Deck 5: Ecosystems: Energy, Patterns, and Disturbance

Question 1

The eruption of Mt.Pinatubo in the Philippines

A)affected only local,island ecosystems.
B)produced large amounts of sulfur dioxide but few aerosols.
C)produced aerosols that blocked the sun and resulted in a drop in global temperatures.
D)caught the human populations unaware,giving no prior signs of activity.

Answer 1

produced aerosols that blocked the sun and resulted in a drop in global temperatures.

Question 2

A large oak tree with its abundant leaves glimmering in the sun on an early fall morning represents

A)a heterotrophic producer.
B)an autotrophic consumer.
C)a heterotrophic consumer.
D)an autotrophic producer.

Answer 2

an autotrophic producer.

Question 3

Deep in the ocean off the shore of Japan are communities nestled around hydrothermal vents where super-heated water springs from the bottom of the ocean.No sunlight ever penetrates to these deep regions.In these communities,bacteria have special enzymes that allow them to form organic matter by chemosynthesis.These communities frequently have worms,clams,shrimp,and many other organisms clustered together.
In such a system,fish feed on shrimp that feed on the bacteria.This food chain represents a

A)tertiary consumer eating a secondary consumer eating a primary consumer.
B)primary consumer eating a secondary consumer eating a tertiary consumer.
C)consumer eating a producer which then consumes chemoautotrophic bacteria.
D)secondary consumer eating a primary consumer which then eats a producer.

Answer 3

secondary consumer eating a primary consumer which then eats a producer.

Question 4

Examine the food web described by this figure.Which of the following organisms is at the highest trophic level?

A)carnivorous zooplankton
B)small fish
C)beluga whale
D)arctic terns

Question 5

Hydrothermal vent communities are unusual because

A)a primary producer synthesizes organic matter.
B)a producer exists without sunlight.
C)a consumer eats a producer.
D)there are no producers in the ecosystem.

Question 6

In general,

A)food chains consist of many interrelated food webs.
B)food chains are interconnected to form food webs.
C)food webs consist of either consumers or producers.
D)food webs usually consists of 8-10 trophic levels.

Question 7

In this unusual ecosystem,

A)there is no photosynthesis.
B)no energy is transferred between trophic levels.
C)temperature is the most important biotic factor.
D)producers eat consumers.

Question 8

In a forest,deer,raccoons,squirrels,and other animals eat and find shelter.A detrital food web occurs as their wastes accumulate on the forest floor.In this detrital web,

A)deer and raccoons function as the producers.
B)fungi and earthworms function as producers.
C)decomposers function as consumers.
D)the deer and raccoons represent decomposers.

Question 9

Dung beetles feeding on the waste of cattle grazing on hay in a field represent

A)a decomposer feeding on the wastes of a consumer eating a producer.
B)a producer feeding on the wastes of a producer eating a consumer.
C)a producer feeding on the wastes of a consumer eating a producer.
D)a consumer feeding on the wastes of a decomposer eating a producer.

Question 10

Examine the food web described by this figure.What would happen if the population of zooplankton decreased suddenly by 80% and stayed low for several years?

A)the arctic cod population would decrease
B)the phytoplankton population would decrease
C)the bearded seal population would increase
D)the beluga whale population would increase

Question 11

In 2010,Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted.One of the results was that

A)devastating erosion sculpted the land into large ravines.
B)most cattle and horses were killed by toxic gases.
C)grasses were covered by ash and were unfit for livestock to eat.
D)parasitic diseases spread quickly through livestock populations.

Question 12

In hydrothermal vent communities,we would not expect to find

A)carbon compounds.
B)chemosynthesis.
C)chlorophyll.
D)producers.

Question 13

A raccoon spends its week eating raspberries,grain,eggs,and grasshoppers.Raccoons are therefore

A)carnivores.
B)omnivores.
C)herbivores.
D)producers.

Question 14

Bison grazing on grasses growing in a meadow represent

A)a consumer eating a producer.
B)a predator eating a consumer.
C)anaerobic metabolism.
D)two producers exchanging energy.

Question 15

________ play a crucial role in returning nutrients essential for plant growth to the soil.

A)Chemical decomposers
B)Herbivores
C)Parasites
D)Producers

Question 16

In the aftermath of Mt.Pinotubo's eruption,local effects

A)included acid rain,erosion,and mudslides.
B)subsided after a few days.
C)on climate have produced numerous extinctions.
D)on soils have left most of the Philippines without fertile soil.

