Explain why it is more energy efficient (in terms of the amount of total NPP required) to eat a pound of tofu (bean curd) than a pound of hamburger.

The web of life refers to the .a. evolutionary relationships among living organisms;b. connections between species in an ecosystem;c. complicated nature of genetic variability;d. flow of information from parent to child;e. predatory effect of humans on the rest of the natural world

Which of the following would be considered an example of bioremediation?a. adding nitrogen-fixing microorganisms to a degraded ecosystem to increase nitrogen availabilityb. using a bulldozer to regrade a strip minec. reconfiguring the channel of a riverd. adding seeds of a chromium-accumulating plant to soil contaminated by chromium

Why are the open oceans nutrient poor? Why are coastal areas and intertidal habitats relatively nutrient rich?

If you applied a fungicide to a cornfield, what would you expect to happen to the rate of decomposition and net ecosystem production (NEP)?a. Both decomposition rate and NEP would decrease.b. Neither would change.c. Decomposition rate would increase and NEP would decrease.d. Decomposition rate would decrease and NEP would increase.

For which chemicals are biogeochemical cycles global? Explain.

Most of the nutrients available for plant growth in an ecosystem are .a. deposited in rain;b. made available through the recycling of decomposers;c. maintained within that ecosystem over time;d. B and C are correct;e. A, B, and C are correct

What roles do bacteria play in the nitrogen cycle?

Use Figures 34.5C and 34.18 to predict how global warming (rapid increase in Earth's average temperature; see Module 7.14) might affect the water cycle.