby unchanged areas.

Question 13

Omnivores are animals that feed only on the flesh of other animals.

Question 14

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is affected by the carbon cycle.

Question 15

Because the earth does not get significant inputs of matter from space, its essentially fixed supply of nutrients must continually be recycled to support life.

Question 16

A sphere of energy flow shows the amount of energy lost from one trophic level to the next.

Question 17

As a primary consumer, a deer is part of the second trophic level.

Question 18

Detritivores, such as earthworms, consume wastes and dead organisms to obtain nutrients.

Question 19

Lightning is one of the natural mechanisms by which atmospheric nitrogen is converted to ammonia or ammonium ions.

Question 20

The hydrologic cycle collects, purifies, and distributes the earth's fixed supply of water.

Question 21

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?

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 22

Ozone, a gas that filters out harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, is found in the ____.

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

Question 23

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

Question 24

Organisms that consume wastes and remains of plants and animals are ____.

A) also autotrophs
B) also producers
C) considered primary consumers
D) tertiary consumers, such as bacteria and fungi
E) decomposers, usually bacteria and fungi

Question 25

A group of individuals of the same species living in a particular place is a(n) ____.

A) species
B) population
C) community
D) organism
E) biome

Question 26

Aerobic respiration produces carbon dioxide and water, whereas fermentation produces a range of products such as ethyl alcohol and hydrogen sulfide.

Question 27

The ____ includes all of the water in all phases (solid, liquid, or gas) on or near the earth's surface.

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

Question 28

Ecologists primarily focus on studying interactions from the level of ____ to the level of ____.

A) ecosystems; the biosphere
B) cells; ecosystems
C) organisms; the biosphere
D) populations; communities
E) atoms; populations

Question 29

Life on earth depends on the ____ of ____ energy from the sun.

A) cycling; high-quality
B) one-way flow; high-quality
C) cycling; low-quality
D) one-way flow; low-quality
E) one-way flow; ultraviolet

Question 30

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

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

Question 31

An organism that consumes living plant-eating animals is a(n) ___.

A) producer
B) primary consumer
C) secondary consumer
D) tertiary consumer
E) detritivore

Question 32

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

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

Question 33

Which of the following best represents the process of aerobic respiration?

A) Glucose + carbon dioxide → oxygen + water + energy
B) Glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy
C) Energy + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + glucose
D) Water + glucose → oxygen + carbon dioxide + energy
E) Energy + glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water

Question 34

A community of different species interacting with one another and with their nonliving (abiotic) environment of matter and energy is called a(n) ____.

A) species
B) ecosystem
C) population
D) biosphere
E) community

Question 35

Which of the following best represents the process of photosynthesis?

A) Carbon dioxide + glucose + solar energy → water + oxygen
B) Carbon dioxide + water + solar energy → glucose + oxygen
C) Oxygen + glucose + solar energy → carbon dioxide + water
D) Oxygen + glucose → solar energy + carbon dioxide + water
E) Carbon dioxide + water → solar energy + glucose + oxygen

Question 36

Given the nature of the carbon cycle, it is possible that a single atom of carbon that is in your skin could have once been part of your own great grandmother, or even a dinosaur.

Question 37

If the earth were an apple, the biosphere would be no thicker than the apple's skin.

Question 38

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

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

Question 39

An orca is an example of a(n) ____.

A) producer
B) tertiary consumer
C) primary consumer
D) secondary consumer
E) detritus feeder

Question 40

The ozone layer, which helps to filter out harmful UV sunlight, is found in the troposphere.

Question 41

An example of a detritus feeder is a(n) ____.

A) oak tree
B) earthworm
C) spider
D) aquatic plant
E) whale

Question 42

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.

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

Question 43

Transpiration is the process by which _____.

A) water evaporates from the ocean
B) water is produced as an end product of aerobic respiration and fermentation
C) water runs into bodies of water due to gravity
D) water is released into the air from plants
E) water travels through sand, soil, and rocks

Question 44

A(n) _____ contains groundwater that has collected in layers of rock, sand, and gravel.

A) underground lake
B) aquifer
C) wetland
D) basin
E) stock

Question 45

A grassy meadow high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California is known to support a variety of organisms. During the summers when grass is thick and lush, and wildflowers abound, butterflies take advantage of this abundant nectar source.  Bears graze on the berries in shrubs at the edge of the meadow. Deer also forage at the edge of the meadow.  In the early mornings, coyotes are known to prey on the squirrel and mouse populations that burrow into the meadow soil.  A variety of birds prey on the butterflies and other flying insects, such as bees and wasps. The coyotes would be classified as ____.