Question 17

Energy is

A)lost in the form of heat as energy is passed up a food chain.
B)added in the form of heat as energy is passed up a food chain.
C)lost in the form of carbon dioxide as energy is passed up a food chain.
D)added in the form of heat as carbon dioxide is passed down a food chain.

Question 18

To feed its young,an owl captures mice that eat grains.The owl also eats small snakes that feed on these mice.The diet of owls represents the roles of

A)a primary and secondary consumer.
B)a secondary and tertiary consumer.
C)an herbivore and a carnivore.
D)a producer and a consumer.

Question 19

Volcanoes are triggered by

A)changes in solar radiation.
B)movement of tectonic plates.
C)human mining activities.
D)major changes in climate.

Question 20

Biomes characterize regions with similar types of

A)vegetation and climatic conditions.
B)animals and plants.
C)soil,water systems,and animals.
D)rocks,soil,minerals,and water.

Question 21

Most warm desert biomes of the world are located

A)about 20-30 degrees latitude north or south.
B)in Asia.
C)along a coastline.
D)along the equator.

Question 22

Cattle and termites both have symbiotic microorganisms living in their digestive tracts that help these animals by

A)digesting cellulose.
B)producing oxygen.
C)producing large organic molecules.
D)releasing kilocalories.

Question 23

Biomes with less than 25 centimeters (10 inches)of rain a year are

A)high in primary productivity.
B)likely to have extremely cold winters.
C)covered with coniferous trees.
D)deserts.

Question 24

A reverse biomass pyramid is typical of

A)terrestrial ecosystems because of the high concentration of sunlight.
B)terrestrial ecosystems because land can support more animals than water.
C)aquatic ecosystems because top consumers live much longer than producers.
D)aquatic ecosystems because water contains much more oxygen than air.

Question 25

Productivity of an ecosystem is best determined by the

A)total amount of biomass in the system.
B)number of individuals of each species.
C)number of species present in the ecosystem.
D)total photosynthesis each year.

Question 26

Biomes with permafrost are most likely

A)covered in coniferous forests at high latitudes.
B)in temperate zones with deciduous trees.
C)located near the poles and without any trees.
D)located at high altitudes nearest the equator.

Question 27

Environmental pollutants such as PCB's contaminate oceans and other aquatic systems.Plankton in the ocean become contaminated by PCB's and pass this along through the food chain.A pregnant woman has been cautioned to limit her consumption of food that may be high in PCBs.If she consumes food from a nearby contaminated ocean,we would expect that the most contaminated foods would be

A)shrimp.
B)clams.
C)fish that eat shrimp.
D)kelp and other ocean plants.

Question 28

Which of the following animals in this figure would be expected to require the largest area per individual animal?

A)rattlesnakes
B)hawk
C)rabbit
D)coyote

Question 29

Biomes with more than 75 centimeters (30 inches)of rain a year and that never experience freezing temperatures are most likely found

A)at high altitudes.
B)nearest the equator at low altitudes.
C)at high altitudes in temperate zones.
D)at high altitudes and high latitudes.

Question 30

Biomes with precipitation between 10-60 inches per year and seasonal temperature at lower elevations are commonly

A)coniferous forests.
B)hot deserts.
C)grasslands.
D)tropical rain forests.

Question 31

Why are there so few ecosystems with more than four levels of consumers?

A)because biomass decreases by about 90% at each trophic level moving up
B)because top consumers compete with and kill each other with increasing population size
C)because consumers at these highest trophic levels typically form social groups that stop reproducing at high densities
D)because predators at the highest trophic levels simply are not intelligent enough to hunt other top predators

Question 32

In some deserts,there are mice and lizards that are about the same size.The mice eat grains and the lizards feed on insects.Given this information,we would expect that the biomass of the

A)lizards would be about the same as the mice.
B)lizards would be greater than the mice.
C)mice would be greater than the lizards.
D)lizards and mice would be about 10 times greater than the organisms that they consume.

Question 33

Energy is lost as it moves from one trophic level to the next because

A)one trophic level does not consume the entire trophic level below it.
B)some of the calories consumed drive cellular activities and do not add mass.
C)some ingested materials are undigested and eliminated.
D)All of the above.

Question 34

Energy transfer between trophic levels in aquatic systems is generally

A)less efficient than terrestrial food pyramids.
B)less efficient than a detritus food web because aquatic systems lack fungi.
C)inverted,in which more energy is transferred from one trophic level up to the next.
D)more efficient than terrestrial food pyramids.

