Standard 2 Environment Vocabulary Review

Which of the following is the main molecule used by cells to store and transfer energy?

• ATP

• Water

• Oxygen

• Glucose

What process do plants use to convert light energy into chemical energy?

• Photosynthesis

• Cellular respiration

• Nitrogen fixation

• Decomposition

Which term describes an organism that produces its own food from inorganic substances?

• Autotroph

• Heterotroph

• Decomposer

• Niche

What is the role of a decomposer in an ecosystem?

• Breaks down dead organisms and recycles nutrients

• Produces its own food

• Consumes only plants

• Fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere

Which cycle involves the movement of carbon through the atmosphere, living organisms, and the earth?

• Carbon cycle

• Nitrogen cycle

• Phosphorus cycle

• Water cycle

Explain how the nitrogen cycle and phosphorus cycle are important for ecosystem health.

• They recycle essential nutrients needed for plant and animal growth.

• They provide energy for photosynthesis.

• They produce oxygen for animals to breathe.

• They remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

A carbon sink is best described as:

• A reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases

• A process that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

• An organism that produces its own food

• A cycle that moves nitrogen through the environment

Which process is responsible for converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants?

• Nitrogen fixation

• Cellular respiration

• Photosynthesis

• Decomposition

If an ecosystem loses its decomposers, what would be the most likely consequence?

• Nutrients would not be recycled, leading to a buildup of dead material.

• More oxygen would be produced.

• The carbon cycle would speed up.

• Plants would stop photosynthesizing.

What is the 10% rule in the context of energy transfer in ecosystems?

• Only 10% of energy is lost as heat at each trophic level.

• Only 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next.

• 10% of organisms survive at each trophic level.

• 10% of biomass is produced at each level.