APES UNIT 1

Approximate efficiency of the conversion of light energy to chemical energy in photosynthesis

1%

Of the following organisms, which occupies the lowest trophic level? A. Spider B. Deer C. Lion D. Hawk E. Snake

Deer

Which biome is best characterized as an area that forms the narrow band along the coast that experiences a range of environmental conditions (including daily changes in sunlight, temperature, and water)?

Intertidal zones

What is the primary energy source for producers in near-surface marine communities?

Solar Energy from sun

The diagram above best illustrates major processes in which of the following biogeochemical cycles?

The phosphorus cycle

Country with the largest area of temperate deciduous forest

USA

Plant roots absorb ammonium ions and nitrate ions for use in making molecules such as DNA, amino acids, and proteins

Assimilation

This means that heat energy cannot be created or destroyed

First law of thermodynamics

A temperate grassland biome has a gross primary productivity of 3,480kilocalories/meter2/year3,480kilocalories/meter2/year and a net primary productivity of 2,000kilocalories/meter2/year2,000kilocalories/meter2/year. Which of the following is the approximate number of kilocalories/meter2/yearkilocalories/meter2/year available to herbivores in that biome?

200kilocalories/meter2/year

Which of the boxes represents a carbon source?

D

The total rate of photosynthesis in a given area.

Gross primary productivity

This freshwater biome is characterized by fast-flowing water that can originate from underground springs or runoff, which carries sediment and organic material.

Rivers

This biome is characterized by long dry seasons and is dominated by grasses, shrubs and grazing animals

Savanna

Which of the following statements is best supported by the diagram of the phosphorus cycle? A The largest reservoir of phosphorus is in the atmosphere. B The phosphates absorbed by animal tissue through consumption eventually return to the soil. C Plants take up the phosphate ions primarily from the metamorphic rocks. D Phosphates are not soluble in water.

The phosphates absorbed by animal tissue through consumption eventually return to the soil.

Which of the following types of organisms are required to complete the nitrogen cycle, including the process of denitrification? A Bacteria B Producers C Consumers D Fungi

Bacteria

A field is abandoned, and an invasive plant that can live in nutrient-poor soil moves into the field. If the land is later cleared of this invasive species and it is discovered that the soil has an abundance of nitrogen compounds, which conclusion can best be made?

Bacteria in soil and in root nodules converted free nitrogen into nitrogen compounds

Which of the following is true of carbon as it cycles in nature? A. Carbon dioxide is released during photosynthesis. B. Carbon compounds rarely exist in the gaseous state. C. Carbon sinks include forests and oceans D. The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is reduced by cutting trees

Carbon sinks include forests and oceans

Exemplified by bees consuming nectar and carrying pollen from one flower to another

Commensalism

Which of the following best describes the movement of energy in an ecosystem? A. Energy is constantly recycled by decomposers for use by producers B. Energy is harnessed by producers, and available energy decreases with each tropic level transfer. C. Energy is absorbed by plants through water and soil and then moves up the food chain through consumers. D. Energy is magnified as it moves up the trophic levels, and tertiary consumers store the most energy in a food web.

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

Nitrogen Cycle

N2 --> NH4+ --> NO2- --> NO3- --> N2

The energy available to consumers determined by subtracting the energy used by plants from the total energy transformed by the process of photosynthesis.

Net primary productivity

An energy transformation occurs and results in increased disorder

Second law of thermodynamics

Which of the following describes the most likely change to terrestrial biomes resulting from warmer average global temperatures? A The global distribution of midlatitude biomes, such as grasslands and temperate rain forests, would increase. B Deciduous trees found in temperate seasonal forests would flower later in the year. C The latitude range of tropical rain forests would narrow closer to the equator. D High-latitude biomes, such as the tundra, would experience a decrease in net primary productivity.

The global distribution of midlatitude biomes, such as grasslands and temperate rain forests, would increase.

Which of the following is a characteristic of tropical rain forests? A. They rarely receive more than 100 centimeters of rain per year. B. Their soils typically have a high pH. C. Their soils are relatively poor in nutrients. D. They do not exhibit a great deal of species diversity. E. They generally occur in the rain shadows of mountain ranges.

Their soils are relatively poor in nutrients.

Farmers in a suburban coastal town started using no-till agriculture, a practice that reduces soil erosion from their farmland. Use the image above to determine which of the following long-term effects no-till agriculture will have on the ecosystem surrounding the farmland.

There will be less algal growth in the nearby ocean.

Which of the following terrestrial biomes has the highest primary productivity per unit area? A Desert B Tropical rain forest C Boreal forest D Savanna

Tropical rain forest

What best helps to explain why phosphorus is often a limiting factor in many ecosystems?

