AP Environmental Science Midterm

Which of the following values best represents the amount of energy available for primary consumers in the food chain?

9,300 kilocalories

Which of the following values best represents the amount of energy available for secondary consumers in the food chain?

930 kilocalories

Which of the following best explains why terrestrial trophic pyramids usually do not have levels higher than tertiary consumers?

A large proportion of energy is lost as heat as it is transferred up the pyramid, so there is not enough energy available to support another level.

Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following would most likely experience the greatest decline of specialist species if an invasive species emigrated from the mainland?

A small island in close proximity to the mainland

Which of the following categories of organisms, which are required for the cycling of matter in an ecosystem, is missing from the table?

Decomposers

Of the following organisms, which occupies the lowest trophic level?

Deer

Which of the following best describes gross primary productivity in an ecosystem?

Gross primary productivity is the total amount of solar energy captured by producers through photosynthesis over time.

The maximum efficiency possible in an energy-conversion process that is not limited by the second law of thermodynamics

100%

Which of the following is the most likely amount of energy available to secondary consumers?

150 kcal

If respiration by the aquatic producers is 12,000 kcal/m2 per year, what is the gross annual primary productivity for this ecosystem, in kcal/m2 per year?

20,000

On the basis of the data, the best prediction of the pH of the water in which Daphnia normally are found in the wild is

7

Which of the following best identifies the author's claim?

Aardvarks are a keystone species and their decline could have a trophic cascade effect on the ecosystem.

Which of the following is exemplified by the equations above?

Each biogeochemical cycle demonstrates the conservation of matter.

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 statements is best supported by the data?

Forest A producers have lower rates of cellular respiration than forest B producers.

Based on the data in the table, which of the following pairs of organisms has two ecological relationships, both competition and predation?

Hawks and Snakes

The explanation for the variation includes which of the following? i. Temperature ii. Precipitation iii. Longitude

I and II only

Which of the following best describes the first law of thermodynamics?

In a closed system of constant mass, the energy involved in any physical or chemical change is neither created nor destroyed, but merely changed from one form to another.

Which of the following would most likely result from the deforestation of large areas of tropical rain forests caused by slash-and-burn agriculture?

Increased global temperature because of the release of CO2

Five islands, A, B, C, D, and E, differ only in distance from the mainland, area, and species diversity. Which island would be predicted to have the highest species diversity?

Island B Distance from Mainland (kilometers)Area (hectares)B501 x 106

Which of the following best describes the net primary productivity of an ecosystem?

Net primary productivity is the amount of energy lost through respiration by producers subtracted from the gross primary productivity of an ecosystem.

Which of the following correctly describes the disruption of an ecosystem service by an anthropogenic activity?

Provisioning services are disrupted by increased combustion of fossil fuels, which leads to an increase in air pollution.

Which of the following would be categorized as a cultural ecosystem service of forests?

Recreation and scenic areas for tourism

An energy transformation occurs and results in increased disorder.

Second law of thermodynamics

Which tree species grows best with full sunlight?

Sweet Gum

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

Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following is the most likely reason that an island in the ocean that is 5 kilometers from a continent would have a higher number of species than one that is 15 kilometers from a continent?

There are more species that have the ability to travel 5 kilometers than can travel 15 kilometers.

Which of the following best explains why decomposers in soils and water are important to ecosystems?

They recycle nutrients.

All of the following are negative externalities EXCEPT

bees pollinating vegetables in addition to creating honey

For a primary producer, the main function of photosynthesis is to manufacture

glucose

which of the following changes would most likely occur in the food web of this ecosystem?

increase in number of shrews, decrease in number of hawks

The ultimate source of energy for terrestrial ecosystem is

the Sun