Question 35

In general,biomes at higher latitudes are most like

A)biomes at higher altitudes.
B)aquatic biomes.
C)biomes at lower altitudes.
D)biomes at lower latitudes.

Question 36

If the sun's energy could be measured in units like money,which of the following organisms would be the most expensive to maintain?

A)a mushroom
B)a fox
C)a squirrel
D)a sunflower

Question 37

In the fall,Rose bought some fresh apple cider without preservatives sold by the local orchard.After several weeks stored in the refrigerator,Rose noticed the taste of alcohol in the cider.Friends later told her that she had accidentally made hard cider.Rose wondered how this could happen,and then her friends explained.After some time,natural yeast in her cider

A)broke down the glucose and made alcohol by fermentation.
B)produced glucose by the process of alcoholic fermentation.
C)broke glucose down into alcohol by aerobic respiration.
D)used photosynthesis to create alcohol and sugars.

Question 38

You are enjoying a salad with lettuce coated by mushrooms,tomatoes,carrots,and bits of bacon from grain-fed pigs.Your salad represents

A)producers,consumers,and decomposers.
B)only producers and consumers.
C)only producers and carnivores.
D)only producers.

Question 39

Anaerobic respiration

A)occurs without oxygen and may produce methane gas.
B)is a type of photosynthesis that does not require carbon dioxide.
C)typically results in increased biomass.
D)requires oxygen to break down glucose and other plant sugars.

Question 40

The information of an energy pyramid reveals that

A)it is expensive and inefficient to get most of your dietary calories from meats.
B)it is expensive and inefficient to get most of your dietary calories from grains.
C)consumers at lower trophic levels do not have as many calories as consumers at higher trophic levels.
D)consumers at higher trophic levels are usually more abundant than consumers at lower trophic levels.

Question 41

What once was an open pasture on a long abandoned farm has changed over time,without the direct influence of humans.After the cattle had been removed,shrubs and bushes could be seen dotting the grass-covered hillsides.A few years later,small pine trees and then larger deciduous trees appeared.Now,there are so many trees and shaded regions it is difficult to tell that this was once a field.
These ecological changes in the abandoned pasture represent

A)aquatic to terrestrial succession.
B)primary succession.
C)intermediate succession.
D)secondary succession.

Question 42

Crown fires

A)create a mosaic of successional stages in an ecosystem.
B)decrease biodiversity by eliminating species that are fire resistant.
C)increase the later stages of succession.
D)are not a natural factor in undisturbed ecosystems.

Question 43

You visit a region with two-way currents to see where many marine organisms inhabit shallow,nutrient rich waters.You are visiting

A)an estuary.
B)the open ocean.
C)an inland wetland.
D)a region where a stream flows into a lake.

Question 44

Moss invades and establishes itself on bare rock,accumulating the beginnings of soil.After several years,enough soil has become established that grasses begin to grow where there was once bare rock.Without the moss building up soil,the grasses would have had no chance.
The establishment of the mosses on bare rock and eventual addition of grasses represents

A)a climax ecosystem.
B)primary succession.
C)secondary succession.
D)intermediate succession.

Question 45

The frequency of crown fires will decrease if

A)forests are logged more frequently.
B)smaller forest fires are allowed to burn naturally.
C)deadwood is allowed to accumulate on the forest floors.
D)the environment experiences less precipitation.

Question 46

Walking along a large city park on a hot summer day,you look for a cool resting place and sit down on a large rock under a willow tree,at the quiet edge of a stream.You have searched for and found an example of a

A)microclimate.
B)biome.
C)landscape.
D)population.

Question 47

Moss invades and establishes itself on bare rock,accumulating the beginnings of soil.After several years,enough soil has become established that grasses begin to grow where there was once bare rock.Without the moss building up soil,the grasses would have had no chance.
The mosses changed the environment enough to permit grasses to grow in a process called

A)sublimation.
B)facilitation.
C)regeneration.
D)improvisation.

Question 48

Primary productivity of the open oceans is very limited because of

A)the shortage of water.
B)the shortage of light.
C)the shortage of nutrients.
D)low temperature.

