Question 1

The one nutrient that cannot be categorized as either a sedimentary or a gaseous cycle is

Accepted Answer

While all of these statements are true the one that addresses whether or not a nutrient moves through a gaseous or a sedimentary cycle is the fact that water exists in multiple forms so that it cannot be classified the same as most other nutrients.Bloom's

Question 2

The primary producers in terrestrial ecosystems are the ____,whereas in freshwater and saltwater ecosystems it is ____.

Accepted Answer

Primary producers are organisms that use inorganic components to manufacture organic molecules and in a terrestrial ecosystem are green plants. Their counterparts in aquatic ecosystems are photosynthetic algae.Bloom's

Question 3

Animals that feed on both plants and other animals are called

Accepted Answer

Herbivores are animals that feed primarily on plant matter. Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food. Carnivores are animals that feed primarily on other animals (meat). Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food. Omnivores are animals that are able to feed at multiple trophic levels and consume both plants and animals equally. Decomposers are organisms that feed on organic matter by digesting it outside their bodies and taking in the needed nutrients and energy. They serve to recycle nutrients in an ecosystem because any nutrients not taken in by the decomposer are available to plants in the ecosystem. Detritivores are animals that consumer detritus, bits or decaying organic matter.Bloom's

Question 4

In an experiment carried out to study the energy flow through an ecosystem scientists measure the total solar energy captured by plants to be 10,000 kilocalories.The portion of this available to the third trophic level will be

Accepted Answer

Since the plants will use all of the energy except approximately 10% the amount of energy available to the next level will be 1000 kilocalories or 10000 x 0.1. The organisms at the second trophic level will use all but approximately 10% of this energy meaning that the third level will have access to 100 kilocalories, or 1000 x 0.1.Bloom's

Question 5

Which of the following organisms would be considered a decomposer?

Accepted Answer

Decomposers are organisms that feed on organic matter by digesting it outside their bodies and taking in the needed nutrients and energy. They serve to recycle nutrients in an ecosystem because any nutrients not taken in by the decomposer are available to plants in the ecosystem. Green algae and green plants are producers. Caterpillars and birds are consumers. Mushrooms are decomposers since they digest organic matter by excreting digestive enzymes and then absorbing the needed nutrients.Bloom's

Question 6

An ecosystem consists of what two components?

Accepted Answer

The term ecosystem refers to both the living organisms (biotic) and the non-living (abiotic) physical components of a specified area.Bloom's

Question 7

In an experiment carried out to study the energy flow through an ecosystem scientists measure the total solar energy captured by plants to be 10,000 kilocalories.The portion of this available to the next trophic level will be

Accepted Answer

Since the plants will use all of the energy except approximately 10% the amount of energy available to the next level will be 1,000 kilocalories.Bloom's

Question 8

Which kind of organism would be most likely to perform photosynthesis?

Accepted Answer

Omnivores are animals that are able to feed at multiple trophic levels and consume both plants and animals equally. Herbivores are animals that feed primarily on plant matter. Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food. Decomposers are organisms that feed on organic matter by digesting it outside their bodies and taking in the needed nutrients and energy. They serve to recycle nutrients in an ecosystem because any nutrients not taken in by the decomposer are available to plants in the ecosystem. Autotrophs are producers: they use inorganic materials (carbon dioxide, water and solar energy) to manufacture organic molecules and are the basis for the food webs. Carnivores are animals that feed primarily on other animals (meat). Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food.Bloom's

Question 9

Which type of organism produces food in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

Heterotrophs are consumers; they must take in organic molecules to provide energy and nutrients for their needs. They can be herbivores (eat plant matter), carnivores (eat other animals), or omnivores (eat both plants and animals). Autotrophs are producers: they use inorganic materials (carbon dioxide, water and solar energy) to manufacture organic molecules and are the basis for the food webs. Consumers are organisms that take in nutrients and energy by eating organic molecules. Carnivores are animals that feed primarily on other animals (meat). Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food. Herbivores are animals that feed primarily on plant matter. Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food.Bloom's

Question 10

Which of the following is a biotic factor in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A biotic factor is a living organism. The only living component listed above is the food chain which refers to a sequence of feeding levels; it is a onetime snapshot of feeding and does not express the true complexity of trophic levels as does a food web.Bloom's

Question 11

How are omnivores,carnivores,and herbivores similar?

