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

Question 1

Which of the following is not a greenhouse gas?

A) nitrogen (N₂)
B) carbon dioxide (CO₂)
C) water vapor (H₂O)
D) methane (CH₄)
E) two of the listed choices are not greenhouse gases

Answer 1

nitrogen (N₂)

Question 2

The innermost layer of the atmosphere is the

A) Troposphere
B) Stratosphere
C) Hydrosphere
D) Geosphere
E) Lithosphere

Answer 2

Troposphere

Question 3

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

Answer 3

Population

Question 4

Submarines explore the

A) Atmosphere
B) Geosphere
C) Biosphere
D) Hydrosphere
E) Troposphere

Question 5

Which one of the following contains all of the others?

A) Atom
B) Community
C) Cell
D) Population
E) Molecule

Question 6

A community of different species interacting with one another and the physical and chemical factors of their nonliving environment is called a(n)

A) Species
B) Ecosystem
C) Population
D) Lithosphere
E) Community

Question 7

As energy flows in ecosystems, it can be said to

A) cycle, as in a round trip
B) flow from high-quality to low-quality energy in a one-way fashion
C) either flow one way or cycle, depending on the type of energy involved
D) flow in a two-directional fashion
E) energy does not flow or cycle

Question 8

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) Energy cycles, nutrients flow.
B) Nutrients cycle, energy flows.
C) Nutrients flow, energy flows.
D) Nutrients cycle, energy cycles.
E) Nutrients flow and cycle.

Question 9

The crust, core, and mantle are all areas located within the

A) Stratosphere
B) Biosphere
C) Geosphere
D) Hydrosphere
E) Atmosphere

Question 10

The tropical rain forests

A) maybe be severely degraded or disappear within your lifetime.
B) are destroyed by humans cutting down trees and growing crops.
C) are destroyed by grazing cattle and human settlements.
D) degradation is increasing
E) are damaged by humans cutting down trees, growing crops and grazing cattle, by building settlements, and degradation is increasing and they may be severely damaged or disappear within your lifetime,

Question 11

Ozone, a gaseous O₃ molecule that filters out harmful UV radiation, is found in the

A) Troposphere
B) Geosphere
C) Hydrosphere
D) Stratosphere
E) Biosphere

Question 12

You have decided on a career as an ecologist. Your work could possibly be which of the following assignments?

A) exploring the earth's crust to locate mineral resources
B) negotiating air quality agreements among different countries
C) studying interactions of wolves and their prey species in Yellowstone National Park
D) studying depletion of large aquifers in the midwestern United States
E) exploring possible wind corridors in the intermountain west for placement of wind farms

Question 13

Which of the following choices best describes how an ecologist would typically study an ecosystem? The ecologist would study

A) only a single animal or plant
B) an animal or plant, plus other organisms with which it interacts
C) an animal or plant, the organisms it interacts with, and its water supply
D) an animal or plant, plus all the biotic and abiotic aspects of the ecosystem in which it lives
E) the water supply and other non-living aspects of an ecosystem

Question 14

Geologists find rock and soil samples in the

A) Atmosphere
B) Geosphere
C) Biosphere
D) Hydrosphere
E) Troposphere

Question 15

Fossil fuels and minerals are found in the

A) Atmosphere
B) Geosphere
C) Biosphere
D) Hydrosphere
E) Troposphere

Question 16

Ecology is the study of how:

A) Atoms make up the environment.
B) Humans affect the environment.
C) Organisms interact with each other and their nonliving environment.
D) Energy runs the environment.
E) Evolution affects nature.

Question 17

Pronghorn antelope is the only North American antelope. It lives in the high desert of the Great Basin in the western U.S. Which of the following items are possible abiotic factors that an antelope has to content with?

