Question 1

What is the most important role of photosynthetic organisms in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A) converting inorganic compounds into organic compounds 
B) absorbing solar radiation 
C) producing organic detritus for decomposers 
D) dissipating heat 
E) recycling energy from other tropic levels 
A) converting inorganic compounds into organic compounds 
B) absorbing solar radiation 
C) producing organic detritus for decomposers 
D) dissipating heat 
E) recycling energy from other tropic levels

Question 2

Which of the following lists of organisms is ranked in correct order from lowest to highest percent in production efficiency?

Accepted Answer

A) mammals, fish, insects 
B) insects, fish, mammals 
C) fish, insects, mammals 
D) insects, mammals, fish 
E) mammals, insects, fish 
A) mammals, fish, insects 
B) insects, fish, mammals 
C) fish, insects, mammals 
D) insects, mammals, fish 
E) mammals, insects, fish

Question 3

Use Figure 55.2 to answer the following questions. Examine this food web for a particular terrestrial ecosystem. Each letter is a species. The arrows represent energy flow.
   
Figure 55.2
-A toxic pollutant would probably reach its highest concentration in which species?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Use Figure 55.2 to answer the following...

Question 4

Agricultural lands frequently require nutritional supplementation because

Accepted Answer

A) nitrogen-fixing bacteria and detrivores do not cycle nutrients as effectively as they do on wild lands. 
B) the nutrients that enter the plants are not returned to the soil on lands where they are harvested. 
C) the prairies that comprise good agricultural land tend to be nutrient-poor. 
D) grains raised for feed must be fortified, and thus require additional nutrients. 
E) cultivation of agricultural lands inhibits the decomposition of organic matter. 
A) nitrogen-fixing bacteria and detrivores do not cycle nutrients as effectively as they do on wild lands. 
B) the nutrients that enter the plants are not returned to the soil on lands where they are harvested. 
C) the prairies that comprise good agricultural land tend to be nutrient-poor. 
D) grains raised for feed must be fortified, and thus require additional nutrients. 
E) cultivation of agricultural lands inhibits the decomposition of organic matter.

Question 5

The difference between net and gross primary productivity would likely be greatest for

Accepted Answer

A) phytoplankton in the ocean. 
B) corn plants in a farmer's field. 
C) prairie grasses. 
D) an oak tree in a forest. 
E) sphagnum moss in a bog. 
A) phytoplankton in the ocean. 
B) corn plants in a farmer's field. 
C) prairie grasses. 
D) an oak tree in a forest. 
E) sphagnum moss in a bog.

Question 6

If the Sun were to suddenly stop providing energy to Earth, most ecosystems would vanish. Which of the following ecosystems would likely survive the longest after this hypothetical disaster?

Accepted Answer

A) tropical rainforest 
B) tundra 
C) benthic ocean 
D) grassland 
E) desert 
A) tropical rainforest 
B) tundra 
C) benthic ocean 
D) grassland 
E) desert

Question 7

In general, the total biomass in a terrestrial ecosystem will be greatest for which trophic level?

Accepted Answer

A) producers 
B) herbivores 
C) primary consumers 
D) tertiary consumers 
E) secondary consumers 
A) producers 
B) herbivores 
C) primary consumers 
D) tertiary consumers 
E) secondary consumers

Question 8

Which of the following probably contains the highest concentration of toxic pollutants (biological magnification)?

Accepted Answer

A) hawk 
B) snake 
C) shrew 
D) grasshopper 
E) grass 
A) hawk 
B) snake 
C) shrew 
D) grasshopper 
E) grass

Question 9

Which of the following terms encompasses all of the others?

Accepted Answer

A) heterotrophs 
B) herbivores 
C) carnivores 
D) primary consumers 
E) secondary consumers 
A) heterotrophs 
B) herbivores 
C) carnivores 
D) primary consumers 
E) secondary consumers

Question 10

A secondary consumer, such as a fox, receives what percent of the energy fixed by primary producers in a typical field ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.1% 
B) 1% 
C) 10% 
D) 20% 
E) 90% 
A) 0.1% 
B) 1% 
C) 10% 
D) 20% 
E) 90%

Question 11

Aquatic ecosystems are least likely to be limited by which of the following nutrients?

