Exam 2: The Natural Environment and the Human Economy: an Ecological Perspective

The environment is a subsystem of the economy, acting both as a source of raw material inputs and as a 'sink' for waste output.

A consumer is an organism that breaks down dead plants and animals into simpler compounds.

An ecological community in the final stage of succession, in which the species composition remains relatively stable until a disturbance such as fire occurs is called a(n):

An unusually hot summer causes the caterpillar population to decrease. This is an example of temperature as:

For the ecological economist, it is clear that

An ecosystem is composed of biotic factors.

The current primary source of energy for our planet is fossil fuels.

Nonliving things in an ecosystem are abiotic factors.

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

Oxygen, which is absolutely necessary for life on Earth, is the most abundant atmospheric gas.

An example of two producers and three consumers in the food ecosystem are:

The growth of both ecological and economic systems is limited by biophysical determinants.

An example of a biotic factor in a lake ecosystem is:

The world-wide human economy is utilizing as much as 80 percent of the total net primary production, annually.

Carbon dioxide is a necessary chemical compound, without which humans would not survive.

Invasive alien species are introduced deliberately or unintentionally outside their natural habitats where they cause damage to only to those things that are of interest to humans.

Which of the following represents a correct consequence of or is implied by an ecosystem's carrying capacity?

Given that nature is usually constant, ecological succession implies that an environment would eventually reach a steady-state stage that would persist indefinitely.

The simplification of natural ecosystem has which of the following effects?

Which of the follow is accurate about the oxidation process?