APES Chapter 3 Study Guide
1. What are the parts of the Nitrogen cycle and what happens during that part of the cycle
(FixNAAD ANPAN)? Which organisms are primarily responsible for the processes occurring in the
Nitrogen Cycle?
2. What are the different names (and roles they play) for the organisms within the trophic levels?
(example: autotroph/producer, scavenger…
3. Define the following terms: Leaching, Resistance, Resilience, cultural service, regulating service,
provision, ecosystem.
4. What is instrumental value? Give examples.
5. What is the intermediate disturbance hypothesis?
6. What is restoration ecology?
7. What are some effects of clear cutting forested areas?
8. What is a watershed?
9. What are limiting nutrients? What happens when you introduce a limiting nutrient such as
Phosphorus to a water way?
10. Describe the phosphorus cycle, what are some major sources on land, in water?
11. Describe the composition of the atmosphere.
12. Describe the Carbon Cycle. What effect does deforestation have on the Carbon Cycle? What are
possible factors that can increase CO2 in the atmosphere?
13. Which element is the most important with respect to living organisms?
14. Describe the Hydrologic Cycle. What are the effects of algal blooms? How do they form?
15. Trace the flow of energy through an ecological pyramid. How much energy is lost between the
levels? Where does this energy go? Which law best describes this energy loss?
16. Which type of organisms occupy the lowest trophic level? Highest trophic level?
17. Calculate the NPP of an ecosystem where the GPP is 5.6 kg C/m2/yr and the rate of cellular
respiration is 2.4 kg C/m2/yr.
18. How much of the sun’s energy is available for photosynthesis?
19. What is the difference between a food chain and a food web? Which is a more accurate
depiction?
20. Which types of organisms undergo cellular respiration?
21. What is the formula for cellular respiration and photosynthesis?
22. Give examples of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem.