Energy Cycle

A team of ecologist observed feeding patterns of several populations in the desert. The energy pyramid shown below depicts the feeding patterns the ecologist observed.

• There is less energy available in the producers because their tissues is less dense than those at higher trophic levels.

• There is more energy available in the second trophic level because energy less energy is needed for hunting compared to higher trophic level

• There is more available energy in the birds of prey because they have greater muscle mass for storing energy than organisms in the lower trophic levels have.

• There is less available energy in the fourth trophic level because of the ,loss of energy through metabolism in each of the lower trophic levels.

Look at the diagram. Which organism receives the least amount of energy from the producers?

• Hawk

• Rabbit

• Mouse

• Grasshopper

The diagram below shows the cycling of nutrients in an ecosystem. The removal of which of the following groups would cause an immediate decrease in the amount of energy flowing through the system?

• Producers

• Consumers

• Decomposers

• Inorganic nutrients

Complete burning of a plant material returns carbon primarily to the

• herbivores

• water

• vegetation

• atmosphere

Which of these organisms would most likely be found at the top of an energy pyramid?

• Clams- primary consumer

• sardines- a primary consumer

• sharks-a secondary consumer

• kelp-a primary producer

The diagram below shows the flow of carbon in a terrestrial ecosystem. Which will most likely happen if the decomposers are removed from the carbon cycle?

• The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will increase.

• The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will decrease.

• The amount of carbon dioxide used by producers will increase.

• The amount of carbon dioxide needed by consumers will decrease.

In a process called transpiration, plants get rid of excess water through process called stomata. This excess water is then released into the atmosphere as a part of the water cycle. Which of the following terms best described how released water enters the atmosphere.

• Condensation

• precipitation

• evaporation

• capillary action

The framework of organic molecules essential to all organisms is composed mainly of carbon atoms. Which process are involved in the cycling of carbon within an environment?

• photosynthesis and evaporation

• evaporation and condensation

• transcription and translation

• diffusion and transpiration

Which of the following statements is true about natural systems?

• Consumers form the bottom levels of both energy pyramids and the biomass pyramids.

• Producers at the bottom levels of both the energy pyramid and the biomass pyramid

• Producers are the bottom level of the energy pyramid and top level of the biomass pyramid

• Consumers are at the bottom of the energy pyramid, but at the top of the biomass pyramid

The concentration of chemical food contaminants is higher in birds of prey than in many of the individual organisms that they eat. Which of the following statements best explains the

reason for the higher concentration of food contaminants in birds of prey?

• Birds of prey store more of the food they eat.

• Birds of prey catch animals with chemical contaminants more easily.

• Only birds of prey store chemical contaminants.

• Chemical contaminants are stored and magnified in

  organisms higher up the food chain.