Exam 58: Ecosystems and Global Ecology

Next to each of the following features, place a c, n, p, or s if it is characteristic of the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, or sulfur. (Note: Some features may apply to more than one cycle.) _____ Major reservoir is atmospheric _____ Major reservoir is in sedimentary rock _____ Often in short supply in ecosystems _____ Fossil fuel reserve is part of this cycle _____ Involved in cloud formation _____ Lacks a gaseous phase _____ Includes a form that is a greenhouse gas _____ Most fluxes involve organisms

With respect to atomic matter, Earth is essentially a _______ system.

An abrupt change in temperature in the oceans occurs at the _______.

If the phenomenon of upwelling did not exist, which of the following would be expected to occur in lakes?

The studies of David Schindler on small Canadian lakes showed that

A large-scale program to recover and recycle phosphorus would likely lead to

Which of the following statements about sulfur is false?

Marine upwelling zones are important because

The two layers of Earth's atmosphere, the lithosphere and the stratosphere, differ

With respect to atomic matter, Earth is a(n) _______ system. With respect to energy flow, Earth is a(n) _______ system.

The most prevalent gas in Earth's atmosphere is

The movement of a chemical element through organisms and the other compartments of the global ecosystem is called the _______.

Decreasing levels of sulfur in the air would likely lead to

Phosphorus and nitrogen are similar in that

Which of the graphs below best represents the relationship between the levels of carbon dioxide and the average extent of glaciation over the last half million years of Earth's history?

The role of decomposers in the nitrogen cycle is to

Since the passage of the _______ Act in 1990, the pH of rivers and lakes in the eastern United States has increased, largely due to decreased levels of _______ emissions.

Which of the following will be a likely result of global warming?

Photosynthesis results in the fixation of

Organisms remove nitrogen from the biosphere and return it to the atmosphere by means of a process called _______.