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

Question 46

An organism can be described as a tertiary consumer if it eats ____.

A) detritivores
B) secondary producers
C) herbivores and carnivores
D) solely primary consumers
E) producers only

Question 47

Unlike nitrogen or carbon, phosphorus ____.

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 48

Carbon is extremely important because ____.

A) it does not participate in many chemical reactions
B) it is found only in inorganic matter, not in living organisms
C) it is only found in organic matter, not in inorganic materials
D) it dissolves especially well in water
E) it is an essential building block for organic molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and nucleic acids such as DNA.

Question 49

A grassy meadow high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California is known to support a variety of organisms. During the summers when grass is thick and lush, and wildflowers abound, butterflies take advantage of this abundant nectar source.  Bears graze on the berries in shrubs at the edge of the meadow. Deer also forage at the edge of the meadow.  In the early mornings, coyotes are known to prey on the squirrel and mouse populations that burrow into the meadow soil.  A variety of birds prey on the butterflies and other flying insects, such as bees and wasps. If the biomass of flowers that support the butterflies was known to contain 100,000 units of energy, and certain bird species were eating the butterflies that foraged on the flowers, what amount of energy, on average, could be expected to be transferred to the birds?

A) 10
B) 100
C) 1,000
D) 10,000
E) 50,000

Question 50

Geographic Information System (GIS) software allows scientists to ____.

A) simulate real-world conditions in laboratory experiments
B) connect to the internet from remote locations in the field
C) connect to and control experiments in the field
D) capture, store, analyze, and display geographic data
E) simulate the behavior of ecosystems

Question 51

The two major processes through which carbon cycles through the biosphere are ____.

A) fuel combustion and decomposition
B) photosynthesis and aerobic respiration
C) soil bacteria and precipitation
D) volcanic activity and organic decay
E) the rock cycle and the water cycle

Question 52

The most common gas in the atmosphere is ____.

A) nitrogen
B) carbon dioxide
C) oxygen
D) hydrogen
E) methane

Question 53

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

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 54

One challenge of laboratory research is that ____.

A) too many variables are uncontrolled
B) real organisms cannot be used
C) observations may not reflect what actually takes place in nature
D) field locations can be expensive and difficult to access
E) measurements are difficult to make in that environment

Question 55

Complex networks of interconnected food chains in ecosystems are best described as ____.

A) food webs
B) nutrient cycling
C) trophic levels
D) pyramids of energy
E) trophic chains

Question 56

A grassy meadow high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California is known to support a variety of organisms. During the summers when grass is thick and lush, and wildflowers abound, butterflies take advantage of this abundant nectar source.  Bears graze on the berries in shrubs at the edge of the meadow. Deer also forage at the edge of the meadow.  In the early mornings, coyotes are known to prey on the squirrel and mouse populations that burrow into the meadow soil.  A variety of birds prey on the butterflies and other flying insects, such as bees and wasps. Coyotes typically forage on mice and squirrels. However, as members of the canine family, Canidae, they also eat berries and parts of plants. As such, coyotes are classified as ____.

A) herbivores
B) carnivores
C) omnivores
D) detritivores
E) producers

Question 57

An example of a producer is ____.

A) cows consuming grass in a field
B) a shark consuming small, algae-eating fish
C) a coyote consuming a rabbit
D) worms living in apple trees in an orchard
E) a photosynthetic bacterial species

Question 58

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

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

Question 59

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

A) CN^-
B) NO₃^-
C) N₂
D) NH₃
E) NH₄⁺

Question 60

Despite its low net primary productivity (NPP), the open ocean produces more of the earth's biomass per year than any other ecosystem or life zone because ____.

A) growth is not limited by nutrient availability
B) whales are so large
C) of the enormous volume of the global ocean
D) more sunlight is available
E) there are fewer primary consumers

Question 61

A highly poisonous gas that smells like rotten eggs and can be a product of fermentation _______________.

Question 62

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

Question 63

A(n) ____________________ consists of populations of different species living in a particular place and potentially interacting with each other.

Question 64

Oxygen accounts for about ____ of the air in the atmosphere.

A) 5%
B) 21%
C) 53%
D) 66%
E) 82%

Question 65

In the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States, scientists observed that population clusters of a small cactus were pronounced around nests of desert woodrats. Given this spatial relationship, they began to think the woodrat was connected to the seeding of these cactus plants. 
After years of counting and observing woodrat nests and nearby cactus plants, scientists collected woodrat droppings for laboratory analysis to determine whether they contained cactus seeds. They also excluded woodrats from several other areas without cactus plants, then collected woodrat droppings and added those to half of these areas to examine whether the droppings were associated with the growth of new population clusters of the cactus.
Scientists then programmed the data they had collected into a computer. A computer program enabled them to predict that increases in the woodrat population would result in corresponding increases in the cactus population, and likewise, a decrease in the number of woodrats would signal an impending decrease in cactus.

