Question 1

How is it that satellites can detect differences in primary productivity on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) Photosynthesizers absorb more visible light in the 350-750 wavelengths. 
B) Satellite instruments can detect reflectance patterns of the photosynthesizers of different ecosystems. 
C) Sensitive satellite instruments can measure the amount of NADPH produced in the summative light reactions of different ecosystems. 
D) By comparing the wavelengths of light captured and reflected by photosynthesizers to the amount of light reaching different ecosystems. 
E) By measuring the amount of water vapor emitted by transpiring photosynthesizers. 
A) Photosynthesizers absorb more visible light in the 350-750 wavelengths. 
B) Satellite instruments can detect reflectance patterns of the photosynthesizers of different ecosystems. 
C) Sensitive satellite instruments can measure the amount of NADPH produced in the summative light reactions of different ecosystems. 
D) By comparing the wavelengths of light captured and reflected by photosynthesizers to the amount of light reaching different ecosystems. 
E) By measuring the amount of water vapor emitted by transpiring photosynthesizers.

Question 2

You have a friend who is wary of environmentalists' claims that global warming could lead to major biological change on Earth. Which of the following statements can you truthfully make in response to your friend's suspicions?

Accepted Answer

A) We know that atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased in the last 150 years. 
B) Through measurements and observations, we know that carbon dioxide levels and temperature fluctuations were directly correlated even in prehistoric times. 
C) Global warming could have significant effects on United States agriculture. 
D) Sea levels will likely rise, displacing as much as 50% of the world's human population. 
E) A, B, C, and D are all correct 
A) We know that atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased in the last 150 years. 
B) Through measurements and observations, we know that carbon dioxide levels and temperature fluctuations were directly correlated even in prehistoric times. 
C) Global warming could have significant effects on United States agriculture. 
D) Sea levels will likely rise, displacing as much as 50% of the world's human population. 
E) A, B, C, and D are all correct

Question 3

As big as it is, the ocean is nutrient-limited. If you wanted to investigate this, one reasonable avenue would be to

Accepted Answer

A) follow whale migrations in order to determine where most nutrients are. 
B) observe Antarctic Ocean productivity from year to year to see if it changes. 
C) experimentally enrich some areas of the ocean and compare their productivity to that of untreated areas. 
D) compare nutrient concentrations between the photic zone and the benthic zone in various locations 
E) contrast nutrient uptake by autotrophs in oceans of different temperatures. 
A) follow whale migrations in order to determine where most nutrients are. 
B) observe Antarctic Ocean productivity from year to year to see if it changes. 
C) experimentally enrich some areas of the ocean and compare their productivity to that of untreated areas. 
D) compare nutrient concentrations between the photic zone and the benthic zone in various locations 
E) contrast nutrient uptake by autotrophs in oceans of different temperatures.

Question 4

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 most likely the decomposer?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

Which of the following properly links the nutrient to its reservoir?

Accepted Answer

A) Nitrogen ionic nitrogen in the soil 
B) Water atmospheric water vapor 
C) Carbon dissolved CO2 in aquatic ecosystems 
D) Phosphorous sedimentary rocks 
E) A, B, C, and D are all correct 
A) Nitrogen ionic nitrogen in the soil 
B) Water atmospheric water vapor 
C) Carbon dissolved CO2 in aquatic ecosystems 
D) Phosphorous sedimentary rocks 
E) A, B, C, and D are all correct

Question 6

The high levels of pesticides found in birds of prey is an example of

Accepted Answer

A) eutrophication. 
B) predation. 
C) biological magnification. 
D) the green world hypothesis. 
E) chemical cycling through an ecosystem. 
A) eutrophication. 
B) predation. 
C) biological magnification. 
D) the green world hypothesis. 
E) chemical cycling through an ecosystem.

Question 7

Which of the following is True of detrivores?

Accepted Answer

A) They recycle chemical elements directly back to primary consumers. 
B) They synthesize organic molecules that are used by primary producers. 
C) They convert organic materials from all trophic levels to inorganic compounds usable by primary producers. 
D) They secrete enzymes that convert the organic molecules of detritus into CO2 and H₂O. 
E) Some species are autotrophic, while others are heterotrophic. 
A) They recycle chemical elements directly back to primary consumers. 
B) They synthesize organic molecules that are used by primary producers. 
C) They convert organic materials from all trophic levels to inorganic compounds usable by primary producers. 
D) They secrete enzymes that convert the organic molecules of detritus into CO2 and H₂O. 
E) Some species are autotrophic, while others are heterotrophic.