Question 49

What once was an open pasture on a long abandoned farm has changed over time,without the direct influence of humans.After the cattle had been removed,shrubs and bushes could be seen dotting the grass-covered hillsides.A few years later,small pine trees and then larger deciduous trees appeared.Now,there are so many trees and shaded regions it is difficult to tell that this was once a field.
The changes in this field,from grasses to shrubs to trees,represent

A)ecological succession.
B)climax production.
C)biological evolution.
D)ecological adaptation.

Question 50

Which biome is characterized by permafrost?

A)tundra
B)high latitude temperate forests
C)cold deserts
D)high latitude coniferous forests

Question 51

If fire is suppressed in forests that naturally experience frequent fires,

A)nutrient recycling improves.
B)grasses are more abundant.
C)pines and redwoods are more abundant.
D)the frequency of crown fires increases when fire does occur.

Question 52

What once was an open pasture on a long abandoned farm has changed over time,without the direct influence of humans.After the cattle had been removed,shrubs and bushes could be seen dotting the grass-covered hillsides.A few years later,small pine trees and then larger deciduous trees appeared.Now,there are so many trees and shaded regions it is difficult to tell that this was once a field.
In this wooded region that was once pasture,a mature forest of towering oaks and hickory trees has taken over.However,change is still apparent,as a large patch of young shrubs and small trees are growing where several large trees were toppled by a storm several years ago.Collectively,this wooded region represents

A)a climax ecosystem.
B)primary succession.
C)a sustained biome.
D)intermediate succession.

Question 53

Which biome is characterized by frequent fires and rich soils?

A)tropical rainforests
B)tundra
C)grasslands and prairies
D)temperate forests

Question 54

Which of the following represent ecosystems with high average annual net primary productivity?

A)algal beds,reefs,swamps,and marshes
B)open ocean and continental shelves
C)boreal forest and temperate grasslands
D)estuaries,tundra,lakes,and streams

Question 55

As you paddle along in your canoe,you pass alligators,herons,turtles,and tall marsh grasses on your journey through Everglades National Park.This magnificent ecosystem is one of the most famous examples of

A)the saline portion of an estuary.
B)a lake with some incoming tidal flow.
C)a freshwater wetland.
D)a freshwater stream.

Question 56

As successional changes occur in an ecosystem,new species take advantage of new conditions.Where do these new species come from?

A)They evolve from other species in the immediate region.
B)They come from surrounding ecosystems in other stages of succession.
C)They are planted by forest rangers managing these forest ecosystems.
D)The seeds of the new species are carried in by large streams and rivers.

Question 57

About 10% of a large forest experienced a severe fire that burned all but the largest trees.Soon after the fire,the landowner consulted biologists to ask what should be done to the burned region.The biologists explained that if the landowner does nothing,

A)rainfall will likely lead to a severe erosion problem.
B)the same region will soon be expected to catch on fire again.
C)the region will naturally recover and eventually become forest again.
D)the opening will likely be repopulated with invasive species,not native to the region.

Question 58

The natural succession of a small farm pond will tend to

A)increase the total amount of shoreline.
B)increase the depth of the pond.
C)increase the amount of water in the pond.
D)increase sediment depth and make the pond more likely to freeze solid in the winter.

Question 59

Which biome is characterized by the highest annual rainfalls and primary productivity?

A)temperate deciduous forests
B)temperate grasslands and prairies
C)tropical rainforests
D)tropical grasslands and prairies

Question 60

Compared to an ecosystem with just a single stage of succession,an ecosystem with a variety of successional stages

A)is more likely to experience forest fires.
B)has greater biodiversity.
C)is less likely to experience erosion.
D)has a much lower rate of primary productivity.

Question 61

Which one of the following best represents a negative tipping point?

A)logging trees and preventing their regrowth in a forest
B)allowing natural wildfires to burn wherever they occur
C)allowing resilience mechanisms to function after a wildfire
D)relying upon bordering systems to repopulate a region that has been flooded

Question 62

The type of forest fire in this photo

A)makes crown fires more likely in the burned regions.
B)significantly harms grasses and lodgepole pines in the burned regions.
C)increases the frequency of scrub oaks and other broad-leaved species in the burned regions.
D)promotes nutrient cycling in the burned regions.

Question 63

The National Ecosystem Observance Network (NEON)is a long-term study of ecosystems to help us understand the effects of

A)nutrient cycling in eroded soils.
B)climate change and invasive species.
C)primary succession on volcanic islands.
D)efficiency of energy transfer between producers and consumers.

