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 fixation
Which of the following types of organisms are required to complete the nitrogen cycle, including the process of denitrification?
Bacteria
The majority of the nitrogen on Earth can be found in which of the following reservoirs?
The atmosphere
Which of the following best identifies a key component of the hydrologic cycle that powers the movement of water and is missing from the diagram?
the sun
Which of the following major reservoirs of freshwater are missing from the diagram?
Ice caps
Which of the following best describes what is represented by the arrows in the food web?
The flow of energy
Which trophic level has the least available energy in kilojoules in this food web?
Killer whale
Based on the second law of thermodynamics, how much biomass of phytoplankton would be needed to produce 1 kilogram (kg) of large fish in this food web?
1,000 kg
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 out competed the white-tailed deer in consuming flowering plants and shrubs.
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?
Mutualism
Which of the following best describes an example of resource partitioning in an ecosystem?
Two different bird species feed from the same oak tree; one eats acorns, and the other eats insects in the bark.
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.
Which of the following terrestrial biomes has the highest net primary productivity?
Tropical rain forest
Which of the following terrestrial biomes has the highest primary productivity per unit area?
Tropical rain forest
This biome contains a nutrient-rich environment created by falling leaves and trapped organic materials from the large trees, and it provides the ecosystem service of filtering pollutants from water.
Freshwater wetlands
This biome is found in shallow waters off the coastline and is Earth’s most biologically diverse marine biome.
Coral reefs
This freshwater biome is characterized by fast-flowing water that can originate from underground springs or runoff, which carries sediment and organic material.
Rivers
Which of the following biogeochemical cycles includes the processes of buffering ocean
The carbon cycle
Which of the boxes represents a carbon source?
D
Which box represents a carbon sink that holds carbon compounds for the shortest period of time?
A
The diagram above best illustrates major processes in which of the following biogeochemical cycles?
The phosphorus cycle
Which of the following statements is best supported by the diagram of the phosphorus cycle?
The phosphates absorbed by animal tissue through consumption eventually return to the soil.
Farmers in a suburban coastal town started using no-till agriculture, a practice that reduces soil erosion from their farmland. Use the image above to determine which of the following long-term effects no-till agriculture will have on the ecosystem surrounding the farmland.
There will be less algal growth in the nearby ocean.
Based on the diagram, which of the following statements about the hydrologic cycle is true?
Water from the ocean evaporates and condenses in the atmosphere.
The total rate of photosynthesis in a given area.
Gross primary productivity
This rate of reaction can be measured in the dark by determining the amount of oxygen gas consumed in a period of time.
Cellular respiration
The energy available to consumers determined by subtracting the energy used by plants from the total energy transformed by the process of photosynthesis.
Net primary productivity
Which of the following best describes the flow of energy in most terrestrial and near-surface marine ecosystems?
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.
Which of the following best describes a terrestrial ecosystem that will have the highest net primary productivity?
Warm temperatures, high rainfall, and consistent sunlight
Which of the following trophic levels represents a primary producer in an aquatic food chain?
Phytoplankton
A temperate grassland biome has a gross primary productivity of 3,480kilocalories/meter2/year and a net primary productivity of 2,000kilocalories/meter2/year. Which of the following is the approximate number of kilocalories/meter2/year available to herbivores in that biome?
200 kilocalories/meter2/year
Energy is transferred along food chains from one stage to the next. Which statement best explains how the energy is transferred?
If a primary producer stores 10,000kcal of energy, then a tertiary consumer will have 10kcal of energy available.
Based on the food web shown above, which of the following correctly describes the flow of energy through the trophic levels from producers to quaternary consumers?
Brittlebrush, grasshopper, grasshopper mouse, rattlesnake, red-tailed hawk
Which of the following statements about levels of biodiversity is correct?
A population with high genetic biodiversity is better able to respond to environmental stressors.
Which of the following best explains how environmental stressors, such as wildfires, can affect biodiversity in an ecosystem?
Ecosystems with more species diversity are more likely to recover after a disturbance than ecosystems with low species diversity.
Which of the following examples illustrates the community with the highest biodiversity?
A ----> 10
B -----> 10
C -----> 10
D ------> 10
E --------> 10
Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following is the most likely reason that an island in the ocean that is 5 kilometers from a continent would have a higher number of species than one that is 15 kilometers from a continent?
There are more species that have the ability to travel 5 kilometers than can travel 15 kilometers.
