1.5-1.6 Systems, Spheres and Nutrient Cycles Quiz

What is the biosphere?

• The layer of the atmosphere where weather occurs
• The parts of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere where life exists
• The thin envelope of gases surrounding the planet
• The core, mantle, and thin outer crust of the Earth

What is the primary source of energy for the Earth's systems?

• Solar energy
• Geothermal energy
• Nuclear energy
• Wind energy

What is the process by which green plants and algae make their own food using the energy of sunlight?

• Photosynthesis
• Respiration
• Decomposition
• Transpiration

What is the role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

• To produce their own food through photosynthesis
• To break down nonliving organic matter
• To feed on primary consumers
• To eat both plants and animals

What is a food web?

• A sequence of organisms that serves as a source of nutrients or energy for the next level of organisms
• A complex network of interconnected food chains
• The process by which green plants and algae make their own food
• The movement of matter through air, water, soil, rock, and living organisms within ecosystems

What is the hydrologic cycle?

• The movement of carbon throughout the Earth's systems and spheres
• The movement of nitrogen throughout the Earth's systems and spheres
• The movement of phosphorus throughout the Earth's systems and spheres
• The movement of water throughout the Earth's systems and spheres

How do humans alter the water cycle?

• By adding large amounts of carbon to the atmosphere
• By clearing forests and not replacing them
• By withdrawing freshwater at rates faster than natural processes can replace it
• By mining large amounts of phosphate to make fertilizer

What is the primary source of nitrogen in the atmosphere?

• Burning of fossil fuels
• Photosynthesis
• Lightning and specialized bacteria
• Respiration

What is the difference between a decomposer and a detrivore

• While detritivores break down organic materials, decomposers- like vultures, eat dead organisms and wastes
• Detritivores are a type of decomposer in which they eat and break down dead organic materials
• While decomposers break down dead, organic materials, detritivores—like millipedes, earthworms, and termites—eat dead organisms and wastes
• Decomposers are a type of detritivore and they eat freshly dead organisms to help break down and decompose dead things

True or False: The high pressure from the weight of overlying sediments and heat released during the decomposition of dead matter formed coal, oil and natural gas (fossil fuels)

• True
• False