Life 9e - Webs



Test File

to accompany

Life: The Science of Biology, Ninth Edition

Sadava • Hillis • Heller • Berenbaum

Chapter 58: Ecosystems and Global Ecology

TEST FILE QUESTIONS

(By Norman Johnson)

Multiple Choice

1. In most forests, most of the photosynthesis occurs

a. near the ground, due to the fast-growing saplings.

b. about halfway up the trees, where the most leaves are.

c. high up in the canopy.

d. in the leaf litter.

e. evenly throughout the forest.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.0 Ecologists swing in the canopy to measure carbon’s fate

Page: 1221

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

2. Photosynthesis results in the fixation of

a. carbon.

b. water.

c. nitrogen.

d. oxygen.

e. None of the above

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.0 Ecologists swing in the canopy to measure carbon’s fate

Page: 1221

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

3. According to studies by Swiss ecologists, increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide will likely

a. cause both young and mature forests to store more carbon as wood.

b. reduce the ability of young forests to store wood but have little or no effect on mature forests.

c. increase the ability of young forests to store wood but have little or no effect on mature forests.

d. increase the ability of mature forests to store wood but have little or no effect on young forests.

e. have little or no effect on how well either young or mature forests store carbon.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.0 Ecologists swing in the canopy to measure carbon’s fate

Page: 1221

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

4. According to studies by Swiss ecologists, the most important factor mitigating the effects of increased carbon dioxide will likely be

a. young forests.

b. old forests.

c. grasslands.

d. tundra.

e. All of the above

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.0 Ecologists swing in the canopy to measure carbon’s fate

Page: 1221

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

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

a. open; open

b. open; closed

c. open; upwelling

d. closed; open

e. closed; upwelling

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1222

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

6. The second law of thermodynamics states that in every energy exchange, some energy becomes unavailable for further use. And yet energy-expensive life continues. How can we reconcile these two facts?

a. The slow mixing of water in the oceans allows usable energy to accumulate.

b. Energy does not follow a biogeochemical cycle.

c. Earth is an open system, and is continually receiving new matter.

d. Earth is an open system, and is continually receiving an energy supply.

e. The lithospheric plates convert heat into useable energy.

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1222

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

7. Which of the following statements about material cycling is true?

a. All elemental pools are elemental sinks.

b. All elemental sinks are elemental pools.

c. The flux of an elemental sink is high.

d. Both a and b

e. Both b and c

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1222

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

8. The most prevalent gas in Earth’s atmosphere is

a. argon.

b. carbon dioxide.

c. nitrogen.

d. oxygen.

e. ozone.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

9. Oxygen makes up approximately _______ percent of Earth’s atmosphere.

a. 5

b. 20

c. 50

d. 80

e. 90

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

10. Carbon dioxide makes up approximately _______ percent of Earth’s atmosphere.

a. 0.03

b. 0.3

c. 1

d. 3

e. 20

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

11. Which of the following statements about the stratosphere is correct?

a. Most water vapor resides in the stratosphere.

b. Vertical circulation of air occurs mostly in the stratosphere.

c. Circulation of the stratosphere directly influences ocean currents.

d. The stratosphere represents most of the mass of the atmosphere.

e. Materials enter the strastosphere primarily from the equatorial trophosphere.

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

12. The layer of Earth’s atmosphere that is closest to the surface is called the

a. stratosphere.

b. upwelling zone.

c. troposphere.

d. greenhouse gas layer.

e. ozone layer.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

13. The layer of ozone that helps protect us from UV-radiation is located in the

a. stratosphere.

b. thermosphere.

c. exosphere.

d. troposphere.

e. upwelling zone.

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1224

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

14. If Earth had no atmosphere, the surface would be about _______ it is now.

a. 10°C warmer than

b. the same temperature as

c. 18°C cooler than

d. 35°C cooler than

e. 100°C cooler than

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1224

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

15. Ozone _______ in the stratosphere and it _______ in the troposphere.

a. is a greenhouse gas; blocks UV radiation

b. is a greenhouse gas; leads to acid precipitation

c. blocks UV radiation; is a greenhouse gas

d. blocks UV radiation; leads to acid precipitation

e. leads to acid precipitation; is a greenhouse gas

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1224

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

16. Which of the following statements about oceans is true?

a. Ocean waters mix rapidly.

b. Ocean waters often have high concentrations of mineral nutrients.

c. Materials that fall to the seafloor usually remain there less than a year.

d. All of the above

e. None of the above

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1224

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

17. In which region of the ocean would you most likely find high rates of photosynthesis and dense animal populations?

a. The troposphere

b. The upwelling zone

c. The hydrological zone

d. Areas distant from major land masses

e. None of the above

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1225

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

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

a. Surface waters would have lower concentrations of oxygen.

b. Surface waters would have more nutrients.

c. Waters at the bottom would have more oxygen.

d. Both a and b

e. None of the above

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1225–1226

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

19. Water is the most dense at a temperature

a. just above 0°C.

b. of 4°C.

c. of 20°C.

d. of 32°C.

e. of 37°C.

