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98 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Most life is found between an ocean depth of _________ meters and an altitude of ___________ meters |
200; 6000 |
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Viruses are not technically considered to be alive because they are _____ |
not composed of cells. |
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____ is a catabolic biochemical pathway in organisms in which inorgainic carbon in the environment is utilized for conversion into organic matter. |
Autotrophy |
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The five compounds which can act as oxidizing agents in remineralization of organic matter include: oxygen, nitrate, iron oxide, sulfate and ________________. |
water |
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Organisms whose metaboloic pathway is described as "heterotrophic" cannot __________________. |
synthesize their own food. |
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Which of the following biochemical processes are completed by Prokaryotes |
Production of methane from organic matter or carbon dioxide. Fermentation of sugars to alcohol and eventually to carbon dioxide. Extraction of nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it to a form useable by other organisms (nitrogen fixation). Prokaryotes do all of these. |
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In the metabolic process generally known as photosynthesis (or photoautotrophy in the text) plants or plant-like microbes use inorganic carbon in the form of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water and process them in the presence of nutrients and ___________________ to make more complex organic molecules and an important gaseous byproduct. |
sunlight |
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What is the gaseous by-product of photosynthesis necessary as an electron receptor for metabolic cellular respiration to occur? |
oxygen |
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A(n) ____________________ is a functional unit of the ecosphere in which living and nonliving components interact dynamically and exchange materials. |
ecosystem |
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___________________ serve the important function of recycling nutrients in a sustainable ecosystem to maintain balance. |
Decomposers |
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_____________ are autotrophs which produce organic matter from inorganic carbon and are the base of the food chain. |
Producers |
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______________________ are heterotrophs which consume the producers or feed on other animals. |
Both primary and secondary consumer are correct |
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The two major ecosystems are ______________ and _________________. |
terrestrial and aquatic |
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In addition to differences in size, the main difference between "Plankton" and "Nekton" (types of pelagic flora and fauna) is that plankton can only _____________ while nekton can _____________. |
float ; swim |
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According to 06_16_Figure.jpg (on Page 156), which terrestrial biome has the lowest percentage of phytomass and whch one has the greast percentage of phytomass? |
Perpetual Ice ; Tropical Rain Forest |
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If the total Net Primary Production (NPP) as dry weight matter for all of the Tropical Rain Forest biome is 7.55 E+11 metric tons andtropical rain forests of the wold lost 9% of their area due to cutting in the 1982. How many metric tons of plant dry matter does this cutting represent? (Your answer should be expressed in Scientific Notation with the correct unit). |
6.8 |
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The Net Primary Production (NPP) of the Earth's surface is 0.37 kg m2-1 yr-1 (dry matter) and the total area of 5.10 E+8 km2, what is the total production of organic matter in kg/yr? (Hint: convert the area to square meters first...) |
1.89 |
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If the total NPP for the Earth's surface is 1.89 E+14 kg/yr and 45% by weight represents the portion of the dry organic matter that is Carbon, how many kilograms/year of carbon is fixed? |
8.51 |
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Total production on land exceeds that in the ocean by close to twice as much. If the total NPP for the whole planet is 1.89 E+14 kg/yr how many kg/yr can be attributed to the ocean? (Hint: use "P" for production in the ocean and "2P" for production on land. Together they add up to the total NPP for the planet. Then solve for "P".) |
6.3 |
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According to the text, the present and predicted extinction rates are likely related to human activities. |
True |
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The total carbon in the atmosphere currently is about 800 billioin tons as carbon dioxide gas. Plants remove 200 billion tons in net primary production each year. How long would it take the atmosphere to run out of carbon dioxide if there were no means of replenishment of the gas? |
4 |
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How is carbon dioxide returned to the atmosphere? |
All of these are correct |
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According to the article (Berner, 1999), has the percentage of atmospheric oxygen varied much during Phanerozoic time? (Hint: look at the graph) |
The percentage of atmospheric oxygen has varied over Phanerozoic time with a spike to over 35% during the Mesozoic which was likely due to the abundance of land plants. |