A) the density of the local population of coyotes
B) extreme maximum and minimum temperatures in the desert
C) competition with wild horses for sparse vegetation for forage
D) lack of available water
E) lack of available water and extreme maximum and minimum temperatures in the desert

Question 18

Tropical rain forests cover about 2% of the Earth's land surface, and

A) contain about 2% of the Earth's total biodiversity
B) contain less than 10% of the Earth's total biodiversity
C) contain no more than one-fourth of the Earth's total biodiversity
D) contain up to one-half of the Earth's total biodiversity
E) scientists currently do not know how much of the Earth's total biodiversity is contained in tropical rainforests, although they suspect it is very high

Question 19

Ecologists study interactions within and among which five levels of organization?

A) cell, organism, atom, ecosystem, and molecule
B) atom, molecule, cell, organism, and population
C) molecule, cell, atom, community, and biosphere
D) organism, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere
E) atom, organism, cell, biosphere, and population

Question 20

All physical forms of water (solid, liquid, and gas) make up the

A) Atmosphere
B) Geosphere
C) Biosphere
D) Troposphere
E) Hydrosphere

Question 21

Organisms that break down bodies of dead plants and animals into nutrients that are released into the soil or water are called

A) Detritivores
B) detritus feeders
C) Decomposers
D) Scavengers
E) Omnivores

Question 22

A grassy meadow high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is known to support a variety of organisms. During the summers when grass is thick and lush, and wildflowers abound, butterflies take advantage of the 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, coyote are known to prey on the squirrel and mouse population that burrow into the meadow soil. A variety of birds prey on the butterflies and other 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 23

Organisms that feed on both plants and animals are called

A) detritus feeders
B) Omnivores
C) Carnivores
D) herbivores
E) decomposers

Question 24

A grizzly bear eating blueberries is best categorized as which of the following?

A) Producer
B) primary consumer
C) tertiary consumer
D) Detritivore
E) Decomposer

Question 25

Aerobic respiration requires

A) glucose and carbon dioxide
B) glucose and oxygen
C) oxygen and water
D) carbon dioxide and water
E) carbon dioxide and oxygen

Question 26

Which of the following best represents the process of photosynthesis?

A) Carbon dioxide + Glucose + Solar energy $\rarr$ Water + Oxygen
B) Carbon dioxide + Water + Solar energy $\rarr$ Glucose + Oxygen
C) Oxygen + Glucose + Solar energy $\rarr$ Carbon dioxide + Water
D) Oxygen + Glucose $\rarr$ Solar energy + Carbon dioxide + Water
E) Carbon dioxide + Water $\rarr$ Solar energy + Glucose + Oxygen

Question 27

What do giraffes and caterpillars have in common?

A) They are both autotrophs.
B) They are both herbivores
C) They are both secondary consumers and herbivores.
D) They are both detritivores
E) Giraffes and caterpillars do not have anything in common.

Question 28

Which ecosystem component plays a key role in the recycling of nutrients in the biosphere?

A) Producers
B) primary consumers
C) Herbivores
D) tertiary consumers
E) Decomposers

Question 29

The organisms that are classified as primary consumers are the

A) Detritivores
B) Omnivores
C) Carnivores
D) Decomposers
E) Herbivores

Question 30

Of the total energy that falls on their leaves, what percent do producers on average convert to chemical energy through the process of photosynthesis?

A) 0%
B) 1%
C) 10%
D) 25%
E) 50%

Question 31

Which of the following groups can be called autotrophs?

A) ants, termites and butterflies
B) wolves, coyotes and foxes
C) rabbits, moles and robins
D) daisies, roses and grass
E) mushrooms and fungi

Question 32

Earthworms, some insects, and vultures are all examples of

A) primary producers
B) detritus feeders
C) Decomposers
D) Scavengers
E) secondary consumers

Question 33

Phytoplankton in the ocean

A) provide much of the planet's oxygen
B) provide much of the planet's carbon dioxide
C) remove much of the planet's carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
D) remove much of the planet's oxygen
E) provide much of the planet's oxygen and remove much of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Question 34

Bacteria and fungi are typically categorized as which of the following ecosystem components?

