Unit 3 - Biosphere

Which interaction of a biotic and an abiotic factor can help stabilize a forest area in North Carolina?

• increased precipitation, reducing soil erosion in the area
• increased decaying organic material, adding nutrients to soil in the area
• decreased water salinity, reducing biodiversity of animals in the area
• decreased number of predators, allowing the number of prey to increase in the area

What can scientists infer from a pattern of narrow tree rings over several consecutive years?

• A period of excessive rainfall
• A period of drought or lower than average rainfall
• An increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide
• A rise in average global temperatures

3)Which foods are derived from organisms that occupy the level that contains the greatest amount of energy in a biomass pyramid?

• shrimp and rice
• chicken and lettuce
• bread and tomatoes
• hamburger and french fries

The red dots in the image below represent the concentration of Mercury in parts per million (ppm). This image is a representation of which concept?

• Trophic level
• Poisoning
• Biomagnification
• Biodiversity

11)Which statement is best supported by the diagram below of the carbon-oxygen cycle?

• Producers generate oxygen and utilize carbon dioxide
• Decomposers add oxygen to the atmosphere and remove carbon dioxide
• Consumers generate oxygen and utilize carbon dioxide
• Combustion adds oxygen to the atmosphere and removes carbon dioxide

30. The characteristics of some organisms are listed below. trout = carnivorous fish minnow = herbivorous fish algae = producers osprey = large carnivorous birds bacteria = decomposers Based on the information given above, which food chain is most probable?

• bacteria ---> algae ---> trout ---> minnow ---> osprey
• minnow ---> algae ---> trout ---> bacteria ---> osprey
• algae ---> minnow ---> trout ---> osprey ---> bacteria
• trout ---> osprey ---> algae ---> minnow ---> bacteria

Greenscape Valley, a once lush and thriving ecosystem, is devastated by a volcanic eruption. The eruption covers the valley in a thick layer of volcanic rock and ash, wiping out all previous vegetation and leaving the landscape barren and lifeless. What does the image represent in terms of ecological processes?

• The life cycle of a plant
• The seasonal changes in a forest
• The stages of primary succession
• The stages of secondary succession

37) At which level of the food pyramid is the smallest percentage of total stored energy found?

• A) A
• B) B
• C) C
• D) D

Biomes include both biotic and abiotic elements. Which set includes BOTH biotic and abiotic elements of an estuary?

• cordgrass, water salinity, great blue herons
• ospreys, oysters, black needle rush
• silt, air temperature, tidal pattern
• periwinkles, bats, egrets

The table lists some ways that plants have adapted to survive in a desert biome. Which statements describe adaptations to biotic factors in a plant’s desert biome?

• 1 and 2
• 1 and 3
• 2 and 4
• 3 and 4