Deck 15: Ecosystems, Biomes, and Cycles of Life

Question 1

What is the role of volcanism in biogeochemical cycles? In your discussion, include the gases and potential nutrients that emanate from a volcanic eruption.

Answer 1

NA
Ans:

Question 2

What elements -- beneficial or harmful -- enter the human body from soils, by the way of the food crops that we consume? What are the pathways of these substances?

Answer 2

There are both beneficial and harmful elements that enter the human body from soils through the food crops we consume.

Beneficial elements such as essential nutrients including potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and calcium are absorbed by plants from the soil and then consumed by humans when they eat the crops. These elements are necessary for maintaining overall health and proper functioning of the body.

On the other hand, harmful elements such as heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic can also be absorbed by plants from contaminated soils. When humans consume these contaminated crops, these harmful elements can enter the body and cause various health problems.

The pathways of these substances entering the human body include direct consumption of the crops, as well as indirect consumption through animals that have consumed contaminated crops. Additionally, these substances can also enter the body through water sources that have been contaminated by the runoff from the soil.

It's important to monitor and regulate soil quality to ensure that the food crops grown in them are safe for human consumption, and to mitigate any potential health risks associated with harmful elements. Additionally, consuming a balanced diet with a variety of foods can help minimize the impact of harmful elements entering the body.

Question 3

An __________ is the basic life-supporting system in which living organisms interact with each other and with the abiotic components of their environment.

Answer 3

ecosystem

Question 4

The total amount of organic matter on Earth or in any particular ecosystem is called the ___________ of that system.

Question 5

A life-supporting system must have a source of usable __________ and a sink for degraded energy.

Question 6

Carbohydrate production and the consequent building of body mass by autotrophs is called __________ production.

Question 7

The production of body mass by heterotrophs is called ___________ production.

Question 8

Energy is transferred along __________ chains in which one organism eats another and is, in turn, eaten by another organism.

Question 9

When there are several interconnected food chains in an ecosystem that involves complex eating relationships and interactions, we call it a __________ web.

Question 10

In its most general form, a __________ cycle is the complete pathway that a chemical element follows through the Earth system.

Question 11

___________ is a measure of how easily a substance can be absorbed and used by organisms.

Question 12

The process of converting fixed nitrogen back to molecular nitrogen and then releasing it to the atmosphere is called __________ .

Question 13

__________ is weathered rock material that has been altered by the presence of living and decaying organisms.

Question 14

Soil contains __________ , partially decayed organic matter.

Question 15

Soil __________ is a measure of the "clumpiness"
of the soil.

Question 16

The entire sequence of horizons from the surface to the underlying bedrock constitutes the soil __________ .

Question 17

Different biomes that coexist in a particular geographic region constitute a __________ .

Question 18

___________ are the most widely varied of the major biomes.

Question 19

__________ biomes are distinguished primarily on the basis of salinity.

Question 20

The parts of the ocean that are near the shoreline are referred to as the __________ zone.

Question 21

A flow of energy is a fundamental requirement for any life-supporting system.

Question 22

Net production is biomass that is left over from gross production after it has been used to fuel the processes of life.

Question 23

Heterotrophs, the primary producers, are the first trophic level.

Question 24

Unlike materials, which cannot be recycled, energy is cycled endlessly through ecosystems.

Question 25

Most ecosystems have several interconnected food chains involving complex eating relationships and interactions, which form a food web.

Question 26

Some elements are essential for life, others are toxic, and others are neutral.

Question 27

Organisms are not selective in their uptake of chemical elements. Basically, they will take what they can get.

Question 28

A system that supports and sustains life must have a continually renewed source of energy and a sink for heat energy.

Question 29

Some elements that are essential to the biosphere are said to undergo biogeochemical cycling.

Question 30

In general, residence times are short in the geosphere, long in the atmosphere and biosphere, and intermediate in the hydrosphere.

Question 31

Different elements generally take the same pathways through the four great reservoirs of the Earth system.

Question 32

The carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles are three of the least important biogeochemical cycles.

Question 33

The atmosphere has had a great influence on the biosphere and has, in turn, been deeply affected by the biosphere over Earth's history.

Question 34

The rate of soil formation depends on the rate of plate tectonics.

Question 35

There are two basic types of biomes: terrestrial and aquatic.

Question 36

Organisms that live on land are fundamentally the same as organisms that live in aquatic environments.

Question 37

The distribution of biomes is closely related to the distribution of global climates.

Question 38

There are five major groups of aquatic biomes.

Question 39

Estuaries, salt marshes, and mangroves are transitional biomes.

Question 40

The aphotic zone is the topmost layer of ocean water, where light penetrates and photosynthesis can occur.

Question 41

What factors affect the depth of the photic zone?

A) Water salinity and temperature.
B) Intensity of solar radiation.
C) Amount of ocean mixing.
D) Amount of biological activity in the upper zones.
E) All of these.

Question 42

Which dissolved gas is present in the ocean in much greater proportion than in the atmosphere?

A) Argon.
B) Nitrogen.
C) Oxygen.
D) Carbon dioxide.

Question 43

Those heterotrophs who eat only plants are termed

A) Carnivores.
B) Herbivores.
C) Omnivores.
D) Vegivores.

Question 44

On a world-wide basis, which of the following factors has the greatest influence over the distribution of biomes?

A) Soil.
B) Climate.
C) Topography.
D) Human activity.

Question 45

What are the four major classes of Earth's terrestrial biomes.

A) Tundra, rain forest, savanna, desert.
B) Temperate rain forest, deciduous forest, rain forest, savanna.
C) Tundra, grasslands, desert, savanna.
D) Tundra, forest, grasslands, and desert.

