Deck 3: Energy Flows and Ecosystems

Question 1

The approach used by Indigenous peoples to develop knowledge is referred to as ________.

A) Indigenous knowledge
B) non-Western knowledge
C) oral knowledge
D) traditional ecological knowledge

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The portion of the ecosphere that contains all water on Earth is called the ________.

A) atmosphere
B) lithosphere
C) hydrosphere
D) thermosphere

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The layer of Earth's atmosphere that contains the ozone, which blocks out most of the sun's ultraviolet radiation, is called the ________.

A) stratosphere
B) mesosphere
C) thermosphere
D) lithosphere

Answer 3

A

Question 4

________ and ________ account for 99 per cent of the gaseous volume of the troposphere.

A) Hydrogen; carbon dioxide
B) Carbon dioxide; nitrogen
C) Nitrogen; oxygen
D) Oxygen; carbon dioxide

Question 5

Atlantic puffins and many other marine species declined in the 1980s as a result of the operation of an offshore ________ fishery.

A) seal
B) cod
C) murre
D) capelin

Question 6

Energy from the sun is called ________ energy.

A) radiant
B) heat
C) kinetic
D) potential

Question 7

________ is an example of kinetic energy.

A) A hamburger
B) Water stored behind a dam
C) A litre of gasoline
D) Running water

Question 8

________ is NOT an example of high-quality energy.

A) Gasoline
B) Coal
C) An ocean
D) A hot fire

Question 9

The principle that tells us that there is always a decrease in usable energy when it is transformed from one form to another is described by ________.

A) the law of conservation of energy
B) the second law of thermodynamics
C) the first law of thermodynamic
D) ecosystem homeostasis

Question 10

As energy flows through ecosystems, entropy ________.

A) increases
B) becomes more concentrated
C) decreases
D) Both b and c

Question 11

Common characteristics of living organisms include ________.

A) react to their environment
B) increasing in size and complexity over time
C) using energy to maintain internal order
D) All of the above

Question 12

Constant bombardment of early Earth's nutrient-rich seas by solar energy creates ________.

A) amino acids
B) bacteria
C) DNA
D) proteins

Question 13

Earth's first living cells were probably ________.

A) corals
B) zooplankton
C) bacteria
D) viruses

Question 14

The kingdom characterized by a lack of a cell nucleus is called ________.

A) protista
B) monera
C) plantae
D) fungi

Question 15

The kelp found in abundance along much of Canada's coastline belongs to the ________ kingdom.

A) monera
B) fungi
C) protista
D) plantae

Question 16

The sun is composed mainly of ________.

A) helium and oxygen
B) oxygen and nitrogen
C) hydrogen and helium
D) hydrogen and oxygen

Question 17

About ________ of the sun's incoming energy is reflected back into space.

A) a quarter
B) a third
C) two thirds
D) 99 per cent

Question 18

________ of the sun's incoming energy forms the basis for our ecological systems.

A) Twenty-three per cent
B) Thirty-four per cent
C) One per cent
D) Forty-two per cent

Question 19

Photosynthesis requires ________.

A) solar energy
B) carbon dioxide
C) water
D) All of the above

Question 20

Chemoautotrophs and phototrophs are both ________.

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

Question 21

Phototrophs obtain their energy from ________.

A) producers
B) eating other organisms
C) light
D) chemicals in the environment

Question 22

Approximately ________ of energy is lost as it is converted from solar energy to chemical energy stored in producers as biomass.

A) 97 to 99 per cent
B) 7 to 9 per cent
C) 17 to 19 per cent
D) 57 to 59 per cent

Question 23

________ has same trophic level as an Arctic flower.

A) A grasshopper
B) An elephant
C) A Douglas fir tree
D) A Vancouver Island marmot

Question 24

Organisms that require access to oxygen to survive are known as ________.

A) tertiary organisms
B) endemic organisms
C) aerobic organisms
D) anaerobic organisms

Question 25

As latitude decreases from the poles to the tropics, the number of species ________.

A) stays the same
B) decreases
C) increases, then decreases near the equator
D) increases

Question 26

Life in Earth's oceans originated ________ years ago and came onto land ________ years ago.

A) 8 billion; 6 million
B) 3.5 billion; 450 million
C) 14.5 billion; 1.2 billion
D) 6 billion; 45 million

Question 27

The ocean's most productive zone is the ________.

A) continental slope
B) bathal zone
C) euphotic zone
D) abyssal zone

Question 28

The amount of energy available to heterotrophs is ________.

A) net primary productivity (NPP)
B) always equal
C) kilocalories per unit area
D) gross primary productivity

Question 29

________ has the highest average net productivity.

A) Agricultural land
B) Savannah
C) Tundra
D) An estuary

Question 30

Net community productivity (NCP) ________.

A) is GPP minus NPP
B) increases as an ecosystem matures
C) is GPP and NPP minus autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration
D) is GPP plus respiration

Question 31

________ is/are NOT an auxiliary energy flow.

A) Pesticides
B) Fertilizers
C) The sun
D) Gasoline

Question 32

The following list best represents ecosystem structure from smallest to largest: ________.

A) organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome
B) organism, population, community, biome, ecosystem
C) organism, community, biome, population, ecosystem
D) biome, ecosystem, community, population, organism

Question 33

Biome distribution is principally determined by ________.

A) nutrient availability
B) temperature and water availability
C) latitude and longitude
D) number of sunlight hours received

Question 34

________ is/are NOT an abiotic ecosystem component.

A) Precipitation
B) Light
C) Soil pH
D) Herbivores

Question 35

________ soil type covers the greatest area in Canada.

A) Chernozemic
B) Gleysolic
C) Cryosolic
D) Organic

Question 36

The soil component having the smallest particle size is ________.

A) clay
B) silt
C) gravel
D) sand

Question 37

The "weakest link" in a food chain is ________.

A) the dominant limiting factor
B) adequate sunlight and water
C) the biotic component
D) soil type

Question 38

A species' range of tolerance is bounded by ________.

A) zones of intolerance
B) too much growth
C) limiting factors too severe to permit growth
D) Both a and c

Question 39

A species' niche is ________.

A) the chemical conditions required for its growth
B) the biological conditions required for its growth
C) the physical conditions required for its growth
D) All of the above

Question 40

The competitive exclusion principle tells us that ________.

A) no two species can occupy the same niche in the same area
B) one species needs more resources than another
C) two species must compete for resources
D) None of the above

Question 41

Specialist species are more susceptible to population fluctuations because ________.

A) they have a wide range of food sources, making disease more likely
B) their immune system is often weaker
C) they have relatively narrow niches
D) their reproductive potential is lower

Question 42

Optimal foraging theory suggests that ________.

A) costs are more beneficial when foraging
B) species can only forage in one area
C) predators will switch prey when their main prey becomes scarce
D) benefits outweigh costs while foraging

Question 43

Defenses that prey have developed to avoid predation include ________.

A) chemicals
B) camouflage
C) thorns
D) All of the above

Question 44

Tapeworms, ticks, lamprey, and mistletoe are all examples of ________.

A) parasites
B) commensalists
C) mutualists
D) limiting factorism

Question 45

Mutualism is a relationship which is ________.

A) harmful to one party
B) beneficial to neither party
C) beneficial to both parties
D) harmful to both parties

Question 46

Commensalism is ________.

A) harmful to one species
B) beneficial to one species
C) beneficial to neither species
D) beneficial to both species

Question 47

Which statement on keystone species is FALSE?

A) Keystone species are usually near the bottom of the food chain.
B) A keystone species has a strong influence on the entire community.
C) A keystone species has the potential to affect the limits of tolerance of other species in the community.
D) The full impact of removing a keystone species from an ecosystem may not be evident for years or even centuries.

Question 48

A species has been extirpated when it is ________.

A) locally extinct
B) dependent on another species for its survival
C) extinct
D) not fulfilling its ecological function

Question 49

Biodiversity is recognized at the following levels: ________.

A) population, community, and ecosystem
B) organism, species, and population
C) genetic, species, and ecosystem
D) organism, population, and community

Question 50

As energy disperses, entropy increases.

Question 51

For cellular respiration to occur, most organisms must have access to oxygen.

Question 52

Decomposer food chains, rather than grazing food chains, often dominate forest ecosystems.

Question 53

All plants are autotrophs.

Question 54

In the Arctic, there are more alternative energy pathways in the food web than in the tropics.

Question 55

Not all ecosystems have the same ability to fix biomass.

Question 56

Ecosystems are "open systems."

Question 57

Water availability is often the critical factor determining differences between terrestrial
communities.

Question 58

A species may widely tolerate variation in some factors but have a very narrow range of tolerance for other factors.

Question 59

The competitive exclusion principle tells us that many species can occupy the same niche, at the same time, in the same area.

Question 60

Parasites always kill their host.

Question 61

A species may act as a keystone species in some communities but not in others.

Question 62

High biodiversity is often considered synonymous with ecosystem health.

Question 63

Genetic diversity in a population increases ability to avoid inbreeding and withstand stress.

Question 64

Biodiversity hotspots are areas where biodiversity is severely at risk.

Question 65

Starting with energy emitted from the sun, explain how energy flows through land-based, ecological systems.

Question 66

How do food webs differ from food chains?

Question 67

How and why does the number of species change as latitude increases?

Question 68

Explain the implications of a meat-based diet compared to a vegetarian diet in terms of trophic energy efficiency.

Question 69

How does the energy efficiency of ecosystems change as they mature?

Question 70

What is soil? Why is it important? Outline some of the critical factors in soil development.

Question 71

What is a specialist species? What is a generalist species? Give examples of each.

Question 72

Explain the differences between parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism. Provide examples.

Question 73

What is a keystone species? Why are keystone species so important in ecosystems? Provide an example of a Canadian keystone species.

Question 74

Explain why tropical forests have such high levels of biodiversity.