Question 1

Why is it so hard to make definite predictions about the amount and timing of global warming as a result of greenhouse gases?

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Question 2

Nitrogen is fixed by soil bacteria and is then incorporated into plant biomass and eventually into the food chain. What process(es)complete the global nitrogen cycle?

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Question 3

Based on the illustration, the most productive biome is the:

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The illustration shows a high level of productivity in a tropical rainforest biome due to its high levels of rainfall, warm temperatures, and nutrient-rich soil. The other biomes shown in the illustration have lower productivity levels.

Question 4

What are some possible consequences of global warming?

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Question 5

It has been said about global warming that "one human in a developed country is not equivalent to one person in a developing country." What does this statement mean?

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Question 6

Why are acid rain or acid deposition more of a problem in certain areas, such as New England, than in others?

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Question 7

If you were a researcher trying to design a pesticide that would not accumulate by biological magnification, what two properties should the pesticide have?

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Question 8

The global phosphorus cycle is called a "cycle," yet it has no atmospheric component. Phosphorus weathers from rocks and enters the soil. Once phosphorus is incorporated into plants or animals, how is it returned to the rock phase?

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Question 9

There is a school of thought that encourages humans to give up eating meat and become herbivores. What are the advantages to this?

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Question 10

Explain why decomposers and detritus feeders are so important to ecosystems.

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Question 11

List and discuss three effects of acid rain or acid deposition on forests.

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Question 12

Why might eating high on the food chain subject humans to higher concentrations of certain toxic substances than eating low on the food chain?

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Question 13

Since plants cannot fix nitrogen, why are legumes often called nitrogen fixers?

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Question 14

Why is phosphorus so important to living organisms?

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Question 15

What would happen if there were no denitrifying bacteria?

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Question 16

Sulfur dioxide is a natural product of volcanoes and hot springs, and by itself it is not acidic. How then is excess sulfur dioxide linked to acid rain or acid deposition?

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Question 17

A rancher begins raising sheep on the land next to the habitat shown. After losing several lambs, he removes all the wolves. By the next year, he can expect to find:

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Question 18

On a field trip with your class to mountain lakes in Vermont, you come across a beautiful clear lake that is deep, and you can see the pebbles at its bottom. Why does your classmate hypothesize that this lake has been subjected to acidic deposition?

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Question 19

According to the data presented in the graph, between 1960 and 2000, CO2 levels rose approximately ________ ppm.

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Question 20

Plants produce biomass by taking in energy, CO2, and nutrients from the environment; consumers eat much of this biomass, but not all. However, ecosystems do not indefinitely accumulate large quantities of organic matter over time. Why not?

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Quiz 28: How Do Ecosystems Work