52. Ecosystems

Which of the following is a key part of the carbon cycle?

Most of the sunlight that reaches Earth __________.

Which of the following best describes an ecosystem?

In any ecosystem, there are always more:

Bacteria are especially important in making __________ available to plants.

Which of the following is true of the nitrogen cycle?

What is the main abiotic reservoir for elements, such as calcium and phosphorus, involved in local biogeochemical cycles?

Based on the law of conservation of energy, ecosystem ecologists can make which of the following assertions?

Local conditions such as heavy rainfall or the removal of plants may limit the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, or calcium available to a particular ecosystem, but the amount of carbon available to the system is seldom a problem. Why?

Photosynthetic organisms are called __________.

The main decomposers in an ecosystem are __________.

The biggest difference between the flow of energy and the flow of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem is that __________.

In the transition from each trophic level of the food chain to the next trophic level, there is about a __________.