Question 64

As we consider the pressing demands of a growing human population,ecosystem services must be

A)given proper economic value and not taken for granted.
B)perceived as free.
C)understood as unlimited resources.
D)managed for maximum economic output.

Question 65

Many polluted ecosystems will recover if we stop polluting them.This illustrates

A)loss of ecosystem capital.
B)the essential role of keystone species in ecosystems.
C)secondary succession.
D)the natural resilience of ecosystems.

Question 66

Some developers in your town want to fill in an estuary to build a condominium with a wonderful view of a beach.They argue that building and selling apartments in the condominium will add jobs and income to the region.However,educated citizens ask about the cost of the development in lost ecosystem functions.They argue that in their local community,the jobs added in construction may be offset by expected losses in

A)water quality and the local fishing industry.
B)natural gas production in the region.
C)lumber production for the regional timber industry.
D)UVB protection.

Question 67

The best ecosystem management requires

A)good stewardship and sustainability.
B)planned disturbances and careful timing.
C)restoration ecologists.
D)government regulation and control.

Question 68

About 40% of the land's primary production on Earth

A)has been appropriated to meet human needs.
B)has been destroyed by global climate change.
C)uses more oxygen than it produces.
D)has been lost just to build enough homes for all of the people on Earth.

Question 69

Which of the following industries is most similar to a natural ecosystem service?

A)pest control
B)telecommunications
C)urban public transportation systems
D)the postal system

Question 70

For nearly 50 years,a farmer has raised corn and soybeans on his family's 1,000-acre farm by a river.Now in retirement,the farmer wants to return the farmland to its natural state as a wetland in the floodplain of the river.The farmer will most need the services of

A)a crop scientist.
B)a restoration ecologist and data from LTER projects.
C)an agricultural engineer with training in successional dynamics.
D)a functional morphologist.

Question 71

Which one of the following contributes the most to global climate change?

A)planting forests to grow wood for lumber and paper pulp
B)the use of natural gas to heat homes
C)the generation of electricity from nuclear fuel
D)eating a vegetarian diet

Question 72

The Long-Term Ecological Research sites (LTER)collectively focus on studying

A)natural successional changes in ecosystems.
B)the effects of various types of human disturbances to ecosystem function.
C)how to make invasive species profitable for agriculture.
D)creation of artificial soils for ecosystems lacking producers.

Question 73

One of the greatest human impacts on natural ecosystems results from

A)the disruption of natural biogeochemical cycles.
B)the generation of electricity from nuclear energy.
C)the use of our oceans for shipping and transportation.
D)the use of the sun and wind to generate electricity.

Question 74

The growing human population

A)is best addressed by the conversion of ecosystems to more direct human uses.
B)requires the management of ecosystems to better serve the needs of humans.
C)will increase the need for ecosystem services.
D)will require an increase in forests and a decrease in agricultural land.

Question 75

Restoration ecologists try to

A)restore destroyed or damaged ecosystems to their native conditions.
B)create new ecosystems with new ecosystem functions to gain ecosystem capital.
C)create enclosures for zoos that imitate the abiotic components of natural environments.
D)include ecosystems in national forests and parks where people can best interact with nature.

Question 76

Which of the following represents a resilience mechanism?

A)crown fires resulting from many years of fire suppression
B)the emergence of a meadow in a recently burned forest
C)soil erosion resulting from burned soil washing away from a forest floor
D)burned trees accumulating on a forest floor after a fire

Question 77

The most important outcome for ecosystem management is

A)ecological sustainability.
B)economic productivity.
C)recreational use of managed regions.
D)opportunities to harvest natural resources.

Question 78

Our increasing human population requires that future management of natural systems be

A)towards sustainability.
B)focused on maximizing the harvest of natural resources.
C)evaluated in terms of the gross national product.
D)focused on agricultural productivity.

Question 79

One of the reasons that humans continue to convert ecosystems to more direct human uses is that

A)the benefits are experienced locally while the losses are experienced regionally or globally.
B)the human uses are much more productive than the natural systems.
C)ecosystems function best when they are managed by humans for human uses.
D)humans can redirect natural systems to more sustainable systems.

Question 80

This region of Iceland once was covered with forests.However,humans logged the trees and grazed sheep on the logged regions,preventing natural regeneration.This situation,in which one ecosystem has now been converted to another,represents

A)a tipping point for this ecosystem.
B)the power of natural resilience mechanisms.
C)reverse ecological succession.
D)a sustainable approach to ecosystem management.