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

Question 1

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

Answer 1

True

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

Raising fish in a series of aquariums under varied conditions is an example of field research.​

Answer 3

False

Question 4

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

Question 5

Human activities have affected the sulfur cycle through the burning of sulfur-containing coal and oil.​

Question 6

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

Question 7

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 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

The process by which cells are able to convert glucose into useable energy using oxygen is known as aerobic transpiration.​

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

Detritivores are consumers that release nutrients from the dead bodies of living organisms and return them to the soil,water,and air.

Question 15

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

Question 16

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

Question 17

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

Question 18

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 19

A deer is both a primary consumer and in the second trophic level.​

Question 20

Liquid water changes temperature quickly because only a small amount of heat is required to produce a large change in temperature.​

Question 21

Ozone gas,a chemical in the atmosphere that helps filter out harmful UV sunlight,is located in the troposphere.

Question 22

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 23

​Bacteria and fungi are typically categorized as ____.

A) ​autotrophs
B) ​producers
C) ​primary consumers
D) ​tertiary consumers
E) ​decomposers

Question 24

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 25

Ecology is the study of how organisms can survive independently of one another by their dependence on matter and energy.

Question 26

Which of the following organisms 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 27

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

Question 28

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 29

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 30

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

Question 31

Pronghorn antelope live 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 contend with?​

A) ​the density of the local population of coyotes
B) ​parasites such as ticks
C) ​competition with wild horses for sparse vegetation for forage
D) ​poisonous or thorny plants
E) ​extreme maximum and minimum temperatures in the desert

Question 32

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

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

Question 33

Ecologists study 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 34

​Producers can also be described as 'self-feeders',or ____.

A) ​autotrophs
B) ​tertiary
C) ​heterotrophs
D) ​detritivore
E) ​decomposer

Question 35

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 36

​All of the water on or near the earth's surface (solid,liquid,and gas phases)comprises the ____.

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

Question 37

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 38

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 39

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 40

The air we breathe resides in the lowermost layer of the atmosphere called the ____.​

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

Question 41

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 42

Earthworms,some insects,and vultures are all examples of ____.​

A) ​producers
B) ​detritus feeders
C) ​decomposers
D) ​scavengers
E) ​secondary consumers

Question 43

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 44

​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 45

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 46

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) ​the hydrologic cycle
E) ​abiotic components

Question 47

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

A) ​CN^-
B) ​NO₃^-
C) ​N₂
D) ​NH₃
E) ​NH₄⁺

Question 48

Carbon is cycled through the biosphere through ____.​

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

Question 49

​The most common gas in the atmosphere is ____.

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

Question 50

​____ can be classified as primary consumers.

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

Question 51

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

A) ​percolation
B) ​infiltration
C) ​runoff
D) ​transpiration
E) ​precipitation

Question 52

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 53

Human activities have affected the sulfur cycle primarily by ____.​

A) ​producing carbon dioxide,which reacts with sulfur in the atmosphere
B) ​capturing sulfur emissions from volcanoes
C) ​converting sulfur into hydrogen sulfide gas
D) ​replenishing sulfur resources
E) ​releasing large amounts of sulfur dioxide (SO₂)gas into the atmosphere

Question 54

​The coyotes would be classified as ____.

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

Question 55

Nitrogen fixation is accomplished by ____.​

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

Question 56

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 57

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 58

Groundwater found in layers of rock,sand,and gravel is called ____.​

A) ​underground lakes
B) ​aquifers
C) ​wetlands
D) ​basins
E) ​stocks

Question 59

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 60

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 61

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

Question 62

Another word for an autotroph is a(n)____________________.

Question 63

Phytoplankton in the open ocean are examples of ____.​

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

Question 64

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 related 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 collected the droppings and transported them to other areas to see if this would bring about 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 could be described as ____.​

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

Question 65

Water evaporates from the surfaces of plants through a process called ____.​

A) ​transpiration
B) ​respiration
C) ​runoff
D) ​infiltration
E) ​percolation

Question 66

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

Question 67

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

Question 68

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

Question 69

Since the late 1960s,ecologists have developed mathematical ____________________ that simulate ecosystems.

Question 70

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

Question 71

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 related 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 collected the droppings and transported them to other areas to see if this would bring about 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 statement best describes the scientists' initial observations?​

A) ​Woodrat nests had no apparent effect on cactus populations.
B) ​Cactus plants were less common in proximity to woodrat nests.
C) ​Cactus plants were more common in proximity to woodrat nests.
D) ​Woodrats were spreading cactus seeds.
E) ​The effect of woodrats on cactus plants was different from season to season.

Question 72

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

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

Question 73

____________________ makes up 78% of the volume of the atmosphere.

Question 74

Photosynthesis is performed by ____.​

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

Question 75

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

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

Question 76

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

Question 77

​Molecules of water are attracted to each other by ____.

A) ​neutron bonds
B) ​tension bonds
C) ​covalent bonds
D) ​hydrogen bonds
E) ​oxygen bonds

Question 78

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 related 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 collected the droppings and transported them to other areas to see if this would bring about 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 79

Carnivores such as tigers,hawks and killer whales that feed on the flesh of other carnivores are known as _______________ consumers.​

Question 80

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