Deck 20: Biogeochemical Cycles

Question 1

What is pedology?

A) the study of animal feet sizes
B) the study of plant roots
C) the study of soils
D) the study of crops

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Biogeography is defined as:

A) the study of plant evolution
B) the geography of plants and animals
C) the classification of plants and animals
D) the study of the structure of living organisms

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Phytogeography is:

A) the geography of plants
B) the geography of small plants
C) the geography of small animals
D) the geography of common crops

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Although most species may not have been discovered yet, at present there are __________.

A) more plant species than animal species
B) about the same number of plant and animal species
C) more animal species than plant species

Question 5

Biodiversity refers to:

A) the total mass of species in an area
B) the number of species found within an area
C) how much different are the plants in an area
D) the total number of plants and animals in an area

Question 6

The largest pool of carbon in the carbon cycle is:

A) ocean
B) terrestrial plants
C) Earth's crust
D) atmosphere
E) fossil fuels

Question 7

What was the cause of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s?

A) drought
B) over-cultivation
C) wind erosion
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 8

Which of these states was the most heavily damaged by the Dust Bowl?

A) California
B) Oklahoma
C) Arkansas
D) Georgia

Question 9

Before the present, the most recent time of mass extinction of species occurred ____ years ago.

A) 65 million
B) 500,000
C) 15,000
D) 1,500

Question 10

Recent trends show that as human population increases, biodiversity:

A) increases
B) decreases
C) hasn't changed
D) may start to decrease soon

Question 11

About what percent of species have been identified and classified?

A) less than 10
B) 20
C) 35
D) 50
E) 75

Question 12

Adding iron-rich particles to the ocean is a geo-engineering method of removing carbon from the atmosphere.

Question 13

Decomposition of organic matter:

A) returns nutrients to the soil
B) return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
C) returns oxygen to the atmosphere
D) all of these
E) only (a) and (b)

Question 14

The second largest pool of carbon is in _____, with most of that being ________.

A) plants, forests
B) plants, tundra
C) ocean, photosynthetic plants
D) ocean, dissolved carbon dioxide

Question 15

Although a small portion of the total atmospheric pool, _____ are the most important source of increasing greenhouse gases.

A) volcanoes
B) burning fossil fuels
C) deforestation and fires
D) land use change

Question 16

While the ocean is a large sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide, there is a limit to how much extra carbon the oceans can take out of the atmosphere, due to:

A) the limit of solubility of ocean water to dissolved gases.
B) warmer water not being able to dissolve as much gas as cooler water.
C) the rising acidity of ocean water.
D) all of these.
E) only (a) and (b)

Question 17

Atmospheric methane, a greenhouse gas, has also increased due to:

A) cattle raising
B) rice terraces
C) landfills
D) all of these

Question 18

Industrial nitrogen fertilizers now add more nitrates to the land than is done naturally.

Question 19

In the natural nitrogen cycle, much of the conversions from one compound to another are performed by:

A) photochemical reactions in sunlight
B) microorganisms
C) worms and beetles
D) water

Question 20

Agricultural fields are closed systems so that nitrates are constantly recycled.

Question 21

What is eutrophication?

A) It is a process that converts nitrogen into nitrates.
B) It is a process where nitrates are washed off agricultural fields in runoff.
C) It is the natural aging of a water body.
D) None of these.

Question 22

An early form of fertilizers used in growing crops included:

A) fish parts
B) animal manure
C) legumes
D) all of these