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The author of (Berner, 1999) provides evidence that the levels of atmospheric oxygen during Phanerozoic time were the result of the biogeochemical cycling of which two elements? |
Carbon and Sulfur |
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Why are fossil fuels considered non-renewable resources? |
Since reserves of fossil fuels took millions of years to build, the rates of human extraction far outpaces the rates of natural formation. |
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______________ _________ occurs when diatomic nitrogen is taken from the atmosphere during bacterial metobolism in soils and water and converted to nitrogen in the form of ammonia and nitrate, which may be utilized by plants. |
Nitrogen fixation |
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How can volcanic eruption like that of Mt. Pinatubo affect global climate? |
Volcanic eruptions can inject sulfur compounts into the stratosphere which can lead to short-term climatic cooling. |
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What is the major difference between the biogeochemical cycle of phosphorus and those of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur? |
Unlike the other elements mentioned in the question, Phosphorus has no major gaseous reservoir in its biogeochemical cycle. |
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______________ and _____________ are limiting nutrients in aquatic systems. One or both of these nutrients added to an aquatic ecosystem can enhance the NPP of the system and lead to unhealthy eutrophic conditions. |
nitrogen and phosphorus |
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Many geochemical cycles are facilitated by microbes. Match the correct microbial Genus name with the correct part of the nitrogen cycle requiring its metabolism. |
Azobacter -------- A. Nitrogen Fixation Pseudomonas ---------- B. Denitrification Planctomycetes -------C. Anammox denitrification |
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According to chapter 7 of our text, the activities of ___________ have significanly impacted the chemical, biological and biogeochemical cycles of planet Earth. |
people |
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The largest sedimentary reservoirs of carbon is sotored as _________________. |
limestone. |
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Figure 7.6 on page 173 depicts the "Prehuman biogeochemical cycle of methane. The portion of the cycle which moves the greatest amount of methane from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere are the _____________. |
natural wetlands. |
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What type of plants harbor nodules on their root rhizomes which contain specialized bacteria that can fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) which subsequently reacts with water to make ammonium (NH4+) which plants can use? |
legumes (related to beans) |
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Gaseous nitrogen compounds emitted by both natural and human sources to the atmosphere only affect terrestrial ecosystems. |
False |
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All sulfur compound emissions into the atmosphere lead to negative global climatic consequences. |
False |
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According to our text, " The principal environmental issues confronting humankind result from _____________ _____________ in the biogeochemical cycles of the biological elements (like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and oxygen). |
Human interference |
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Chemical, biological and biogeochemical cycles are found in all "spheres" of planet Earth. |
True |
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Although many of the exact details still need to be worked out, most scientitists concur that the event known as the "Big Bang" began ________________. |
the universe as we know it. |
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Earth's atmospheric oxygen results from ___________________. |
photosynthesis. |
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According to our text, how long ago did primitive prokaryotic bacteria exist, evidenced from the banded iron formation in western Greenland? |
3.8 Billion years ago |
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About 200,000 million tons of carbon are removed from the atmosphere each year in the gross pimary production of organic matter on the surface of Earth. The atmosphere continas 800,000 million tons of carbon as carbon dioxide gas. How long before the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would be exhaused if there were now way to compensate for the removal of carbon dioxide? |
4 years |
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Name two long time-scale (geologic time) carbon cycling processes which control the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere? (Hint: not photosynthesis which is short time-scale carbon cycling). |
subduction of limestone and volcanism. |
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We "Earthlings" are lucky that we live on a planet in the "Habitable Zone" meaning that it is not too hot or not too cold for life to flurish. This phenomemon is also known as the ____________ ___________. |
Goldilocks paradox |
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The subdivision of the Phanerozoic (meaning "Visable Life") Eon into three major eras is based on _______________. |
major flora and faunal changed observed in the sedimentary rock record as a result of major extinction events. |