Which phase of the study could be described as modeling?

A) when the scientists gathered woodrat droppings for lab analysis
B) when the scientists determined from computer programs how woodrat nest numbers would impact cactus populations
C) when the scientists first observed the proximity of woodrat nests and cactus plants
D) when the scientists transported woodrat droppings to other areas
E) when the scientists first wondered whether or not woodrats were connected to the seeding of the cactus plants

Question 66

In the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States, scientists observed that population clusters of a small cactus were pronounced around nests of desert woodrats. Given this spatial relationship, they began to think the woodrat was connected to the seeding of these cactus plants. 
After years of counting and observing woodrat nests and nearby cactus plants, scientists collected woodrat droppings for laboratory analysis to determine whether they contained cactus seeds. They also excluded woodrats from several other areas without cactus plants, then collected woodrat droppings and added those to half of these areas to examine whether the droppings were associated with the growth of new population clusters of the cactus.
Scientists then programmed the data they had collected into a computer. A computer program enabled them to predict that increases in the woodrat population would result in corresponding increases in the cactus population, and likewise, a decrease in the number of woodrats would signal an impending decrease in cactus.

What finding would suggest that the woodrats were spreading cactus seeds?

A) New populations of cactus plants grew in all of the areas studied.
B) Areas without woodrats did not have cactus plants even if woodrat droppings were added.
C) New populations of cactus plants grew in the areas with woodrat droppings, but not in the areas that did not have droppings.
D) Woodrats were able to get into all of the areas being studied regardless of whether there were cactus plants.
E) New populations of cactus plants grew in the areas without woodrat droppings, but not in the areas with woodrat droppings.

Question 67

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

Question 68

Photosynthesis is performed by ____.

A) heterotrophs
B) autotrophs
C) decomposers
D) detritivores
E) herbivores

Question 69

The ____________________ occupies those parts of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere where life is found.

Question 70

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

Question 71

The oceans contain about ____ of the earth's water.

A) 38%
B) 55%
C) 71%
D) 85%
E) 97%

Question 72

Nitrogen can be used by plants as a nutrient when it is in the form(s) of ____.

A) a gas
B) ammonia only
C) large proteins
D) ammonia, ammonium ion, or nitrate ion
E) organic molecules

Question 73

In the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States, scientists observed that population clusters of a small cactus were pronounced around nests of desert woodrats. Given this spatial relationship, they began to think the woodrat was connected to the seeding of these cactus plants. 
After years of counting and observing woodrat nests and nearby cactus plants, scientists collected woodrat droppings for laboratory analysis to determine whether they contained cactus seeds. They also excluded woodrats from several other areas without cactus plants, then collected woodrat droppings and added those to half of these areas to examine whether the droppings were associated with the growth of new population clusters of the cactus.
Scientists then programmed the data they had collected into a computer. A computer program enabled them to predict that increases in the woodrat population would result in corresponding increases in the cactus population, and likewise, a decrease in the number of woodrats would signal an impending decrease in cactus.

The transport of woodrat dropping to other areas to compare them with areas lacking droppings could be described as ____.

A) remote sensing
B) laboratory research
C) a controlled experiment
D) behavioral science
E) chemical analysis

Question 74

A sequence of organisms, each of which serves as a source of nutrients or energy for the next, is called a(n) ____________________.

Question 75

Ecologists use computers to run____________________ to simulate ecosystems and study complex processes that cannot be adequately studied using field or laboratory research.

Question 76

The process in which organisms, such as yeasts, break down organic molecules without the presence of oxygen is called ____________________.

Question 77

Phytoplankton in the open ocean are ____.

A) producers
B) consumers
C) heterotrophs
D) detritivores
E) decomposers

Question 78

Most of the phosphorus in the phosphorus cycle is in the form of ____, used by plants as a nutrient.

A) phosphate
B) amino acids
C) sugars
D) elemental phosphorus
E) proteins

Question 79

Organisms that cannot produce their own food and have to feed on other organisms are called ____________________.

Question 80

Net primary productivity (NPP) is the rate at which producers use photosynthesis to produce and store chemical energy minus ____.

A) the rate at which they use some of this stored chemical energy through aerobic respiration
B) the amount of chemical energy they already have stored
C) the rate at which the producers are consumed
D) the average rate of photosynthesis in cloudy conditions
E) the average rate of photosynthesis among similar organisms