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Chapter 03 - Ecosystems - What Are They and How Do They Work
True / False
1. Only about 0.024% of the earth’s vast water supply is available to humans and other species as liquid freshwater.
a.
True
b.
False
2. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is affected by the carbon cycle.
a.
True
b.
False
3. Water contracts when it freezes, making ice more dense than water.
a.
True
b.
False
4. Despite the open ocean's low net primary productivity (NPP), it produces more of the earth's biomass per year than any
other ecosystem or life zone.
a.
True
b.
False
5. Detritivores are consumers that release nutrients from the dead bodies of living organisms and return them to the soil,
water, and air.
a.
True
b.
False
6. A deer is both a primary consumer and in the second trophic level.
a.
True
b.
False
7. Plants utilize a portion of their gross primary productivity (GPP) for respiration.
a.
True
b.
False
8. Liquid water changes temperature quickly because only a small amount of heat is required to produce a large change in
temperature.
a.
True
b.
False
9. The hydrologic cycle collects, purifies, and distributes the earth’s fixed supply of water.
a.
True
b.
False
10. Because the earth does not get significant inputs of matter from space, its essentially fixed supply of nutrients must
continually be recycled to support life.
a.
True
b.
False
11. The process by which cells are able to convert glucose into useable energy using oxygen is known as aerobic
transpiration.
a.
True
b.
False
12. Human activities have affected the sulfur cycle through the burning of sulfur-containing coal and oil.
a.
True
b.
False
13. Water has the ability to filter out wavelengths of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation that would harm some aquatic
organisms.
a.
True
b.
False
14. Lightning is one of the natural mechanisms by which atmospheric nitrogen is converted to ammonia or ammonium
ions.
a.
True
b.
False
15. Human activities affect the phosphorus cycle by greatly increasing the amount of phosphorus stored in the earth,
reducing the amount available for plant growth.
a.
True
b.
False
16. Human activities affect the hydrologic cycle by making changes to the land surface that reduce infiltration and
increase runoff.
a.
True
b.
False
17. Raising fish in a series of aquariums under varied conditions is an example of field research.
a.
True
b.
False
18. Sometimes ecologists carry out controlled experiments by isolating and changing a variable in part of an area and
comparing the results with nearby unchanged areas.
a.
True
b.
False
19. Water exists as a liquid over a wide range of temperatures because of the lack of attractive forces between its
molecules.
a.
True
b.
False
20. Omnivores are animals that feed only on the flesh of other animals.
a.
True
b.
False
21. Ozone gas, a chemical in the atmosphere that helps filter out harmful UV sunlight, is located in the troposphere.
a.
True
b.
False
22. If the earth were an apple, the biosphere would be no thicker than the apple's skin.
a.
True
b.
False
23. Given the nature of the carbon cycle, it is possible that a single atom of carbon that is in your skin could have once
been part of your own great grandmother, or even a dinosaur.
a.
True
b.
False
24. Gravity is one of the three factors that sustain life on the earth.
a.
True
b.
False
25. Ecology is the study of how organisms can survive independently of one another by their dependence on matter and
energy.
a.
True
b.
False
Multiple Choice
26. The air we breathe resides in the lowermost layer of the atmosphere called the ____.
a.
troposphere
b.
stratosphere
c.
ozone layer
d.
geosphere
e.
biosphere
27. All of the water on or near the earth’s surface (solid, liquid, and gas phases) comprises the ____.
a.
atmosphere
b.
geosphere
c.
biosphere
d.
troposphere
e.
hydrosphere
28. Ozone, a gas that filters out harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, is found in the ____.
a.
troposphere
b.
geosphere
c.
hydrosphere
d.
stratosphere
e.
biosphere
29. The earth’s life-support system consists of four main spherical systems—the air, water, living things, and ____.
a.
troposphere
b.
biosphere
c.
geosphere
d.
hydrosphere
e.
atmosphere
30. Life on earth depends on the ____ of ____ energy from the sun.
a.
cycling; high-quality
b.
one-way flow; high-quality
c.
cycling; low-quality
d.
one-way flow; low-quality
e.
one-way flow; ultraviolet
31. Ecologists study interactions from the level of ____ to the level of ____.
a.
ecosystems; the biosphere
b.
cells; ecosystems
c.
organisms; the biosphere
d.
populations; communities
e.
atoms; populations
32. A group of individuals of the same species living in a particular place is a(n) ____.
a.
species
b.
population
c.
community
d.
organism
e.
biome
33. A community of different species interacting with one another and with their nonliving (abiotic) environment of
matter and energy is called a(n) ____.
a.
species
b.
ecosystem
c.
population
d.
biosphere
e.
community
34. Pronghorn antelope live in the high desert of the Great Basin in the western U.S. Which of the following items are
possible abiotic factors that an antelope has to contend with?
a.
the density of the local population of coyotes
b.
parasites such as ticks
c.
competition with wild horses for sparse vegetation for forage
d.
poisonous or thorny plants
e.
extreme maximum and minimum temperatures in the desert
35. Bacteria and fungi are typically categorized as ____.
a.
autotrophs
b.
producers
c.
primary consumers
d.
tertiary consumers
e.
decomposers
36. About how much energy is lost with each transfer from one trophic level to the next?
a.