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

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Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

20. Water that is heated from 1°C to 3°C will _______; water that is heated from 6°C to 10°C will _______.

a. expand; expand

b. expand; contract

c. maintain the same volume; expand

d. contract; expand

e. contract; contract

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1226

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

21. In most fairly large temperate-zone lakes that freeze during the winter, turnover takes place _______ a year.

a. once

b. twice

c. three times

d. four times

e. None of the above; these lakes do not turn over.

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1226

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

22. The region of a lake in which the temperature drops rapidly as one descends is called the

a. thermoregulation zone.

b. troposphere.

c. hydrological zone.

d. turnover zone.

e. thermocline.

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1226

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

23. Algal beds contribute very little to Earth’s primary production because they

a. are limited by insufficient light.

b. are limited by oxygen depletion.

c. are limited by insufficient phosphorus.

d. are limited by insufficient nitrogen.

e. constitute a very small fraction of Earth’s surface.

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1227

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

24. Which of the following statements about oceans is true?

a. They contribute only a very small percentage of Earth’s net primary production.

b. They are a major source of Earth’s net primary production.

c. On a per volume basis, they have low net primary production.

d. Their average net primary production is about equal to that of tropical evergreen forests.

e. Both b and c

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1227

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

25. Primary production in aquatic systems is limited by

a. low light levels.

b. a scarcity of nutrients.

c. cold temperatures.

d. Both a and b

e. All of the above

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1228

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

26. Low levels of net primary production would likely be found

a. in the Amazon.

b. in a moist area of Africa near the equator.

c. in a moist area of northern Canada.

d. in Vietnam.

e. None of the above

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1228

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

27. Which of the following human activities increases net global primary productivity?

a. Urban development

b. Conversion of forests to grasslands

c. Conversion of prairies to intensive agricultural fields

d. All of the above

e. None of the above

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1228

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

28. Humans consume roughly _______ of the world’s net primary production.

a. one-thousandth

b. one-hundredth

c. one-tenth

d. one-quarter

e. one-half

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1228

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

29. The pattern of movement made by a chemical element as it moves through organisms and the global ecosystem is called the _______ cycle.

a. hydrological

b. upwelling

c. greenhouse

d. biogeochemical

e. None of the above

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

30. The pattern of movement of water through organisms and the compartments of the global ecosystem is called the _______ cycle.

a. hydrologic

b. upwelling

c. Leopold

d. hydroponic

e. hydrogeologic

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

31. The hydrologic cycle is powered by the sun, which causes water to change from _______ to _______.

a. liquid; gas

b. liquid; solid

c. solid; liquid

d. gas; liquid

e. a dimer; a monomer

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

32. Which of the following best describes the relationships among the following four factors: the relative amount of evaporation of water from the oceans, the amount of precipitation into the oceans, the evaporation of water from the land, and the precipitation onto the land?

a. Evaporation of ocean > precipitation into ocean > evaporation from land > precipitation onto land

b. Evaporation of ocean > precipitation into ocean > precipitation onto land > evaporation from land

c. Precipitation into ocean > evaporation of ocean > precipitation onto land > evaporation from land

d. Precipitation onto land > evaporation from land > precipitation into ocean > evaporation of ocean

e. Evaporation from land > precipitation onto land > precipitation into ocean > evaporation of ocean

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

33. The average residence time of a water molecule in the oceans is

a. a few months.

b. two years.

c. a few decades.

d. about a century.

e. a few thousand years.

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

34. Which of the following statements about water is true?

a. The total amount of water that evaporates from soils, lakes, and rivers is greater than the amount that falls on them as precipitation.

b. The average residence time of a water molecule in lakes and rivers is more than 2,000 years.

c. The average residence time of a water molecule in living things is about four years.

d. All of the above

e. None of the above

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

35. Which of the following statements about water consumption rates is true?

a. Despite water conservation efforts, global water use almost certainly will be greater in 2025 than in 2010 due to population growth.

b. Per capita water consumption in the United States is rising every year.

c. More than a billion people worldwide have no access to safe drinking water due to groundwater depletion.

d. Per capita water consumption in Europe is rising.

e. Both b and d

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1230

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

36. Which of the following statements about large-scale fires is true?

a. Most fires are due to lightning strikes.

b. Fire is a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions.

c. Fire can easily vaporize nitrogen and other nutrients.

d. Both a and b

e. Both b and c

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1230

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

37. Most of Earth’s carbon is found

a. as CO2 in the atmosphere.

b. in living organisms.

c. as bicarbonate and carbonate ions dissolved in the oceans.

d. as carbonate minerals in sedimentary rock.

e. in the decaying remains of dead organisms.

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1230

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

38. _______ percent of Earth’s annual production of carbon dioxide comes from the burning of biomass by fire.

a. Less than 1

b. About 10

c. About 20

d. About 40

e. About 80

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1230

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

39. The _______ rate of absorption of carbon dioxide in the oceans is causing them to become more _______.

a. decreasing; acidic

b. decreasing, alkaline

c. decreasing; productive

d. increasing; acidic

e. increasing; productive

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

40. The current concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is _______ parts per million.

a. 107

b. 187

c. 265

d. 387

e. 505

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

41. Which of the following is part of the positive feedback loop between greenhouse gas emissions and climate change in which each is accelerating the other?

a. Acceleration of absorption of carbon dioxide by the oceans

b. Acceleration of plant growth in response to increased carbon dioxide

c. Acceleration of plant respiration in response to global warming

d. Both a and b

e. None of the above

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

42. Which of the following statements about carbon dioxide concentrations is true?

a. They show no seasonality; they increase more or less linearly.

b. They are highest in the summer, because high temperatures accelerate metabolism.

c. They are highest in the spring and fall, coinciding with upwelling.

d. They are highest in the winter, because winter photosynthesis rates are lower than winter respiration rates.

e. They are highest in the winter, because air is densest in the winter.