A 163 square-kilometer (km2) small island is found 2,000km from the mainland. A second, larger, 230,000km2 island is found 1,000km from the mainland. Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following statements is most likely true about the small island when compared with the large island?
The rate of immigration is lower for the small island than for the large island.
Highly specialized species tend to evolve on islands because of the environmental conditions and resource availability.
Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following would most likely experience the greatest decline of specialist species if an invasive species emigrated from the mainland?
A small island in close proximity to the mainland
“Study Finds aardvarks suffering as African climate heats up,” Christopher Torchia, Phys.org, July 31, 2017.
Which of the following best identifies the author’s claim?
Aardvarks are a keystone species and their decline could have a trophic cascade effect on the ecosystem.
Lincoln, A. E., J. A. Shaffer, and T. P. Quinn. 2018. Opportunistic use of estuarine habitat by juvenile Bull Trout, Salvelinus confluentus, from the Elwha River before, during, and after dam removal. Environmental Biology of Fishes 101:1559–1569
Which of the following best identifies the author’s claim?
Bull trout are unable to live in high sediment loaded waters and migrated to avoid the conditions introduced during dam deconstruction.
News release adapted from the United States Geological Survey
Which of the following best identifies the author's claim?
The increased rainfall events in the United States are decreasing the tolerance of fish and other marine species in the Gulf of Mexico because of a decreased concentration of oxygen.
Based on the data shown in the graph, which of the following events occurred after the glacial retreat?
Primary succession
Which of the following explanations is best supported by the data shown in the map above?
Animals migrate seasonally to mate and to find food in different habitats.
Which of the following statements correctly describes the trends seen in the data?
The lowest sea level occurred during the Paleogene period.
Which of the following was the average beak size of finches on the island of Daphne Major in 1976?
9.5 mm
Which of the following statements best explains the changes in the size and composition of the population of finches after the drought?
The total number of finches in the population decreased, and the larger-beaked finches were more successful in the drier environment.
Which of the following was the number of finches in the population with a beak size of 10.2 mm in 1978?
12
Based on the information above, which ecosystem would most likely recover the fastest from a natural disruption?
Ecosystem B
Based on the information above, which ecosystem most likely experienced a recent population bottleneck?
Ecosystem A, because its low genetic diversity could have resulted from an event that reduced the variation in the gene pool.
Based on the information above, which of the following best describes Ecosystem C?
Its low habitat diversity indicates that Ecosystem C most likely has a low number of specialist species and few species that utilize large territories.
Which of the following best describes the change in Antarctic temperature from about 440,000 years ago to about 340,000 years ago?
The temperature increases by about 12°C and then decreases by about 12°C.
Which of the following best describes the pattern in the atmospheric CO2 concentration data over the past 200,000 years?
The concentration of CO2 fluctuated between 150ppm and 250ppm until recently, when the concentration rose exponentially.
Which of the following best describes the trends in atmospheric CO2 concentration and Antarctic temperature over the past 800,000 years?
Atmospheric CO2 concentration and Antarctic temperature are directly correlated over the past 800,000 years.
Based on the data in the graph, which of the following best describes the change in the population of moths as a result of industrialization?
The percentage of dark colored moths increased in the population and the percentage of light-colored moths decreased in the population.
Based on the graph above, which of the following tree species would be the predominant species found during the intermediate stage of succession?
Tulip poplar
Based on the graph above, which of the following years postdisturbance did sweetgum experience the greatest biomass?
50
Based on the graph above, which of the following years postdisturbance had the greatest species richness?
100
Which of the following is an example of an ecosystem that provides ecosystem services including protection from hurricane storm surges?
An intact coastal wetland
Which of the following ecosystem services are categorized as regulating?
Pollination, decomposition, and water purification
Which of the following economic consequences to a provisioning ecosystem service will most likely result from increased global warming?
The collapse of local fisheries, because of the damage to coral reefs from ocean acidification
Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following islands would most likely have the highest number of species living on it?
An island 30 hectares in size that is 10 kilometers off the coast of the mainland
The image shows two different islands and the relative distance to the nearest mainland. Based on the theory of island biogeography, which of the following best predicts the effect of the introduction of an invasive species on Easter Island compared to Madagascar?
The native species on Madagascar are more likely to survive because the island is larger and provides a greater diversity of habitats and resources.
An island off the coast of Africa contains a larger percentage of specialist species than generalist species. Which of the following describes the most immediate effect if an invasive generalist species is introduced to the island?
As competition for resources increases, the population size of the island’s specialist species will decrease.
