Question 1

Which gas is increasing the most in the atmosphere and causing the biggest threat to the world by intensifying the greenhouse effect?

Accepted Answer

Carbon dioxide is the gas that is increasing the most in the atmosphere due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation and land use changes. It is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, leading to global warming and climate change which poses the biggest threat to the world.

Question 2

Primary production is the ____.

Accepted Answer

Primary production refers to the rate at which producers (such as plants and algae) convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis.

Question 3

Producers take up ____ from the atmosphere and incorporate it into their tissues through the process of ____.

Accepted Answer

Producers take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and incorporate it into their tissues through the process of photosynthesis.

Question 4

Producers are present at which trophic level?

Accepted Answer

Producers are the organisms that can create their own food through photosynthesis, such as plants and algae, and they occupy the first trophic level.

Question 5

The bottom or base of an energy pyramid consists of ____.

Accepted Answer

The bottom or base of an energy pyramid consists of primary producers, which are organisms that can synthesize their own food through the process of photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. They are the foundation of the food chain and provide energy for all other levels of the pyramid.

Question 6

Detritus specifically includes ____.

Accepted Answer

Detritus refers to small bits of decaying organic matter, such as dead plant or animal material, that accumulate in ecosystems.

Question 7

Most of the energy within an ecosystem is lost ____.

Accepted Answer

Energy within an ecosystem is primarily lost as a result of metabolism, which includes processes such as respiration, growth, and reproduction. During these processes, energy is converted into forms that are not usable by other organisms, leading to a decrease in the amount of energy available as one moves up the food chain.

Question 8

Burning of fossil fuels, use of synthetic fertilizers, and industrial livestock production all add which compound to the atmosphere?

Accepted Answer

Burning of fossil fuels, use of synthetic fertilizers, and industrial livestock production all add nitrous oxide (N2O) to the atmosphere.

Question 9

The amount of energy that flows through a detrital food web is ____ that which flows through a grazing food web.

Accepted Answer

Detrital food webs typically have more energy flow because they include decomposers that break down organic matter, recycling nutrients and energy back into the ecosystem, often making them more efficient than grazing food webs.

Question 10

What ions form when atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What ions form when atmospheric carbon dioxide...

Question 11

What is the main source of increasing greenhouse gases?

Accepted Answer

The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is a major greenhouse gas. Therefore, the increased use of fossil fuels is the main source of increasing greenhouse gases.

Question 12

Ecological efficiency, described as the percentage of energy at one trophic level that ends up in tissue in the next level, is approximately ____ to ____%.

Accepted Answer

Ecological efficiency is typically around 5-30%. Only a small portion of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next level. The majority of the energy is lost through metabolic processes, heat dissipation, and waste. Choice A is too low, as more than 5% of energy is typically transferred. Choice E is too high, as less than 60% of energy is typically transferred. Choice B is also too high. Choice D is a possible alternative but includes a slightly higher range than the commonly accepted range.

Question 13

Most fresh water ____.

Accepted Answer

Most of the Earth's fresh water is frozen as ice, primarily in the polar ice caps and glaciers.

Question 14

On an annual basis, the greatest flow of carbon between nonbiological reservoirs takes place between ____.

Accepted Answer

The annual flow of carbon between nonbiological reservoirs is mostly between the ocean and the atmosphere through the process of gas exchange, as well as between the ocean and the Earth's rocks through the process of sedimentation. The flow of carbon between the atmosphere and Earth's rocks is minimal, and the flow of carbon between plants or aquatic organisms and Earth's rocks is part of the biological carbon cycle.

Question 15

​Four of the five answers listed below are nonbiological reservoirs in biogeochemical cycles. Select the exception.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ​Four of the five answers listed below...

Question 16

Stretching from South Dakota to Texas and supplying irrigation water to 27% of the nation's crops, what aquifer is the largest aquifer in the United States?

Accepted Answer

The Ogallala Aquifer is the largest aquifer in the United States, stretching from South Dakota to Texas and supplying irrigation water to 27% of the nation's crops. The other choices (Edwards, Biscayne, Marshall, Mahomet) are also aquifers, but they are not as large as the Ogallala.

Question 17

The ____ cycle is a sedimentary cycle.

Accepted Answer

The phosphorus cycle is a sedimentary cycle because it involves the movement of phosphorus from rocks and minerals into soil and water, where it can be taken up by plants and eventually returned to the soil through decomposition. Unlike the carbon and nitrogen cycles, which involve the movement of gases through the atmosphere, the phosphorus cycle is primarily a local cycle that occurs in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Question 18

Wastes would accumulate and most nutrients would stop cycling in the absence of ____.

