1) Which of the following are biotic?
I. Decomposers
II. Energy flow
III. Producers
I only
II only
III only
I and III
I, II, and III
2) Which of the following best describes an ecosystem?
Populations interacting
All biotic factors interacting
Inter-species relationships
Intra-species relationships
All biotic and abiotic factors
3) Of the following, which are products of photosynthesis?
I. Glucose
II. Carbon dioxide
III. Water
I only
II only
III only
I and II
I and III
4) Which group of organisms performs photosynthesis?
Autotrophs
Scavengers
Heterotrophs
Consumers
Decomposers
5) Which of the following shows the complex interactions between species within an ecosystem?
Food chain
Food web
Food pyramid
Energy pyramid
Trophic level diagram
6) What are the physical products of cellular respiration?
Oxygen and carbon dioxide
Nitrogen and carbon
Glucose and oxygen
Water and carbon dioxide
Glucose and water
7) Which of the following is the approximate efficiency of the energy transfer as energy flows through the food chain?
1%
10%
25%
50%
90%
8) How is the majority of energy within an ecosystem lost?
Heat loss
Energy used to grow biomass
Cellular respiration
Cellular metabolism
Energy used to capture prey
9) What law best relates to energy loss within an ecosystem?
First law of thermodynamics
Second law of thermodynamics
Third law of thermodynamics
Law of conservation of matter
Law of relativity
10) Humans have a considerable effect on the hydrologic cycle. Which of the following has a direct effect on this cycle?
I. Deforestation
II. Urbanization
III. Mining of fossil fuels
I only
II only
III only
I and II
I, II, and III
11) Which of the following is considered to be the most important element in living organisms?
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Phosphorus
Nitrogen
12) Which element is the primary component of fossil fuels?
Carbon
Hydrogen
Oxygen
Phosphorus
Nitrogen
13) What relatively recent development is greatly impacting the carbon cycle?
Photosynthesis
Cellular Respiration
Formation of fossil fuels
Combustion of fossil fuels
Formation of carbonate rocks
14) What is a possible result of an increased amount of CO2 in the atmosphere?
Increased precipitation
Decreased photosynthesis
Increase in global temperature
Decrease in cellular respiration
Increase in formation of fossil fuels
15) What group of organisms is primarily responsible for the processes that occur in the nitrogen cycle?
Autotrophs
Heterotrophs
Bacteria
Detritovores
Scavengers
16) When nutrients are transported through soil with water, this process is known as
infiltration.
percolation.
decomposition.
leaching.
nitrification.
17) A scientist is observing a series of plants and measuring their growth with the addition of nutrients. She notices that the addition of nitrate has no effect on the growth while the addition of phosphorus shows significant growth. What conclusion can she draw about the nutrients in relation to this plant?
hosphorus is a limiting nutrient.
Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient.
The plant does not require nitrogen.
The plant does not require phosphorus.
The plant had an excess of nutrients, limiting its growth.
18) What is the major source of phosphorus on land?
Deposition from atmospheric phosphorus
Compounds that are formed by autotrophs during photosynthesis
Compounds released from the weathering of rocks
Compounds formed from bacterial conversion
Compounds dissolved in precipitation
19) What effect would clear cutting within a watershed have on the water quality of a river running through the watershed?
Decrease in nutrient concentration in the waters of the clear-cut watershed
Increase in nutrient concentration in the waters of the clear-cut watershed
Decrease in the amount of runoff entering the waters of the clear-cut watershed
Increase in the biodiversity of the river
Clear-cutting should not have an effect on the water quality of a river.
20) A new field has developed that focuses on restoring damaged ecosystems. This field is known as
mitigation ecology.
reconciliation ecology.
disturbance reconciliation.
habitat balancing ecology.
restoration ecology.
21) Which ecosystems are considered to be the most diverse?
Ecosystems experiencing high levels of disturbance
Ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance
Ecosystems experiencing low levels of disturbance
Ecosystems experiencing no disturbance
Ecosystems that once had high levels of disturbance but have been stable for hundreds of years
22) Which of the following is the best description of a region's climate?
The average temperature and precipitation over several decades
The average precipitation over a 1-2 year time period
The average high temperature of a region
The amount of rainfall that an area receives over a period of 1 year
The average temperature and rainfall over a period of 1-2 years
23) Which of the following would not have a significant effect on the climate of a region?
The unequal heating of Earth by the Sun
Atmospheric convection currents
A single abnormally wet year due to El Niño
The rotation of Earth
Earth's orbit around the Sun on a tilted axis
24) In which level of the atmosphere does weather occur?
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Exosphere
25) Which level of the atmosphere contains the ozone layer?
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Mesosphere
Thermosphere
Exosphere
26) What is the importance of the ozone layer?
It plays an important role in the greenhouse effect.
It reflects solar gamma radiation that would otherwise reach the Earth's surface.
It acts as an insulator for the Earth and helps to maintain a livable temperature.
It absorbs incoming UV rays.
It reflects incoming heat back into space.
27) What best describes the temperature of the atmosphere?
It decreases as you increase in altitude in the troposphere.
It increases as you increase in altitude.
It maintains a constant level throughout the atmosphere.
It shows fluctuations up and down as you move through the layers of the atmosphere.
It does not change.
28) What is the cause of the differing seasons of the Earth?
The different distances of the Earth to the Sun based on the elliptical orbit
The different lengths of the day during summer and winter
The Coriolis effect
The tilt of the Earth on its axis
The speed of the orbit of the Earth around the Sun
29) What is one major role that these gyres play in global climate?
Currents redistribute heat from the north to the south.
Currents redistribute heat from the equator to northern latitudes.
They drive global wind patterns in the northern hemisphere.
They contribute to the Coriolis effect.
Currents redistribute tropical moisture.
30) What factors are used to classify a biome?
I. Average temperature
II. Average precipitation
III. Distinctive plants adapted to area
I only
II only
III only
I and II
I, II, and III
31) Which of the following is the Earth's most diverse biome?
Wetlands
Tropical Rainforest
Temperate seasonal forest
Coral reefs
Grasslands
32) What biome has warm temperatures, high precipitation, and little seasonal variation due to its location near the equator?
Boreal forest
Subtropical desert
Temperate grassland/cold desert
Woodland/shrubland
Tropical rainforest