A) Autotrophs
B) Producers
C) primary consumers
D) tertiary consumers
E) Decomposers

Question 35

Photosynthesis

A) converts glucose into energy and water
B) requires the combustion of carbon
C) produces carbon dioxide and oxygen gas
D) yields glucose and oxygen gas as products
E) yields glucose and carbon dioxide as products

Question 36

The conversion of solar energy into chemical energy occurs in

A) Photosynthesis
B) food chains
C) Chemosynthesis
D) heterotrophic organisms
E) food webs

Question 37

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

A) food web
B) food chain
C) Ecosystem
D) Community
E) food chain and food web (they are interchangeable)

Question 38

A grassy meadow high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains is known to support a variety of organisms. During the summers when grass is thick and lush, and wildflowers abound, butterflies take advantage of the 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, coyote are known to prey on the squirrel and mouse population that burrow into the meadow soil. A variety of birds prey on the butterflies and other insects such as bees and wasps.
The coyotes typically forage on mice and squirrels. However, as members of the canine family, Canidae, they are known to be able to eat berries and parts of plants as well as small animals. Thus, they would be classified as

A) Herbivores
B) Carnivores
C) Omnivores
D) Detritivores
E) Producers

Question 39

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

Question 40

An entomologist is a biologist that has special training in the study of insects. Which of the following groups of detritivores would an entomologist possibly study?

A) Fungi
B) Bacteria
C) Vultures
D) carpenter ants
E) Giraffes

Question 41

All of the following increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere except

A) Respiration
B) Photosynthesis
C) Combustion
D) Decomposition
E) none of these answers

Question 42

Nitrogen is a major component of all of the following except

A) Proteins
B) Nitrates
C) Ammonia
D) DNA
E) Groundwater

Question 43

The portion of the planet that is responsible for the vast majority of the Earth's annual biomass production is/are

A) swamps and marshes
B) temperate forests
C) Estuaries
D) lakes and streams
E) open oceans

Question 44

Which of the following biogeochemical cycles does not include the atmosphere as a temporary reservoir?

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

Question 45

With regards to productivity of an ecosystem, which of the following statements is accurate?

A) GPP is greater than NPP because of the metabolic process of photosynthesis.
B) GPP is greater than NPP because of the metabolic process of respiration.
C) NPP is greater than GPP because of the metabolic process of photosynthesis.
D) NPP is greater than GPP because of the metabolic process of respiration.
E) There is no significant difference between GPP and NPP.

Question 46

Nitrogen fixation is accomplished by

A) Legumes
B) Bacteria
C) Algae
D) Protozoa
E) round worms

Question 47

Complex arrangements of feeding patterns in ecosystems are best described as

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

Question 48

The most common gas in the atmosphere is

A) Nitrogen
B) carbon dioxide
C) Oxygen
D) Hydrogen
E) Methane

Question 49

Net primary productivity

A) is the rate at which producers manufacture chemical energy through photosynthesis
B) is the rate at which producers use chemical energy through respiration
C) is the rate of photosynthesis plus the rate of respiration
D) is the rate at which producers use photosynthesis to produce and store chemical energy
E) is the rate at which producers use photosynthesis to produce and store chemical energy minus the rate at which they use this energy through aerobic respiration

Question 50

Over land, about what percent of the water vapor in the atmosphere comes from water that has transpired from the surface of plants?

A) 40-50%
B) 60%
C) 70%
D) 80%
E) 90%

Question 51

The hydrologic cycle is driven primarily by

A) solar energy and gravity
B) solar energy and the moon
C) solar and mechanical energy
D) mechanical and chemical energy
E) chemical energy and the moon

Question 52

The hydrologic cycle refers to the movement of

A) Hydrogen
B) Oxygen
C) Nitrogen
D) Hydrocarbons
E) Water

Question 53

The aquatic ecosystems with the highest average net primary productivity are

A) Estuaries
B) Lakes
C) Rivers
D) Oceans
E) artic ice shelf

Question 54

Where in a mammal would there be the highest concentrations of phosphorous?