Accepted Answer

Bacteria and fungi play a crucial role in the nutrient cycling process as they break down organic matter and return nutrients back into the soil for use by plants and other organisms. Without these decomposers, nutrients would remain tied up in organic matter, leading to nutrient depletion and accumulation of waste. Plants and algae also contribute to nutrient cycling, but they primarily rely on decomposers to release nutrients from dead organic matter. Parasitic consumers, insects, and vertebrates may play important roles in specific ecosystems, but they are not essential for nutrient cycling at a global level.

Question 19

Some energy gets stored in molecules that most consumers cannot break down. For example, most carnivores cannot access energy tied up in bones, scales, hair, feathers, or fur. What effect does this have on energy transfer in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

The fact that some energy gets stored in molecules that most consumers cannot break down means that only a small percentage of the energy is passed from one trophic level to the next. This is because energy is lost as it moves up the food chain due to things like heat loss and the energy needed for digestion. So, with the extra energy that cannot be accessed by carnivores, even less energy is being passed up to higher trophic levels, making the transfer of energy between trophic levels highly inefficient.

Question 20

Carnivores must be at or above which trophic level?

Accepted Answer

Carnivores are typically at the third trophic level or higher, as they consume herbivores (primary consumers) which are at the second trophic level.

Quiz 42: Ecosystems

Which gas is increasing the most in the atmosphere and causing the biggest threat to the world by intensifying the greenhouse effect?

Primary production is the ____.

Producers take up from the atmosphere and incorporate it into their tissues through the process of .

Producers are present at which trophic level?

The bottom or base of an energy pyramid consists of ____.

Detritus specifically includes ____.

Most of the energy within an ecosystem is lost ____.

Burning of fossil fuels, use of synthetic fertilizers, and industrial livestock production all add which compound to the atmosphere?

The amount of energy that flows through a detrital food web is ____ that which flows through a grazing food web.

What ions form when atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater?

What is the main source of increasing greenhouse gases?

Ecological efficiency, described as the percentage of energy at one trophic level that ends up in tissue in the next level, is approximately to %.

Most fresh water ____.

On an annual basis, the greatest flow of carbon between nonbiological reservoirs takes place between ____.

Four of the five answers listed below are nonbiological reservoirs in biogeochemical cycles. Select the exception.

Stretching from South Dakota to Texas and supplying irrigation water to 27% of the nation's crops, what aquifer is the largest aquifer in the United States?

The ____ cycle is a sedimentary cycle.

Wastes would accumulate and most nutrients would stop cycling in the absence of ____.

Some energy gets stored in molecules that most consumers cannot break down. For example, most carnivores cannot access energy tied up in bones, scales, hair, feathers, or fur. What effect does this have on energy transfer in an ecosystem?

Carnivores must be at or above which trophic level?

Quiz 42: Ecosystems

Which gas is increasing the most in the atmosphere and causing the biggest threat to the world by intensifying the greenhouse effect?

Primary production is the ____.

Producers take up ____ from the atmosphere and incorporate it into their tissues through the process of ____.

Producers are present at which trophic level?

The bottom or base of an energy pyramid consists of ____.

Detritus specifically includes ____.

Most of the energy within an ecosystem is lost ____.

Burning of fossil fuels, use of synthetic fertilizers, and industrial livestock production all add which compound to the atmosphere?

The amount of energy that flows through a detrital food web is ____ that which flows through a grazing food web.

What ions form when atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in seawater?

What is the main source of increasing greenhouse gases?

Ecological efficiency, described as the percentage of energy at one trophic level that ends up in tissue in the next level, is approximately ____ to ____%.

Most fresh water ____.

On an annual basis, the greatest flow of carbon between nonbiological reservoirs takes place between ____.

​Four of the five answers listed below are nonbiological reservoirs in biogeochemical cycles. Select the exception.

Stretching from South Dakota to Texas and supplying irrigation water to 27% of the nation's crops, what aquifer is the largest aquifer in the United States?

The ____ cycle is a sedimentary cycle.

Wastes would accumulate and most nutrients would stop cycling in the absence of ____.

Some energy gets stored in molecules that most consumers cannot break down. For example, most carnivores cannot access energy tied up in bones, scales, hair, feathers, or fur. What effect does this have on energy transfer in an ecosystem?

Carnivores must be at or above which trophic level?

Producers take up from the atmosphere and incorporate it into their tissues through the process of .

Ecological efficiency, described as the percentage of energy at one trophic level that ends up in tissue in the next level, is approximately to %.

Four of the five answers listed below are nonbiological reservoirs in biogeochemical cycles. Select the exception.