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

43. Air trapped in Antarctica and Greenland ice caps shows

a. a positive correlation between temperature and carbon dioxide levels.

b. a negative correlation between temperature and carbon dioxide levels.

c. evidence linking global climate change to increased strength of tropical storms.

d. no correlation between temperature and carbon dioxide levels.

e. None of the above

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

44. Which of the following is not expected to be a likely consequence of global warming?

a. Melting of the polar ice caps

b. Increased precipitation in coastal areas

c. Increased precipitation in central areas of continents

d. Increased disease outbreaks

e. All of the above are likely consequences of global warming.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

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

a. Temperate-zone diseases moving to the tropics

b. Tropical diseases expanding to the temperate zone

c. Insects moving from high altitudes of the temperate zone to lowland areas

d. Both a and c

e. None of the above

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

46. If the oceans were not dissolving carbon dioxide, _______ intense hurricanes would occur, because the _______.

a. fewer; temperature would be warmer, thus there would be less evaporation

b. more; temperature would be colder, thus there would be more evaporation

c. more; temperature would be warmer, thus there would be more evaporation

d. fewer; temperature would be colder, thus there would be less evaporation

e. more; increased availability of carbon dioxide would lead to more evaporation

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232

Bloom’s Category: 3. Applying

47. Nitrogen fixation and denitrification are

a. different words for the same process.

b. processes that have opposite effects.

c. different processes that both remove nitrogen from the atmosphere.

d. different processes that both emit nitrogen into the atmosphere.

e. different processes that both move nitrogen from the land to the oceans.

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

48. What would be the most likely effect on most plants (lacking symbiont microorganisms) if they were given additional nitrogen gas?

a. The additional nitrogen gas would increase their growth rate.

b. The additional nitrogen gas would interfere with their photosynthesis, and thus would decrease their growth rate.

c. The additional nitrogen gas would accelerate their metabolic rate.

d. There would be no effect, because plants do not require nitrogen.

e. There would be no effect, because plants cannot use nitrogen gas.

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

49. Nitrogen is often in short supply in terrestrial ecosystems because

a. there is very little free nitrogen in the air.

b. atmospheric nitrogen exists primarily in the stratosphere and does not come into contact with terrestrial ecosystems.

c. atmospheric nitrogen cannot be used by most organisms.

d. nitrogen solubility in water is very low, and therefore aquatic nitrogen enters cells very slowly.

e. atmospheric nitrogen varies widely from location to location, and local shortages occur frequently.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1233

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

50. Imagine an experiment in which the nitrogen-fixing capacity of a nitrogen-fixing bacterium is selectively knocked out (all other functions remain intact). This knockout strain is then placed in competition with an unaltered bacterium (the control) under two circumstances: one in which ammonia and other sources of fixed nitrogen are abundant, and one in which these sources are limiting (only N2 is readily available). Assume that the nitrogen-fixing capacity in the control is present all the time (not regulated). Which of the following would be the most likely result?

a. The knockout strain would outcompete the control strain in the abundant condition and lose to the control strain in the limiting condition.

b. The knockout strain would outcompete the control strain in the abundant condition and be competitively equal to the control strain in the limiting condition.

c. The knockout strain would outcompete the control strain in both conditions.

d. The knockout strain would outcompete the control strain in the limiting condition and be competitively equal in the abundant condition.

e. The knockout strain would outcompete the control strain in the limiting condition and lose to the control strain in the abundant condition.

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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Bloom’s Category: 3. Applying

51. Which of the following leads to loss of nitrogen from ecosystems?

a. Leaching

b. Denitrification

c. Evaporation of ammonia

d. All of the above

e. None of the above

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1233

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

52. Which of the following is a consequence of eutrophication?

a. Upwelling zones

b. Dead zones

c. Outbreaks of dinoflagellates

d. Both a and c

e. Both b and c

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1233

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

53. Dead zones result from the depletion of

a. nitrogen.

b. carbon.

c. oxygen.

d. sulfur dioxide.

e. ozone.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1233

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54. Compared with the amount of natural nitrogen fix-ation that occurs globally, human industry fixes about _______ amount.

a. one-hundredth of that

b. one-tenth of that

c. one-quarter of that

d. the same

e. five times that

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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55. Increasing nitrogen fixation by humans has led to

a. increased greenhouse gas emissions.

b. increased species richness in grasslands.

c. decreased species richness in grasslands.

d. Both a and b

e. Both a and c

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1233

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56. Which of the following statements about sulfur is false?

a. The amount of sulfur released in the biosphere from volcanoes is constant from year to year.

b. Marine algae are a significant biological source of sulfur emissions.

c. Recent reductions in sulfur emissions have increased the pH in lakes in the eastern United States.

d. Atmospheric sulfur levels can affect cloud cover.

e. All of the above are true; none is false.