Question 8

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 most likely an omnivore?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 9

The producers in aquatic ecosystems include organisms in which of the following groups?

Accepted Answer

A) cyanobacteria 
B) algae 
C) plants 
D) photoautotrophs 
E) A, B, C, and D are all correct 
A) cyanobacteria 
B) algae 
C) plants 
D) photoautotrophs 
E) A, B, C, and D are all correct

Question 10

In terms of nutrient cycling, why does timber harvesting in a temperate forest cause less ecological devastation than timber harvesting in tropical rain forests?

Accepted Answer

A) Trees are generally smaller in temperate forests, so fewer nutrients will be removed from the temperate forest ecosystem during a harvest. 
B) Temperate forest tree species require fewer nutrients to survive than their tropical counterpart species, so a harvest removes fewer nutrients from the temperate ecosystem. 
C) The warmer temperatures in the tropics influence rain forest species to assimilate nutrients more slowly, so tropical reforestation is much slower than temperate reforestation. 
D) There are far fewer decomposers in tropical rain forests so turning organic matter into usable nutrients is a slower process than in temperate forest ecosystems. 
E) Typical harvests remove up to 75% of the nutrients in the woody trunks of tropical rain forest trees, leaving nutrient-impoverished soils behind. 
A) Trees are generally smaller in temperate forests, so fewer nutrients will be removed from the temperate forest ecosystem during a harvest. 
B) Temperate forest tree species require fewer nutrients to survive than their tropical counterpart species, so a harvest removes fewer nutrients from the temperate ecosystem. 
C) The warmer temperatures in the tropics influence rain forest species to assimilate nutrients more slowly, so tropical reforestation is much slower than temperate reforestation. 
D) There are far fewer decomposers in tropical rain forests so turning organic matter into usable nutrients is a slower process than in temperate forest ecosystems. 
E) Typical harvests remove up to 75% of the nutrients in the woody trunks of tropical rain forest trees, leaving nutrient-impoverished soils behind.

Question 11

Use the information below to answer the following questions.
Flycatcher birds that migrate from Africa to Europe feed their nestlings mostly with moth caterpillars. The data presented show the mean dates of egg laying, hatching, and fledging of flycatcher young, and the 1980 and 2000 peak mass of caterpillars.
   
Figure 55.4
-The most likely cause for the shift in caterpillar peak mass is

Accepted Answer

A) pesticide use. 
B) earlier migration returns of flycatchers. 
C) an innate change of biological clock by caterpillars. 
D) global warming. 
E) a decrease in the amount of calcium in the ecosystem. 
A) pesticide use. 
B) earlier migration returns of flycatchers. 
C) an innate change of biological clock by caterpillars. 
D) global warming. 
E) a decrease in the amount of calcium in the ecosystem.

Question 12

To recycle nutrients, the minimum an ecosystem must have is

Accepted Answer

A) producers. 
B) producers and decomposers. 
C) producers, primary consumers, and decomposers. 
D) producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and decomposers. 
E) producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, top carnivores, and decomposers. 
A) producers. 
B) producers and decomposers. 
C) producers, primary consumers, and decomposers. 
D) producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and decomposers. 
E) producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, top carnivores, and decomposers.

Question 13

Which of the following are responsible for the conversion of most organic material into CO2, which can be utilized in primary production?

Accepted Answer

A) autotrophs 
B) detrivores 
C) primary consumers 
D) herbivores 
E) carnivores 
A) autotrophs 
B) detrivores 
C) primary consumers 
D) herbivores 
E) carnivores

Question 14

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
-Species C is toxic to predators. Which species is most likely to benefit from being a mimic of C?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

Nitrogen is available to plants only in the form of

Accepted Answer

A) N2 in the atmosphere. 
B) nitrite ions in the soil. 
C) uric acid from animal excretions. 
D) amino acids from decomposing plant and animal proteins. 
E) nitrate ions in the soil. 
A) N2 in the atmosphere. 
B) nitrite ions in the soil. 
C) uric acid from animal excretions. 
D) amino acids from decomposing plant and animal proteins. 
E) nitrate ions in the soil.

