Unit 1: The Living World - Ecosystems

Which box represents a carbon sink that holds carbon compounds for the shortest period of time? A. Vegetation B. Sedimentary Rock C. Ocean D. Burning of fossil fuels

A

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.

A

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 100kcal100kcal of energy, then a secondary consumer that feeds on the primary consumer will also have 100kcal100kcal of energy available. B. If a primary producer stores 10,000kcal10,000kcal of energy, then a tertiary consumer will have 10kcal10kcal of energy available. C. If a primary producer stores 100,000kcal100,000kcal of energy, then a secondary consumer will have 10,000kcal10,000kcal of energy available. D. If a secondary consumer stores 500kcal500kcal of energy, then a tertiary consumer that feeds on the secondary consumer will have 5,000kcal5,000kcal of energy available.

B

The total rate of photosynthesis in a given area. A. Primary productivity B. Gross primary productivity C. Net primary productivity D. Cellular respiration

B

Which of the boxes represents a carbon source? A. Vegetation B. Sedimentary Rock C. Ocean D. Burning of fossil fuels

D

Cellular Respiration

Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire

Nitrogen Assimilation

The incorporation by plants of nitrate and ammonium into essential nitrogen-containing organic compounds.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time fixed by photosynthesis in green plants.

Source

a reservoir that contributes more of a material than it receives

Sink

a reservoir that receives more of a material than it provides

Nitrogen Fixation

process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use

Primary Productivity

the rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic autotrophs to organic substances

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. A. There will be an increased need for fertilizer on farmlands. B. There will be less algal growth in the nearby ocean. C. There will be less phosphorus pollution in the atmosphere. D. There will be an increased deposition of phosphorus-rich sediments.

B