Leader: Julie
Course: Bio 211 (2)
Instructor: Biederman
Supplemental Instruction
Date:
Iowa State University
1.Explain what a primary producer , a primary consumer, and a secondary consumer is…
Chapter 59
Ecosystem Ecology
2. An organism’s trophic level refers to what?
3. Trophic-level transfer efficiency is the amount of energy at one tropic level that is acquired by
the tropic level above and incorporated into biomass. About how much is usually passed on
percentage wise?
4. Why is a diagram of energy flow from trophic level to tropic level shaped like a pyramid?
5. Gross primary production (GPP) is what?
6. Net primary production (NPP) is equal to what?
7.What is the name of the process that removes nitrogen from the atmosphere?
8.Most food webs studied to date have chains consisting of _____ links maximum.
a. 5
b. 6
c. 7
d. 8
9.Which best describes what happens to chemical energy that is not converted to new biomass in the
process of energy transfer between tropic levels in an ecosystem?
a. It recycles through the environment like energy does
b. It is lost as heat according to the 1st law of thermodynamics
c. It is lost as heat according to the 2nd law of thermodynamics
d. What is thermodynamics?
10.Which is the proper order of the tropic levels?
e. Primary producer, secondary consumer, primary consumer, tertiary consumer
f. Primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer, primary producer
g. Primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, , tertiary consumer
Supplemental Instruction
1060 Hixson-Lied Student Success Center  294-6624  www.si.iastate.edu
h. Primary consumer, tertiary consumer, secondary consumer, , primary producer
11.Global warming is caused by the magnified greenhouse effect due to an increase in what
atmospheric molecule?
12.What does the ozone (O3) layer do for us?
13. Describe the Terrestrial Nitrogen Cycle (a diagram may be helpful).
14. Describe the global water cycle (a diagram may be helpful).