Accepted Answer

Omnivores are animals that are able to feed at multiple trophic levels and consume both plants and animals equally. Carnivores are animals that feed primarily on other animals (meat). Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food. Herbivores are animals that feed primarily on plant matter. Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food. All of these descriptions are of some type of consumer and, through the process of cellular respiration, release carbon dioxide as a waste product.Bloom's

Question 12

The primary consumers that feed directly on green plants are called

Accepted Answer

Omnivores are animals that are able to feed at multiple trophic levels and consume both plants and animals equally. Decomposers are organisms that feed on organic matter by digesting it outside their bodies and taking in the needed nutrients and energy. They serve to recycle nutrients in an ecosystem because any nutrients not taken in by the decomposer are available to plants in the ecosystem. Herbivores are animals that feed primarily on plant matter. Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food. Carnivores are animals that feed primarily on other animals (meat). Their digestive systems are adapted to digesting this type of food. Producers are organisms that use inorganic components to manufacture organic molecules and therefore produce the food available in the ecosystem.Bloom's

Question 13

The ____ is made of a community of organisms plus its physical environment.

Accepted Answer

A food chain refers to a sequence of feeding levels; it is a onetime snapshot of feeding and does not express the true complexity of trophic levels as does a food web. A habitat describes the conditions under which an organism can survive and reproduce. The term ecosystem refers to both the living organisms and the non-living physical components of a specified area. An ecological niche describes the interactions of an organism with other organisms and with the physical environment. The term trophic level refers to the feeding levels in an ecosystem. The levels are based on the distance from the original energy input.Bloom's

Question 14

Humans are biologically adapted to be

Accepted Answer

Humans have a digestive system that can extract the needed nutrients and energy from either plant matter or animal matter; this makes them omnivores.Bloom's

Question 15

The three locations where a nutrient may be found in an ecosystem are

Accepted Answer

The exchange pool keeps the necessary elements available to producers while storing them either long term or short term depending on the needs of the producers. Reservoirs serve as long term storage but typically not in a form that is usable by producers. Living organisms also serve to store nutrients, typically short term - while the organism is living; upon the death of the organism the nutrient is released back into the environment through the action of decomposers.Bloom's

Question 16

Once a nutrient enters an ecosystem it

Accepted Answer

Nutrients are able to cycle into and out of living organisms and into and out of physical components of the environment. A nutrient can cycle endlessly back and forth from biotic to abiotic components but it does not have to do this. The nutrient can also leave or enter an ecosystem through runoff or other transport.Bloom's

Question 17

A carbon atom cycles between an organism and the atmosphere where it is then taken up by a producer and is then eventually eaten by an herbivore and passed back into the atmosphere through respiration.The carbon atom has passed through which portions of a nutrient cycle?

Accepted Answer

The carbon atom released through cellular respiration moves from a living organism to the exchange pool of the atmosphere. It is then taken in by another living organism, the producer where it is then respired back into the exchange pool of the atmosphere.Bloom's

Question 18

Given that most nutrients can dissolve into water which of the following statements is false?

Accepted Answer

Atmospheric nitrogen does not dissolve into water because it is a non-polar molecule. Even if it did it would not be useful to plants since they cannot use N₂; they require that the nitrogen be fixed by bacteria into an ionic form.Bloom's

Question 19

A disruption in which biogeochemical cycle will lead to cultural eutrophication?

Accepted Answer

Cultural eutrophication is the over-enrichment of a body of water that can lead to algal blooms. This process is often due to a large increase in the nutrient runoff that enters the body of water. This is often due to a disruption in the phosphorus cycle.Bloom's

Question 20

Deposits of coal are important in the carbon cycle because they

Accepted Answer

Coal deposits serve as a long term storage for carbon that will eventually release the carbon when weathering has released the deposit.Bloom's

Quiz 35: Nature of Ecosystems