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

57. Decreasing levels of sulfur in the air would likely lead to

a. an increased pH of lakes.

b. a decreased pH of lakes.

c. eutrophication.

d. Both a and c

e. Both b and c

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1234

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

58. The studies of David Schindler on small Canadian lakes showed that

a. reducing the pH led to increased nitrogen fixation.

b. the lakes never recovered from acidification.

c. acidification led to the presence of fewer ammonium ions in the water.

d. All of the above

e. None of the above

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1235

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

59. A key component of nucleic acids and ATP is

a. iron.

b. iodine.

c. cobalt.

d. phosphorus.

e. sulfur.

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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60. The phosphorous and carbon cycles are substantially different in that

a. humans have greatly affected the carbon cycle only.

b. phosphorus, unlike carbon, is not essential for life and does not stay in organisms for long.

c. carbon, unlike phosphorus, exists in rocks only in small quantities.

d. unlike the carbon cycle, very little of the phosphorus cycle involves the atmosphere.

e. None of the above

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

61. Phosphorus and nitrogen are similar in that

a. they are both highly abundant in the atmosphere.

b. the human use of both has led to eutrophication.

c. both are essential for life.

d. Both a and b

e. Both b and c

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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

a. a reduction in acid rain.

b. a reduction in the threat of climate change from greenhouse gases.

c. an increase in the threat of climate change from greenhouse gases.

d. a reduction in eutrophication.

e. None of the above; phosphorus is inert.

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

63. In most of the ocean, the limiting factor for rates of photosynthesis is

a. phosphorus.

b. iron.

c. carbon.

d. selenium.

e. cobalt.

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

64. Which of the following elements is an essential component of the metabolically important hormone thyroxine?

a. Phosphorus

b. Iron

c. Iodine

d. Selenium

e. Cobalt

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

65. Which of the following elements is an essential component of vitamin B12?

a. Phosphorus

b. Iron

c. Iodine

d. Selenium

e. Cobalt

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

66. When released by humans into lakes, nitrate

a. is a powerful oxidizer.

b. is the primary cause of acidity.

c. increases the movement of toxic arsenic.

d. Both a and b

e. Both a and c

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1236

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

67. In studies of the nitrogen fixation of Elliott’s milkpea, researchers found that increasing carbon dioxide increases nitrogen fixation at first, but then decreases it, even to a level that is below the baseline level. If a program were being designed to maintain high levels of nitrogen fixation, the best course of action would be to add

a. even more carbon dioxide gas.

b. more nitrogen gas.

c. iron, molybdenum, and other micronutrients to the soil.

d. a combination of oxygen and nitrogen gases.

e. a competing species.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

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Bloom’s Category: 3. Applying

68. The most rapid changes in ecosystems have taken place in _______ biomes.

a. polar

b. temperate

c. tropical

d. boreal forest

e. alpine

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.4 What Services Do Ecosystems Provide?

Page: 1238

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

69. Which of the following statements about sustainable management is false?

a. Many kinds of ecosystems can provide more goods when they are sustainably managed than when they are converted and intensely managed.

b. Sometimes government action is needed to generate incentives that encourage the sustainable use of ecosystems.

c. It is easy to maintain ecosystem goods that have no established market value.

d. Public education programs are likely to be needed as part of the strategies for sustainable ecosystem use.

e. All of the above are true; none is false.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.5 How Can Ecosystems Be Sustainably Managed?

Page: 1239

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

70. According to the current principles of sustainable fisheries, _______ fishes need the most protection.

a. relatively young

b. relatively small

c. older female

d. young female

e. male

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.5 How Can Ecosystems Be Sustainably Managed?

Page: 1239

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

Fill in the Blank

1. Terrestrial plants fix carbon via the process of _______.

Answer: photosynthesis

Textbook Reference: 58.0 Ecologists swing in the canopy to measure carbon’s fate,

Page: 1221

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

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

Answer: closed

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1222

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

3. A water molecule that winds up in the ocean will likely stay there for a very long time. The ocean pool for water is thus said to be a _______.

Answer: sink

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1222

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

4. The rate of movement, or _______, of an element between pools can vary considerably.

Answer: flux

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1222

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

5. Most of the atmosphere’s mass is located in the _______, which extends 10 to 17 kilometers above Earth’s surface.

Answer: troposphere

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

6. The layer of atmosphere where ozone protects against ultraviolet radiation is known as the _______.

Answer: stratosphere

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

7. In areas of the ocean called _______ zones, offshore winds move surface waters, and these waters are replaced by nutrient-rich waters from below.

Answer: upwelling

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1225

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

8. When cooled from 12°C to 5°C, water becomes _______ dense.

Answer: more

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1226

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

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

Answer: thermocline

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1226

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

10. Despite having a relatively low rate of primary production per given area, the _______ ecosystem is a major contributor to the global primary productivity due to its vast area.

Answer: ocean

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1227

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

11. The hydrologic cycle consists of the movement of _______ across different components of the physical environment.

Answer: water

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

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

Answer: biogeochemical cycle

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

13. Fossil fuels are the product of large numbers of organisms dying and being buried in sediments that lack _______.

Answer: oxygen

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

14. An increase in the rate at which oceans absorb carbon dioxide would likely lead to a(n) _______ in the pH of water and a(n) _______ in the rate at which corals are bleached.