Article Information: Sohn, E. (2018, June 5). Basking on the brink: An "unholy" river in India may be the last, best hope for one of the world's largest and most imperiled crocodilians. This is an excerpt of the article originally appearing in bioGraphic, an online magazine about nature and sustainability powered by the California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved August 30, 2018 from: https://www.biographic.com/posts/sto/basking-on-the-brink
Which of the following best identifies the author's claim?
Anthropogenic disruptions to Earth’s resources can have sudden and severe negative consequences to the health of native species, specifically those whose populations are already threatened.
“Reef fish inherit tolerance to warming oceans: Thanks to mom and dad, baby reef fish may have to what it takes to adjust to hotter oceans,” Ryu Taewoo, ScienceDaily, April 30, 2018.
Which of the following best identifies the author’s claim?
Observed adjustments in the ecological tolerance of a species of reef fish is a result of epigenetic changes.
While this study looked specifically at how an altered sense of smell could affect fishes' response to danger, it's likely that other critical behaviors that depend on smell, such as navigation, reproduction, and hunting for food, would also take a hit if fish aren't able to adequately process smells. …
University of Washington
Which of the following best identifies the author’s claim?
Acidic water affects the salmon’s ability to sense danger from attacking predators by their sense of smell.
Which statement is best supported by the data in the graph?
Finches with larger beaks were more likely to survive in 1980 because they were able to feed primarily on seeds and nuts during the drought.
Which of the following statements best describes why it is predicted that the orchid mantis will be more affected by global climate change than the tropical cockroach will be?
Orchid mantises tend to be advantaged in habitats that remain constant; the rain forest habitat is likely to shift because of global climate change.
Raccoons eat a variety of foods and can live in a variety of habitats, including locations near humans. Tiger salamanders eat an abundance of worms and insects and require wetland habitats so they do not dry out. Which of the following best identifies the two different species?
Raccoons are generalists, and salamanders are specialists.
Based on the information provided above, which of the following species would best be classified as a specialist?
Salamanders
Which of the following species is most likely to be an invasive species if introduced into a favorable new habitat?
Oyster 5,000,000,000
Which of the following species is most likely to provide extensive parental care to its offspring?
Bobcat 2
Which of the following graphs best displays population size over time of an
Line going up
Cycads are gymnosperms that were diverse and abundant during the Mesozoic era. Extant species of cycads share many traits with those from the Mesozoic era. Cycads bear cones, are long-lived with slow growth rates, show late reproductive maturity, and have very few offspring. Based on this description, the cycads are
-strategists with a Type I survivorship curve.
A certain species of dinosaur laid large numbers of eggs, and the hatchlings had high mortality early in life. But if they survived, the young dinosaurs were able to grow at a rapid pace and disperse into the environment in order to thrive. Based on this information and the graph above, which of the following best characterizes this species of dinosaur?
The dinosaurs were
Scientists determined that a species of a reptile dinosaur cohort had 20% survivorship during the first two years of life, but then the survivorship of those individuals that survived to age 2 had a 70% survivorship to middle age. Survivorship declined later in life. Which of the following best illustrates the shape of the survivorship curve for this species?
Line is going down straight
Which of the following claims is best supported by the data in the graph for the population of wolves between 1975 and 1985?
The population declined following depletion of food resources after a population overshoot.
Which of the following best explains the change in the moose population from 1995 to 1997?
Plants in the area could not support the large population of moose in 1995.
Based on the data in Figure 1, which of the following is the best estimate of the carrying capacity of the moose population?
1,500
Which of the following characteristics is most closely associated with a country that demonstrates the age structure in the diagram shown above?
There is a high total fertility rate.
Which age-structure diagram best depicts the ages in a population that is in stage 3 of the demographic transition?
upside down U
Which of the following countries is most likely represented in the age structure diagram shown above?
Country B
The total fertility rate in country A was 6.8 in 1980. Which of the following statements best supports the change in the total fertility rate in country A between 1980 and 2015?
The total fertility rate decreased as a result of a delay in age of first marriage and increased contraceptive use.
Which of the following countries has achieved replacement-level fertility?
Country C
Which of the following statements best describes the trends in the data shown in the graph above?
More-developed countries tend to have lower total fertility rates than less-developed countries.
The supply of Earth’s fresh water is fixed and is being depleted at a rapid rate. Which of the following best describes the effects of a limited freshwater supply on human populations?
World food production will decrease, leading to increased famine.
Which of the following best describes the change in the carrying capacity of the human population if growth is limited by conditions set forth by the Malthusian theory?
The carrying capacity will decrease, and the human population size will experience a dieback.
In 1950, a country had a total fertility rate of 5.9. In 2010, the total fertility rate of the country was 2.3. Which of the following is most likely the reason for the change in total fertility rate?
Women had increased educational opportunities and had children later in life.
Which of the following characteristics in the table best supports the claim that Country A is a more developed country and that Country B is a less developed country?
Infant mortality rate
A country has a birth rate of 35/1,000 individuals and a death rate of 13/1,000 individuals. The death rate was 37/1,000 individuals in 1950, 28/1,000 individuals in 1970, and 21/1,000 individuals in 1990. Which of the following statements best explains why the country has a declining death rate?
The country is in stage 2 of the demographic transition, and life expectancy has increased because of improvements in public health, sanitation, and access to food.
In a certain country, the birth rate is high, the death rate is high, and there are many children that are part of the workforce. The country is most likely in which of the following stages of the demographic transition?
Stage 1
At which of the following sites is an earthquake most likely to occur as two plates slide sideways past each other?
C
At which of the following sites would activity result in volcanoes, island arcs, and mountains?
B
At which of the following sites does seafloor spreading result in rifts and possible volcanoes?
A
Students want to determine the impact of soil erosion from the development of new housing. They plan to measure the density of a species of algae growing along the bottom of a river that flows through their town. The town is built in a heavily forested area, but a large area of trees along the river was recently clear-cut to allow for the construction of a new housing development, which has caused exposed soil to wash into the river. The river flows north to south through the town and is still forested both up- and downstream of the town.
Which of the following would be the best control sample for the study?
A sample of water collected just downstream of the northern forest
Which of the following is the dependent variable in the study?
The density of a species of algae growing along the bottom of the river
Which of the following explains the variable that would be the best for students to measure to determine the direct impact of soil erosion caused by the construction project on the river?
Responses
Turbidity, because a decrease in water clarity would indicate an increase in soil erosion.
Which of the following best describes the independent variable in this research design?
The sample of material chosen as the potential container material is the variable being tested, so it is the independent variable.
Which of the following best describes why the engineer chose to calculate the permeability of the soil sample in the experimental design in order to evaluate a natural containment system to protect groundwater?
Soils that have low permeability would best help protect groundwater because the soil traps pollutants so that chemical and biological breakdown can occur.
Based on the data in the table above, which of the following samples would be the most prone to becoming waterlogged?
Sample D
Based on the diagram, which of the following identifies a characteristic of the atmosphere between the stratopause and the tropopause?
The ozone layer is in the stratosphere.
Which of the following correctly characterizes one of Earth’s atmospheric layers?
is the thermosphere, where auroras are found.
Based on the data in the diagrams, in which layer of the atmosphere would short wave radio signals be reflected?
Thermosphere
Which of the following is a biome found at 30°
Deserts
Which of the following is the source of energy driving the circulation pattern labeled C in the diagram?
Solar radiation
Which of the following causes the air to rise high into the atmosphere in the areas labeled A, B, and C on the diagram?
Warm, moist air that is less dense than the surrounding air
Hoover Dam is the largest dam in the United States, built on the Colorado River to supply hydroelectric power and flood control. Which of the following best describes a downstream environmental effect of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River watershed?
The damming of the Colorado River led to a change in stream flow, preventing river water and sediments from reaching the delta area.
Which of the following best describes why understanding a watershed and its boundaries is important in designing housing developments along a river?
Surface water and stormwater runoff will drain downstream within the watershed boundaries, so it is important to understand the flow of water through the watershed.
Which of the following should be included in a watershed map to best determine the non–point source of a pollutant, such as fertilizer, found in a river?
The land use upstream of the river and water quality indicators in streams that run downstream into the river
If the diagram illustrates Earth’s relative position on December 21 of a given year, which of the following statements would be correct?
The Tropic of Cancer has a shorter day and lower solar radiation intensity because there is a direct relationship between day length and radiation intensity.
Which of the following areas receives the most intense solar radiation at the time of year shown in the diagram, and why?
The Tropic of Capricorn, because this latitude is nearly horizontal to incoming solar radiation.
Which of the following correctly describes the season and length of day at the Tropic of Cancer at the time of year shown in the diagram?
The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it is winter at the Tropic of Cancer and daylight is less than twelve hours per day.
