Question 1

The Louisiana coast has lost, and continues to lose, many of its wetlands.Much of the loss has resulted from human activity, including building of levees and other flood control structures, carrying out oil exploration and production, and dredging canals for boat traffic.The lost wetlands provided many ecological services, including flood control, fish production, water purification, wildlife habitat, and carbon storage.What factor was most likely not considered when choices were made to replace Louisiana wetlands with human-made structures?
A) Short-term economic gains
B) The importance of oil as an energy source
C) The need for safe, easy entrance to harbors
D) The chance to bring new business interests into Louisiana
E) The economic value of ecosystem services provided by wetlands

Accepted Answer

The economic value of ecosystem services provided by wetlands was most likely not considered when replacing Louisiana wetlands with human-made structures, as the focus was often on immediate economic benefits or infrastructure needs rather than the long-term ecological and economic benefits provided by wetlands.

Question 2

Energy from the sun controls the hydrologic cycle by causing _______ from the ocean surface.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Energy from the sun controls the hydrologic...

Question 3

When humans burn coal and oil, they produce gases such as SO₂ and NO₂, which react with water in the atmosphere to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid.These compounds damage forests and lakes when they fall as _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When humans burn coal and oil, they...

Question 4

In the open ocean, some regions have excess nitrogen.The NPP in these areas is usually limited by _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the open ocean, some regions have...

Question 5

Hydrothermal vent communities on the ocean floor obtain their energy by the process of _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Hydrothermal vent communities on the ocean floor...

Question 6

If a practice allows humans to benefit from an ecosystem or its resources without compromising the integrity of other ecosystems, that practice is said to be _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If a practice allows humans to benefit...

Question 7

In an ocean ecosystem that has bottom-up control and occurs in an upwelling area, the amount of NPP in the system is likely controlled by the amount of _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In an ocean ecosystem that has bottom-up...

Question 8

Net primary production (NPP) equals gross primary production (GPP) minus _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Net primary production (NPP) equals gross primary...

Question 9

The chemical that cycles primarily on Earth's surface-through rocks, sediments, water, and organisms-and is only present in the atmosphere as dust particles is _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The chemical that cycles primarily on Earth's...

Question 10

Runoff from excess nitrogen fertilizer applied to agricultural land leads to overfertilization of water bodies, which leads to a process called _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Runoff from excess nitrogen fertilizer applied to...

Question 11

The ecosystem type responsible for by far the largest total amount of NPP on Earth is the _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The ecosystem type responsible for by far...

Question 12

Governments often fail to adopt policies that would encourage sustainable management and protect ecosystem goods and services.This failure happens for all of the following reasons except that
A) ecosystem services are difficult to evaluate and quantify.
B) people who stand to profit from ecosystem services may have no incentive to pay for them.
C) owners of converted ecosystems often derive economic benefits from their intensive use or development.
D) ecosystem services provide little value for the money they would cost.
E) people are not aware of ecosystem services or take them for granted.

Accepted Answer

This reason is not a common one for governments to fail to adopt policies to protect ecosystem services. In fact, many studies have shown that the economic benefits of ecosystem services can outweigh the costs of their protection. The other options (A, B, C, and E) are all common reasons for government failure to adopt these policies.

Question 13

As people burn fossil fuels, CO₂ is released into the atmosphere, and almost half of this excess CO₂ dissolves into the oceans, where it forms acidic compounds, lowering the ocean pH.In ecological terms, this process is an example of A) energy flow. B) nutrient cycling. C) primary productivity. D) photosynthesis. E) chemosynthesis.

Accepted Answer

The release of CO₂ from burning fossil fuels and its subsequent absorption into the ocean and formation of acidic compounds represents a cycle of nutrients. This cycle involves the movement and transformation of a chemical element between different compartments or reservoirs, in this case, the atmosphere and the ocean. The process does not involve the direct flow of energy or the production of organic matter through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Question 14

Which statement best explains why sustainable ecosystems are still needed in our increasingly technological society?
A) People need ecosystems primarily for recreational purposes.
B) People can produce or engineer most ecosystem services artificially.
C) Most ecosystem services are irreplaceable or prohibitively expensive to recreate.
D) People still need some provisioning services (such as fresh water), but most services can be easily replaced.
E) Today, most ecosystem services (particularly cultural services) have already been replaced by modern technological advances.

Accepted Answer

Sustainable ecosystems are still needed in our increasingly technological society because most ecosystem services are irreplaceable or prohibitively expensive to recreate. While some provisioning services (such as fresh water) may be replaceable, many other ecosystem services are crucial for human well-being and cannot be easily replicated through technology. Therefore, it is important to maintain sustainable ecosystems to ensure that these services are available to current and future generations.

Question 15

Of the following types of ecosystems, which one does not receive its energy from the sun?
A) Tundra
B) Coral reefs
C) Deep-sea hydrothermal vents
D) Mid-ocean depths, where organisms feed on detritus from above
E) Forest soils, where organisms feed on soil detritus

Accepted Answer

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents get their energy from geothermal energy rather than the sun.

Question 16

The current cost of water treatment represents approximately 50 percent of the cost currently paid for water by residents in the city of Vancouver, Canada.Experts estimated that water treatment costs would increase by up to $0.82 per cubic meter if forest and wetland areas declined by 10 percent.This information suggests that
A) water treatment is not an ecological service provided by forests and wetlands.
B) the economic value of forests and wetlands is already considered in calculating water costs.
C) residents of Vancouver are not willing to pay for better water treatment.
D) the economic value of forests and wetlands is not currently considered in calculating water costs.
E) residents of Vancouver are not willing to pay for maintaining forests and wetlands.

Accepted Answer

The information suggests that the economic value of forests and wetlands is not currently considered in calculating water costs, as a decline in these areas would result in an increase in water treatment costs for residents. This implies that if the ecological services provided by forests and wetlands were taken into account, the cost of water may be lower.

Question 17

Net secondary production depends on three types of efficiency: consumption efficiency, assimilation efficiency, and _______ efficiency.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Net secondary production depends on three types...

Question 18

In peatland ecosystems, organic material builds up in the soils, which become a carbon sink.In Southeast Asia, peatlands are often drained and used as oil palm plantations.This releases their carbon back into the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change.In this scenario, what ecosystem service is lost as a result of human changes to the ecosystem?
A) Oil palm plantations
B) Carbon storage
C) Carbon released into the atmosphere
D) Agricultural land
E) Economic value of the land

Accepted Answer

Human changes to the peatland ecosystem result in the loss of the ecosystem service of carbon storage as organic material is no longer accumulating in the soil and instead carbon is released back into the atmosphere. The other options (A, C, D, E) represent either the cause (oil palm plantations) or a consequence (carbon released into the atmosphere, agricultural land, economic value of the land) of the loss of this ecosystem service.

Question 19

Plants cannot use nitrogen directly from the atmosphere; they depend on nitrogen fixation by bacteria, many of which live in nodules on plant roots.These bacteria fix nitrogen in the form of _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Plants cannot use nitrogen directly from the...

Question 20

Pyramid diagrams show the proportion of the energy transferred from one trophic level to the next higher trophic level.This value is calculated by dividing the amount of energy at one trophic level by the amount of energy at the trophic level immediately below it.This value is called the _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pyramid diagrams show the proportion of the...

Quiz 57: Ecosystems

Energy from the sun controls the hydrologic cycle by causing _______ from the ocean surface.

When humans burn coal and oil, they produce gases such as SO2 and NO2, which react with water in the atmosphere to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid.These compounds damage forests and lakes when they fall as _______.