Unit 8 Test (Part 1 and 2)

1. Arrow 6 shows how rain water can eventually be returned to the ocean. What is the CORRECT term for the movement of water along the earth's surface after it falls as precipitation?

• infiltration
• precipitation
• transpiration
• surface runoff

2. Which of the following explains why elements, such as carbon and oxygen, are not permanently removed from the environment?

• They are replenished by sunlight.
• They are recycled through ecosystems.
• They are replaced by volcanic eruptions.
• They are produced constantly from nutrients.

3. If decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, were removed from the earth, what would the GREATEST consequence be to the carbon cycle?

• Plants would no longer be able to photosynthesize.
• Carbon containing compounds would fail to recycle.
• Excess carbon dioxide would accumulate in the atmosphere.
• Limestone in the oceans would degrade and ruin coral reef ecosystems.

4. A diagram of the carbon cycle is shown. Which of the scenarios could cause the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to DECREASE?

• Increased respiration in animals.
• Increased burning of fossil fuels.
• Increased numbers of producers.
• Increased numbers of decomposers.

5. Which of the following CORRECTLY explains how atmospheric nitrogen is converted to nitrogen compounds used by living organisms?

• Sunlight converts atmospheric nitrogen to a form usable by protists.
• Plant leaves convert atmospheric nitrogen to a form usable by animals.
• Bacteria in soil convert atmospheric nitrogen to a form usable by plants.
• Invertebrate animals in soil convert atmospheric nitrogen to a form usable by fungi.

6. As part of the nitrogen cycle, animals acquire some nitrogen by doing which of the following?

• Eating plants.
• Breathing air.
• Drinking water.
• Producing waste.

7. Which arrow BEST shows water moving from the biosphere to the atmosphere?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

8. The amount of sun that an area receives affects the movement of water through the water cycle. Which process in the water cycle is MOST directly caused by water absorbing energy from the sun?

• runoff
• evaporation
• precipitation
• condensation

9. A volcano erupts and adds more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. This will MOST LIKELY cause a disruption to which biogeochemical cycle?

• Sulfur cycle
• Carbon cycle
• Nitrogen cycle
• Phosphorus cycle

10. Which biogeochemical cycle DOES NOT cycle through the atmosphere?

• Carbon Cycle
• Nitrogen Cycle
• Phosphorus Cycle
• Hydrologic (water) Cycle