Active Lecture Questions for
BIOLOGY, Eighth Edition
Neil Campbell & Jane Reece
Chapter 37
Soil and Plant Nutrition
Questions prepared by
Ruth Buskirk,
University of Texas at Austin
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
All of the following contribute directly to the
composition of soil except which one?
a) weathering of source rock
b) remains of dead organisms
c) water and air
d) energy from the sun
e) materials secreted by living organisms
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Which of these best describes cation exchange in
soils?
a) Cations are exchanged for anions on soil particles.
b) Cation exchange determines the pH of the soil.
c) Mineral cations are displaced from soil particles by
H+.
d) Plant root hairs take up cations.
e) Plant root hairs take up anions.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
If particles of soil have a negative charge, which of
the following is most likely to occur during
leaching, when water percolates through the soil
after a heavy rain?
a) Equal amounts of K+ and HCO3– will be lost into the
groundwater.
b) More Ca2+ and Mg2+ than anions are lost into the
groundwater.
c) More Cl– and HCO3– than cations are lost into the
groundwater.
d) More anions become available for root uptake.
e) More cations become available for root uptake.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
What is an advantage of using organic fertilizer that
is not true for inorganic fertilizer?
a) It contains all three major nutrients: N, P, and K.
b) It contains carbohydrates that plants use.
c) It is made in controlled industrial processes.
d) It releases nutrients more slowly, resisting leaching.
e) Its nutrients are immediately available to plants.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Why was it easier to determine plant mineral
requirements in experiments using hydroponic
culture rather than soil in pots?
a) With hydroponics, it is easier to ensure the plant has
sufficient water.
b) With hydroponics, it is easier to omit one mineral at
a time for testing.
c) With hydroponics, plant roots do not require O2.
d) With hydroponics, differential results can be seen
even before the plants reach maturity.
e) With hydroponics, light and CO2 requirements for
photosynthesis can be controlled more easily.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Nutrients with which of the following functions are
required by plants in the smallest quantity?
a) enzyme cofactors for occasional processes
b) nutrients required for chlorophyll synthesis
c) atoms in carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids
d) ions for regulation of stomatal opening
e) cofactors for plant cell wall stability
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Which of the following is an example of
phytoremediation?
a) Plants secrete H+ ions that modify the soil pH.
b) The mesh of roots holds soil in place, preventing
erosion.
c) Plants take in atmospheric CO2, limiting global
warming.
d) Plant decomposition returns many minerals to the
soil.
e) Plants take up and concentrate excess zinc from
soils.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Which of the following indicates that Rhizobium
bacteria have evolved to be symbiotic with legume
plants?
a) All nitrogen-fixing bacteria are symbiotic.
b) Rhizobium bacteria cannot survive outside plants.
c) Rhizobium bacteria have anaerobic metabolism to
prevent O2 interference with nitrogen fixation.
d) Rhizobium take a bacteroid form and activate
nitrogenase only when inside root nodules.
e) Plants use ammonia from the Rhizobium bacteria to
make amino acids.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
Experiments showed that legumes (alfalfa) and
symbiotic bacteria treated with various pesticides
had lower productivity than in control plants.
Which aspect of the nitrogen fixation mutualism
would you expect to be associated with the reduced
plant growth?
a) Nitrogen-fixing bacteria were killed by the pesticide.
b) Treated plants formed nodules much later than controls.
c) Nitrogen-fixing bacteria infected plant roots at a higher rate
than in controls.
d) Nitrogen-fixing bacteria produced excessive amounts of
nitrogenase in response to the pesticide.
e) Plants switched to other forms of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.
All of the following are true about mycorrhizal
associations except which one?
a) The fungus stimulates root growth in the plant.
b) The fungus gets carbohydrates from the plant.
c) The fungus increases the surface area for water
uptake.
d) Mycorrhizal associations are only common in highly
specialized plants.
e) Mycorrhizal associations are most helpful to plants
living in nutrient-poor soils.
Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin Cummings.