Region with the lowest atmospheric pressure
Exosphere
Region where the protective ozone layer is located
Stratosphere
Region that contains the majority of molecules in the atmosphere
Troposphere
Region largely responsible for the weather experienced at the Earth’s surface
Troposphere
The most abundant element in Earth's atmosphere
Nitrogen
The phenomenon causing global warming occurs primarily in this region of the atmosphere.
Troposphere
The beneficial ozone layer is in this region of the atmosphere.
Stratosphere
Most oxygen is found in this layer of the atmosphere.
Troposphere
Most of the Earth's deserts are at approximately 30° latitude, north and south, because these latitudes are characterized by
descending dry air currents
Most deserts on Earth are located near the 30° north and 30° south latitudes because humidity is lower at 30°. The best explanation for the lower humidity is that
warm air rises at the equator, cools, and sinks at 30° latitude
Which of the following causes the air to rise high into the atmosphere in the areas labeled A, B, and C on the diagram?
Warm, moist air that is less dense than the surrounding air
Which of the following is the source of energy driving the circulation pattern labeled C in the diagram?
Solar radiation
Which of the following is a biome found at 30°
Deserts
Reasons that human populations historically have settled in floodplains include which of the following?
- The soil in floodplains is usually fertile.
- The terrain in floodplains tend to be flat.
- Floodplains are close to rivers for transportation.
1 and 2 only
Hoover Dam is the largest dam in the United States, built on the Colorado River to supply hydroelectric power and flood control. Which of the following best describes a downstream environmental effect of Hoover Dam on the Colorado River watershed?
The damming of the Colorado River led to a change in stream flow, preventing river water and sediments from reaching the delta area.
Which of the following best describes why understanding a watershed and its boundaries is important in designing housing developments along a river?
Surface water and stormwater runoff will drain downstream within the watershed boundaries, so it is important to understand the flow of water through the watershed.
Which of the following should be included in a watershed map to best determine the non–point source of a pollutant, such as fertilizer, found in a river?
The land use upstream of the river and water quality indicators in streams that run downstream into the river
Which latitude shown on the diagram above experiences 24 hours of daylight on December 21?
E
The primary cause of Earth's seasons is the
constant tilt of Earth's rotational axis with respect to the plane of its orbit around the Sun
The Sun’s radiation provides the energy for all of the following EXCEPT
plate tectonics
Which of the following factors is fundamentally responsible for seasons on Earth?
The tilt of Earth's axis of rotation
Which of the following correctly describes the season and length of day at the Tropic of Cancer at the time of year shown in the diagram?
The Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun so it is winter at the Tropic of Cancer and daylight is less than twelve hours per day.
Which of the following areas receives the most intense solar radiation at the time of year shown in the diagram, and why?
The Tropic of Capricorn, because this latitude is nearly horizontal to incoming solar radiation.
If the diagram illustrates Earth’s relative position on December 21 of a given year, which of the following statements would be correct?
The Tropic of Cancer has a shorter day and lower solar radiation intensity because there is a direct relationship between day length and radiation intensity.
In the desert regions of the southwestern United States, daily high and low temperatures will frequently fluctuate by 40°
There are no bordering oceans or large bodies of water to provide a stabilizing humidity to the air.
Which of the following best explains why City B regularly receives less precipitation than City A?
The rain shadow effect causes City B to be drier because the mountain blocks precipitation from reaching the city.
Which of the following best explains why the shaded area receives more snowfall than the other parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio?
Moisture picked up from the warmer water in the Great Lakes is deposited as snow downwind.
Which of the following would be categorized as a cultural ecosystem service of forests?
Recreation and scenic areas for tourism
Which of the following would most likely result from the deforestation of large areas of tropical rain forests caused by slash-and-burn agriculture?
Increased global temperature because of the release of
Which of the following correctly describes the disruption of an ecosystem service by an anthropogenic activity?
Provisioning services are disrupted by increased combustion of fossil fuels, which leads to an increase in air pollution.
Which of the following soils is best suited to grow corn?
Sandy loam because it has large amounts of sand and less than 20% clay.
Area that exhibits island arcs
E
Area that exhibits a growing nonvolcanic mountain chain due to uplift
C
Area where new crust is being created at a divergent plate boundary
B
The rapid rate of this process in tropical forests results in low-nutrient soils
Decomposition
The process in which glucose is synthesized by plants
Photosynthesis
The process by which a soil nutrient is reduced and released to the atmosphere as a gas
Denitrification
Of the following, which has the greatest permeability?
Sand
Which of the lettered choices in the soil profile above represents the region with the greatest concentration of organic material?
A