APES Chapter 3 Review

Which of the following is NOT an example of an abiotic component of an ecosystem?

Water, Minerals, Sunlight, Fungi, or Air

Fungi

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of most ecosystems?

biotic or abiotic components, recycling of matter, distinct boundaries, a wide range of sizes

distinct boundaries

the waste product in photosynthesis is

oxygen

what could be a cause of decreased evapotranspiration

increased percolation

At which trophic level are eagles that consume fish that eat algae?

secondary consumers

at which trophic level do organisms use a process that produces oxygen as a waste product?

producers

at which trophic level are dragonflies that consume mosquitoes that feed on herbivorous mammals?

tertiary

beginning at the lowest trophic level, arrange the following food chain found on the Serengeti Plain of Africa in the correct sequece

decomposers, cheetas, shrubs, and gazelles

shrubs, gazells, cheetas, decomposers

Which macronutrient is required by humans in the largest amounts?

nitrogen

roughly what percentage of incoming solar energy is converted into chemical energy by producers

1%

the net primary productivity of an ecosystem is 1 kg c/m2/year, and the energy needed by the producers for their own respiration is 1.5 kg C/m2/year. The gross primary productivity of such an ecosystem would be

2.5 kgC/m2/year

An ecosystem has an ecological efficiency of 10%. If the product level contains 10,000 kilocalories of energy, how much energy does the tertiary consumer level contain?

10 kcal

Which biogeochemical cycle(s) does NOT have a gaseous component?

potassium, sulfur, phosphorous

Phosphorous

a true statement about the carbon cycle

carbon transfer from photosynthesis is in steady state with respiration and death

*this is my best educated guess

human interaction with the nitrogen cycle is primarily due to

the leaching of nitrates into terrestrial ecosystems

research at Hubbard Brook showed that stream nitrate concentrations in two watersheds were 1. _________ before clear cutting, and that after one watershed was clear-cut, its stream nitrate concentration was 2. __________

similar, decreased, increased, the same

similar; increased

small inputs of this substance, commonly a limiting factor in aquatic ecosystems, can result in algal blooms and dead zones

phosphorous

after a severe drought, the productivity in an ecosystem took many years to return to pre-drought conditions. This observation indicates that the ecosystem has

low resilience

nitrogen is crucial for sustaining life in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems...draw a full diagram of nitrogen cycle

describe: Nitrogen fixation

The conversion of nitrogen gas (N2) to ammonia (NH3) that can be used by many producers. Can occur in processes of lightning and combustion.

describe: ammonification

When an organism dies, decomposers that use nitrogen containing materials for food, convert organic matter to ammonium ion

describe: nitrification

conversion of ammonium ion into nitrite (NO2-) then into nitrate (NO3), which can then be absorbed by producers

describe: denitrification

natural conversion of nitrate to nitrous oxide, a gas released into the atmosphere, where it can be converted to nitrogen gas

describe why nitrogen is crucial for sustaining life

Is found in amino acids, building blocks of proteins, in all plant and animal species

or

specific amounts of nitrogen are required by plants for healthy growth

or

required in high concentration for living organisms and is considered a limiting factor

describe one way that the nitrogen cycle can be disrupted by human activities

burning of fossil fuels

or

humans produce huge amounts of nitrogen containing plant fertilizers and this can overload the area of application (problem with leaching)