WorksheetsEcology Cycles
Total questions: 25
Worksheet time: 25mins
Which process takes carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere?
respiration
combustion
decomposition
photosynthesis
What is the process of taking nitrogen gas from the atmosphere and converting it to usable compounds?
nitrogen composition
ammonia
nitrogen fixation
denitrification
Which of the following would be the definition of a detritivore/decomposer?
Animals that eat insects.
Organisms that feed on rocks, recycling the nutrients back into the ground.
Organisms that eat only plants
Organisms that feed on dead or decaying organisms
Which describes the relationship between plants and animals in the carbon cycle?
Plants produce and release oxygen that animals need
Plants produce and release carbon dioxide that animals need
Animals produce and release oxygen that plants need
Animals produce oxygen that plants turn into carbon dioxide
Which organisms convert nitrogen gas into a usable form for plants and animals?
bacteria
animals
fungi
car exhaust
The amount of energy transferred from a lower trophic level to the next highest level is roughly about _____.
1%
10%
100%
1000%
Which organisms are the first to use the sun's energy to produce carbohydrates?
consumers
detritivores
producers
decomposers
Which role do the rats and insects inhabit in the food web above?
primary consumer
secondary consumer
producer
decomposer
After a forest fire, an ecosystem would start regrowth through -
primary succession
secondary succession
climax community
limiting factors
Breaking News! A new island has formed off of Hawaii! What must occur for it to become an ecosystem?
Secondary Succession
Aquatic succession
Primary Succession
Ferns must grow
Which of the following would provide the MOST energy in an ecosystem?
Producers
Herbivore
Omnivore
Carnivore
Humans are disrupting the carbon cycle in ways that have resulted in increased levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Which of the following human activities are most directly responsible for this increase?
Deforestation and the clearing of plants that absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
The addition of larger amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas).
The production of cement.
I and III only
I, II and III
Which of the following statements about the carbon cycle is true?
Carbon transfer from photosynthesis is in a steady state with respiration and decomposition.
The majority of dead biomass is accumulated in sedimentation.
Combustion of carbon is equivalent in mass to sedimentation.
Most of the carbon entering the oceans is from terrestrial ecosystems.
Carbon exchange between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems is primarily an abiotic process.
The nitrogen cycle is unique in that atmospheric nitrogen cannot be converted directly by organisms into usable nitrogen. What is necessary in order for atmospheric nitrogen to be converted to a usable form of nitrogen by organisms?
Ammonification
Denitrifying bacteria
Nitrifying bacteria
Decomposition
Nitrogen fixation
In which stage of the nitrogen cycle do soil bacteria convert ammonium ions (NH4+) into nitrate ions (NO3-); a form of nitrogen that can be used by plants?
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrification
Assimilation
Ammonification
Denitrification
A food chain is illustrated below:
The wavy arrows most likely represent
Energy released from metabolism into the environment as heat.
Oxygen released from metabolism produced by cellular respiration.
The absorption of energy from the environment that has been created.
The transport of glucose away from the organism through photosynthesis.
The release of this element into the atmosphere is due, in large part, to fossil fuel combustion and deforestation.
Sulfur
Nitrogen
Carbon
Phosphorus
All of the above cycles.
Which of the following has shifted the storage of carbon from sediment to the atmosphere?
Mining of coal
Combustion of fossil fuels
Increased occurrence of acid precipitation
Extraction of crude oil
Industrial smog
In the oceans, upwellings occur when large volumes of water from great depths come up to the surface bringing nutrients with it. Upwelling, therefore, generate
High biotic potential
Low primary productivity of marine algae
High primary productivity of marine algae
Nutrient poor waters
Strong currents
Which element is consumed during decomposition in and aquatic environment, potentially leading to a hypoxic (low oxygen) situation?
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Calcium
Carbon
Oxygen
Using the graph, which of the following is the most likely cause of the recent trend noted for all three gases?
Increased burning of wood and biomass for fuel
Increasing number of livestock being raised
Increased combustion of fossil fuels
Global climate change
More materials being disposed of in landfills
Which of the following processes is primarily responsible for returning carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in the carbon cycle?
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Nitrification
Assimilation
In the nitrogen cycle, which process involves the conversion of nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonia (NH3) by bacteria?
Nitrification
Denitrification
Nitrogen fixation
Ammonification
What role do decomposers play in the nutrient cycles within an ecosystem?
They convert solar energy into chemical energy.
They fix atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form.
They break down dead organisms, returning nutrients to the soil.
They absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.
Which of the following best describes the water cycle's role in regulating Earth's climate?
It transports nutrients from the soil to plants.
It distributes heat around the planet through ocean currents.
It converts carbon dioxide into oxygen.
It fixes nitrogen into the soil.