Under many conditions, phosphorus forms stable insoluble compounds

Traveling southward from the Arctic regions of Canada to the tropics of Panama, one passes through several biomes - tundra, coniferous forest, temperate deciduous forest, and tropical rain forest. This pattern fo change in vegetation is primarily the result of

an increase in both mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation

Phytoplankton are most abundant in the upper few hundred feet of most bodies of water because

sunlight does not penetrate to greta depths in water

Which of the following best illustrates an abiotic component of the environment affecting a biotic component of the environment? A. Composted manure is added to agricultural soil during spring tiling. B. Coral reefs modify the direction of an ocean current. C. Low phosphorus content in soil limits the growth of vegetation. E. A think planting of ground cover reduces soil erosion on a hillside.

Low phosphorus content in soil limits the growth of vegetation.

Exemplified by moss growing on the trunk of the tree in a forest

Mutualism

Which of the following best describes what is represented by the arrows in the food web? A The photosynthetic rates of producers B The flow of energy C The movement of predators D The decomposition of matter

The flow of energy

What is an example of a carbon sink?

Deposition of organic matter on the deep ocean floor

A secondary consumer would eat

Herbivores

Ammonia is converted to nitrite, then to nitrate

nitrification

Based on the second law of thermodynamics, how much biomass of phytoplankton would be needed to produce 11 kilogram (kgkg) of large fish in this food web?

1,000kg

Primary producers in a lake ecosystem store approximately 25,000 kcal/m2/yr of energy in their biomass. What is most likely the amount of energy available to a tertiary consumer?

25 kcal/m2/yr

Which box represents a carbon sink that holds carbon compounds for the shortest period of time?

A

Which of the following is NOT a Marine Biome A. Mangrove Swamps B. Salt Marshes C. Intertidal Zone D. Open Ocean E. All of the above are Marine biomes

All of the above are Marine biomes

Which of the following correctly describes the flow of energy through the trophic levels from producers to quaternary consumers? A Red-tailed hawk, grasshopper mouse, grasshopper, rattlesnake, brittlebrush B Red-tailed hawk, rattlesnake, grasshopper mouse, grasshopper, brittlebrush C Brittlebrush, grasshopper, grasshopper mouse, rattlesnake, red-tailed hawk D Brittlebrush, red-tailed hawk, rattlesnake, grasshopper mouse, grasshopper

Brittlebrush, grasshopper, grasshopper mouse, rattlesnake, red-tailed hawk

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

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

This rate of reaction can be measured in the dark by determining the amount of oxygen gas consumed in a period of time.

Cellular respiration

This biome is found in shallow waters off the coastline and is Earth's most biologically diverse marine biome.

Coral reefs

Which of the following statements is true of aquatic biomes? A. Freshwater and marine biomes are evenly distributed on Earth. B. Freshwater biomes are a vital source of drinking water. C. Freshwater biomes supply a greater portion of Earth's oxygen than marine biomes. D. Marine biomes include streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes

Freshwater biomes are a vital source of drinking water.

This biome contains a nutrient-rich environment created by falling leaves and trapped organic materials from the large trees, and it provides the ecosystem service of filtering pollutants from water.

Freshwater wetlands

Which of the following major reservoirs of freshwater are missing from the diagram? A Fossil fuels B Rocks C Ice caps D Algae

Ice caps

Energy is transferred along food chains from one stage to the next. Which statement best explains how the energy is transferred? A If a primary consumer stores 100kcal of energy, then a secondary consumer that feeds on the primary consumer will also have 100kcal of energy available. B If a primary producer stores 10,000kcal of energy, then a tertiary consumer will have 10kcal of energy available. C If a primary producer stores 100,000kcal of energy, then a secondary consumer will have 10,000kcal of energy available. D If a secondary consumer stores 500kcal of energy, then a tertiary consumer that feeds on the secondary consumer will have 5,000kcal of energy available.

If a primary producer stores 10,000kcal10,000kcal of energy, then a tertiary consumer will have 10kcal10kcal of energy available.

Which trophic level has the least available energy in kilojoules in this food web?

Killer whale

In reef ecosystems, corals often have microalgae living inside them. The algae supply the corals with nutrients, and the coral give shelter to the algae. Which of the following interactions best describes the relationship between the corals and the algae? A Competition B Predation C Mutualism D Parasitism

Mutualism

Which of the following processes is illustrated by the downward arrows from the atmosphere that show the conversion of nitrogen gas into usable forms available to producers? A Nitrogen assimilation B Nitrogen fixation C Photosynthesis D Weathering

Nitrogen fixation

Guano from fish-eating birds is a commercial source of this element

Phosphorus

What is similar of the Phosphorous cycle and Nitrogen cycle?

