Deck 2: Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems

Question 1

The level of organization in ecology from the smallest to the largest unit is

A)organism, population, community, biosphere, and ecosystem.
B)organism, ecosystem, community, population, and biosphere.
C)organism, community, population, biosphere, and ecosystem.
D)organism, community, population, ecosystem, and biosphere.
E)organism, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Carbon dioxide warms the troposphere, enhancing the planet's natural

A)greenhouse effect
B)tipping point
C)biogeochemical cycle
D)carbon cycle
E)net primary production

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Forms of an element having the same atomic number but different mass numbers are called

A)compounds.
B)molecules.
C)isotopes.
D)nuclei.
E)electrons.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Science

A)studies the past to predict the future.
B)is a human effort to discover how the physical world works by making observations and measurements and carrying out experiments.
C)is best described as a collection of facts found through using scientific methods.
D)is supported by small amounts of evidence.
E)is a mysterious process that can only be understood by experts.

Question 5

The atomic number is the number of

A)atoms in a molecule.
B)protons in the nucleus of its atom.
C)nuclei in a molecule.
D)electrons in an atom.
E)protons and neutrons in an atom.

Question 6

Matter is anything that

A)has mass and takes up space.
B)has the capacity to do work.
C)can be changed in form.
D)can produce change.
E)moves mass.

Question 7

A community of different organisms interacting with one another and with their nonliving environment of soil, water, and other forms of matter is called

A)a species.
B)an ecosystem.
C)a population.
D)a lithosphere.
E)a community.

Question 8

The part of the earth where air, water, soil and organisms interact is called the

A)troposphere.
B)stratosphere.
C)biosphere.
D)hydrosphere.
E)lithosphere.

Question 9

Energy can be formally defined as

A)the random motion of molecules..
B)the capacity to do work or to transfer heat.
C)a force that is exerted over some distance.
D)the movement of molecules.
E)the loss of matter.

Question 10

Protons, neutrons, and electrons are all

A)forms of radioactive energy.
B)equal in mass.
C)subatomic particles that make up atoms.
D)negative ions.
E)charged particles.

Question 11

Which of the following are examples of macromolecules?

A)lipids, nucleic acids, and nucleotides
B)simple sugars, lipids, and complex carbohydrates
C)protein, nucleotides, and lipids
D)complex carbohydrates, proteins, and nucleic acids
E)nucleotides, complex carbohydrates, and lipids

Question 12

An example of potential energy is

A)electricity flowing through a wire.
B)the chemical energy in a candy bar.
C)a bullet fired at high velocity.
D)a leaf falling from a tree.
E)water flowing.

Question 13

The mass number of an atom is equal to the sum of the

A)neutrons and isotopes.
B)neutrons and electrons.
C)neutrons and protons.
D)protons, neutrons, and electrons.
E)protons only.

Question 14

Liquid, solid, and gas are

A)physical forms of matter.
B)chemical forms of matter.
C)mixtures.
D)compounds.
E)forms of energy.

Question 15

Types of dogs like Huskies, Labradors, Beagles, and German Shepherds are all one

A)organism.
B)species.
C)population.
D)community.
E)ecosystem.

Question 16

According to the first law of thermodynamics, energy input is

A)usually greater than energy output.
B)always greater than energy output.
C)always equal to energy output.
D)usually less than energy output.
E)always less than energy input.

Question 17

The place where an organism lives is its

A)habitat.
B)niche.
C)community.
D)population.
E)neighborhood.

Question 18

An example of kinetic energy is

A)a battery.
B)a stick of dynamite.
C)a pile of leaves.
D)a falling rock.
E)the chemical energy in a candy bar.

Question 19

Which statement best summarizes the law of conservation of matter?

A)We can rearrange matter but we cannot create or destroy it.
B)Matter that is highly concentrated and readily available is most useful as a human resource.
C)Matter consists of elements and compounds.
D)Matter can undergo a physical change in its chemical composition.
E)Matter should never be wasted.

Question 20

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen make up approximately what percentage of most living organisms?

A)25%
B)47%
C)82%
D)96%
E)100%

Question 21

In open water, the dominant producers are

A)trees.
B)ferns.
C)fish.
D)grasses.
E)phytoplankton.

Question 22

Photosynthesis

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

Question 23

Sedimentary rocks are formed from

A)volcanic eruptions.
B)small pieces of weathered rock.
C)tectonic plate collisions.
D)meteorite impact.
E)compacted plant remains.

Question 24

The portion of the earth that contains fossil fuels and soil chemicals is called the

A)troposphere.
B)stratosphere.
C)lithosphere.
D)hydrosphere.
E)geosphere.

Question 25

Organisms that feed on both plants and animals are called

A)autotrophs.
B)omnivores.
C)carnivores.
D)herbivores.
E)decomposers.

Question 26

Which process decreases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

A)respiration
B)photosynthesis
C)combustion
D)decomposition
E)aerobic respiration

Question 27

In food chains, energy moves from one source to the next, resulting in a loss of usable chemical energy to the environment. What is typically the amount of chemical energy transferred between trophic levels?

A)5%
B)10%
C)15%
D)90%
E)100%

Question 28

The two ways in which humans have most interfered with the carbon cycle are

A)clearing trees and plants and aerobic respiration.
B)aerobic respiration and burning of fossil fuels.
C)respiration and photosynthesis.
D)burning of fossil fuels and clearing trees and plants.
E)respiration and clearing trees and plants.

Question 29

Time delays can allow an environmental problem to build slowly until it reaches a(n) ____, which causes an often irreversible shift in the behavior of a natural system.