A) liver and pancreas
B) muscle tissues
C) bones and teeth
D) central nervous system
E) hair and skin tissues

Question 55

Which of the following ecosystems has the highest net primary productivity?

A) agricultural land
B) open ocean
C) temperate forest
D) swamps and marshes
E) lakes and streams

Question 56

Which of the following would be considered a tertiary consumer?

A) Spider
B) Deer
C) Hawk
D) Butterfly
E) Rabbit

Question 57

Of the following water-cycle processes, the one working against gravity is

A) Percolation
B) Infiltration
C) Runoff
D) Transpiration
E) Precipitation

Question 58

Nitrogen makes up approximately ____% of the volume of the atmosphere.

A) 25
B) 42
C) 57
D) 78
E) 85

Question 59

Transfer of carbon among organisms depends primarily on

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

Question 60

If the producers in an ecosystem capture 40,000 units of energy, assuming average efficiency of energy transfer, how many units of this energy can likely be successfully converted into secondary consumer biomass?

A) 40,000
B) 4,000
C) 400
D) 40
E) 4

Question 61

All of the following are sources of phosphorus except

A) inorganic fertilizer
B) runoff of animal wastes from feedlots
C) Detergents
D) acid rain
E) Rocks

Question 62

You have decided to change your diet to a more sustainable way of eating. One of your choices is to eat only grass-fed beef. In addition to having healthier meals that benefit you directly, this choice also benefits the planet because it will help to decrease

A) mining large quantities of phosphate rock
B) atmospheric warming
C) addition of animal wastes from livestock feedlots that interferes with the phosphate cycle in aquatic ecosystems
D) discharge of municipal sewage
E) use of animal by-products in pet food

Question 63

The major plant nutrient most likely to be a limiting factor is

A) Phosphorous
B) Calcium
C) Nitrogen
D) Potassium
E) Carbon

Question 64

Which of the following is NOT a property of water?

A) It expands when it freezes.
B) It contracts when it freezes.
C) It can store large amounts of heat without changing its own temperature.
D) It can adhere to a solid surface.
E) It can exist as a solid, liquid or gas.

Question 65

GIS (geographic information systems) software is a new, powerful tool for research on ecosystems. Which of the following is NOT something that we can rely on GIS data to reveal?

A) geographic and ecological spatial data
B) variation in vegetation in local areas
C) sulfur content of deep ocean sediments
D) local air pollution emissions
E) global variation in vegetation and gross primary productivity

Question 66

Electrical storms and lightning fix _________into a form that plants and animals can use.

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

Question 67

Ammonium ions are converted to nitrite ions and nitrate ions through the process of

A) Nitrification
B) nitrogen fixation
C) Denitrification
D) Assimilation
E) Leaching

Question 68

In the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States, scientists observed that population clusters of a small cactus were very pronounced around nests of desert woodrats. They began to think the woodrat was somehow connected to the seeding of these cactus plants.After years of counting and observing the woodrat nests and cactus plants, they collected the droppings of the woodrats and took them back to the lab to analyze them to see if they contained seeds of the cactus. They also collected the droppings and transported them to other areas to see if this would bring about new population clusters of the cactus.They also programmed the data they had collected into a computer. The computer program allowed the scientists to predict that increases in the woodrat population would result in increases in the cactus population, and likewise a decrease in woodrats would signal an impending decrease in cactus.
The study described above is best categorized as

A) field research
B) laboratory research
C) computer modeling
D) a combination of all three types of research
E) a combination of laboratory and field research, but no computer modeling

Question 69

In the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States, scientists observed that population clusters of a small cactus were very pronounced around nests of desert woodrats. They began to think the woodrat was somehow connected to the seeding of these cactus plants.After years of counting and observing the woodrat nests and cactus plants, they collected the droppings of the woodrats and took them back to the lab to analyze them to see if they contained seeds of the cactus. They also collected the droppings and transported them to other areas to see if this would bring about new population clusters of the cactus.They also programmed the data they had collected into a computer. The computer program allowed the scientists to predict that increases in the woodrat population would result in increases in the cactus population, and likewise a decrease in woodrats would signal an impending decrease in cactus.
Which phase of the above-described situation could be called computer simulation?

