Question 1

The discipline that applies ecological principles to returning degraded ecosystems to a more natural state is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  landscape ecology 
B)  conservation ecology 
C)  restoration ecology 
D)  resource conservation 
A)  landscape ecology 
B)  conservation ecology 
C)  restoration ecology 
D)  resource conservation

Question 2

Which of the following has the greatest effect on the rate of chemical cycling in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A)  the rate of decomposition in the ecosystem 
B)  the production efficiency of the ecosystem's consumers 
C)  the trophic efficiency of the ecosystem 
D)  the location of the nutrient reservoirs in the ecosystem 
A)  the rate of decomposition in the ecosystem 
B)  the production efficiency of the ecosystem's consumers 
C)  the trophic efficiency of the ecosystem 
D)  the location of the nutrient reservoirs in the ecosystem

Question 3

If you applied a fungicide to a cornfield, what would you expect to happen to the rate of decomposition and net ecosystem production (NEP)?

Accepted Answer

A)  both decomposition rate and NEP would decrease 
B)  neither would change 
C)  decomposition rate would increase and NEP would decrease 
D)  decomposition rate would decrease and NEP would increase 
A)  both decomposition rate and NEP would decrease 
B)  neither would change 
C)  decomposition rate would increase and NEP would decrease 
D)  decomposition rate would decrease and NEP would increase

Question 4

Use the following figure to answer the question.   Based on information provided, which of the following represents the greatest flux of water from one reserve to another?

Accepted Answer

A)  precipitation to the ocean 
B)  the ocean to the atmosphere 
C)  runoff in streams and the water table to the ocean 
D)  evaporation and transpiration of terrestrial vegetation to the atmosphere 
A)  precipitation to the ocean 
B)  the ocean to the atmosphere 
C)  runoff in streams and the water table to the ocean 
D)  evaporation and transpiration of terrestrial vegetation to the atmosphere

Question 5

If the sun stopped providing energy to Earth, most ecosystems would eventually vanish. Which of the following ecosystems would likely survive the longest after this hypothetical disaster?

Accepted Answer

A)  pelagic ocean 
B)  tundra 
C)  deep benthic ocean 
D)  a desert spring 
A)  pelagic ocean 
B)  tundra 
C)  deep benthic ocean 
D)  a desert spring

Question 6

Which of the following best explains why terrestrial productivity is higher in equatorial climates than in temperate climates?

Accepted Answer

A)  Productivity increases with solar intensity. 
B)  Productivity increases with temperature and water availability. 
C)  Productivity increases with proximity to the sun. 
D)  Productivity increases with day length. 
A)  Productivity increases with solar intensity. 
B)  Productivity increases with temperature and water availability. 
C)  Productivity increases with proximity to the sun. 
D)  Productivity increases with day length.

Question 7

Given the following data set, reducing the availability of which nutrient would best help aquatic biologists and managers reduce a eutrophication problem in a lake?

Accepted Answer

A)  nitrogen 
B)  phosphorus 
C)  iron 
D)  calcium 
A)  nitrogen 
B)  phosphorus 
C)  iron 
D)  calcium

Question 8

Use the following figure to answer the question.   Based on the figure, which of the following is the most complete explanation for the results?

Accepted Answer

A)  nutrient levels in the control watershed are being lost due to evapotranspiration from leaves 
B)  nutrient levels remaining in the control plots are lower 
C)  nutrient levels remaining in the devegetated watershed are lower 
D)  nutrients dissolved in water are lost from the control area more than the devegetated area 
A)  nutrient levels in the control watershed are being lost due to evapotranspiration from leaves 
B)  nutrient levels remaining in the control plots are lower 
C)  nutrient levels remaining in the devegetated watershed are lower 
D)  nutrients dissolved in water are lost from the control area more than the devegetated area

Question 9

Use the following figure to answer the question.   Based on the information provided, which of the following represents the human impact on the global nitrogen cycle?

Accepted Answer

A)  industrial nitrogen fixation 
B)  nitrogen lost to the atmosphere 
C)  reduction of nitrogen available to terrestrial ecosystems 
D)  reduction of nitrogen fixation by bacteria 
A)  industrial nitrogen fixation 
B)  nitrogen lost to the atmosphere 
C)  reduction of nitrogen available to terrestrial ecosystems 
D)  reduction of nitrogen fixation by bacteria

Question 10

Which of the following organisms is correctly paired with its trophic level?