0%
b.
10%
c.
35%
d.
65%
e.
90%
37. Which of the following best represents the process of photosynthesis?
a.
carbon dioxide + glucose + solar energy → water + oxygen
b.
carbon dioxide + water + solar energy → glucose + oxygen
c.
oxygen + glucose + solar energy → carbon dioxide + water
d.
oxygen + glucose → solar energy + carbon dioxide + water
e.
carbon dioxide + water → solar energy + glucose + oxygen
38. Producers can also be described as ’self-feeders’, or ____.
a.
autotrophs
b.
tertiary
c.
heterotrophs
d.
detritivore
e.
decomposer
39. Which of the following best represents the process of aerobic respiration?
a.
glucose + carbon dioxide → oxygen + water + energy
b.
glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + energy
c.
energy + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water + glucose
d.
water + glucose → oxygen + carbon dioxide + energy
e.
energy + glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water
40. Which of the following organisms can be called autotrophs?
a.
ants, termites, and butterflies
b.
wolves, coyotes, and foxes
c.
rabbits, moles, and robins
d.
daisies, roses, and grass
e.
mushrooms and fungi
41. ____ can be classified as primary consumers.
a.
Detritivores
b.
Omnivores
c.
Carnivores
d.
Decomposers
e.
Herbivores
42. Despite its low net primary productivity (NPP), the open ocean produces more of the earth’s biomass per year than
any other ecosystem or life zone because ____.
a.
growth is not limited by nutrient availability
b.
whales are so large
c.
of the enormous volume of the global ocean
d.
more sunlight is available
e.
there are fewer primary consumers
43. Earthworms, some insects, and vultures are all examples of ____.
a.
producers
b.
detritus feeders
c.
decomposers
d.
scavengers
e.
secondary consumers
44. Groundwater found in layers of rock, sand, and gravel is called ____.
a.
underground lakes
b.
aquifers
c.
wetlands
d.
basins
e.
stocks
A grassy meadow high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California is known to support a variety of organisms.
During the summers when grass is thick and lush, and wildflowers abound, butterflies take advantage of this abundant
nectar source. Bears graze on the berries in shrubs at the edge of the meadow. Deer also forage at the edge of the
meadow. In the early mornings, coyotes are known to prey on the squirrel and mouse populations that burrow into the
meadow soil. A variety of birds prey on the butterflies and other flying insects, such as bees and wasps.
45. The coyotes would be classified as ____.
a.
producers
b.
primary consumers
c.
secondary consumers
d.
decomposers
e.
tertiary consumers
46. Coyotes typically forage on mice and squirrels. However, as members of the canine family, Canidae, they also eat
berries and parts of plants. As such, coyotes are classified as ____.
a.
herbivores
b.
carnivores
c.
omnivores
d.
detritivores
e.
producers
47. If the biomass of flowers that support the butterflies was known to contain 100,000 units of energy, and certain bird
species were eating the butterflies that foraged on the flowers, what amount of energy, on average, could be expected to
be transferred to the birds?
a.
10
b.
100
c.
1,000
d.
10,000
e.
50,000
48. Food chains and food webs show how producers, consumers, and decomposers are connected to one another as
chemical energy flows through different ____ in an ecosystem.
a.
secondary producers
b.
trophic levels
c.
biospheres
d.
the hydrologic cycle
Chapter 03 - Ecosystems - What Are They and How Do They Work
e.
abiotic components
49. An organism can be described as a tertiary consumer if it eats ____.
a.
detritivores
b.
secondary producers
c.
herbivores and carnivores
d.
solely primary consumers
e.
producers only
50. Complex networks of interconnected food chains in ecosystems are best described as ____.
a.
food webs
b.
nutrient cycling
c.
trophic levels
d.
pyramids of energy
e.
trophic chains
51. The chemical formula for the nitrogen gas in the atmosphere is ____.
a.
CN-
b.
NO3-
c.
N2
d.
NH3
e.
NH4+
52. Unlike nitrogen or carbon, phosphorus ____.
a.
does not cycle through the atmosphere and it cycles more slowly
b.
is not passed up the food chain to consumers
c.
is not involved in plant growth
