Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems Review

Which two spheres are directly involved when carbon is exchanged through the process of photosynthesis?

• Hydrosphere and Geosphere

• Biosphere and Geosphere

• Atmosphere and Biosphere

• Atmosphere and Geosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

Which of the following processes primarily moves carbon from the biosphere to the geosphere?

• The combustion of fossil fuels, releasing carbon into the atmosphere.

• The formation of sedimentary rock and fossil fuels over millions of years.

• The process of photosynthesis, where plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

• The decomposition of dead organisms, which releases carbon into the soil.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

How do animals and other consumers move carbon from living things back into the environment?

• They release carbon into the soil by breaking down inorganic material.

• They release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by the process of respiration.

• They obtain carbon from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis.

• They convert carbon compounds from the soil into oxygen and water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Heterotrophs are organisms that obtain energy by eating other organisms rather than producing their own food. How do heterotrophs contribute to the cycling of carbon in ecosystems?

• They give off carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during respiration.

• They take in carbon by eating other organisms and pass it through the food web, returning some to the atmosphere through cellular respiration.

• They decompose dead material, breaking down stored carbon compounds.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The diagram shows part of the carbon flow in an African grassland ecosystem. Which statement correctly explains how carbon moves through this system?

• The giraffe obtains carbon that originally came from plants in the form of food molecules.

• A single carbon atom may move quickly or slowly as it cycles from the atmosphere into plants and then into animals like giraffes.

• The total amount of carbon in the flow changes depending on seasonal increases or decreases in giraffe populations.

• As carbon moves between the giraffe, plants, and the atmosphere, it is always found in just one molecular form.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

In many lakes and ponds, the surface can freeze while the water below stays liquid, allowing fish and other organisms to survive. Which unique property of water explains why ice floats on liquid water?

• A. Water stores heat energy efficiently.

• B. Water can dissolve many different substances.

• C. Water expands when it freezes and becomes less dense than liquid water.

• D. Water has a low freezing point.

Plants can transport water from their roots to their leaves, even against gravity. Which special property of water allows this to happen?

• Water resists temperature changes.

• Water can dissolve many different substances.

• Water molecules stick to each other (cohesion).

• Liquid water is heavier than ice.

If producers in an ecosystem have a total of 30,000 kcal of energy, approximately how much energy would be available to the primary consumers?

• 3,000 kcal

• 300 kcal

• 30 kcal

• 3 kcal

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Which statement best describes how energy is distributed in this pyramid?

• Energy decreases at each higher level of the pyramid.

• Energy increases as you move up the pyramid.

• Energy remains the same at all levels of the pyramid.

• Energy is only present at the top level of the pyramid.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Refer to the energy pyramid diagram. Which statement is correct about the amount of available energy at different trophic levels?

• The amount of available energy decreases as you move up to higher trophic levels.

• All trophic levels have the same amount of available energy.

• The top predators have the most energy available.

• The producers at the bottom have the least energy.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

NGSS.MS-LS2-3