BSC2011 test 4 ch53-54

net primary productivity

When primary producers expend energy to build new tissue, this is ________ and the amount of energy available to consumers

herbivores and carnivores

Which of the following consume other living organisms?

bacteria, archaea, fungi, earthworms

Detritus can be consumed by which of the following primary decomposers?

A

Why is energy lost when herbivores eat primary producers?
A) Energy is lost because most of the total energy consumed is used for cellular respiration rather than growth and reproduction
B) Primary producers cannot produce once eaten.
C) Digestion takes place so rapidly that very little energy is absorbed.
D) Most primary producers contain no usable energy for herbivores.

10

Approximately how many kilograms (kg) of carnivore (secondary consumer) biomass can be supported by a field plot containing 1000 kg of plant material?

C

Why are food chains relatively short?
A) Top-level feeders tend to be more numerous than lower-trophic-level species.
B) Top-level feeders tend to be small but are capable of conserving more energy.
C) Longer chains are less stable and energy transfer between trophic levels is inefficient.
D) There are only so many organisms that are adapted to feed on other types of organisms.
E) Food-chain length is ultimately determined by the photosynthetic efficiency of producers.

trophic structure

The feeding relationships among the species in a community determine the community's

C

What factor could potentially increase the length of a food chain?
A) having a single species of herbivore feeding on cach plant species
B) increased extinction rates of species in the food chain
C) decrease in the amount of energy in a trophic level that is lost as it passes to the next higher level
D) increase in the amount of energy in a trophic level that is lost as it passes to the next higher level

A

How does inefficient transfer of energy among trophic levels result in the typically high endangerment status of many top- level predators?
A) Top-level predators are destined to have small populations that are sparsely distributed.
B) Predators have relatively large population sizes.
C) Predators are more disease-prone than animals at lower trophic levels.
D) Predators have short life spans and short reproductive periods.
E) Top-level predators are more likely to be stricken with parasites.

trophic efficency

the percentage of production transferred from one trophic level to the next

pyramid

the _________ is structured the way it is due to at each step, energy is lost from the system

E

Which of the following is primarily responsible for limiting the number of trophic levels in most ecosystems?
A) Many primary and higher-order consumers are opportunistic feeders.
B) Decomposers compete with higher-order consumers for nutrients and energy.
C) Nutrient cycles involve both abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems.
D) Nutrient cycling rates tend to be limited by decomposition.
E) Energy transfer between trophic levels is usually less than 20 percent efficient.

D

Which statement best describes what ultimately happens to the chemical energy that is NOT converted to new biomass in the process of energy transfer between trophic levels in an ecosystem?
A) It is undigested and winds up in the feces and is not passed on to higher trophic levels.
B) It is used by organisms to maintain their life processes through the reactions of cellular respiration.
C) Heat produced by cellular respiration is used by heterotrophs for thermoregulation.
D) It is eliminated as feces or is dissipated into space as heat, consistent with the second law of thermodynamics.
E) It is recycled by decomposers to smaller and smaller forms until it finally breaks down to form soil.

consequence of bio-magnification

the following is a _________________;Toxic chemicals in the environment pose greater risk to top-level predators than to primary consumers.

D

Why is terrestrial productivity higher in equatorial climates?
A) Productivity increases with temperature.
B) Productivity inereases with water availability.
C) Productivity increases with available sunlight.
D) The answer is most likely a combination of the other responses.

atmosphere

main reservoir for nitrogen in the nitrogen cycle?

oceans

the largest reservoir of carbon?

phosphorus

When animals eat plants, they incorporate the plants' phosphorus into their own bodies. When plats, animals, and other organisms die or release wastes, phosphorus becomes available to decomposers, such as fungi and bacteria.

greenland

__________ is LEAST likely to be a hot spot for birds

A

What is the biological significance of genetic diversity between populations?
A) Genes for traits conferring an advantage to local conditions make evolution possible.
B) The population that is most fit would survive by competitive exclusion.
C) Genetic diversity allows for species stability by preventing speciation.
D) Isolated populations become more fit.
E) Diseases and parasites are not spread between separated populations.

B

Which of the following is a TRUE statement regarding species diversity and taxonomic diversity?
A) Species diversity measures the relative frequency of all alleles present in a species.
B) In taxonomic diversity, the number of species in a lineage is important.
C) In species diversity, the number of animals in a particular lineage is important.
D) The variety of species in a given area represents taxonomic diversity

A

If all individuals in the last remaining population of particular bird species were all highly related, which type of diversity would be of greatest concern when planning to keep the species from going extinct?
I. genetic diversity
II. species diversity
III. ecosystem diversity
A) only I
B) only II
C) only III
D) only II and III
E) I, II, and III

C

With regard to the destruction of tropical forests, the focus is often on biodiversity and the impact on these ecosystems. What is a direct benefit to humans that helps explain why these forests need to be preserved?
A) This diversity could contain undocumented insect species.
B) Natural and undisturbed areas are important wildlife habitats.
C) The diversity could contain novel drugs for consumers.
D) The plant diversity provides shade, which reduces the impact of global warming.

species diversity

the number of species in a given area and the relative abundance of each species

genetic diversity

the variety of genes within a species population

species richness

the number of different species in a given area, such as a community, landscape, or region

tropical rainforest

_______________ has the greatest species diversity

biodiversity hotspot

a geographical region on Earth that contains a very high concentration of unique plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet

endemic

native and restricted to a certain place

critical communities

an ecological community that is facing a high risk of extinction due to significant threats

bottleneck

a significant reduction in a population's size that occurs over at least one generation

cultural service

education

provisioning service

providing genetic resources

regulating service

soil formation

community resilience

how quickly a community recovers following a disturbance

community stability

the ability of a community to maintain productivity and other aspects of ecosystem function as conditions change over time and to recover to former levels of productivity or species richness after a disturbance

net primary productivity

it is the source of chemical energy used by a species throughout a food web

extinction

the rate of ________ is higher than background ________ rates

D

According to most conservation biologists, the single greatest threat to global biodiversity is
A) chemical pollution of water and air
B) stratospheric ozone depletion
C) overexploitation of certain species
D) alteration or destruction of the physical habitat

B

The introduction of the Burmese python by pet owners in Florida has resulted in
A) eradication of nonnative rats and other undesirable/pest species
B) the threatening of many native species
C) a good lesson in biological control
D) a new species of hybrids from crossbreeding with a native snake species
E) its failure to compete with native species and its quick elimination

13

percentage of bird species are on the IUCN Red List?

overexploitation

The decline of mammals in Africa is associated to the unsustainable hunting of animals for their ivory, skins, horns, and other body parts

ABCD

Which of the following biological species are expected to be reduced in numbers due to climate change?

A) A species that lives in alpine habitats
B) A species that live in the coral reefs
C) A slowly dispersing species like trees
D) A species that lives in the coastal environment

B

The most serious consequence to humans of a decrease in global biodiversity would be the

A) increase in global warming and thinning of the ozone layer

B) potential loss of ecosystem services on which people depend

C) increase in the abundance and diversity of edge-adapted species

D) loss of sources of genetic diversity to preserve endangered species

E) loss of species for use as crops