Test Bank Energy Flows and Ecosystems Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Energy Flows and Ecosystems

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The approach used by Indigenous peoples to develop knowledge is referred to as ________.
   1. Indigenous knowledge
   2. non-Western knowledge
   3. oral knowledge
   4. traditional ecological knowledge
2. The portion of the ecosphere that contains all water on Earth is called the ________.
   1. atmosphere
   2. lithosphere
   3. hydrosphere
   4. thermosphere
3. The layer of Earth’s atmosphere that contains the ozone, which blocks out most of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, is called the ________.
   1. stratosphere
   2. mesosphere
   3. thermosphere
   4. lithosphere
4. ________ and ________ account for 99 per cent of the gaseous volume of the troposphere.
   1. Hydrogen; carbon dioxide
   2. Carbon dioxide; nitrogen
   3. Nitrogen; oxygen
   4. Oxygen; carbon dioxide
5. Atlantic puffins and many other marine species declined in the 1980s as a result of the operation of an offshore ________ fishery.
   1. seal
   2. cod
   3. murre
   4. capelin
6. Energy from the sun is called ________ energy.
   1. radiant
   2. heat
   3. kinetic
   4. potential
7. ________ is an example of kinetic energy.
   1. A hamburger
   2. Water stored behind a dam
   3. A litre of gasoline
   4. Running water
8. ________ is NOT an example of high-quality energy.
   1. Gasoline
   2. Coal
   3. An ocean
   4. A hot fire
9. The principle that tells us that there is always a decrease in usable energy when it is transformed from one form to another is described by ________.
   1. the law of conservation of energy
   2. the second law of thermodynamics
   3. the first law of thermodynamic
   4. ecosystem homeostasis
10. As energy flows through ecosystems, entropy ________.
    1. increases
    2. becomes more concentrated
    3. decreases
    4. Both b and c
11. Common characteristics of living organisms include ________.
    1. react to their environment
    2. increasing in size and complexity over time
    3. using energy to maintain internal order
    4. All of the above
12. Constant bombardment of early Earth’s nutrient-rich seas by solar energy creates ________.
    1. amino acids
    2. bacteria
    3. DNA
    4. proteins
13. Earth’s first living cells were probably ________.
    1. corals
    2. zooplankton
    3. bacteria
    4. viruses
14. The kingdom characterized by a lack of a cell nucleus is called ________.
    1. protista
    2. monera
    3. plantae
    4. fungi
15. The kelp found in abundance along much of Canada’s coastline belongs to the ________
    kingdom.
    1. monera
    2. fungi
    3. protista
    4. plantae
16. The sun is composed mainly of ________.
    1. helium and oxygen
    2. oxygen and nitrogen
    3. hydrogen and helium
    4. hydrogen and oxygen
17. About ________ of the sun’s incoming energy is reflected back into space.
    1. a quarter
    2. a third
    3. two thirds
    4. 99 per cent
18. ________ of the sun’s incoming energy forms the basis for our ecological systems.
    1. Twenty-three per cent
    2. Thirty-four per cent
    3. One per cent
    4. Forty-two per cent
19. Photosynthesis requires ________.
    1. solar energy
    2. carbon dioxide
    3. water
    4. All of the above
20. Organisms that can capture energy directly to create matter are called ________.
    1. autotrophs
    2. heterotrophs
    3. detritivores
    4. consumers
21. Chemoautotrophs and phototrophs are both ________.
    1. decomposers
    2. producers
    3. consumers
    4. heterotrophs
22. Phototrophs obtain their energy from ________.
    1. producers
    2. eating other organisms
    3. light
    4. chemicals in the environment
23. Approximately ________ of energy is lost as it is converted from solar energy to chemical energy stored in producers as biomass.
    1. 97 to 99 per cent
    2. 7 to 9 per cent
    3. 17 to 19 per cent
    4. 57 to 59 per cent
24. ________ has same trophic level as an Arctic flower.
    1. A grasshopper
    2. An elephant
    3. A Douglas fir tree
    4. A Vancouver Island marmot
25. Organisms that require access to oxygen to survive are known as ________.
    1. tertiary organisms
    2. endemic organisms
    3. aerobic organisms
    4. anaerobic organisms
26. As latitude decreases from the poles to the tropics, the number of species ________.
    1. stays the same
    2. decreases
    3. increases, then decreases near the equator
    4. increases
27. Life in Earth’s oceans originated ________ years ago and came onto land ________ years ago.
    1. 8 billion; 6 million
    2. 3.5 billion; 450 million
    3. 14.5 billion; 1.2 billion
    4. 6 billion; 45 million
28. The ocean’s most productive zone is the ________.
    1. continental slope
    2. bathal zone
    3. euphotic zone
    4. abyssal zone
29. The amount of energy available to heterotrophs is ________.
    1. net primary productivity (NPP)
    2. always equal
    3. kilocalories per unit area
    4. gross primary productivity
30. ________ has the highest average net productivity.
    1. Agricultural land
    2. Savannah
    3. Tundra
    4. An estuary
31. Net community productivity (NCP) ________.
    1. is GPP minus NPP
    2. increases as an ecosystem matures
    3. is GPP and NPP minus autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration
    4. is GPP plus respiration
32. ________ is/are NOT an auxiliary energy flow.
    1. Pesticides
    2. Fertilizers
    3. The sun
    4. Gasoline
33. The following list best represents ecosystem structure from smallest to largest: ________.
    1. organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome
    2. organism, population, community, biome, ecosystem
    3. organism, community, biome, population, ecosystem
    4. biome, ecosystem, community, population, organism
34. Biome distribution is principally determined by ________.
    1. nutrient availability
    2. temperature and water availability
    3. latitude and longitude
    4. number of sunlight hours received
35. ________ is/are NOT an abiotic ecosystem component.
    1. Precipitation
    2. Light
    3. Soil pH
    4. Herbivores
36. ________ soil type covers the greatest area in Canada.
    1. Chernozemic
    2. Gleysolic
    3. Cryosolic
    4. Organic
37. The soil component having the smallest particle size is ________.
    1. clay
    2. silt
    3. gravel
    4. sand
38. The “weakest link” in a food chain is ________.
    1. the dominant limiting factor
    2. adequate sunlight and water
    3. the biotic component
    4. soil type
39. A species’ range of tolerance is bounded by ________.
    1. zones of intolerance
    2. too much growth
    3. limiting factors too severe to permit growth
    4. Both a and c
40. A species’ niche is ________.
    1. the chemical conditions required for its growth
    2. the biological conditions required for its growth
    3. the physical conditions required for its growth
    4. All of the above
41. The competitive exclusion principle tells us that ________.
    1. no two species can occupy the same niche in the same area
    2. one species needs more resources than another
    3. two species must compete for resources
    4. None of the above
42. Specialist species are more susceptible to population fluctuations because ________.
    1. they have a wide range of food sources, making disease more likely
    2. their immune system is often weaker
    3. they have relatively narrow niches
    4. their reproductive potential is lower
43. Optimal foraging theory suggests that ________.
    1. costs are more beneficial when foraging
    2. species can only forage in one area
    3. predators will switch prey when their main prey becomes scarce
    4. benefits outweigh costs while foraging
44. Defenses that prey have developed to avoid predation include ________.
    1. chemicals
    2. camouflage
    3. thorns
    4. All of the above
45. Tapeworms, ticks, lamprey, and mistletoe are all examples of ________.
    1. parasites
    2. commensalists
    3. mutualists
    4. limiting factorism
46. Mutualism is a relationship which is ________.
    1. harmful to one party
    2. beneficial to neither party
    3. beneficial to both parties
    4. harmful to both parties
47. Commensalism is ________.
    1. harmful to one species
    2. beneficial to one species
    3. beneficial to neither species
    4. beneficial to both species
48. Which statement on keystone species is FALSE?
    1. Keystone species are usually near the bottom of the food chain.
    2. A keystone species has a strong influence on the entire community.
    3. A keystone species has the potential to affect the limits of tolerance of other species in the community.
    4. The full impact of removing a keystone species from an ecosystem may not be evident for years or even centuries.
49. A species has been extirpated when it is ________.
    1. locally extinct
    2. dependent on another species for its survival
    3. extinct
    4. not fulfilling its ecological function
50. Biodiversity is recognized at the following levels: ________.
    1. population, community, and ecosystem
    2. organism, species, and population
    3. genetic, species, and ecosystem
    4. organism, population, and community