A)sustainable yield.
B)ecological tipping point.
C)exponential growth
D)ecological footprint.
E)environmental worldview.

Question 30

The water cycle, hydrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle, and oxygen cycle are all examples of

A)long-term cycles.
B)tipping point cycles.
C)nutrient biogeochemical cycles.
D)diversity cycles.
E)natural cycles.

Question 31

Photosynthesis captures approximately what percent of solar energy?

A)1%
B)10%
C)25%
D)80%
E)90%

Question 32

Which aquatic ecosystem has the highest net primary productivity?

A)open ocean
B)rivers and streams
C)hydrothermal vents
D)continental shelf
E)estuaries

Question 33

Too much or too little of any abiotic factor that limits population growth, even if all other factors are at or near the optimal range is known as the

A)trophic level.
B)range of tolerance.
C)biotic factor.
D)greenhouse effect.
E)limiting factor.

Question 34

High temperatures and pressure convert

A)igneous rock into sedimentary rock.
B)sedimentary rock into metamorphic rock.
C)igneous rock into minerals.
D)metamorphic rock into sedimentary rock.
E)metamorphic rock into igneous.

Question 35

Gross primary productivity (GPP) is the rate at which

A)producers convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis.
B)producers use chemical energy through aerobic respiration.
C)producers manufacture chemical energy minus energy used through respiration.
D)chemical energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next.
E)consumers use chemical energy through respiration.

Question 36

Which chemical form of carbon takes millions of years to recycle?

A)fossil fuels
B)carbon dioxide dissolved in the oceans.
C)carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
D)carbon in land plants
E)carbon in animals

Question 37

Phosphate can be sequestered from the phosphorus cycles for long periods of time in

A)running water.
B)marine sediments.
C)the atmosphere.
D)phytoplankton.
E)rivers.

Question 38

What group includes infectious germs, and purifies water by breaking down wastes, decomposes organic wastes into nutrients, and provides much of the world's oxygen?

A)carnivores
B)autotrophs
C)abiotics
D)microbes
E)herbivores

Question 39

The portion of the atmosphere containing the air we breathe is called the

A)troposphere.
B)stratosphere.
C)biosphere.
D)hydrosphere.
E)ecosphere.

Question 40

The net chemical effect of aerobic respiration

A)converts glucose and oxygen into energy.
B)requires energy from the sun.
C)produces carbon dioxide and oxygen gas.
D)produces glucose and oxygen gas.
E)produces glucose and carbon dioxide gas.

Question 41

Humans interfere with the natural nitrogen cycle by logging activities.

Question 42

The scientific method is the way in which scientists gather data and formulate and test hypotheses, models, theories, and laws.

Question 43

A possible explanation of what is observed in nature or the results of an experiment is called a scientific _____________________.

Question 44

A set of organisms that are similar in genetic make up and reproduce sexually to produce fertile offspring are members of the same species.

Question 45

Nitrogen may be returned from plants and animals back to the soil as leaves, skin , hair and dead bodies.

Question 46

Atmospheric nitrogen can be used directly by multicellular plants and animals.

Question 47

The biosphere contains portions of the lower atmosphere, all of the hydrosphere, and all of the geosphere.

Question 48

The nucleus of an atom consists of one or more _____________________ and in some cases, one or more neutrons.

Question 49

pH is a measure of the comparative amounts of hydrogen and hydroxide ions contained in a particular volume of solution, which influences the uptake natural chemicals in soil by plants.

Question 50

Many land species need insects for survival.

Question 51

Phosphorus is a key component of DNA, energy storage molecules, bones, and teeth.

Question 52

The smallest unit of matter into which an element can be divided and still have its chemical properties is a(n) _____________________.

Question 53

New scientific results that have not been fully tested and accepted by peer review are known as _____________________.

Question 54

Burning coal demonstrates the first law of thermodynamics.

Question 55

Ecology is the study of how nonliving things interact with one another in the natural world.

Question 56

An important feature of the scientific process is skepticism.

Question 57

Scientists openly publish details of their methods and models and continually question their own and other's data and results in a process known as _____________________.

Question 58

In denitrification, specialized bacteria convert nitrogen gas in the atmosphere into ammonia.

Question 59

Water vapor is a greenhouse gas.

Question 60

Oxygen is the most abundant element in the atmosphere.

Question 61

Discuss two (2) important limitations of science.

Question 62

Critical Thinking

Which two terrestrial ecosystems in the accompanying figures produce the least kilocalories of energy per year?

Question 63

The _____________________ explains why a barrel of oil can be used only once as fuel.

Question 64

Discuss how the laws of thermodynamics and the law of conservation of matter sustain life on earth.

Question 65

Briefly describe the terms cells, nuclei, chromosomes, DNA, and genes by explaining their relationship to each other.

Question 66

A moderate temperature produces a(n) _____________________ for tiger snakes, who cannot survive at extremely high or extremely low temperatures.

Question 67

When ice melts into liquid water, a(n) _____________________ change has occurred.

Question 68

Explain the three stages of the rock cycle and give two examples of each rock stage.

Question 69

Why do food chains and webs rarely support more than four or five trophic levels?

Question 70

Sequences of nucleotides that contain information about characteristics passed from parents to offspring are called _____________________.

Question 71

The variation in a population is called _____________________.

Question 72

Give two examples of how humans are disrupting the carbon cycle and explain why the carbon cycle cannot return to normal on the scale of tens or hundreds of years.

Question 73

The law of conservation of matter has very important consequences in terms of how we handle our wastes. Explain this statement.

Question 74

Draw or describe a scientific model using at least five steps.

Question 75

Critical Thinking

Which of the ecosystems in the accompanying figure have the greatest net primary productivity?