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Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 7/e

William P. Cunningham, University of Minnesota
Mary Ann Cunningham, Vassar College
Barbara Woodworth Saigo, St. Cloud State University

Matter, Energy, and Life

Essay Quiz


1		What is energy, and how does it interface with matter?



2		With energy, some things are possible and some things are not. What are the essential points about energy, its existence, and its behavior?



3		In a short sentence, what is the central accomplishment of photosynthesis?



4		Why is photosynthesis so important to all trophic levels, not just levels I and II?



5		The second law of thermodynamics explains much, including why there are ecological pyramids. Explain how this law determines the relative amounts of biomass in the different trophic levels of an ecosystem.



6		For every 3,000 calories of sunlight striking an old field ecosystem, only about 1.5 calories end up being stored in the molecules of new flesh in the bodies of the plant eaters. How do you account for all the missing calories? List as many different fates for them as you can.



7		Molecular geneticists are working to insert new genes into some of our common fish species to make them grow much larger and faster than they would grow naturally. Some people envision lakes and streams chock full of trophy bass, trout, and pike once the new genes become widespread in natural populations. a. What basic factors influence the amount of biomass in a predatory fish population? b. What are the reasons for being skeptical that new genes alone could markedly increase biomass production in a predatory fish population? c. How could the situation be changed at a commercial fish farm to more fully realize the potential of the enhanced growth rate genes?



8		Carbon cycle sounds so academic, so removed from our everyday lives. In fact, just the opposite is true. We all participate in this and other cycles constantly. a. List at least three ways in which our bodies participate directly in the carbon cycle. (One of these is a bit morbid.) b. In what other ways do we participate in the carbon cycle through our activities?



9		The owner of a huge strawberry field next to my house used to have many truckloads of mixed straw and manure dumped in a huge pile on his field every fall. This odiferous pile came from the daily cleaning of the animal barns at the state fair. On even the coldest days of fall and winter, I watched steam rising from the piles. I also noticed that snow that fell on top of the piles melted more quickly than elsewhere. a. What was happening in the pile as the weeks passed that explains my observations? b. The events going on in that pile relate to many of the basic concepts covered in this chapter. Explain how the events in the pile connect to specific concepts in the chapter.



10		Let’s take literary license and have some fun with Freddy, the Phosphorus Atom. As the story begins, we find Freddy lolling about with friends in a thin film of soil moisture next to a rootlet of a gooseberry bush. Things get a bit crowded, and Freddy decides to leave by way of a tiny opening into a root cell of the gooseberry. Freddy suddenly finds himself caught in a flowing stream of liquid moving ever higher above the ground in a long, thin tube. Shortly, Freddy reaches the end of the tube and is unceremoniously dumped into a leaf cell, where he is stuck together with strange atoms to form part of a new leaf. How long will Freddy remain there? Where will he be in a week? A year? A century? A billion years? You decide. Continue the fictional Adventures of Freddy with several additional paragraphs



11		Think about what happens to an armload of firewood fed into a roaring fire on a cold winter day in Maine. The wood—made of molecules, which contain large numbers of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms—appears to be nearly destroyed, leaving a small pile of ashes in its stead. How do you reconcile that with the conservation of matter notion?



12		How would you respond to a person who said, “I don’t believe energy can’t be destroyed. Why do I have to continually put gas in my car? You can’t tell me the gas isn’t being destroyed when I drive.”

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