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Limestone (CaCO3) weathers when carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere reacts with water (H2O) to make weak carbonic acid (H2CO3). The products of this reaction are dissolved ions of calcium (Ca2+) and bicarbonate (HCO3-). What happens to the dissolved consituents of this reaction? |
The dissolved consituents enter the soil and ground waters and rivers and eventually reach the ocean where they are precipitated out. |
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During the decomposition of limestone, the reaction CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O --> Ca2+ + 2HCO3-Where does the CO2 come from? |
the atmosphere |
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In the reaction for the decomposition of limestone, CaCO3 + CO2 + H2O --> Ca2+ + 2HCO3-If two moles of CO2 are used in the weathering reaction, how many moles of HCO3- are produced? |
4 moles are produced. |
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What is the significance of the banded iron formations? |
They represent a time of sufficiently high atmospheric O2 concentrations indicating photosynthesis by marine organisms. |
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The development of the _______________ _____________ in the stratosphere trapped ultraviolet radiation allowing cyanobacteria and their fossilized counterparts, the stromatolites, to expand out into the environment. |
ozone shield |
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According to Figure 8.14 on page 211, What is the relationship between sea mineral precipitation and hot house/ ice house cycling? |
Calcite/dolomite seas correlate with hot house atmospheric conditions |
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Which eon does our text refer to as "Earth's Violent Beginnings"? |
Hadean Eon |
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According to Figure 8.4 on page 193, Where is the asteroid belt located? |
between Mars and Jupiter |
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Massive stars, many times heavier than our sun, can create tremendous explosions with debris that can be seen in space for a long time afterward. One such explosion is called a_______________. |
supernova |
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Pluto is the largest body in a region known as the _______________ ______________. |
Kuiper Belt |
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According to our text, how many moons are in our Solar System? |
166+ |
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What percentage of the total mass of the solar system resides in the Sun? |
99% |
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Since we are unable to directly sample atmospheric composition during the geologic past, scientists use ___________ data. |
proxy |
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Humans are affecting the Earth's ecosphere by consuming resources, developing civilizations and by world ____________. |
population |
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When considering the four stages of demographic transition, what is the stage presently characterizing many of the world's poorer nations? |
Stage 2: Transitional stage of high virth and lower death rates and rapid growth in population. |
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If the growth rate of increase of the world population is 2%, what is the doubling time of the population? (Hint: equation is found on page 219) |
35 years |
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What variable is used to gauge the strenth of a nation's economy? |
Two answers are correct |
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What variable may be used to determine how well off an individual is in a particular nation? |
GDP per capita |
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From analysis of Figure 9.4 on page 221, what is the percent increase in the population of the developing world from 1900 to 2100? |
720% |
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From analysis of Figure 9.4 on page 221, what is the percent increase in the population of the developed world from 1900 to 2100? |
220% |
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_____________ is a problem associated with the heavy use of biomass (sometimes referred to as "noncommercial fuels")as an energy source. |
All of these are problems associated with the heavy use of biomass as an energy source. |
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All of the following are environmental consequences related to increased reliance on coal as an energy source EXCEPT _________________. |
decreased emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere |
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From Table 9.5 on page 252, how much nickel metal was obtained in 1991 from the mining of 38 million tons of nickel ore? (Hint:total ore mined times the grade of the ore as a decimal = amount of metal obtained) |
950000 tons Ni |
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Looking at Figure 9.17 on page 234 showing the gross world produce and the gross world product per person in US dollars from 1950 to 2008, what connection do these variables have with energy consumption? |
Continuously increasing GWP and GWP/capita requires energy sources. Their extraction and use has lead to environmental degradation. |
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Considering Figure 9.20 on page 237, which statement below is true conserning US fuel consumption over the past 150 years? |
Use of coal is being replaced by natural gas |
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The continuous rise in energy demand by the developing world will lead to an increase reliance on _____________ ___________ as energy sources |
fossil fuels |
