HUMAN BIOLOGY

470 Chapter 24

Changes that are already occuring

due to global warming include melting

polar ice and rising sea levels in several

coastal areas around the globe, includ-

ing the eastern and southeastern United

States and parts of Southeast Asia. In

the future we can expect to see more

government efforts to protect coastal ecosystem features,

including wetlands and sandy shorelines. In some vulnerable

areas plans are under way to change building codes and even

move residents to higher ground.

your future

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2. Explain the difference between an organism’s habitat and
   its niche.


3. Define and give examples of the different feeding levels in
   ecosystems. Which feeding level is most likely to include
   most humans?


4. Explain the difference between a food chain and a food web
   in an ecosystem.


5. Describe the reservoirs and organisms involved in the
   carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle.

seLf-Quiz Answers in Appendix VI

1. can be thought of as an ecosystem.
   a. A freshwater spring c. A city
   b. A rain forest d. All of the above


2. Ecosystems have.
   a. energy gains and losses c. one feeding level
   b. nutrient cycling but not losses d. a and b


3. is the study of how organisms interact with
   one another as well as with their physical and chemical
   environment.


4. Feeding levels can be described as.
   a. structured feeding relationships
   b. who eats whom in an ecosystem
   c. a hierarchy of energy transfers
   d. all of the above


5. A feeding relationship that proceeds from algae to a fish,
   then to a fisherman, and then to a shark is.
   a. a food chain c. a and b
   b. a food web


6. Primary productivity is affected by.
   a. photosynthesis and energy use by plants
   b. how many plants are neither eaten nor decomposed
   c. rainfall
   d. temperatures
   e. all of the above


7. Match the following terms with the suitable description.
   ecological pyramid a. water or nutrients
   biogeochemical moving from the
   ecosystem parts cycle environment to
   primary organisms, then back
   b. producers, con-
   sumers, productivity
   decomposers
   c. producers capturing
   and storing energy
   in their tissues
   d. energy relationships
   in an ecosystem

CritiCaL tHinKing

1. Imagine and describe a situation whereby you would be a
   link (not the top predator) in a food chain.


2. The use of off-road recreational vehicles may double in the
   next 20 years. Enthusiasts would like increased access to
   government-owned deserts like the one shown in Figure
   24.1A. Some argue that deserts are the perfect places
   for off-roaders because “there’s nothing there.” Explain
   whether you agree, and why.


3. If you were growing a vegetable garden, what variables
   might affect its net primary production?

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