Answer: increase; increase

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

15. If the oceans were able to absorb more carbon dioxide, the rate at which the Arctic sea ice melts would likely _______.

Answer: decrease

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

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

Answer: denitrification

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

17. The overuse and dumping of nitrogen-based fertilizer can lead to the _______ of bodies of water.

Answer: eutrophication

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1233

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

18. 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.

Answer: Clean Air; sulfur

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1234

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

19. The rare element _______ is an important component of the antioxidant glutathione peroxidase.

Answer: selenium

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1236

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

20. One of the major reasons that Hurricane Katrina was so destructive is that New Orleans is no longer protected from flooding by the natural _______ habitat.

Answer: wetlands

Textbook Reference: 58.4 What Services Do Ecosystems Provide?

Page: 1238

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

Diagram

1. In the diagram below, label the one season in which you would expect a thermocline, and the seasons in which you would expect turnover.

[pic]

Answer: Thermocline in summer; turnover in spring and fall

[pic]

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1226

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

2. 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?

[pic]

a. Graph A

b. Graph B

c. Graph C

d. Graph D

e. Insufficient information is provided to answer the question.

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS

(By Lindsay Goodloe)

Knowledge and Synthesis

1. Zones of upwelling near the shores of land masses have high primary production because such zones

a. bring nutrients from the seafloor up to the surface.

b. are characterized by clear water that permits light to penetrate to an unusually great depth.

c. bring warm water to the surface.

d. trap nutrients washed into the ocean from nearby land masses.

e. have water of lower salinity than other oceanic regions.

Answer: a

Feedback: Low concentrations of mineral nutrients limit the primary production of most ocean waters. In zones of upwelling, nutrient-rich water is brought to the surface from the ocean bottom, thereby enhancing the growth of photosynthesizing plankton.

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1224–1225

2. Which of the following statements is true of oceans but not true of freshwater ecosystems?

a. They receive material from land mostly via groundwater.

b. Elements are buried in bottom sediments for long periods of time.

c. There is a seasonal mixing of materials.

d. Bottom waters frequently lack oxygen.

e. All of the above are characteristic of both oceans and freshwater ecosystems.

Answer: b

Feedback: Most elements remain in bottom sediments of the ocean for millions of years, until they are elevated above sea level by movements of Earth’s crust.

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1224–1226

3. In the following graph, the temperature of a freshwater lake is plotted against its depth. This temperature profile of the graph would be most characteristic of the lake during the

[pic]

a. winter.

b. spring.

c. summer.

d. fall.

e. Both b and c

Answer: c

Feedback: The steep thermocline evident in this temperature profile would typically be established only by mid- to late-summer.

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1226

4. Based on data in the graph from Question 3, the thermocline for the lake is located between _______ and _______ meters.

a. 0; 10

b. 10; 20

c. 20; 30

d. 30; 50

e. 50; 80

Answer: c.

Feedback: The range of depths over which the temperature changes most abruptly is 20 to 30 meters.

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1226

5. Which of the following statements is true of the stratosphere but not of the troposphere?

a. Most greenhouse gases are concentrated here.

b. Most water vapor resides here.

c. Most of the mass of the atmosphere lies here.

d. Circulation of this layer influences ocean currents.

e. Most ultraviolet radiation is absorbed here.

Answer: e

Feedback: The ozone that shields the surface of Earth from most incoming ultraviolet radiation is located in the stratosphere.

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223–1224

6. Which of the following compartments of the global ecosystem is characterized by very slow movement of materials within it?

a. Oceans

b. Fresh waters

c. Atmosphere

d. Land

e. All of the above

Answer: d.

Feedback: Unlike their behavior in air and water, elements on land move slowly and usually only short distances.

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1226

7. Which of the following environmental factors frequently limits primary production in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems?

a. Temperature

b. Moisture

c. Light

d. Nutrient supply

e. None of the above

Answer: a

Feedback: Temperature, nutrient supply, and light can limit production in aquatic ecosystems; temperature and moisture most often limit production on land.

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1228

8. Which of the following statements about biogeochemical cycles is false?

a. Most elements remain longest in the living portion of their cycle.

b. Gaseous elements cycle more quickly than elements without a gaseous phase.

c. Some atoms in the human body may once have been part of a dinosaur.

d. Biogeochemical cycles all include both organismal and nonliving components.

e. Perturbations in one biogeochemical cycle can have major effects on other cycles.

Answer: a

Feedback: Most elements cycle through organisms more quickly than they cycle through the nonliving world.

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229–1238

9. 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

Answer:

n. Major reservoir is atmospheric

c.,p. Major reservoir is in sedimentary rock

n.,p. Often in short supply in ecosystems

c. Fossil fuel reserve is part of this cycle

s. Involved in cloud formation

p. Lacks a gaseous phase

n., c. Includes a form that is a greenhouse gas

n. Most fluxes involve organisms

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229–1237

10. Which of the following is not one of the major threats to the climate caused by our alterations of the carbon cycle?

a. The polar ice caps may melt if global warming continues.

b. The burning of fossil fuels adds compounds of sulfur to the atmosphere.

c. The increase in atmospheric CO2 exceeds the ability of the oceans to absorb the increase.

d. CO2 is a gas that traps infrared radiation.

e. Tropical storms are likely to increase in intensity if global warming continues.

