Mastering ENVR 1401 Ch. 5

biogeochemical cycles phosphorus cycle

- affected by the release of detergents in treated wastewater -weathering of rock is a major flux in this cycle

causes and consequences : dead zones consequences

- death of aquatic organisms that cannot escape -economic losses for fisheries -shifts in the marine food web

biogeochemical cycles water cycle

- largest reservoir is ocean water - transpiration is a major flux in this cycle

biogeochemical cycles nitrogen cycle

- nitrification is a major flux in this cycle - largest reservoir is the atmosphere

biogeochemical cycles carbon cycle

- significantly affect by the extraction of fossil fuels - photosynthesis is a major flux in this cycle

causes and consequences: dead zones solutions

-reduction of fertilizer use to decrease nutrient pollution from farms - constru tion of wetlands to absorb nutrients -policies to promote no-till agriculture

Which process or processes return carbon to the atmosphere? View Available Hint(s) Photosynthesis only Breakdown of large organic molecules into smaller organic molecules Cellular respiration only Cellular respiration and photosynthesis Cellular respiration and the breakdown of large organic molecules into smaller organic molecules

Cellular respiration only

Which of the following is true of the hydrologic cycle? Most of the water that falls on the continents is derived from the oceans. The bulk of the precipitation occurs over land. Atmospheric water and surface water do not mix. Most evaporation on Earth occurs over the continents.

Most of the water that falls on the continents is derived from the oceans.

Which one of these is a nitrite? NO3 - NO2 - PO4 - NH4 - NH2

NO2 -

Which one of these is a nitrate? SH NH2 NO3 - NO2 - NH4 -

NO3 -

_____ removes nitrogen from the atmosphere. Denitrification Nitrification Mineralization Nitrogen fixation Assimilation

Nitrogen fixation

Nitrogen availability is often a limiting factor in plant growth. Nitrogen tends to be scarce because __________. View Available Hint(s) Fossil fuel combustion uses the available nitrogen; what is left for the plants is not enough, making the fuel combustion a limiting factor. There is very little nitrogen present in the atmosphere. Nitrogen gas (N2) is so stable that only a few organisms are capable of turning it into nitrogen that can be used for living things. Decomposers are unable to recycle nitrogen, meaning that all nitrogen used must be produced by bacteria.

Nitrogen gas (N2) is so stable that only a few organisms are capable of turning it into nitrogen that can be used for living things.

Which organisms play a role in returning carbon to the atmosphere? View Available Hint(s) Producers only. Producers, consumers, and decomposers. Consumers only. Consumers and decomposers, but not producers. Decomposers only.

Producers, consumers, and decomposers.

Imagine following a single carbon atom through the carbon cycle. Which of the following is a possible path for the carbon atom to take? The atmosphere; a plant; an herbivore; another plant; then back to the atmosphere. The atmosphere; a decomposer; a higher-level consumer; then back to the atmosphere. The atmosphere, a plant, a herbivore, a decomposer, then back to the atmosphere The atmosphere; a decomposer; then back to the atmosphere. The atmosphere; a plant; a higher-level consumer; then back to the atmosphere.

The atmosphere, a plant, a herbivore, a decomposer, then back to the atmosphere

BioFlix Activity: The Carbon Cycle -- Moving and Returning Carbon

a consumer eats -> food moves into the consumers digestive system, where it is broken down -> small molecules are used to build macromolecules in consumer tissues -> carbon in the food has now become carbon in the consumer

A metapopulation is ______________. View Available Hint(s) a population that spans two biomes a population that is undergoing exponential growth a network of separate populations with some interbreeding between them a really big population

a network of separate populations with some interbreeding between them

Which of these removes carbon from the atmosphere? logging trees rabbits burning fossil fuels, such as oil bobcats algae

algae

A(n) _____ is an example of an ecosystem with high primary productivity while a _____ is an example of an ecosystem with low primary productivity. View Available Hint(s) tundra, coral reef open ocean, wetland desert, tundra algal bed, desert

algal bed, desert

Nitrifying bacteria convert _____ to _____. nitrogen gas ... ammonium nitrogen gas ... nitrates ammonium ... nitrites nitrates ... nitrogen gas ammonium ... nitrogen gas

ammonium ... nitrites

Some of the most ancient water on Earth can be found in ________. View Available Hint(s) streams aquifers the ocean the Great Lakes

aquifers

Ecosystems that convert solar energy to biomass rapidly ________. View Available Hint(s) are said to have high primary productivity have little vegetation are said to have high secondary productivity are usually found in cold, damp climates where decomposition is slow

are said to have high primary productivity

The sum total of the planet's living organisms and abiotic systems is ________. View Available Hint(s) a biome the biosphere an ecotone the biomass

biosphere

BioFlix Activity: The Carbon Cycle -- The Role of Producers

carbon dioxide from the atmosphere enters a producer -> during photosynthesis, producers use carbon dioxide to make sugar molecules -> sugar molecules provide a starting point for building larger carbon containing molecules in the producer

