Earth Spheres
Which sphere of Earth contains all the water in oceans, rivers, lakes, and groundwater?
Hydrosphere
The highest level of organization, containing all ecosystems on Earth.
Biosphere
Primary consumers are also known as ___________.
Herbivores
The percent of energy usually passed from one trophic level to the next.
10%
The total energy captured by producers through photosynthesis.
gross primary productivity (GPP)
Volcanic eruptions mainly involve which two Earth spheres interacting?
Geosphere and Atmosphere
A school of fish swimming together is an example of which level?
Population
Which group of organisms makes up the first trophic level in all ecosystems?
Producers
This process allows energy to enter the ecosystem.
Photosynthesis
Which ecosystem has higher NPP: tundra, desert, temperate deciduous forests, tropical rainforest or cultivated land?
tropical rainforest
Farmers build irrigation systems to bring water to crops. Which spheres are interacting?
Hydrosphere and Biosphere
A rainforest with monkeys, trees, insects, and rainfall is an example of what level?
Ecosystem
Which organisms use light energy to produce their own food?
Photoautotrophs
The term for the amount of energy stored in organisms’ bodies and available to the next level.
Biomass
If GPP is 1,500 units and producers use 900 units for respiration, what is the NPP?
600 units
Which sphere stores carbon in fossil fuels?
Geosphere
In a rainforest, researchers observe that cutting down trees decreases the number of bird species, which later affects insect numbers. At what level of organization is this interaction best described?
Community
Earthworms, millipedes, and dung beetles feed on dead organic matter and break it into smaller pieces. What are they called?
Detritivores
Energy enters a system as sunlight and a producer is able to produce 10 kilograms of tissue. If eaten, the producer would produce about ________ kilogram(s) of consumer tissue that would provide about ________ kilogram(s) of tissue for a secondary consumer.
A) 100; 10
B) 10; 1
C) 100; 1
D) 1; 0.1
D) 1; 0.1
This term refers to the rate at which producers convert the energy they capture into biomass that is available to consumers.
net primary productivity (NPP)
If glaciers melt, which two spheres are directly involved?
Hydrosphere and Geosphere
A marine biologist studies how a pod of dolphins interacts with the ocean currents, temperature, and fish populations. Which level of biological organization is this?
Ecosystem
These are organisms that can belong to more than one trophic level.
Omnivores
Why are food chains usually limited to 4–5 trophic levels?
Energy runs out before more levels can be supported.
This freshwater aquatic biomes has the highest productivity per unit area because of abundant light and nutrients in shallow water.
Swamp and Marshes