A38fiffAnswers
ANSWERS TO FIGURE QUESTIONS
Figure 21.3
Q1: What percentage of the original 10,000 Kilocalories is
available to a shark that might eat the tuna in this figure?
A1: 1%.
Q2: What trophic level and term would describe a predator
of tuna?
A2: A predator of tuna would be at the fifth trophic level and a
quaternary consumer.
Q3: Give an example of a primary consumer in a terrestrial
environment.
A3: Possible answers include deer, a grasshopper, a seed-eating
bird, a mouse.
Figure 21.4
Q1: Which organisms are the producers in this ecosystem?
A1: Phytoplankton.
Q2: How do nutrients flow from the abiotic to the biotic
components of the ecosystem?
A2: Via photosynthesis and uptake from the surrounding water.
Q3: How do nutrients flow from the biotic to the abiotic
components of the ecosystem?
A3: Via decomposers.
Figure 21.5
Q1: How is a decomposer different from a more typical consumer?
A1: Decomposers feed off of only dead organic matter (dead plants
or animals). All other types of consumers feed off of live plants and
animals.
Q2: What is the difference between how carbon is brought into the
biotic portion of the ecosystem, and how other nutrients, such as
phosphorus, are brought in?A2: Carbon is pulled from the air during photosynthesis, whereas
other nutrients are pulled in from the soil.Q3: Describe all the points at which heat is lost in this figure.A3: During the survival and reproduction of producers,
consumers, and decomposers.Figure 21.9
Q1: Which terrestrial biome has the lowest NPP? Which aquatic
biome?A1: The lowest terrestrial NPP appears to occur in the desert and
tundra biomes in the terrestrial map, and in the marine biome of
the open ocean in the aquatic map.Q2: Where are the most productive terrestrial biomes located?A2: They appear to be mainly near the equator.Q3: Give a possible reason for your answer to question 2.A3: More sunlight reaches Earth at the equator, so larger
populations of producers can be supported.Figure 21.10
Q1: In what years were chlorophyll levels the highest?A1: 1999 and 2008.Q2: In what years were the temperature changes from the average
the greatest?A2: 2000 (low), 2003–4 (high), and 2008 (low).Q3: How do you predict this graph will look 10 years from now?A3: If the world’s oceans are warming, then the chlorophyll levels
may continue to decrease.