Accepted Answer

A)  cyanobacterium-primary consumer 
B)  grasshopper-secondary consumer 
C)  phytoplankton-primary producer 
D)  fungus-primary consumer 
A)  cyanobacterium-primary consumer 
B)  grasshopper-secondary consumer 
C)  phytoplankton-primary producer 
D)  fungus-primary consumer

Question 11

Use the following figure to answer the question.   Diagram of a food web (arrows represent energy flow and letters represent species)
If the figure represents a terrestrial food web, the combined biomass of C + D would probably be ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  greater than the biomass of A 
B)  greater than the biomass of B 
C)  less than the biomass of A + B 
D)  less than the biomass of E 
A)  greater than the biomass of A 
B)  greater than the biomass of B 
C)  less than the biomass of A + B 
D)  less than the biomass of E

Question 12

Use the following figure to answer the question.   Which of the following conclusions about productivity within the confines of the experimental ecosystem is most consistent with the data?

Accepted Answer

A)  Productivity is higher at depth than at the surface, but only initially. 
B)  Productivity is higher at the surface than at depth; however, an additional experiment could further test the effect of depth by introducing FeSO4 at 30 m deep and measuring the chlorophyll a response. 
C)  Productivity is higher at the surface than at depth, and would be predicted to increase sharply after day 12. 
D)  Productivity at a depth of 30 m is low only because of a lack of sunlight, not a lack of iron sulfate. 
A)  Productivity is higher at depth than at the surface, but only initially. 
B)  Productivity is higher at the surface than at depth; however, an additional experiment could further test the effect of depth by introducing FeSO4 at 30 m deep and measuring the chlorophyll a response. 
C)  Productivity is higher at the surface than at depth, and would be predicted to increase sharply after day 12. 
D)  Productivity at a depth of 30 m is low only because of a lack of sunlight, not a lack of iron sulfate.

Question 13

Which of the following best explains the need for a constant influx of sunlight to sustain Earth's biosphere?

Accepted Answer

A)  energy from sunlight moves through ecosystems but is lost as heat 
B)  energy from sunlight warms the Earth, which allows organisms to flourish 
C)  energy from sunlight is the primary source of chemical energy 
D)  energy from sunlight strikes Earth and is recycled through food webs 
A)  energy from sunlight moves through ecosystems but is lost as heat 
B)  energy from sunlight warms the Earth, which allows organisms to flourish 
C)  energy from sunlight is the primary source of chemical energy 
D)  energy from sunlight strikes Earth and is recycled through food webs

Question 14

Nitrifying bacteria participate in the nitrogen cycle mainly by ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  converting nitrogen gas to ammonia 
B)  releasing ammonium from organic compounds, thus returning it to the soil 
C)  converting ammonium to nitrate, which plants absorb 
D)  incorporating nitrogen into amino acids and organic compounds 
A)  converting nitrogen gas to ammonia 
B)  releasing ammonium from organic compounds, thus returning it to the soil 
C)  converting ammonium to nitrate, which plants absorb 
D)  incorporating nitrogen into amino acids and organic compounds

Question 15

Which of the following best explains the observation that matter may be gained by, or lost from, ecosystems?

Accepted Answer

A)  Chemoautotrophic organisms can convert matter to energy. 
B)  Matter can move from one ecosystem to another. 
C)  Photosynthetic organisms convert solar energy to sugars. 
D)  Heterotrophs convert heat to energy. 
A)  Chemoautotrophic organisms can convert matter to energy. 
B)  Matter can move from one ecosystem to another. 
C)  Photosynthetic organisms convert solar energy to sugars. 
D)  Heterotrophs convert heat to energy.

Question 16

Use the following figure to answer the question.   Which land-based ecosystem in the figure makes has the highest productivity per square meter?

Accepted Answer

A)  tropical wet forest 
B)  Temperate evergreen forest 
C)  cultivated land 
D)  savanna 
A)  tropical wet forest 
B)  Temperate evergreen forest 
C)  cultivated land 
D)  savanna

Question 17

Which of the following has the greatest effect on the rate of chemical cycling within an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A)  the ecosystem's rate of primary production 
B)  the secondary production efficiency of the ecosystem's consumers 
C)  the rate of decomposition in the ecosystem 
D)  the trophic efficiency of the ecosystem 
A)  the ecosystem's rate of primary production 
B)  the secondary production efficiency of the ecosystem's consumers 
C)  the rate of decomposition in the ecosystem 
D)  the trophic efficiency of the ecosystem

Question 18

In order to recycle nutrients, which of the following minimum components must an ecosystem have?

Accepted Answer

A)  producers 
B)  producers and decomposers 
C)  producers, primary consumers, and decomposers 
D)  producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and decomposers 
A)  producers 
B)  producers and decomposers 
C)  producers, primary consumers, and decomposers 
D)  producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and decomposers

Question 19

Which of the following ecosystems would likely have the largest net primary productivity per hectare and why?