Answer: b

Feedback: The addition of compounds of sulfur to the atmosphere has more to do with acid precipitation than it does with global warming.

Textbook Reference: 58.3. How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1230–1234

11. Which of the following statements about acid precipitation is false?

a. Acids that enter the atmosphere primarily affect ecosystems located less than 100 kilometers from the source of the pollution.

b. Though lakes are very sensitive to acidification, their pH can return rapidly to normal values.

c. Regulation of emission sources has raised the pH of precipitation in many parts of the eastern United States in the last two decades.

d. Sulfuric acid and nitric acid from the burning of fossil fuels are the major causes of acid precipitation.

e. Organisms lost from freshwater ecosystems because of acidification may not return even decades after pH values have returned to normal.

Answer: a

Feedback: Acid precipitation is a regional, not a local, environmental problem. Acids may travel hundreds of kilometers before they settle to Earth in precipitation or as dry particles.

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1234–1235

12. The process by which a lake ecosystem is altered by eutrophication involves several stages. Which of the following represents the correct ordering of stages in the chain of causation?

a. Algal populations die off; algal blooms occur; oxygen levels drop in deeper water; respiratory demand from decomposers increases; phosphorus input from sewage and agricultural runoff increases

b. Oxygen levels drop in deeper water; phosphorus input from sewage and agricultural runoff increases; respiratory demand from decomposers increases; algal blooms occur; algal populations die off

c. Phosphorus input from sewage and agricultural runoff increases; algal blooms occur; algal populations die off; respiratory demand from decomposers increases; oxygen levels drop in deeper water

d. Phosphorus input from sewage and agricultural runoff increases; algal blooms occur; oxygen levels drop in deeper water; respiratory demand from decomposers increases; algal populations die off

e. Phosphorus input from sewage and agricultural runoff increases; respiratory demand from decomposers increases; oxygen levels drop in deeper water; algal blooms occur; algal populations die off

Answer: e

Feedback: The correct sequence is e.

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1235

13. The availability of which of the following micronutrients limits the rate of photosynthesis over much of the ocean?

a. Cobalt

b. Iron

c. Selenium

d. Iodine

e. Nitrogen

Answer: b

Feedback: Because iron is insoluble in oxygenated water, it sinks rapidly to the ocean floor and therefore may be very scarce in the surface waters in which photosynthesis occurs. Nitrogen is sometimes a limiting nutrient, but it is a macronutrient.

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1236

14. Which of the following ecosystem types is being converted to cropland most rapidly at the present time?

a. Deserts

b. Temperate forests

c. Tropical and subtropical biomes

d. Chaparral

e. Temperate grasslands

Answer: c

Feedback: Conversion to cropland is causing rapid reductions of a number of tropical and subtropical biomes.

Textbook Reference: 58.4 What Services Do Ecosystems Provide?

Page: 1238

15. Which of the following is a major obstacle to the sustainable management of ecosystems?

a. Many ecosystem services are considered “public goods” that have no market value.

b. The total economic value of a sustainably managed ecosystem is almost always lower than that of an intensively exploited ecosystem.

c. Most people are not aware of the extent to which human activities affect the functioning of ecosystems.

d. Both a and c

e. All of the above

Answer: d

Feedback: Two significant barriers to sustainable ecosystem management are the lack of market value of many ecosystem services and the lack of public understanding of how human activities may harm ecosystems.

Textbook Reference: 58.5 How Can Ecosystems Be Sustainably Managed?

Page: 1239

Application

1. How does the use of groundwater for irrigation alter the hydrological cycle?

Answer: Groundwater normally has a long residence time and plays a small part in the hydrologic cycle. Thus the extensive use of groundwater for irrigation may result in the depletion of this resource as the water is removed from aquifers more quickly than it can be replaced. Use of this groundwater has also increased flows of water to the ocean and has contributed to the rising sea level of the past century.

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229–1230

2. Why do humans deliberately set fire to natural vegetation? In what ways are human-set fires contributing to global warming?

Answer: Most fires that occur in forests, savannas, and other biomes are deliberately set by humans to clear land for agriculture. These fires—together with other types of biomass burning, such as combustion of wood and alcohol—account for about 40 percent of the annual influx of CO2 into the atmosphere and contribute to the production of other greenhouse gases.

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1230

3. What is the connection between global warming and the spread of human disease?

Answer: Cold temperatures in winter kill many pathogens. The milder winters associated with global warming will allow increasing numbers of pathogens to survive; hence the diseases they cause will become more common. An example of this process is the spread of dengue fever, a tropical human disease that is expanding its range to higher latitudes. Some diseases of plants and other organisms are also expected to spread as a consequence of global warming.

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232

4. In what ways are farming methods that require the large-scale use of manufactured fertilizers contributing to eutrophication and other adverse environmental effects?

