Chapter 3 The Biosphere Chapter Test A Multiple Choice Write the letter that best answers the question or completes the statement on the line provided. 1. Which of the following descriptions about the organization of an ecosystem is correct? a. Communities make up species, which make up populations. b. Populations make up species, which make up communities. c. Species make up communities, which make up populations. d. Species make up populations, which make up communities. 2. The simplest grouping of more than one kind of organism in the biosphere is a(an) a. population. c. ecosystem. b. community. d. species. 3. Which ecological inquiry method is an ecologist using when he or she enters an area periodically to count the population numbers of a certain species? a. questioning c. experimenting b. observing d. modeling Algae Zooplankton Small fishes Squid Shark Figure 3-1 4. The algae at the beginning of the food chain in Figure 3-1 are a. consumers. c. producers. b. decomposers. d. heterotrophs. 5. An organism that uses energy to produce its own food supply from inorganic compounds is called a(an) a. heterotroph. c. detritivore. b. consumer. d. autotroph. 6. Which of the following organisms does NOT require sunlight to live? a. chemosynthetic bacteria b. algae c. trees d. photosynthetic bacteria Chapter 3 Test A 21
7. The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level is called the a. organic mass. c. energy mass. b. trophic mass. d. biomass. 8. What animals eat both producers and consumers? a. herbivores c. chemotrophs b. omnivores d. autotrophs 9. A snake that eats a frog that has eaten an insect that fed on a plant is a a. first-level producer. b. first-level consumer. c. second-level producer. d. third-level consumer. 10. The trophic levels in Figure 3-2 illustrate a. the relative amount of energy. Tree b. the amount of living organic matter. c. the relative number of individual organisms. d. that producers outnumber first-level consumers. 11. Only 10 percent of the energy stored in an organism can be passed on to the next trophic level. Of the remaining energy, some is used for the organism s life processes, and the rest is a. used in reproduction. b. stored as body tissue. c. stored as fat. d. eliminated as heat. 12. What is the process by which bacteria convert nitrogen gas in the air to ammonia? a. nitrogen fixation c. decomposition b. excretion d. denitrification 13. Carbon cycles through the biosphere in all of the following processes EXCEPT a. photosynthesis. c. respiration. b. transpiration. d. decomposition. 14. The movements of energy and nutrients through living systems are different because a. energy flows in one direction and nutrients recycle. b. energy is limited in the biosphere and nutrients are always available. c. nutrients flow in one direction and energy recycles. d. energy forms chemical compounds and nutrients are lost as heat. Owl Tree shrews Insects Figure 3-2 22 Chapter 3 Test A
15. Which is most likely to be a limiting nutrient in a freshwater pond? a. phosphorus c. carbon b. nitrogen d. potassium Completion Complete each statement on the line provided. 16. Autotrophs capture energy from sunlight or to produce food. 17. Organisms that break down organic matter and return it to the environment are called. Algae Zooplankton Small fishes Squid Shark Figure 3-3 18. Of the organisms represented in Figure 3-3, the organisms in the oceans with the smallest total biomass are most likely the. 19. Water can enter the atmosphere through the processes of evaporation and. 20. Living organisms require nitrogen to make, which are used to build proteins. Short Answer In complete sentences, write the answers to the questions on the lines provided. 21. Describe the role of algae in ocean food chains. Chapter 3 Test A 23
22. Describe the flow of energy among the following members of an ecosystem: decomposers, autotrophs, heterotrophs, and the sun. 23. Describe the flow of energy to the owl in Figure 3-4 if the tree provides 1500 calories of energy to the insects. 24. What is the most likely explanation for why Figure 3-4 shows only one organism at its base? In what way would an energy diagram be different? 25. Explain how seepage and transpiration in Figure 3-5 are related. Owl Tree shrews Insects Tree Evaporation Ocean Condensation Precipitation Transpiration Runoff Seepage Runoff Lake Uptake Ground water Figure 3-4 24 Chapter 3 Test A Figure 3-5
Using Science Skills Use the diagrams below to answer the following questions on the lines provided. 5 g/m 2 Bass 100 Kcal Fish and other carnivores 1000 Kcal Insects, small fish, and snails 10,000 Kcal Eelgrass I Birds 27 g/m 2 Ants and spiders 104 g/m 2 Insects and worms 900 g/m 2 Bluegrass II Figure 3-6 26. Predicting How might a large omnivore change the flow of energy in Figure 3-6, Diagram II? 27. Inferring If a limiting nutrient is supplied to the producers in Figure 3-6, Diagram II, what effect could it have on the birds? 28. Interpreting Graphics How many Kilocalories (Kcal) can the top carnivore in Figure 3-6, Diagram I, store? Explain. 29. Applying Concepts What three scientific approaches do ecologists use to explain complex relationships, such as in the energy pyramid in Figure 3-6? Chapter 3 Test A 25
30. Applying Concepts Describe how chemosynthesis could contribute to the energy represented by Figure 3-6, Diagram I. Essay Write the answer to each question in the space provided. 31. Describe the two sources of energy that fuel life on Earth. 32. How does a food web differ from a food chain? 33. Describe the three types of ecological pyramids. 34. Describe the roles of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle. 35. How might a large input of phosphorus affect a freshwater lake over time? 26 Chapter 3 Test A