A) when the scientists gathered woodrat dropping for lab analysis
B) when the scientists learned from the computer that woodrat nest numbers would impact cactus populations
C) when the scientists first observed the proximity of woodrat nests and cactus plants
D) all of these answers
E) none of these answers

Question 70

When organisms die, their nitrogenous organic compounds are converted to simpler inorganic compounds such as ammonia through the process of

A) Nitrification
B) Ammonification
C) Denitrification
D) Assimilation
E) Leaching

Question 71

Which of the following choices best describes the common phosphorus reservoirs in the ecosystem?

A) Water
B) water and organisms
C) atmosphere and geosphere
D) rocks and marine sediment
E) water, organisms, rocks and marine sediment

Question 72

Ecology is the study of connections in the natural world.

Question 73

The form of nitrogen most usable to plants is

A) Ammonia
B) nitrogen gas
C) Proteins
D) Nitrates
E) Methane

Question 74

Which statement least describes ecosystem modeling?

A) It is typically applied only to very small natural systems, such as a single pond or stream.
B) It has developed since the 1960s.
C) It can be applied to complex systems that cannot be adequately studied in the field or laboratory.
D) It requires input of baseline data from field studies.
E) It requires input of baseline data from laboratory studies.

Question 75

Sulfuric acid and sulfates in the atmosphere are a problem when they

A) are deposited as acid rain
B) are deposited in the soil and incorporated into plants as nutrients
C) are deposited in ocean waters and return to deep ocean sediments
D) are deposited on glaciers in the Arctic
E) They are never a problem.

Question 76

All of the following statements describe field research except

A) It involves going into natural settings to observe the structure of ecosystems.
B) It is sometimes called "muddy-boots biology".
C) It has provided very little in the way of knowledge about ecosystems.
D) Most of what we know about ecosystems has come from such research.
E) It involves measuring the structure of ecosystems and what happens in them.

Question 77

In the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States, scientists observed that population clusters of a small cactus were very pronounced around nests of desert woodrats. They began to think the woodrat was somehow connected to the seeding of these cactus plants.After years of counting and observing the woodrat nests and cactus plants, they collected the droppings of the woodrats and took them back to the lab to analyze them to see if they contained seeds of the cactus. They also collected the droppings and transported them to other areas to see if this would bring about new population clusters of the cactus.They also programmed the data they had collected into a computer. The computer program allowed the scientists to predict that increases in the woodrat population would result in increases in the cactus population, and likewise a decrease in woodrats would signal an impending decrease in cactus.
Which of the following best describes the scientists' initial observations?

A) Woodrat nests had no apparent effect on cactus populations.
B) Cactus plants were less common close to woodrat nests.
C) Cactus plants were more common close to woodrat nests.
D) Cactus plants and woodrat nests were mutually exclusive.
E) The effect of woodrats on cactus plants was different from season to season.

Question 78

Ocean sediments and volcanoes are sources of:

A) Nitrogen
B) Oxygen
C) Sulfur
D) Phosphorus
E) both sulfur and nitrogen

Question 79

Which statement least characterizes laboratory research?

A) It allows measurement of model ecosystems and populations under controlled conditions.
B) It is faster than similar field research.
C) It is less costly than similar field research.
D) It has been used to develop most of our knowledge about ecosystems.
E) It has supplemented field research since the 1960's.

Question 80

Populations make up communities.