Answer: If farmers apply fertilizers to croplands in quantities that exceed the plants’ abilities to absorb them, some of the excess nitrates and phosphates leave the soil and enter bodies of water. This process contributes to eutrophication of lakes and the creation of “dead zones” in the sea, such as the one in the Gulf of Mexico around the mouth of the Mississippi River. Excessive use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers has also caused contamination of groundwater and has been linked to outbreaks of toxic dinoflagellates in estuaries on the Atlantic coast.

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1233–1234

5. Wetlands have frequently been regarded as “waste lands” that would have greater economic value if they were drained and converted to agricultural or commercial use. Describe what we learned from Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, about the value of intact wetlands for flood protection? Describe two other ways in which the wetlands of this region are valuable.

Answer: If coastal wetlands surrounding New Orleans had been intact, they would have absorbed the storm surge produced by the hurricane and thus protected the city from flooding. Furthermore, even in their reduced capacity, these wetlands remain important both as spawning grounds for many marine organisms, including some of commercial value, and as wintering habitat for migratory birds.

Textbook Reference: 58.4 What Services Do Ecosystems Provide?

Page: 1238

TEXTBOOK SELF-QUIZ

1. Unusual features of Earth as a planet that affect its ecosystem dynamics include

a. lithospheric plates that move continuously.

b. atmospheric gases that moderate surface temperatures.

c. large amounts of water in liquid form.

d. a diversity of living organisms.

e. All of the above

Answer: e

2. Marine upwelling zones are important because

a. they help scientists measure the chemistry of deep ocean water.

b. they bring to the surface organisms that are difficult to observe elsewhere.

c. ships can sail faster in these zones.

d. they increase marine productivity by bringing nutrients back to surface ocean waters.

e. they bring oxygenated water to the surface.

Answer: d

3. Which of the following is not true of the troposphere?

a. It contains nearly all of the atmospheric water vapor.

b. It contains a layer of ozone, which filters out ultraviolet light.

c. It is about 17 kilometers thick in the tropics and subtropics.

d. Most global air circulation takes place there.

e. It contains about 80 percent of the mass of the atmosphere.

Answer: b

4. The hydrologic cycle is driven by

a. the flow of water into the oceans via rivers.

b. evaporation (transpiration) of water from the leaves of plants.

c. evaporation of water from the surface of the oceans.

d. precipitation falling on land.

e. the fact that more water falls on the ocean as precipitation than evaporates from its surface.

Answer: c

5. Carbon dioxide is called a greenhouse gas because

a. it is used in greenhouses to increase plant growth.

b. it is transparent to heat, but traps sunlight.

c. it is transparent to sunlight, but traps heat.

d. it is transparent to both sunlight and heat.

e. it traps both sunlight and heat.

Answer: c

6. Iron is an essential micronutrient that

a. is insoluble in oxygenated water.

b. is abundant in rocks and minerals.

c. moves into the ocean via atmospheric dust.

d. is a limiting factor for photosynthesis in oceans.

e. All of the above

Answer: e

7. The biogeochemical cycle of phosphorus differs from the cycles of carbon and nitrogen in that

a. phosphorus lacks an atmospheric component.

b. phosphorus lacks a liquid phase.

c. only phosphorus is cycled through marine organisms.

d. living organisms do not need phosphorus.

e. The phosphorus cycle does not differ importantly from the carbon and nitrogen cycles.

Answer: a

8. The sulfur cycle influences the global climate because

a. sulfur compounds are important greenhouse gases.

b. sulfur compounds help transfer carbon from the atmosphere to the oceans.

c. sulfur compounds in the atmosphere are components of particles around which water condenses to form clouds.

d. sulfur compounds contribute to acid precipitation.

e. Both c and d

Answer: e

9. Acid precipitation results from human modifications of

a. the carbon and nitrogen cycles.

b. the carbon and sulfur cycles.

c. the carbon and phosphorus cycles.

d. the nitrogen and sulfur cycles.

e. the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles.

Answer: d

10. Maintaining the capacity of ecosystems to provide goods and services is important because

a. most ecosystem services cannot be replicated by any other means.

b. replacing them with technological substitutes is possible only in developed nations

c. technological substitutes take up valuable land.

d. governments cannot function without taxing ecosystem services.

e. It is not important. Humans could survive quite well even if ecosystem services declined greatly.

Answer: b

BIOPORTAL DIAGNOSTIC QUIZ (Personalized Study Plan Quiz)

(By Nancy Murray)

1. For metabolism and growth, all organisms depend on input of all of the following except

a. energy.

b. liquid water.

c. nutrients.

d. sunlight.

e. minerals.

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

2. Approximately 80 percent of the mass of the atmosphere lies in its lowest layer the

a. stratosphere.

b. centropsphere.

c. troposphere.

d. metasphere.

e. isosphere.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

3. The two layers of Earth’s atmosphere, the lithosphere and the stratosphere, differ

a. in their circulation patterns.

b. in the amount of water vapor they contain.

c. in the amount of ultraviolet radiation they receive.

d. Both a and b

e. All of the above

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1223–1224

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

4. The ozone layer is found in the

a. stratosphere and absorbs many biologically damaging short-wavelength radiation.

b. stratosphere and absorbs many biologically damaging long-wavelength radiation.

c. troposphere and absorbs many biologically damaging short-wavelength radiation.

d. troposphere and absorbs many biologically damaging long-wavelength radiation.

e. between the stratosphere and the troposphere.