Phosphorus and nitrogen are both required for plant growth

Which of the following trophic levels represents a primary producer in an aquatic food chain? A Phytoplankton B Herbivorous zooplankton C Carnivorous zooplankton D Baleen whale

Phytoplankton

The greatest amount of fresh water is found in which atmosphere?

Polar ice caps and glaciers

Which of the following best describes the flow of energy in most terrestrial and near-surface marine ecosystems? A Decomposers break down dead or decaying organisms to release energy and nutrients to be used by producers. B Chemoautotrophs use inorganic energy sources, such as hydrogen sulfide, to create organic compounds from carbon dioxide. C Apex predators feed on other organisms, which releases heat that can be used by producers and primary consumers. D Producers use energy from the sun to make organic matter, such as sugars, from carbon dioxide and water and are then consumed by organisms higher in the food chain.

Producers use energy from the sun to make organic matter, such as sugars, from carbon dioxide and water and are then consumed by organisms higher in the food chain.

Which of the following interactions between the warbler species is shown in the diagram? A. Resource partitioning B. Intraspecific competition C. Parasitism D. Commensalism

Resource partitioning

Which reservoir contains the most phosphorus?

Sedimetns

What causes the variation of net primary productivity?

Temperature and Precipitation

Which of the following best identifies a key component of the hydrologic cycle that powers the movement of water and is missing from the diagram? A Terrestrial animals B The Sun C Bacteria D Volcanoes

The Sun

The majority of the nitrogen on Earth can be found in which of the following reservoirs?

The atmosphere

Which of the following biogeochemical cycles includes the processes of buffering ocean pHpH and photosynthesis? A The carbon cycle B The nitrogen cycle C The phosphorus cycle D The potassium cycle

The carbon cycle

In a fish species, the number of eggs that hatch and survive for one year varies depending on the number of eggs that were produced. As the number of eggs produced increases past a threshold number, the survival rate fo the offspring decreases. Which of the following statements best explains why only a limited number of offspring can survive in a fish population. A. Resource partitioning allows similar species to coexist in the same ecological community. B. The number of fish surviving after one year is proportional to the number of eggs produced. C. The chance of survival decreases when there is intraspecific competition for resources among surviving yearlings. D. More yearling fish survive beyond one year when there is an abundance of prey species present.

The chance of survival decreases when there is intraspecific competition for resources among surviving yearlings.

Six white-tailed deer and six sika deer were enclosed in a pasture for observation during an eight-year study in central Texas. White-tailed deer are a native species to central Texas, while sika deer are a nonnative species to central Texas. White-tailed deer feed on flowering plants and the tips of trees and shrubs but do not eat grass. Sika deer feed on flowering plants, the tips of trees and shrubs, and grass. All other grazing animals were kept out of the pasture during the study. The number of sika deer more than doubled after the eight years, while the population of white-tailed deer decreased by 50 percent. Which of the following statements best supports the results from the study? A The sika deer are generalists, while the white-tailed deer are specialists. B The sika deer out competed the white-tailed deer in consuming flowering plants and shrubs. C Parasites infected the sika deer population but did not infect the white-tailed deer population. D Change in the local climate reduced the availability of food resources for the white-tailed deer population.

The sika deer out competed the white-tailed deer in consuming flowering plants and shrubs.

Describe gross primary productivity

The total amount of solar energy captured by producers through photosynthesis over time

Which of the following terrestrial biomes has the highest net primary productivity? A Desert B Tropical rain forest C Taiga D Savanna

Tropical rain forest

Which of the following best describes an example of resource partitioning in an ecosystem? A Two different bird species feed from the same oak tree; one eats acorns, and the other eats insects in the bark. B A tick uses a white-tailed deer as its host, consuming the deer's blood as food. C Two individuals from the same population of barn owls hunt for the same species of mouse during the night. D A mason bee pollinates a variety of flowers in a botanical garden.

Two different bird species feed from the same oak tree; one eats acorns, and the other eats insects in the bark.

Which of the following best describes a terrestrial ecosystem that will have the highest net primary productivity? A Warm temperatures, high rainfall, and consistent sunlight B Hot temperatures, low rainfall, and consistent sunlight C Cold temperatures, high rainfall, and inconsistent sunlight D Warm temperatures, low rainfall, and inconsistent sunlight

Warm temperatures, high rainfall, and consistent sunlight

Based on the diagram, which of the following statements about the hydrologic cycle is true? A Water from the ocean evaporates and condenses in the atmosphere. B Surface runoff is the primary recharge of groundwater. C Infiltration of water into the ground prevents water from returning to the oceanic reservoir. D Evapotranspiration from plants decreases atmospheric water vapor.

Water from the ocean evaporates and condenses in the atmosphere.

Describe leaching

Water percolating through soil, dissolving some of its material

A primary consumer would eat

plants

What is nitrogen's largest reservoir?

the atmosphere