CLEP Biology Ecosystems and Energy Flow 2

Question 1

Which ecological term describes the total mass of living organisms in a given area at a given time?

Accepted Answer

Biomass

Answer

Biomass refers to the total mass of living organic matter in an ecosystem or trophic level.

Question 2

In a food web, detritivores play which role?

Accepted Answer

They feed on dead organic matter and break it into smaller pieces

Answer

Detritivores such as earthworms and millipedes consume dead organic material, physically breaking it down before decomposers chemically process it.

Question 3

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) minus plant respiration equals:

Accepted Answer

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

Answer

Net Primary Productivity (NPP) is the energy available to consumers after plants use some GPP for their own cellular respiration.

Question 4

Which biome stores the greatest amount of carbon per unit area in above-ground plant biomass?

Accepted Answer

Tropical rainforest

Answer

Tropical rainforests have the highest above-ground plant biomass and therefore store more carbon per unit area than any other terrestrial biome.

Question 5

The 'green world hypothesis' suggests that herbivore populations are kept in check primarily by:

Accepted Answer

Predation and disease

Answer

The green world hypothesis proposes that top-down control by predators and parasites prevents herbivores from consuming all available plant material.

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