carrying capacity
What is carrying capacity (K)?
A. The number of disturbances an ecosystem can experience.
B. The amount of energy at the highest trophic level.
C. The number of species in an ecosystem.
D. The largest population an environment can support over time.
D. The largest population an environment can support over time.
Which sequence shows the trophic-level movement of energy given in the presentation?
A. Producers → primary consumers → secondary consumers → tertiary consumers.
B. Producers → tertiary consumers → secondary consumers → primary consumers.
C. Tertiary consumers → secondary consumers → primary consumers → producers.
D. Primary consumers → tertiary consumers → producers → secondary consumers.
A. Producers → primary consumers → secondary consumers → tertiary consumers.
What happens during every energy transfer according to the Second Law described?
A. Energy dispersal increases, and some energy becomes less available for biological work.
B. Energy is created and becomes completely available.
C. Carrying capacity automatically increases.
D. Matter is destroyed.
A. Energy dispersal increases, and some energy becomes less available for biological work.
What may severe or repeated disturbance do?
A. Always increase biodiversity.
B. Prevent all changes in food webs.
C. Make ecosystems permanently stable.
D. Reduce biodiversity, alter food webs, and shift ecosystem structure.
D. Reduce biodiversity, alter food webs, and shift ecosystem structure.
Which is a possible solution listed for protecting biodiversity?
A. Habitat restoration.
B. Overharvesting.
C. Pollution.
D. Habitat destruction.
A. Habitat restoration.
Which group contains only limiting factors identified in the presentation?
A. Protection, finding food, locating mates, and raising offspring.
B. Food, water, space, disease, predation, competition, temperature, and shelter.
C. Sunlight, photosynthesis, biomass, and heat.
D. Habitat restoration, wildlife corridors, and conservation planning.
B. Food, water, space, disease, predation, competition, temperature, and shelter.
Which statement about energy and matter is given in the presentation?
A. Energy is recycled; matter flows.
B. Both energy and matter are created.
C. Both energy and matter are destroyed.
D. Energy flows; matter is recycled.
D. Energy flows; matter is recycled.
Why do ecosystems need a constant energy input?
A. Biodiversity cannot exist without disturbance.
B. Group behavior always requires sunlight.
C. Matter cannot be recycled.
D. Usable energy is continually lost as heat.
D. Usable energy is continually lost as heat.
Which human activities can alter ecosystems according to the presentation?
A. Habitat destruction, pollution, overharvesting, climate change, and introduction of invasive species.
B. Photosynthesis, metabolism, movement, and growth.
C. Finding food, locating mates, and raising offspring.
D. Schooling, herding, flocking, and parental care.
A. Habitat destruction, pollution, overharvesting, climate change, and introduction of invasive species.
Which set contains possible solutions listed in the presentation?
A. Metabolism, movement, growth, maintenance, and heat.
B. Competition, disease transmission, attracting predators, and finding food.
C. Habitat destruction, pollution, overharvesting, climate change, and invasive species.
D. Habitat restoration, wildlife corridors, sustainable harvesting, pollution reduction, invasive-species control, and conservation planning.
D. Habitat restoration, wildlife corridors, sustainable harvesting, pollution reduction, invasive-species control, and conservation planning.
At which scales can carrying capacity differ?
A. Individual, cellular, and molecular scales.
B. Daily, weekly, and monthly scales.
C. Producer, consumer, and decomposer scales.
D. Local, regional, and global scales.
D. Local, regional, and global scales.
Why do ecosystems generally support greater biomass and/or numbers at lower trophic levels?
A. Producers cannot capture energy.
B. Higher trophic levels receive all available energy.
C. Most energy is used for metabolism, movement, growth, maintenance, and released as heat.
D. Matter is destroyed at higher trophic levels.
C. Most energy is used for metabolism, movement, growth, maintenance, and released as heat.
What is a disturbance?
A. The movement of energy through trophic levels.
B. The largest population an environment can support.
C. A change in ecosystem conditions.
D. The process of raising offspring.
C. A change in ecosystem conditions.
What can reduced biodiversity do?
A. Decrease ecosystem stability and resilience.
B. Eliminate disturbances.
C. Increase ecosystem stability in every case.
D. Increase energy at higher trophic levels.
A. Decrease ecosystem stability and resilience.
What should be evaluated when judging a proposed solution?
A. Only cost.
B. Effectiveness, feasibility, cost, unintended consequences, and biodiversity outcomes.
C. Only effectiveness.
D. Only biodiversity.
B. Effectiveness, feasibility, cost, unintended consequences, and biodiversity outcomes.
How does energy primarily enter most ecosystems?
A. Through predation.
B. Through disease.
C. Through competition.
D. Through sunlight.
D. Through sunlight.
Why are long food chains difficult to sustain?
A. Matter stops being recycled.
B. Energy becomes increasingly limited.
C. Carrying capacity becomes global.
D. Biodiversity always decreases.
C. Carrying capacity becomes global.
What is resilience?
A. The number of trophic levels in an ecosystem.
B. The largest population an environment can support.
C. The ability of an ecosystem to resist change and/or recover after disturbance.
D. The amount of energy entering an ecosystem.
C. The ability of an ecosystem to resist change and/or recover after disturbance.
What should solutions address according to the presentation?
A. Only unintended consequences.
B. Causes, not only symptoms.
C. Only costs.
D. Symptoms, not causes.
B. Causes, not only symptoms.
How can group behavior affect organisms?
A. It can affect survival and reproductive success.
B. It can only affect carrying capacity.
C. It cannot affect reproduction.
D. It can only affect energy transfer.
A. It can affect survival and reproductive success.
What can some ecosystems use instead of sunlight as a source supporting primary production?
A. Habitat loss.
B. Inorganic chemical energy.
C. Disease transmission.
D. Competition.
B. Inorganic chemical energy.
What does the First Law of Thermodynamics state in the presentation?
A. Energy becomes more available at every transfer.
B. Energy can only come from sunlight.
C. Energy is transformed, not created or destroyed.
D. Energy is destroyed during every transfer.
C. Energy is transformed, not created or destroyed.
What may low-level disturbance cause?
A. Permanent loss of all biodiversity.
B. The creation of a new trophic level.
C. Temporary change with rapid recovery.
D. An increase in every trophic level.
C. Temporary change with rapid recovery.
Which sequence is the evidence-based design cycle presented?
A. Evaluate trade-offs → identify the problem → ignore causes → refine.
B. Identify the problem → research causes → propose solutions → evaluate trade-offs → refine → communicate.
C. Communicate → refine → identify the problem → stop.
D. Propose solutions → ignore causes → communicate → stop.
B. Identify the problem → research causes → propose solutions → evaluate trade-offs → refine → communicate.
Which is a possible benefit of group behavior?
A. Disease transmission.
B. Competition for food.
C. Protection.
D. Attracting predators.
C. Protection.