Biogeochemical Cycles Quiz

Which of the following biogeochemical cycles includes the processes of buffering ocean pH and photosynthesis, as shown in the diagram?

• The carbon cycle

• The nitrogen cycle

• The phosphorus cycle

• The potassium cycle

his rate of reaction can be measured in the dark by determining the amount of oxygen gas consumed in a period of time.

• Primary productivity

• Gross primary productivity

• Net primary productivity

• Cellular respiration

In reef ecosystems, corals often have microalgae living inside them. The algae supply the corals with nutrients, and the coral give shelter to the algae. Which of the following interactions best describes the relationship between the corals and the algae?

• Competition

• Predation

• Mutualism

• Parasitism

Which of the following best describes the flow of energy in most terrestrial and near-surface marine ecosystems?

• Decomposers break down dead or decaying organisms to release energy and nutrients to be used by producers.

• Chemoautotrophs use inorganic energy sources, such as hydrogen sulfide, to create organic compounds from carbon dioxide.

• Apex predators feed on other organisms, which releases heat that can be used by producers and primary consumers.

• Producers use energy from the sun to make organic matter, such as sugars, from carbon dioxide and water and are then consumed by organisms higher in the food chain.

Six white-tailed deer and six sika deer were enclosed in a pasture for observation during an eight-year study in central Texas. White-tailed deer are a native species to central Texas, while sika deer are a nonnative species to central Texas. White-tailed deer feed on flowering plants and the tips of trees and shrubs but do not eat grass. Sika deer feed on flowering plants, the tips of trees and shrubs, and grass. All other grazing animals were kept out of the pasture during the study. The number of sika deer more than doubled after the eight years, while the population of white-tailed deer decreased by 50 percent. Which of the following statements best supports the results from the study?

• The sika deer are generalists, while the white-tailed deer are specialists.

• The sika deer out competed the white-tailed deer in consuming flowering plants and shrubs.

• Parasites infected the sika deer population but did not infect the white-tailed deer population.

• Change in the local climate reduced the availability of food resources for the white-tailed deer population.

Which of the following describes the most likely change to terrestrial biomes resulting from warmer average global temperatures?

• The global distribution of midlatitude biomes, such as grasslands and temperate rain forests, would increase.

• Deciduous trees found in temperate seasonal forests would flower later in the year.

• The latitude range of tropical rain forests would narrow closer to the equator.

• High-latitude biomes, such as the tundra, would experience a decrease in net primary productivity.

Which of the following terrestrial biomes has the highest primary productivity per unit area?

• Desert

• Tropical rain forest

• Boreal forest

Which of the following processes is illustrated by the downward arrows from the atmosphere that show the conversion of nitrogen gas into usable forms available to producers?

• Nitrogen assimilation

• Nitrogen fixation

• Photosynthesis

• Weathering

Which of the following types of organisms are required to complete the nitrogen cycle, including the process of denitrification?

• Bacteria

• Producers

• Consumers

• Fungi

The majority of the nitrogen on Earth can be found in which of the following reservoirs?

• Terrestrial plants

• Soil bacteria

• The atmosphere

• Sedimentary rock