True or False Questions

As energy disperses, entropy increases.

For cellular respiration to occur, most organisms must have access to oxygen.

Decomposer food chains, rather than grazing food chains, often dominate forest ecosystems.

All plants are autotrophs.

In the Arctic, there are more alternative energy pathways in the food web than in the tropics.

Not all ecosystems have the same ability to fix biomass.

Ecosystems are “open systems.”

Water availability is often the critical factor determining differences between terrestrial
communities.

A species may widely tolerate variation in some factors but have a very narrow range of tolerance for other factors.

The competitive exclusion principle tells us that many species can occupy the same niche, at the same time, in the same area.

Parasites always kill their host.

A species may act as a keystone species in some communities but not in others.

High biodiversity is often considered synonymous with ecosystem health.

Genetic diversity in a population increases ability to avoid inbreeding and withstand stress.

Biodiversity hotspots are areas where biodiversity is severely at risk.

Short Answer Questions

Starting with energy emitted from the sun, explain how energy flows through land-based,
ecological systems.

How do food webs differ from food chains?

How and why does the number of species change as latitude increases?

Explain the implications of a meat-based diet compared to a vegetarian diet in terms of trophic energy efficiency.

How does the energy efficiency of ecosystems change as they mature?

What is soil? Why is it important? Outline some of the critical factors in soil development.

What is a specialist species? What is a generalist species? Give examples of each.

Explain the differences between parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism. Provide examples.

What is a keystone species? Why are keystone species so important in ecosystems? Provide an example of a Canadian keystone species.

Explain why tropical forests have such high levels of biodiversity.