Chapter 15: Terrestrial Ecosystems

Question 0

What characteristics are biomes based on?

Answer 0

Vegetation

Question 1

What term describes categories of ecosystems based on vegetation characteristics?

Answer 1

Biomes

Question 2

What are the primary producers in terrestrial ecosystems?

Answer 2

Plants

Question 3

What is critical for primary production to be available in terrestrial ecosystems?

Answer 3

Soils, soil quality

Question 4

What forms through microbial decomposition of plant and animal matter?

Answer 4

Soil

Question 5

What two things does soil combine with?

Answer 5

Abiotic minerals, Excreted nutrients

Question 6

What are the layers that soil forms called?

Answer 6

Horizons

Question 7

What is a soil horizon based on?

Answer 7

Physical characteristics

Question 8

What is the deepest layer of soil?

Answer 8

Bedrock

Question 9

What soil horizon is mostly inorganic matter?

Answer 9

C Horizon

Question 10

What is the B Horizon also known as?

Answer 10

Subsoil

Question 11

What horizon is extremely rich in organic soils?

Answer 11

A Horizon

Question 12

What is the A Horizon also known as?

Answer 12

Topsoil

Question 13

What soil horizon is exposed organic matter on the soil surface?

Answer 13

O Horizon

Question 14

What horizon layer is actively undergoing the process of decomposition?

Answer 14

O Horizon

Question 15

What is soil composed of on a macroscopic level?

Answer 15

Solid, pore

Question 16

What can be seen within a soil pore?

Answer 16

Root, Fungal hyphae, Particle aggregate

Question 17

What can be seen surrounding the fungal hyphae in soil?

Answer 17

Humic material, Clay Particles, Bacteria

Question 18

What results in the incomplete breakdown on lignin?

Answer 18

Humic material

Question 19

Where do microbes aggregate near in soil?

Answer 19

Pores

Question 20

Why do microbes aggregate near pores in soil?

Answer 20

Access nutrients/water

Question 21

What is lignin/lignocellulose degraded by?

Answer 21

Extracellular enzymes

Question 22

What type of microbe are extracellular enzymes mostly secreted by?

Answer 22

Fungi

Question 23

What is the area of soil immediately surrounding plant roots possessing large amounts of organic carbon?

Answer 23

Rhizosphere

Question 24

What is the cause of rhizospheres having higher numbers of microbes than bulk soil?

Answer 24

Excess carbon

Question 25

What can result between plants and microbes in the rhizosphere?

Answer 25

Symbiosis

Question 26

What symbiotic benefit do plants give to microbes?

Answer 26

Organic carbon

Question 27

What type of microbe benefits from a rhizosphere?

Answer 27

Heterotrophic

Question 28

What 4 benefits do microbes provide for plants in the rhizosphere?

Answer 28

Hormone production, Antibiotic production, Nitrogen fixation, Phosphate solubilization

Question 29

What term describes the use of microbes to consume and remove human made materials from soil?

Answer 29

Bioremediation

Question 30

What term describes chemicals not normally found in nature?

Answer 30

Xenobiotics

Question 31

What term describes xenobiotic’s characteristic of being difficult to degrade quickly?

Answer 31

Recalcitrant

Question 32

What term describes the addition of oxygen and limiting nutrients which promotes microbial activity?

Answer 32

Biostimulation

Question 33

What term describes the addition of a nutrient that stimulates a broad substrate-range degradation pathway?

Answer 33

Cometabolism

Question 34

What term describes specific addition of a known degrading microbe to a contaminated environment?

Answer 34

Bioaugmentation