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1224

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

5. Some nutrients are brought back to the surface near the coasts of continents, where offshore winds pushing surface waters away from shore cause cold bottom water to rise to the surface. The water in these upwelling zones

a. is nutrient-poor.

b. is too cool to support abundant life.

c. is nutrient-rich.

d. is too warm to support abundant life.

e. has a moderate amount of nutrients.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1224–1225

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

6. The surface waters of lakes quickly become depleted of _______, while deeper waters become depleted of _______.

a. oxygen; minerals

b. oxygen; nutrients

c. nutrients; minerals

d. nutrients; oxygen

e. groundwater; oxygen

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.1 What Are the Compartments of the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1225

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

7. _______ energy drives almost all biological systems.

a. Solar

b. Chemical

c. Physical

d. Mechanical

e. Electrical

Answer: a

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1227

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

8. Which of the following is an example in which the energy is/was not derived from solar radiation?

a. Oil.

b. Hydrothermal vents.

c. Tornados

d. Natural gas

e. All of the above

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1227

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

9. All of the following human activities have modified energy flow except

a. conversion of forests to grasslands.

b. urban development.

c. conversion of tundras to rain forests.

d. increasing use of fossil fuels.

e. increasing agriculture.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.2 How Does Energy Flow through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1228

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

10. Which of the following statements about the water cycle is false?

a. There is a net movement of water vapor from oceans to terrestrial environments.

b. Precipitation exceeds evaporation on land.

c. Most of the water that evaporates from oceans is returned by run-off from land.

d. Transpiration makes a significant contribution to evaporative water loss from terrestrial ecosystems.

e. Evaporation exceeds precipitation over the seas.

Answer: c

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1229

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

11. The recent increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration is mainly a result of an increase in

a. primary productivity.

b. the biosphere’s biomass.

c. the absorption of infrared radiation escaping from Earth.

d. the burning of fossil fuels and wood.

e. cellular respiration by the exploding human population.

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

12. Less than half of the CO2 released into the atmosphere by human activity remains in the atmosphere. The rest can be found in the oceans. What factors affect the cycling of CO2 between the atmosphere and the ocean?

a. Algae that combine bicarbonate ions with calcium (Ca2+) to form calcium carbonate and sink to the ocean floor when they die

b. Photosynthetic rate of phytoplankton

c. Respiration of organisms living in the oceans

d. Both a and b

e. None of the above

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

13. Where is the largest reservoir of carbon in the global carbon cycle?

a. Terrestrial ecosystems

b. Oceans

c. Atmosphere

d. Beneath the surface of Earth

e. Carbon is distributed evenly over the globe.

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

14. Less than half of the CO2 released to the atmosphere via human activities remains in the atmosphere. The rest may be found

a. dissolved in the oceans.

b. stored on land.

c. above the stratosphere.

d. Both a and b

e. None of the above

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1231

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

15. How will global climates and ecosystems change in response to the rapid carbon dioxide enrichment by human activities?

a. Global warming

b. Increased outbreaks of disease

c. Increase of land mass

d. Increased size of the polar ice caps

e. Both a and b

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

16. The role of decomposers in the nitrogen cycle is to

a. fix N2 into ammonium.

b. release ammonium and other inorganic nitrogen compounds from organic compounds, thus returning nitrogen to the soil.

c. denitrify ammonium, thus returning N2 to the atmosphere.

d. convert ammonium to nitrate, which can then be absorbed by plants.

e. incorporate nitrogen into amino acids and organic compounds.

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.3 How Do Materials Cycle through the Global Ecosystem?

Page: 1232–1233

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

17. The most important driver of change in ecosystems has been changes in _______ as natural ecosystems have been converted to other, more intensive uses.

a. carbon dioxide levels.

b. land use

c. global warming

d. human population growth

e. pollution of waterways.

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.4 What Services Do Ecosystems Provide?

Page: 1237–1238

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

18. Environmental writers introduced the idea of “natural capital” in the 1940s and it was in 1970 that ecosystems were first said to provide people with a variety of “goods and services.” The “services” include all of the following except

a. flood control.

b. shelter.

c. soil stabilization.

d. pollination.

e. climate regulation.

Answer: b

Textbook Reference: 58.4 What Services Do Ecosystems Provide?

Page: 1237–1238

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

19. Environmental writers introduced the idea of “natural capital” in the 1940s and it was in 1970 that ecosystems were first said to provide people with a variety of “goods and services.” The “goods” include all of the following except

a. food.

b. clean air and water.

c. fuel.

d. pollination.

e. fiber.

Answer: d

Textbook Reference: 58.4 What Services Do Ecosystems Provide?

Page: 1237–1238

Bloom’s Category: 1. Remembering

20. Examples of incentives to encourage sustainable ecosystem management might include

a. encouraging more sustainable use of fresh water.

b. developing incentives for individuals and groups to follow sustainable practices.

c. the development of sustainable use of marine fisheries.

d. the elimination of subsidies that promote damaging exploitation of ecosystems.

e. All of the above

Answer: e

Textbook Reference: 58.5 How Can Ecosystems Be Sustainably Managed?

Page: 1238–1239

Bloom’s Category: 2. Understanding

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