ECOL 182 – Spring 2008 Dr. Ferriere’s lectures Lecture 1: Ecosystems and global ecology Quiz Book reference: LIFE-The Science of Biology, 8th Edition. http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire8e/ All questions below pertain to mandatory material: all slides, and mandatory homework. Answers to all questions but five : 4c, 5c, 6b, 7b, 8b, 9d, 10a, 12d, 14e 1. The physical environment of the Earth can be divided into four compartments. Which of the following is not one of Earth's compartments? a. Oceans b. Living organisms c. Fresh waters d. Land e. Atmosphere 2. The lowest layer of the atmosphere is the a. stratosphere. b. centropsphere. c. troposphere. d. metasphere. e. isosphere. 3. The ozone layer is found in the a. stratosphere and absorbs many biologically damaging ultraviolet radiation. b. stratosphere and absorbs many biologically damaging infrared radiation. c. troposphere and absorbs many biologically damaging ultraviolet radiation. d. troposphere and absorbs many biologically damaging infrared radiation. e. between the stratosphere and the troposphere. 4. Which of the following statements concerning the water cycle is false? a. There is a net movement of water vapor from oceans to terrestrial environments. b. Precipitation exceeds evaporation on land. c. Most of the water that evaporates from oceans is returned by run-off from land. d. Transpiration makes a significant contribution to evaporative water loss from terrestrial ecosystems. e. Evaporation exceeds precipitation over the seas. 5. Oceans receive materials from land primarily as runoff from rivers. Which of the following statements is true regarding the materials and nutrients found in the oceans?

a. Oceans exchange materials with the atmosphere at a high rate. b. Most elements that enter the oceans from other compartments remain suspended in the water. c. Zones of uplifting have low amounts of mineral nutrients. d. Very little of the materials that cycle through Earth's four compartments end up in the oceans. e. Concentrations of mineral nutrients in the oceans are relatively low. 6. Which of the following statements comparing the ocean and freshwater compartments of the global ecosystem is false? a. Upwelling in oceans and turnover in lakes are involved in the same process. b. Oxygen is seldom limiting in both compartments. c. Turnover of nutrients is more rapid in lakes than in oceans. d. Both oceans and lakes receive materials from land. e. None of the above. 7. The rate at which energy is incorporated into the bodies of photosynthetic organisms is called a. gross primary productivity. b. net primary productivity. c. secondary productivity. d. photosynthetic efficacy. e. photosynthetic efficiency. 8. The energy available to organisms that eat plants is called a. gross primary productivity. b. net primary production. c. secondary productivity. d. photosynthetic efficacy. e. photosynthetic efficiency. 9. Which of the following statements regarding energy flow through ecosystems is false? a. Primary producers get their energy directly from the sun. b. The greatest amount of energy loss is through respiration. c. Detritivores receive energy from all other organisms in an ecosystem. d. Secondary carnivores receive a large proportion of the energy produced by photosynthesis. e. Herbivores receive energy from primary producers. 10. Biological processes move carbon between the atmosphere and land compartments of the Earth. Which of the following is false with regard to the carbon cycle? a. Most of the Earth's carbon is stored in soils. b. Carbon is incorporated into organic molecules by photosynthesis. c. Nearly all carbon in organisms comes from CO2 in the atmosphere. d. Heterotrophic organisms get their carbon by consuming autotrophic organisms. e. Respiration returns carbon to the atmosphere. 11. Nitrogen fixation, part of the nitrogen cycle, is defined as the a. principal process that removes nitrogen from the biosphere. b. addition of nitrogen to bodies of water, with potentially hazardous effects. c. conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to a form that plants may use.

d. vaporization of ammonia. e. combining of nitrogen compounds with rain. 12. The recent increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration is mainly a result of an increase in a. primary productivity. b. the biosphere's biomass. c. the absorption of infrared radiation escaping from Earth. d. the burning of fossil fuels and wood. e. cellular respiration by the exploding human population. 13. Which of the following pairings of an element and a characteristic of that element in a biogeochemical cycle is not true? a. Nitrogen; major reservoir is the atmosphere b. Sulfur; involved in cloud formation c. Carbon; includes a form that is a greenhouse gas d. Nitrogen; converted to useful forms by plants 14. How will global climates and ecosystems change in response to the rapid carbon dioxide enrichment by human activities? a. Global warming b. Increased outbreaks of disease c. Loss of land mass d. Increased size of the polar ice caps e. Both a and b