Final Review

Which of the following is an abiotic factor seen in the illustration of Figure 1?

• Turtle

• Pond Water

• Algae

• Grasses

If the water level of the pond continued lowering for another five years, which of the following is/are likely impacts on the pond’s ecosystem?

I. The Population of frogs decreases

II. The vegetation around the lake dies

III. There is an increase in birds living around the lake

IV. The fish population decreases

• I Only

• I and II

• III and IV

• I, II and IV

Based on the data she collected, which of the following claims and supporting evidence statements would be a reasonable conclusion the biologists could make about the decrease in watermark?

• Claim: Warmer than usual summer temperatures in the Rocky Mountains have increased evaporation rates on the lake. Evidence: The average temperature of the area during June was 2.1°C warmer than average.

• Claim: Increased solar radiation is speeding up photosynthesis, causing plants near the lake to take up more water. Evidence: The area gets an average of 15 hours of sunlight in July and 13 hours in May

• Claim: Gravity is stronger at high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains, and water seeps into the ground at a faster rate than lower altitude lakes. Evidence: The lake is located 9,500 ft. above sea level.

• Claim: Warm temperatures June and July increase the rate of melting snow in the mountains which runs off into the lake. Evidence: Water levels increase during late summer (August) every year.

Predict the order in which vegetation will grow once the lake is filled with sediment.

• II, III, IV, I

• III, IV, I, II

• II, IV, III, I

• III, I, IV, II

A researcher claims that the chemical properties of water molecules are partly responsible for the movement of water between abiotic and biotic systems in the hydrologic cycle. Which of the following pieces of evidence best supports the researcher’s claim?

• The hydrologic cycle is driven by energy from the sun and gravity.

• The polarity of water molecules allow water to dissolve organic and inorganic nutrients required by living organisms.

• The ocean is the largest reservoir of water in the global hydrologic cycle.

• Although a large portion of the water on Earth is inaccessible by living organisms, the small portion of freshwater available is required for life by all terrestrial organisms, including humans.

Nitrogen is the most limiting mineral for the growth of aquatic plants. Although the atmosphere is 79% nitrogen, plants are unable to incorporate N2 (nitrogen gas) into their tissues. However, some plants have formed relationships with bacteria, called Rhizobia, who convert N2 to NH3, a form of nitrogen that plants can use. These bacteria require a host plant for survival and often live in the roots of these plants, where they receive nutrition from the plant while the plant receives a usable source of nitrogen from the bacteria. The equation for the conversion of N2 to NH3 is provided. What process is described by the passage and equation above?

• Nitrogen fixation

• Denitrification

• The nitrogen cycle

• Nitrogen overload

Red ants, also known as fire ants, are a species of ant native to South America. The graphs below show the population growth for two colonies of red fire ants living in a tropical rainforest ecosystem of South America. Which statement below correctly identifies the type of growth shown in each population?

• Population 1 shows logistical growth; Population 2 shows exponential growth

• Population 1 shows exponential growth; Population 2 shows logistical growth

• Population 1 and Population 2 show exponential growth

• Population 1 and 2 show logistical growth

Which of the following could cause a population to shift from exponential to logistic growth?

• II Only

• II and IV

• I, II, and IV

• I, II, III, and IV

Which of the climate graphs is most likely that of the tropical rainforest that contains the red fire ant colonies? Look at the image!

• A

• B

• C

• D

At which time after clear-cutting does the ecosystem exhibit the greatest species richness?

• 50 years

• 100 years

• 150 years

• 200 years