Accepted Answer

A) nitrogen 
B) carbon 
C) phosphorus 
D) iron 
E) zinc 
A) nitrogen 
B) carbon 
C) phosphorus 
D) iron 
E) zinc

Question 12

Suppose you are studying the nitrogen cycling in a pond ecosystem over the course of a year. While you are collecting data, a flock of 100 Canada geese lands and spends the night during a fall migration. What could you do to eliminate error in your study as a result of this event?

Accepted Answer

A) Find out how much nitrogen is consumed in plant material by a Canada goose over about a 12-hour period and multiply this number by 100 and add to the total nitrogen in the ecosystem. 
B) Find out how much nitrogen is eliminated by a Canada goose over about a 12-hour period and multiply this number by 100 and subtract from the total nitrogen in the ecosystem. 
C) Find out how much nitrogen is consumed and eliminated by a Canada goose over about a 12-hour period and multiply this number by 100; enter this +/-value into the nitrogen budget of the ecosystem. 
D) Do nothing. The Canada geese visitation to the lake would have negligible impact on the nitrogen budget of the pond. 
E) Put a net over the pond so that no more migrating flocks can land on the pond and alter the nitrogen balance of the pond. 
A) Find out how much nitrogen is consumed in plant material by a Canada goose over about a 12-hour period and multiply this number by 100 and add to the total nitrogen in the ecosystem. 
B) Find out how much nitrogen is eliminated by a Canada goose over about a 12-hour period and multiply this number by 100 and subtract from the total nitrogen in the ecosystem. 
C) Find out how much nitrogen is consumed and eliminated by a Canada goose over about a 12-hour period and multiply this number by 100; enter this +/-value into the nitrogen budget of the ecosystem. 
D) Do nothing. The Canada geese visitation to the lake would have negligible impact on the nitrogen budget of the pond. 
E) Put a net over the pond so that no more migrating flocks can land on the pond and alter the nitrogen balance of the pond.

Question 13

Which statement best describes what ultimately happens to the chemical energy that is not converted to new biomass in the process of energy transfer between trophic levels in an ecosystem?

Accepted Answer

A) It is undigested and winds up in the feces and is not passed on to higher trophic levels. 
B) It is used by organisms to maintain their life processes through cellular respiration reactions. 
C) Heat produced by cellular respiration is used by heterotrophs to thermoregulate. 
D) It is dissipated into space as heat in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics. 
E) It is recycled by decomposers to a form that is once again usable by primary producers. 
A) It is undigested and winds up in the feces and is not passed on to higher trophic levels. 
B) It is used by organisms to maintain their life processes through cellular respiration reactions. 
C) Heat produced by cellular respiration is used by heterotrophs to thermoregulate. 
D) It is dissipated into space as heat in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics. 
E) It is recycled by decomposers to a form that is once again usable by primary producers.

Question 14

Trophic efficiency is

Accepted Answer

A) the ratio of net secondary production to assimilation of primary production. 
B) the percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next. 
C) a measure of how nutrients are cycled from one trophic level to the next. 
D) usually greater than production efficiencies. 
E) about 90% in most cosystems 
A) the ratio of net secondary production to assimilation of primary production. 
B) the percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next. 
C) a measure of how nutrients are cycled from one trophic level to the next. 
D) usually greater than production efficiencies. 
E) about 90% in most cosystems

Question 15

Which of these ecosystems has the highest net primary productivity per square meter?

Accepted Answer

A) savanna 
B) open ocean 
C) boreal forest 
D) tropical rain forest 
E) temperate forest 
A) savanna 
B) open ocean 
C) boreal forest 
D) tropical rain forest 
E) temperate forest

Question 16

A porcupine eats 3,000 J of plant material. 1,600 J is indigestible and is eliminated as feces. 1,300 J are used in cellular respiration. What is the approximate production efficiency of this animal?

Accepted Answer

A) .03% 
B) 1% 
C) 3% 
D) 10% 
E) 30% 
A) .03% 
B) 1% 
C) 3% 
D) 10% 
E) 30%

Question 17

Use Figure 55.2 to answer the following questions. Examine this food web for a particular terrestrial ecosystem. Each letter is a species. The arrows represent energy flow.
   
Figure 55.2
-Which species is autotrophic?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Use Figure 55.2 to answer the following...

