Name______Block______

Biogeochemical Cycles Practice

  1. Which of the following is NOT a human intervention in the nitrogen cycle?
  1. Large amounts of nitric oxide (NO) are released into the atmosphere by smokestacks which can cause acid rain.
  2. Nitrous oxide (N20) is added to the atmosphere through the action of bacteria on livestock waste.
  3. Large amounts of nitrogen are released into the atmosphere as forests are cleared.
  4. Large amounts of nitrates are added to the Chesapeake Bay causing a eutrophic zone.
  5. Specialized bacteria convert ammonia into nitrate and then into nitrate gas reducing nitrogen availability to plants.
  1. The hydrologic cycle is the movement of
  2. carbon
  3. hydrogen
  4. hydrocarbons
  5. carbohydrates
  6. water
  1. How much of the earth’s water supply is available as accessible liquid freshwater?
  2. 10%
  3. 1%
  4. 0.024%
  5. 21%
  6. 97
  1. The hydrologic cycle is driven primarily by
  2. solar energy
  3. lunar tides
  4. solar tides
  5. mechanical energy
  6. chemical energy
  1. Which of the following is not one of the major processes of the water cycle?
  2. lunar tides
  3. evaporation
  4. transpiration
  5. precipitation
  6. none of these
  1. Precipitation can take several paths when it reaches the earth’s surface. Which of the following is not one of those paths?
  2. surface runoff into lakes, streams, and the ocean
  3. storage as ice in glaciers
  4. storage as groundwater in aquifers
  5. permanent storage as part of rocks
  6. storage in living components of ecosystems
  1. Which of the following is a way that humans alter the water cycle?
  2. withdraw large quantities from streams, lakes, and aquifers
  3. increase runoff by clearing vegetation from the land
  4. alter weather patterns by clearing vegetation
  5. increase flooding by disturbing natural flood controls
  6. all of these
  1. Which of the following statements is false?
  2. Water exists as a liquid over a wide temperature range.
  3. Water contracts when it freezes.
  4. Water filters out wavelengths of UV radiation.
  5. It takes a large amount of energy to evaporate water.
  6. Liquid water is a good solvent.
  1. Which of the following is a primary link between photosynthesis and aerobic respiration?
  2. phosphorus
  3. sulfur
  4. hydrogen
  5. carbon
  6. nitrogen
  1. Carbon is a major component of
  2. water
  3. the oceans
  4. organic compounds
  5. the atmosphere
  6. hydrologic cycle
  1. Humans intervene in the nitrogen cycle in several ways. Which of the following is not one of those ways?
  2. Burning fossil fuels adds nitric oxide.
  3. Agriculture releases nitrous oxides.
  4. Destruction of forests releases nitrogen.
  5. We store nitrogen in the topsoil when we harvest nitrogen rich crops.
  6. Agriculture using fertilizers adds nitrogen to aquatic systems.
  1. Nitrogen is a major component of all of the following except
  2. proteins
  3. nucleic acids
  4. groundwater
  5. ammonia
  6. DNA
  1. The form of nitrogen most usable to plants is
  2. ammonia
  3. nitrogen gas
  4. proteins
  5. nitrites
  6. nitrates
  1. Which of the following is not a part of the phosphorus cycle?
  2. soil
  3. atmosphere
  4. organisms
  5. rocks
  6. marine sediments
  1. The major limiting plant nutrient is
  2. calcium
  3. phosphorus
  4. sulfur
  5. nitrogen
  6. potassium
  1. Much of the earth’s sulfur is stored in
  2. plants and animals
  3. the oceans
  4. the atmosphere
  5. underground rocks and minerals
  6. soil
  1. Sulfur is added to the atmosphere in all the following ways except
  2. from volcanoes
  3. anaerobic decomposition in swamps
  4. eating meat
  5. sea spray
  6. acid rain deposition
  1. Humans add sulfur to the atmosphere through which of the following?
  2. making electricity
  3. making gasoline
  4. converting metallic minor ores to free metals
  5. refining heating oil
  6. all of these
  1. Which of the following cycles does NOT include an atmospheric component?
  2. Nitrogen
  3. Water
  4. Carbon
  5. Sulfur
  6. Phosphorus
  1. The primary means by which humans intervene with the sulfur cycle is
  2. By burning coal and releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere that can cause acid deposition
  3. Sulfate particles entering from sea spray, dust storms, and forest fires
  4. Marine algae producing large amounts of dimethyl sulfide that serve as nuclei for condensation of water droplets in clouds
  5. The storage of sulfur underground for long periods of time as minerals
  6. The release of hydrogen sulfide through the action of decomposers breaking down organic matter