陆地生态系统生态学原理期末考试真题

Final exam for the course of Ecosystem Ecology, April 25, 2009Name___________ Student Number__________1. Multiple choice. For each question, there is only one best answer. Circle the correct answer with your pen or pencil. (1 pt. each, 40 pts. total).1). If you are trying to develop a self-contained ecosystem that will be shipped into space to live by itself, which of the following is the minimum situation required for success:a. autotrophs only are needed.b. autotrophs and heterotrophs both are needed.c. autotrophs and decomposers are both needed.d. you must have autotrophs, heterotrophs, and decomposers.2). Seasonality in the tropics is most related to variation in ________ while seasonality in the temperate zone is most related to variation in __________.a. rainfall, temperatureb. temperature, rainfallc. the tilt of the earth, the spin of the earthd. the spin of the earth, the tilt of the earth3). Which of the following nutrient cycles directly contributes to acid rain?a. phosphorus cycleb. sulfur cyclec. hydrologic cycled. lead cycle4). Deserts are associated with which latitude:a. equatorial zonesb. 45 degrees north or south of equatorc. 30 degrees north or south of equatord. they are not associated with latitude at all5). Which type of response curve is most likely characteristic of micronutrients such as boron?a. linear responsec. optimum responseb. saturation responsed. sigmoid response6). If the earth spun in the opposite direction, the climate of Sichuan would probably be:a. Much warmer throughout the year.b. Generally wetter than it is now.c. Drier than it presently is.d. Sichuan would be unaffected by the change in spin.7). The increasing concentration of chemicals (including nutrients or pollutants) in higher trophic levels is termed:a. net primary productivityb. biological magnificationc. trophic dynamicsd. biological remuneration8). Which of the following nutrients with a gaseous biogeochemical cycle requires interactions with specific bacteria to make the cycle "perfect"?a. oxygenb. nitrogenc. sulfurd. carbon9). What is typical of local nutrient cycles in situations that supported temperate grasslands before human settlement?a. large accumulation of litter in the soilb. very high and constant rates of decompositionc. most nutrients stored in living biomassd. unused nutrients rarely found10). Higher plants most often absorb nitrogen from the soil in the form ofa. free nitrogen gasb. ammoniac. amino acidsd. nitratese. nitrites11). As an ecosystem passes through the stages of successiona. its species diversity decreasesb. its biomass increasesc. it becomes less stabled. its ability to withstand stress decreases12). Competitiona. describes an interaction in which one organism is adversely affected while the other isunaffectedb. occurs only over food sourcesc. may result in one species dying off or being forced to change its ecological niched. occurs only between closely related organisms13). As energy flows through the ecosystem, the amount available to each trophic levela. decreasesb. increasesc. remains the samed. none of the prior answers is correct14). When we eat vegetables we are acting asa. producersb. primary consumersc. secondary consumersd. decomposers15). Why has earth’s climate warmed over the past 150 years?a. increased greenhouse gas concentrationb. increased solar inputc. land-use and land-cover changed. a and ce. all of the above16). Why do seasons occur on Earth?a. earth’s distance from the sun varies throughout the year.b. the Coriolis forcec. because of the tilt of earth’s axis.d. because the earth is close to the sun in the summer and far from the sun in the winter.e. because of seasonal changes in albedo17). Which of the following has the highest albedo?a. sea iceb. fresh snowc. tundrad. deserte. standing dead grass18). Turnover of plant tissues is _________ in the arctic compared to the tropics.a. slowerb. fasterc. about the samed. energetically more expensivee. none of the above19). Of the following, which is the best substitution for NPP?a. photosynthetic capacityb. productivity per unit leaf areac. total leaf aread. specific leaf areae. average leaf N concentration20). Which season of the year has the highest concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere?a. summerb. autumnc. winterd. spring21). Water is important in the Earth system becausea. it’s necessary for lifeb. it exists in nature in gas, liquid, and solid statesc. in changing from one state to another energy is stored or releasedd. in it’s various phases it is the primary medium by which energy is transmitted amongEarth’s reservoirs.e. all of the above.22). Wind-driven ocean currents occur ina. the deep oceanb. the surface oceanc. the deep and the surface oceand. do not occur in the ocean23). Between which reservoirs does most of carbon transfer take place?a. between the atmosphere and rocksb. between the atmosphere and the oceanc. between the atmosphere and biomassd. between the ocean and rocks.24). For a system that is in Steady Statea. inflow = outflow and the contents of the reservoir is constant with time.b. inflow = outflow and the contents of the reservoir grows over time.c. inflow = outflow and the contents of the reservoir declines over time.d. inflow does not equal outflow.25). What are the mechanisms of inflow and outflow in the short-term organic carbon cycle?a. diffusion and lithificationb. plate tectonics and respirationc. photosynthesis and respirationd. lithification and respiration26). The inorganic carbon cycle describes the way that carbon is transported among the reservoirs of the atmosphere, ocean, and solid Eartha. by mechanisms that involve living organisms.b. by mechanisms that do not involve living organisms.c. by all mechanisms.d. by mechanisms that use pesticides or hormones.27). Chemical weathering occurs whena. CO2 dissolves in the oceanb. Rocks (CaCO3 and CaSiCO3) are dissolved by rain water and are washed into the ocean.c. Volcanic eruptions emit dust and gases into the atmosphered. Burning of fossil fuel causes acid rain.28). Goats depend on autotrophs for the production of:a. oxygenb. carbohydratesc. both of the aboved. goats are autotrophy29). The number of individuals that an area can support refers to its:a. birth rateb. death ratec. carrying capacityd. ecological niche30). Critically