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Biology, 6/e
Author Dr. George B. Johnson, Washington University
Author Dr. Peter H. Raven, Missouri Botanical Gardens & Washington University
Contributor Dr. Susan Singer, Carleton College
Contributor Dr. Jonathan Losos, Washington University

Dynamics of Ecosystems

Multiple Choice Quiz

Please answer all questions



1

Which of the following is not a problem with ground water?
A)slow movement
B)increasing use rate
C)pollution
D)government ownership
2

The term "detritivore" includes
A)decomposers
B)primary consumers
C)secondary consumers
D)autotrophs
3

In a salt marsh, the meiofauna
A)are represented by crabs and lobsters
B)include fish
C)are very small animals that live between the sand grains
D)are the algae
4

Net primary productivity is the gross primary productivity less
A)that which is consumed by herbivores
B)that which is consumed by the producer in metabolism
C)secondary productivity
D)loss due to mortality
5

Which of the following does not contribute to the species diversity of the tropics?
A)predictability
B)predation
C)spatial homogeneity
D)high productivity
6

Which is a more accurate way of dating rocks, absolute or relative dating?
A)absolute dating
B)relative dating
C)they are equally accurate
7

What is happening to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
A)it is increasing
B)it is decreasing
C)it is holding steady
D)it is fluctuating wildly
E)we have no way of knowing
8

The major reservoir for phosphorus is
A)aquifers
B)soil and rocks
C)the atmosphere
D)the sun
E)clouds
9

When part of the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest was cut down
A)water flowed through the system at a greater rate
B)nitrogen began to accumulate in the system
C)more phosphorus was lost in stream runoff
D)all of the above
E)none of the above
10

The accumulation of herbivore biomass in an ecosystem is an example of
A)biogeochemical cycles
B)transpiration
C)net primary productivity
D)gross primary productivity
E)secondary productivity
11

The process of converting nitrate to nitrogen gas and nitrous oxide is called
A)nitrogen fixation
B)ammonification
C)denitrification
D)eutrophication
E)transpiration
12

Which of the following is a secondary consumer?
A)a carnivore
B)a herbivore
C)a plant
D)all of the above
E)none of the above
13

Which of the following pyramids can never be inverted in a natural ecosystem?
A)pyramid of numbers
B)pyramid of energy
C)pyramid of biomass
D)all can be inverted
E)none can be inverted
14

On average, for a crop plant to produce one kilogram of food it requires how many kilograms of water?
A)1
B)10
C)100
D)1000
E)10,000
15

Which of the following contains a lot of carbon?
A)fossil fuels
B)the oceans
C)peat
D)all of the above contain a lot of carbon
E)none of the above contain much carbon
16

On an annual basis, approximately what percentage of all the CO2 in the atmosphere is fixed by photosynthesis?
A)100%
B)70%
C)36%
D)10%
E)1%
17

Which of the following organisms is a primary consumer?
A)an autotroph
B)a horse parasite
C)an oak tree parasite
D)a wolf
E)a seaweed
18

Of the fresh water in the United States, 96% consists of
A)streams and rivers
B)lakes and ponds
C)oceans
D)swimming pools
E)groundwater
19

The earth is an open system with respect to
A)organisms
B)chemicals
C)energy
D)all of the above
E)none of the above
20

Which of the following chemicals enters living organisms primarily from the atmosphere rather than from rocks or soil?
A)calcium
B)sulfur
C)sodium
D)carbon
E)phosphorus
21

Carbon dioxide makes up approximately what percentage of the atmosphere?
A)0.03%
B)0.47%
C)21.0%
D)78.0%
E)96.0%
22

What type of organism carries out nitrogen fixation?
A)bacteria
B)fungi
C)protists
D)all of the above
E)none of the above
23

Which of the following communities is the most productive?
A)temperate forests
B)tropical forests
C)savannas
D)wetlands
E)boreal forest
24

Goats depend on autotrophs for the production of
A)O2
B)glucose
C)both of the above
D)none of the above
E)goats are autotrophs
25

The total amount of energy that is converted to organic compounds in a given area per unit of time is called the
A)biomass
B)transpiration
C)net primary productivity
D)gross primary productivity
E)consumer rate
26

Plants capture approximately _______________ of the sun's energy while other trophic levels capture about ____________________ of the energy available to them in their food.
A)1%, 10%
B)10%, 60%
C)10%, 1%
D)60%, 10%
27

Which trophic level is incorrectly defined?
A)Carnivores -- secondary or tertiary consumer
B)Decomposers -- microbial heterotrophs
C)Herbivores -- primary consumer
D)Omnivores -- molds, yeasts and mushrooms
E)Producers -- autotroph
28

Carnivores represent what trophic level?
A)producers
B)primary consumers
C)secondary consumers
D)decomposers
29

The amount of energy actually incorporated into the biomass of phototrophs is ________________.
A)gross primary productivity
B)net primary productivity
C)standing crop biomass
D)transpiration
30

Heterotrophs generally have high energy conversion efficiencies when compared to those of plants.
A)True
B)False
31

What is true of turnover rates of chemicals in ecosystems?
A)Turnover is faster in summer than in winter.
B)Residence time is usually of the order of years for terrestrial ecosystems.
C)Residence time in lakes during the summer is only a few minutes.
D)All of these are true statements.
32

The hydrologic cycle is driven primarily by ___________________ .
A)evapotranspiration from plants
B)rainfall
C)snowmelt
D)percolation of water through the soil
33

The conversion of atmospheric free nitrogen gas to ammonia is __________________ and occurs through the activities of certain bacteria and cyanobacteria.
A)nitrogen fixation
B)denitrification
C)nitrification
D)oxidation
34

The food web of any community depends on live producers and detrivores.
A)True
B)False
35

Plants reduce atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia.
A)True
B)False
36

Which one of the following would be a detritivore?
A)a snake
B)a mouse
C)a bacterium
D)a deer
E)an owl
37

Organisms in trophic level 3 are:
A)detritivores
B)herbivores
C)carnivores
D)producers
E)none of the above
38

Which of the following are producers?
A)termites
B)bacteria
C)algae
D)grasshoppers
E)All are producers.