Accepted Answer

A)  open ocean, because of the total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs 
B)  grassland, because of rapid growth, the small standing crop biomass that results from consumption by herbivores, and rapid decomposition 
C)  tundra, because of the incredibly rapid period of growth during the summer season 
D)  deep ocean, due to the high activity of chemoautotrophs at deep sea vents 
A)  open ocean, because of the total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs 
B)  grassland, because of rapid growth, the small standing crop biomass that results from consumption by herbivores, and rapid decomposition 
C)  tundra, because of the incredibly rapid period of growth during the summer season 
D)  deep ocean, due to the high activity of chemoautotrophs at deep sea vents

Question 20

Which of the following are the main forms of energy inputs and outputs that move through an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A)  soil elements, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, chemicals within detritus (dead organisms) 
B)  sunlight and heat 
C)  inorganic and organic compounds plus solar radiation 
D)  water, nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon and heat 
A)  soil elements, water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, chemicals within detritus (dead organisms) 
B)  sunlight and heat 
C)  inorganic and organic compounds plus solar radiation 
D)  water, nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon and heat

Exam 55: Energy Flow and Chemical Cycling in Ecosystems

The discipline that applies ecological principles to returning degraded ecosystems to a more natural state is known as ________.

Which of the following has the greatest effect on the rate of chemical cycling in an ecosystem?

If you applied a fungicide to a cornfield, what would you expect to happen to the rate of decomposition and net ecosystem production (NEP)?

Use the following figure to answer the question. Based on information provided, which of the following represents the greatest flux of water from one reserve to another?

If the sun stopped providing energy to Earth, most ecosystems would eventually vanish. Which of the following ecosystems would likely survive the longest after this hypothetical disaster?

Which of the following best explains why terrestrial productivity is higher in equatorial climates than in temperate climates?

Given the following data set, reducing the availability of which nutrient would best help aquatic biologists and managers reduce a eutrophication problem in a lake?

Use the following figure to answer the question. Based on the figure, which of the following is the most complete explanation for the results?

Use the following figure to answer the question. Based on the information provided, which of the following represents the human impact on the global nitrogen cycle?

Which of the following organisms is correctly paired with its trophic level?

Use the following figure to answer the question. Diagram of a food web (arrows represent energy flow and letters represent species) If the figure represents a terrestrial food web, the combined biomass of C + D would probably be ________.

Use the following figure to answer the question. Which of the following conclusions about productivity within the confines of the experimental ecosystem is most consistent with the data?

Which of the following best explains the need for a constant influx of sunlight to sustain Earth's biosphere?

Nitrifying bacteria participate in the nitrogen cycle mainly by ________.

Which of the following best explains the observation that matter may be gained by, or lost from, ecosystems?

Use the following figure to answer the question. Which land-based ecosystem in the figure makes has the highest productivity per square meter?

Which of the following has the greatest effect on the rate of chemical cycling within an ecosystem?

In order to recycle nutrients, which of the following minimum components must an ecosystem have?

Which of the following ecosystems would likely have the largest net primary productivity per hectare and why?

Which of the following are the main forms of energy inputs and outputs that move through an ecosystem?

Biology and Its Themes

Atoms and Molecules

The Chemistry of Water

Carbon: the Basis of Molecular Diversity

Biological Macromolecules and Lipids

Energy and Life

Cell Structure and Function

Cell Membranes

Cellular Signaling

Cell Respiration

Photosynthetic Processes

Mitosis

Sexual Life Cycles and Meiosis

Mendelian Genetics

Linkage and Chromosomes

Nucleic Acids and Inheritance

Expression of Genes

Control of Gene Expression

Dna Technology

The Evolution of Genomes

How Evolution Works

Phylogenetic Reconstruction

Microevolution

Species and Speciation

Macroevolution

Introduction to Viruses

Prokaryotes

The Origin and Evolution of Eukaryotes

Nonvascular and Seedless Vascular Plants

Seed Plants

Introduction to Fungi

An Introduction to Animal Diversity

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Plant Structure and Growth

Transport in Vascular Plants

Plant Nutrition

Reproduction of Flowering Plants

Plant Signals and Behavior

The Animal Body

Chemical Signals in Animals

Animal Digestive Systems

Animal Transport Systems

Animal Excretory Systems

Animal Reproductive Systems

Development in Animals

Animal Defenses Against Infection

Electrical Signals in Animals

Neural Regulation in Animals

Sensation and Movement in Animals

An Overview of Ecology

Behavioral Ecology

Populations and Life History Traits

Biodiversity and Communities

Conservation and Global Ecology

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