Question 16

Refer to Figure 55.1, a diagram of a food web, for the following questions. (Arrows represent energy flow and letters represent species.)
   
Figure 55.1
-If this were a terrestrial food web, the combined biomass of C + D would probably be

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

When levels of CO2 are experimentally increased, C3 plants generally respond with a greater increase in productivity than C4 plants. This is because

Accepted Answer

A) C3 plants are more efficient in their use of CO2. 
B) C3 plants are able to obtain the same amount of CO2 by keeping their stomata open for shorter periods of time. 
C) C4 plants don't use CO2 as their source of carbon. 
D) C3 plants are more limited than C4 plants by CO2 availability because of transpirational water loss. 
E) C3 plants have special adaptations for CO2 uptake, such as larger stomata. 
A) C3 plants are more efficient in their use of CO2. 
B) C3 plants are able to obtain the same amount of CO2 by keeping their stomata open for shorter periods of time. 
C) C4 plants don't use CO2 as their source of carbon. 
D) C3 plants are more limited than C4 plants by CO2 availability because of transpirational water loss. 
E) C3 plants have special adaptations for CO2 uptake, such as larger stomata.

Question 18

The total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs present in an ecosystem is known as

Accepted Answer

A) gross primary productivity. 
B) standing crop. 
C) net primary productivity. 
D) secondary productivity. 
E) trophic efficiency. 
A) gross primary productivity. 
B) standing crop. 
C) net primary productivity. 
D) secondary productivity. 
E) trophic efficiency.

Question 19

The Hubbard Brook watershed deforestation experiment yielded all of the following results except that

Accepted Answer

A) most minerals were recycled within a forest ecosystem. 
B) the flow of minerals out of a natural watershed was offset by minerals flowing in. 
C) deforestation increased water runoff. 
D) the nitrate concentration in waters draining the deforested area became dangerously high. 
E) calcium levels remained high in the soil of deforested areas. 
A) most minerals were recycled within a forest ecosystem. 
B) the flow of minerals out of a natural watershed was offset by minerals flowing in. 
C) deforestation increased water runoff. 
D) the nitrate concentration in waters draining the deforested area became dangerously high. 
E) calcium levels remained high in the soil of deforested areas.

Question 20

Which of the following is caused by excessive nutrient runoff into lakes?

Accepted Answer

A) depletion of atmospheric ozone 
B) turnover 
C) biological magnification 
D) greenhouse effect 
E) eutrophication 
A) depletion of atmospheric ozone 
B) turnover 
C) biological magnification 
D) greenhouse effect 
E) eutrophication

Exam 55: Ecosystems

How is it that satellites can detect differences in primary productivity on Earth?

You have a friend who is wary of environmentalists' claims that global warming could lead to major biological change on Earth. Which of the following statements can you truthfully make in response to your friend's suspicions?

As big as it is, the ocean is nutrient-limited. If you wanted to investigate this, one reasonable avenue would be to

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 most likely the decomposer?

Which of the following properly links the nutrient to its reservoir?

The high levels of pesticides found in birds of prey is an example of

Which of the following is True of detrivores?

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 most likely an omnivore?

The producers in aquatic ecosystems include organisms in which of the following groups?

In terms of nutrient cycling, why does timber harvesting in a temperate forest cause less ecological devastation than timber harvesting in tropical rain forests?

To recycle nutrients, the minimum an ecosystem must have is

Which of the following are responsible for the conversion of most organic material into CO2, which can be utilized in primary production?

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 -Species C is toxic to predators. Which species is most likely to benefit from being a mimic of C?

Nitrogen is available to plants only in the form of

Refer to Figure 55.1, a diagram of a food web, for the following questions. (Arrows represent energy flow and letters represent species.) Figure 55.1 -If this were a terrestrial food web, the combined biomass of C + D would probably be

When levels of CO2 are experimentally increased, C3 plants generally respond with a greater increase in productivity than C4 plants. This is because

The total biomass of photosynthetic autotrophs present in an ecosystem is known as

The Hubbard Brook watershed deforestation experiment yielded all of the following results except that

Which of the following is caused by excessive nutrient runoff into lakes?

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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