AP Earth and Environmental AP classroom questions review

How does the burning of fossil fuels contribute to the net increase in atmospheric carbon?

Carbon that has been sequestered underground is added to the carbon cycling between the atmosphere and the biosphere.

Which of the following pathways indicate how nitrogen is added to the largest nitrogen reservoir?

Denitrifying bacteria and volcanic activity

Which of the following is an example of a carbon sink?

Deposition of organic matter on the deep ocean floor

This biome contains plants that are adapted to prevent water loss due to the low average rainfall and high temperatures year-round.

Deserts: are hot and dry year-round, and plant species are adapted in a variety of ways (small leaves, stems that store water, and modified spines) to reduce water loss.

Which of the following best describes the movement of energy in an ecosystem?

Energy is harnessed by producers, and available energy decreases with each trophic level transfer.

which of the following processes reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

Photosynthesis

the movement of phosphorus between biological organisms and soil is in a steady state in an undisturbed system. Which of the following best explains the reason for this steady movement?

Readily available organic phosphorus in the soil is assimilated by plants.

Losses of usable energy between successive trophic levels in an ecosystem are best accounted for by which of the following?

The second law of thermodynamics

Which of the following is the best explanation for why there is such a small amount of phosphorus that moves into aquatic systems?

There is not a gaseous phase of the phosphorus cycle, and therefore the movement of phosphorus into oceanic reservoirs is very slow.

Which of the following best helps to explain why phosphorus is often a limiting factor in many ecosystems?

Under many conditions, phosphorus forms stable insoluble compounds.

Humans have dramatically altered the rate of nitrogen fixation into forms usable by autotrophs ________.

as we produce synthetic fertilizers and apply them to crops, lawns, and parks

The origin of all nitrogen in biological tissues is ________.

atmospheric N2 gas

which process most directly results in the storage of carbon as coal and oil over millions of years?

decomposition: of producers and consumers has led to the storage of carbon over millions of years. In the cycle presented, decomposition is the most direct cause of this storage.

A small section of prairie grasses, over a year, produces enough biomass to feed insects, mice, rabbits, birds, deer, antelope, and a host of decomposers. The amount of food potentially available to the herbivores is the ________.

net primary production

phosphorus and nitrogen are both required for what?

plant growth

Cattle on an open range, in some areas, may compact fragile soils while grazing. This can damage plant roots, leading to fewer, smaller plants, which may in turn cause cattle to graze more and work harder to obtain food. This is an example of a ________.

positive feedback loop

The process in the hydrologic cycle in which water vapor is released from leaves into the atmosphere is called

transpiration the exhalation of water vapor through the leaves, stem and flowers