What does the term emergent properties describe? View Available Hint(s) characteristics that are not evident in the system's individual components but are evident only by looking at the whole operating system the characteristics of emerging vegetation such as the forb called fireweed the particular timing and season of emergence of organisms from dormancy the particular timing and season of emergence of flowers in the spring, as long as timing of the emergence of flowers is not being changed by global climate change

characteristics that are not evident in the system's individual components but are evident only by looking at the whole operating system

Detritus is composed of _____. detritivores dead organic matter inorganic minerals excreted wastes dead organic matter and excreted wastes

dead organic matter and excreted waste

Which of the following statements about dead zones is correct? View Available Hint(s) Dead zones occur in terrestrial ecosystems. Dead zones, once they exist, are permanent. Dead zones are reversible if nutrient pollution input to a system is reduced. Dead zones occur in the arctic tundra.

dead zones, are reversible if nutrient pollution input to a system is reduced

What name is given to the process by which detritivores return carbon to the atmosphere? burning predation photosynthesis predation and photosynthesis decomposition

decomposition

The transitional zone between ecosystems is called a(n) __________. View Available Hint(s) ocean dead zone ecotone coral reef

ecotone

Which best describes how energy and nutrients work in an ecosystem? View Available Hint(s) nutrients flow through an ecosystem; energy cycles because energy is stored as carbon compounds, energy and nutrients are the same thing energy and nutrients are both recycled in ecosystems energy flows through an ecosystem; nutrients cycle

energy flows through an ecosystem; nutrients cycle

Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the Chesapeake Bay cause phytoplankton to increase, which ultimately leads to the process called __________. View Available Hint(s) nitrogen fixation photosynthesis eutrophication carbon fixation

eutrohpication

Which of the following best characterizes the factors that have contributed to the "dead zone" in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay for the past few decades? View Available Hint(s) increasing oil spills in the Chesapeake Bay fertilizer runoff from farms, animal manure, and stormwater runoff gasoline spillage from the refineries the farm practices around the Chesapeake Bay

fertilizer runoff from farms, animal manure, and stormwater runoff

Denitrifying bacteria convert _____ to _____. nitrates ... nitrogen gas nitrogen gas ... nitrates nitrogen gas ... nitrites ammonium ... nitrogen gas nitrogen gas ... ammonium

nitrates ... nitrogen gas

Which of the following processes was responsible for humans increasing nitrogen's flux from the atmosphere to Earth's surface? View Available Hint(s) photosynthesis the carbon-nitrogen extraction process bacterial denitrification the Haber-Bosch process

haber-bosch process

The _____ encompasses all water in the biosphere. View Available Hint(s) hydrosphere oceanosphere halosphere lithosphere

hydrosphere

The largest percentage of fresh water today is located in: the rivers and lakes of the world. groundwater resources. ice sheets and glaciers. soil.

ice sheets and glaciers.

Part A Part complete Which of the following would be considered an emergent property of a tree? View Available Hint(s) its role as a habitat for other organisms in the ecosystem its roots its chloroplasts its leaves

its role as a habitat for other organisms in the ecosystem

The structural sphere of Earth that is best described as the rocks and sediment is the ______. View Available Hint(s) biosphere lithosphere atmosphere hydrosphere

lithosphere

A nutrient, like nitrogen, that is required in a large amount in an ecosystem is called a(n) __________. View Available Hint(s) essential amino acid micronutrient abundance element macronutrient

macronutrient

In a _____ feedback loop, output that results from a system acts as input that moves the system in the other direction.

negative

Which type of feedback loop acts to resist change in natural systems, thereby enhancing system stability and promoting conditions favorable for life? Negative feedback Positive feedback

negative

positive or negative feedback loop 3. A dog pants as it lies in the hot summer sun, releasing excess body heat to the environment and lowering its body temperature to its stable state.

negative

positive or negative feedback loop 6. When blood sugar levels rise after eating a meal, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin, stimulating cells to take up sugar from the blood. When blood sugar levels drop, the pancreas releases another hormone to stop sugar uptake by cells.

negative

A contributing factor in the process of eutrophication is ______. View Available Hint(s) nitrogen and phosphate pollution stable populations lack of nutrients acid rain

nitrogen and phosphate pollution

The process that makes nitrogen available to plants by mutualistic and free-living bacteria is called __________. View Available Hint(s) decomposition ammonification nitrogen fixation decomposition

nitrogen fixation

causes and consequences: dead zones cause

nutrient runoff from agricultural fertilizers, manure, and urban sources, which leads to rapid algal growth and subsequent bacterial decomposition

Which of the following is an end product, or output, of photosynthesis? View Available Hint(s) sunlight carbon dioxide nitrogen oxygen

oxygen

All of the following are considered reservoirs of carbon except ______. View Available Hint(s) phosphorus the oceans plants sediments

phosphorus

In the carbon cycle, carbon moves from the atmosphere into the living portion of the cycle through ______. View Available Hint(s) photosynthesis burning of fossil fuels sedimentation respiration

photosynthesis

BioFlix Activity: The Carbon Cycle -- Aquatic Carbon Cycle

photosynthesis moves carbon from compounds in ocean to phytoplankton -> zooplankton obtain carbon by eating phytoplankton -> fish obtain carbon by eating zooplankton -> killer whales obtain carbon by eating fish -> cellular respiration in organisms returns carbon to ocean and atmosphere

positive or negative feedback loop 2. Increasing air temperatures from global warming speed up the melting of glaciers, exposing darker rocks underneath the ice. The dark surfaces absorb more sunlight, causing further increases in temperature and accelerated glacier melting.

positive

positive or negative feedback loop A snowball rolling down a hill accumulates snow and becomes larger, which increases its speed, causing it to increase its size and speed even more.

positive

Which of the following would destabilize an ecosystem? View Available Hint(s) homeostasis negative feedback loops stable populations positive feedback loops

positive feedback loops

positive or negative feedback loop 4. A bull on the edge of a herd of cattle panics when it hears a loud noise and begins to run. Five nearby cattle sense the panic and also begin to run. This causes another 15 cattle to panic. Eventually, all 100 cattle in the herd panic and stampede.

positve

positive or negative feedback loop 5. You invest $1,000 in a savings account and reinvest the 5% interest you earn. The interest makes the amount of money in the account larger, so it earns even more interest. After 20 years, the account contains more than $2,600 and is still growing.

positve

An organism gets carbon by using carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to make sugar molecules. This organism is a View Available Hint(s) decomposer. primary consumer. higher-level consumer. producer. None of the above

producer

Every carbon atom in the organic molecules that make up your body MUST recently have been part of View Available Hint(s) a producer. a higher-level consumer. a primary consumer. a sugar molecule made in one of your chloroplasts. a decomposer.

producer

Most energy in the majority of ecosystems arrives as ______ and exits in the form of _____. View Available Hint(s) radiation from the sun, heat chemicals from the ocean, radiation from the sun chemicals from the ocean, heat heat, radiation from the sun

radiation from the sun, heat

When considering the phosphorus cycle, plants obtain most of their phosphorus from _______. View Available Hint(s) phosphorus-fixing bacteria gases absorbed from the atmosphere rocks and soils detritivores

rocks and soils

Earth's oceans hold: the bulk of all of the water found on Earth. most of the fresh water on Earth. about the same amount of water as all Earth's rivers and lakes combined. about the same amount of water as all groundwater sources combined.

the bulk of all of the water found on Earth.

A landscape ecologist would be most likely to study ______. View Available Hint(s) the multiple trophic levels found in a freshwater lake how a cactus can survive for months without any rain the movement of nutrients from alpine grassland on a mountain through the temperate deciduous forest at the lower elevations into the tropical rain forest at the base the mutualistic interaction between an acacia tree and the ants that live in it and the predatory interaction between the ants and the insect species trying to eat the acacia

the movement of nutrients from alpine grassland on a mountain through the temperate deciduous forest at the lower elevations into the tropical rain forest at the base

The largest reservoir of carbon in the carbon cycle is in sedimentary rock that may take hundreds of millions of years to return to the living portion of the cycle. What is the second largest reservoir of carbon? View Available Hint(s) the oceans fossil fuels the atmosphere living things

the oceans

How do plants contribute to the water cycle? View Available Hint(s) through the evaporation of water from their roots through the process of infiltration through the process of condensation through the process of transpiration

through the process of transpiration

Which two factors can speed up the process of evaporation? View Available Hint(s) strong winds and proximity to the ocean warm temperatures and strong winds increased cloud cover and low temperatures warm temperatures and proximity to the ocean

warm temperatures and strong winds

_____ is an example of a resource provided by our ecosystems, while _____ is(are) an example of a service provided by our ecosystems. View Available Hint(s) Wind, windmills Salt water, fresh water Water, water cycling Crude oil, oil refineries

water, water cycling

the entire area of land that a river drains is called its __________. View Available Hint(s) phytoplankton dead zone watershed wetland

watershed