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From Figure 9.21 on page 238, what is the percentage of energy demand for the transportation sector? |
27.8% |
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If the US had a population of 306,000,000 people in 2007, calculate the per capita energy consumption using info from Figure 9.20 on page 237. |
6.5 metric tons per capita |
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Why could the exploitation of methane hydrates be of importance to the future of world energy supplies? |
There are abundant methane hydrates in the coastal subsurface sediments of the ocean. |
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The two ways in which oil is trapped in sedimentary rocks include a stratigraphic trap and a ______________ trap. |
structural |
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According to analysis of Figure 9.26 on page 241, what percentage of proven oil reserves are in the middle east region? |
about 65% |
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Metals obtained from ores associated with granitic igneous rock bodies of the continental crust include: tin, bismuth, tungsten and ______________. |
Copper |
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What are the three events in the history of the world that are associated with rapid population growth? |
toolmaking, agriculture and the industrial revolution |
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One of the major types of higher plants called ___________ bear naked seeds not enclosed in an ovary. |
gymnosperms |
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__________ produce seeds that are enclosed in a fruit or seed case within the Kingdom Plantae. |
angiosperms |
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From an environmental standpoint, it is important to know the areas of forest land to estimate emissions of carbon dioxide and other biogenic gases in the atmosphere and to estimate the rate of ____________ |
deforestation |
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The three major regions of Tropical Forests are located in Central America, Africa and ________ ___________. |
South America |
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The tropical forest area of the developing world is being reduced by clear-cutting and _______________________ activities at a rate of nearly 1% per year. |
slash-and-burn |
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Which statement is INCORRECT? |
Tropical forest plants tend to have very deep, extensive root systems to access deeply stored nutrient-rich soils |
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Which statement is true? |
It is easier for a temperate forest to recover after deforestation because nutrient stores are left in the soils. |
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When deforestation occurs in a tropical rain forest the ____________ cycle is disrupted. |
All of these. |
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The tropical rain forests have been a major biome for millions of years. The relatively constant, warm and moist climate of this ecosystem has led to high ___________ of the system through the establishment of many ecological niches. |
biodiversity |
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Five major effects of deforestation in developing countries are: displacement of indigenous people, emissions of carbon dioxide, flooding, hydrological changes and loss of ____________ and __________________ |
habitat; biodiversity |
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1) 10_17_Figure.jpg on page 281 projects that _____________ tons of total carbon could potential be removed from the atmosphere if deforestation would have been halted in 1990 and a massive reforestation was completed. |
140 billion |
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Which of the following is NOT one of the five (5) recognized causes of deforestation in developing countries? |
Land ownership and distribution equality among the people of the nation. |
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Given that 1 hectare = 10,000 square meters, if there are 1.3 x 109 hectares of total forested area that are being deforested at a rate of 0.8% per year, how many square meters of forest are deforested annually? |
1.04 x 1011 m2/y |
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One step which developed countries can take to lessen the rate of destruction of the world’s forests and be economically practical for developing nations is to lessen the __________ of developing countries in return for development of sustainable forest-management programs. |
debt |
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One example of the use of forests as a source of food (or economic benefit) in order to protect them from deforestation is ____________. |
two of these are correct |
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Corporate-grown production crops often depend on __________ to produce high yields. |
ALL OF THESE |
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When nutrients applied in the form of fertilizers or animal wastes and pesticides are applied to agricultural fields, they can be ______________aquatic systems. |
Leached into |
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Perturbed or domesticated ecosystems do not lead to environmental degradation. |
False |
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10_24_Figure.jpg on page generally shows that per capita fertilizer use is ________________. |
approaching similar levels for both developing and developed countries. |
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Nitrogen, in the form of ammonia fertilizer is produced in an industrial chemical process known as the _____________ process. |
Haber-Bosch |