important minerals and other essential substances would be permanently lost to organisms if it were not for the:a. producersb. consumersc. decomposersd. niches31). Who developed the five factors of soil formation that constrain soil and ecosystem development?a. Arthur Tanselyb. John Derrick Ovingtonc. Hans Jennyd. Raymond L. Lindeman32). PET is always ________ AETa. >b. <c. =d. ≥33). Turnover rate is equal to:a. MRTb. stock/flowc. flow times stockd. flow/stock34). Photorespiration is catalyzed bya. PEP carboxylaseb. succinasec. ATP synthased. rubiscoe. alpha-ketogluterate.35). When soils are dry or nutrient poor, in which tissues would you expect plants to invest relatively more growth?a. rootsb. shootsc. stemsd. rubisco36). Metamorphic rocks:a. are resistant to weatheringb. have high N levelsc. were originally other rock types, but were altered by high temperaturesd. a & be. a & c37). Which of the following does NOT describe the state of nutrients in soil?a. organicb. exchangablec. sorbedd. tertiarye. contained in primary and secondary minerals38). Net mineralization begins when:a. Carbon is limitingb. Nitrogen is limitingc. Lignin is limitingd. Immobilization > Mineralization39). Which of the following paired processes are NOT exact opposites?a. mineralization vs. immobilizationb. humus formation vs. biomass accumulationc. photosynthesis vs. respirationd. absorption vs. adsorption40). Plants in productive ecosystems (high GPP and high NPP) tend to have ________ leaves witha ______ photosynthetic capacity.a. short-lived, lowb. long-lived, lowc. short-lived, highd. long-lived highe. red, smooth2. Define the following terms or terminologies in your briefest language (Choose 10 from 14) (1 pt. each, 10 pts. total).1). Modulator2). Adaptive management3). Closed system4). Greenhouse gas5). Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)6). Compensation point7). Root exudation8). Down-regulation9). A horizon10). Water use efficiency11). Bulk density12). Ecosystem approach13). Latent heat flux14). Macronutrients15). Specialist herbivore3. Choose 15 from the following 20 short answer questions (These can be answered in a sentence or two, or even a few words. Longer answers are not necessary. Please do not choose more than 15. 2 pts. each, 30 pts. total)1). With rising atmospheric [CO2], do you expect the range of C4 plants to increase, decrease, orremain the same?2). What are 3 ways plants uptake nutrients?3). Describe the short term responses to water stress in C3 plants.4). To gain an advantage from feeding root symbionts how much must photosynthesis increase?5). If you have two leaves of similar nutrient quality (off the same tree) - under what conditionswould they decompose at different rates?6). What is the relationship between Heterotrophic Respiration, Net Primary Production, NetEcosystem Production?7). Give one reason why the presence of plants can accelerate weathering?8). Why does atmospheric temperature decrease with altitude in the troposphere?9). Because microbes gain energy through oxidation, which of these bonds will provide them withthe most energy: C-C or C=C?10). What is the purpose for a plant to produce tannins and/or other phenolic compounds?11). What are the 4 key drivers for plant photosynthesis?12). In order of importance what are the two nitrogen inputs to all ecosystems?13). Is more plant matter consumed by herbivores or consumed through decomposers?14). How do you determine if a nutrient is limiting to a plant?15). Would a soil consisting of clay particles hold more or less water than a sandy soil?16). Cations in soil solution differ in their affinity for cation exchange sites. Give the correct orderfor the following cations from the strongest affinity to the weakest? Ca2+, H+, NH4+, Al3+17). The primary limiting element was shown to change as one goes from the young soils to theold tropical forested area. What was limiting in young soil forests, and what was limiting in the old soil forests?18). In an ecosystem with 4 trophic levels with strong top-down control, will removal of toppredators increase or decrease biomass of primary producers?19). What is the difference between general decomposition and mineralization?20). Even though oceans and terrestrial ecosystems fix about the same amount of carbon each year,why does the terrestrial environment always have a very large reservoir of living carbon whilethe ocean does not?4. Choose five from following short essay questions (Please give your answers on separate sheet of paper. Do not choose more than5. 4 pts. each, 20 pts. total)1) Explain major differences between the N and P cycles.2) Discuss the trade-offs inherent in maximizing photosynthetic rate and maximizing leaflongevity.3) Answer the following questions about DENITRIFICATION. a) what is it? b) why is itimportant? c) who does it? d) what controls are? e) what are the fates of the products ofdenitrification?4) . What are the advantages and disadvantages of C4 photosynthesis?5). Explain the difference between resilience and resistance. Use diagrams to illustrate yourexplanation6). It has been stated that plants are directly competing with microbes for nutrients in soil. Whymight microbes actually help plants obtain nutrients on high nutrient sites?7). Explain the origins of each of the following elements found in plant tissues: carbon, nitrogen,potassium, and manganese. For each element, describe the location where it enters the plant.8). Assuming that the affinities of Z-bisco are equal to rubisco in every way but with greater heattolerance. Which C3 plant will have a better WUE and why: one with rubisco or one with Z-bisco.9). A common method for studying nutrient cycles is to collect water as it passes through anecosystem. Please identify the 4 major types of solutions that should be collected.10). How would you expect the photosynthetic response curves to differ between an Aspen sunleaf (found at the top of the canopy) and an Aspen shade leaf (found at the bottom of the canopy)?5. Bonus question (Please translate following questions into Chinese, then give brief answer to each of them. 5 pts).Please give suggestions on how to 1) improve the curriculum design of the course; 2) enhance the interactions between the lecturer and the students; 3) improve the effectiveness as how the lecture is delivered.。