Question 18

Aquatic primary productivity is most limited by which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) light and nutrient availability 
B) predation by fishes 
C) increased pressure with depth 
D) disease 
E) temperature 
A) light and nutrient availability 
B) predation by fishes 
C) increased pressure with depth 
D) disease 
E) temperature

Question 19

Use the incomplete diagram below, illustrating some of the steps involved in eutrophication to answer the following questions.
   Figure 55.3
-What would be a likely entry for box A?

Accepted Answer

A) increased temperature 
B) elimination of zooplankton 
C) increased sunlight 
D) fertilizers washed into the lake 
E) increased ultraviolet radiation 
A) increased temperature 
B) elimination of zooplankton 
C) increased sunlight 
D) fertilizers washed into the lake 
E) increased ultraviolet radiation

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

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

Exam 55: Ecosystems

What is the most important role of photosynthetic organisms in an ecosystem?

Which of the following lists of organisms is ranked in correct order from lowest to highest percent in production efficiency?

Use Figure 55.2 to answer the following questions. Examine this food web for a particular terrestrial ecosystem. Each letter is a species. The arrows represent energy flow. Figure 55.2 -A toxic pollutant would probably reach its highest concentration in which species?

Agricultural lands frequently require nutritional supplementation because

The difference between net and gross primary productivity would likely be greatest for

If the Sun were to suddenly stop providing energy to Earth, most ecosystems would vanish. Which of the following ecosystems would likely survive the longest after this hypothetical disaster?

In general, the total biomass in a terrestrial ecosystem will be greatest for which trophic level?

Which of the following probably contains the highest concentration of toxic pollutants (biological magnification)?

Which of the following terms encompasses all of the others?

A secondary consumer, such as a fox, receives what percent of the energy fixed by primary producers in a typical field ecosystem?

Aquatic ecosystems are least likely to be limited by which of the following nutrients?

Suppose you are studying the nitrogen cycling in a pond ecosystem over the course of a year. While you are collecting data, a flock of 100 Canada geese lands and spends the night during a fall migration. What could you do to eliminate error in your study as a result of this event?

Which statement best describes what ultimately happens to the chemical energy that is not converted to new biomass in the process of energy transfer between trophic levels in an ecosystem?

Trophic efficiency is

Which of these ecosystems has the highest net primary productivity per square meter?

A porcupine eats 3,000 J of plant material. 1,600 J is indigestible and is eliminated as feces. 1,300 J are used in cellular respiration. What is the approximate production efficiency of this animal?

Use Figure 55.2 to answer the following questions. Examine this food web for a particular terrestrial ecosystem. Each letter is a species. The arrows represent energy flow. Figure 55.2 -Which species is autotrophic?

Aquatic primary productivity is most limited by which of the following?

Use the incomplete diagram below, illustrating some of the steps involved in eutrophication to answer the following questions. Figure 55.3 -What would be a likely entry for box A?

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

Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life

The Chemical Context of Life

Water and the Fitness of the Environment

Carbon and the Molecular Diversity of Life

The Structure and Function of Large Biological Molecules

A Tour of the Cell

Membrane Structure and Function

An Introduction to Metabolism

Cellular Respiration: Harvesting Chemical Energy

Photosynthesis

Cell Communication

The Cell Cycle

Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles

Mendel and the Gene Idea

The Chromosomal Basis of Inheritance

The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

From Gene to Protein

Control of Gene Expression

Viruses

Biotechnology

Genomes and Their Evolution

Descent With Modification: a Darwinian View of Life

The Evolution of Populations

The Origin of Species

The History of Life on Earth

Phylogeny and the Tree of Life

Bacteria and Archaea

Protists

Plant Diversity I: How Plants Colonized Land

Plant Diversity Ii: the Evolution of Seed Plants

Fungi

An Introduction to Animal Diversity

Invertebrates

Vertebrates

Plant Structure, Growth, and Development

Transport in Vascular Plants

Soil and Plant Nutrition

Angiosperm Reproduction and Biotechnology

Plant Responses to Internal and External Signals

Basic Principles of Animal Form and Function

Animal Nutrition

Circulation and Gas Exchange

The Immune System

Osmoregulation and Excretion

Hormones and the Endocrine System

Animal Reproduction

Animal Development

Neurons, Synapses, and Signaling

Nervous Systems

Sensory and Motor Mechanisms

Animal Behavior

An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Population Ecology

Community Ecology

Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology

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