Question 46

Assume the following environmental scenario: Constant high temperatures; precipitation; vigorous bacteria activity in the soil. There is a lot of weathering and leaching of water, which leaves a large amount of iron oxides and aluminum oxides in the soil. What is the most likely color of the soil?

A) Black.
B) White or pale gray.
C) Blues and grays.
D) Reds with some brown.

Question 47

If a soil contains high humus content and prized for high agricultural fertility, what is the most likely color of the soil?

A) White or pale gray.
B) Dark blacks and brown.
C) Blues and grays.
D) Reds and yellows.

Question 48

Temperature forests include all of the following except

A) Tundra.
B) Deciduous forest.
C) Evergreen forest.
D) Boreal forest.

Question 49

Which of the ecosystems listed below has the greatest biomass?

A) Desert.
B) Boreal forest.
C) Tundra.
D) Tropical rainforest.

Question 50

The deep-water areas of the pelagic zone is called the

A) Abyssal zone.
B) Bathyal zone.
C) Littoral zone.
D) Epipelagic zone.

Question 51

In which zone would you find coral reefs?

A) Abyssal zone.
B) Oceanic zone.
C) Neritic zone.
D) None of these.

Question 52

Which of the following biomes receives the least amount of precipitation?

A) Arid desert.
B) Monsoon forest.
C) Tree savanna.
D) Semiarid desert.

Question 53

Which biome is characterized by heavy precipitation, giant trees, and a large diversity of organisms?

A) Alpine tundra.
B) Temperate forest.
C) Temperate steppe.
D) Tropical rainforest.

Question 54

Of the following, which is not a biome?

A) Taiga.
B) Mangrove.
C) Tundra.
D) Desert.
E) Montane forest.

Question 55

The major reservoir for phosphorus is

A) Bacteria.
B) The ocean.
C) The atmosphere.
D) Soil and rocks.

Question 56

The process of converting nitrate to nitrogen gas and nitrous oxide is called

A) Photosynthesis.
B) Denitrification.
C) Respiration.
D) Transpiration.

Question 57

Which of the following sources contains large amounts of carbon?

A) Coal.
B) Fossil fuels.
C) The oceans.
D) All of these.

Question 58

Which of the following organisms does nitrogen fixation?

A) Algae.
B) Bacteria.
C) Fungi.
D) Rodents.

Question 59

The total amount of energy that is converted to organic compounds in a given area per unit of time is called

A) Respiration.
B) Net productivity.
C) Gross productivity.
D) Photosynthesis.

Question 60

At what trophic level would you find carnivores (meat eaters)?

A) Primary producers.
B) Second-order consumers.
C) First-order consumers.
D) Bacteria decomposers.

Question 61

Of the following, which is a primary producer?

A) Bee.
B) Bacteria.
C) Goat.
D) Algae.

Question 62

Desert vegetation can be described as

A) Evergreen with broadleaf trees.
B) Consisting mainly of widely spaced trees amid tall savanna grasses.
C) Consisting of only short steppe grass.
D) Small and scattered

Question 63

What happens to the tropical soils when the rainforests are cut down?

A) Clearing interrupts the nutrient cycle, leading to soil leaching and baking.
B) The soil stabilizes and becomes excellent for grain crops.
C) There is little effect on the soil because of its extreme fertility.
D) The soil fertility improves as the soil nutrients are not longer depleted by the trees.

Question 64

In a typical soil profile, the A Horizon is

A) Located below the E Horizon.
B) Located below the O Horizon.
C) Typically near the bedrock.
D) None of these.

Question 65

Which of the following conditions would lead to the greatest amount of soil erosion?

A) Heavy rainfall in a typically dry location.
B) Heavy rainfall in a typically wet location.
C) Light rainfall in a typically dry location.
D) Light rainfall in a typically wet location.

Question 66

What are the components of an ecosystem?

A) Nonliving components only.
B) Living components only.
C) Continually interacting living and nonliving components.
D) Periodically interacting living and nonliving components.

Question 67

Which of the following is the largest reservoir for carbon?

A) The soil.
B) The atmosphere.
C) The ocean.
D) Vegetation.

Question 68

The boundaries between biomes are typically

A) Gradual zones of transition.
B) Abrupt transitional zones.
C) Mountains and/or rivers.
D) All of these.

Question 69

Which of the following are components in the photosynthetic process?

A) Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water, and oxygen.
B) Carbon dioxide, water, oxygen, and carbohydrates.
C) Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, carbohydrates, oxygen.
D) Carbon dioxide, water, carbohydrates, nitrogen.

Question 70

With regards to a food chain or food web, the organisms that capture and lock up energy from the Sun are called

A) Primary producers.
B) Primary consumers.
C) Secondary consumers.
D) First-order consumers.

Question 71

Why is it difficult to pull nitrogen from the atmosphere into the nitrogen cycle of the biosphere?

A) Oceans are the major sink for nitrogen gas.
B) Nitrogen is sparse in the atmosphere.
C) Nitrogen is removed quickly from the atmosphere by rodents.
D) Few organisms can "fix" atmospheric nitrogen gas.

Question 72

What activity has added the most carbon to the atmosphere?

A) Deep sea oil drilling.
B) Humans chopping down the rainforests.
C) Soil erosion due to overbuilding.
D) Human burning of fossil fuels.

Question 73

Bacteria drives which of the following cycles?

A) Carbon cycle.
B) Nitrogen cycle.
C) Phosphorus cycle.
D) Hydrologic cycle.