BIS 2B - Ecosystems Exam Questions with Verified Solutions Latest Update 2026/2027
what is NPP? - Answers net primary productivity, amount of actual production of sugars that
organisms can consume
what is GPP? - Answers gross primary productivity, the rate of photosynthesis
equation for NPP? - Answers GPP - (rate of respiration)
where is NPP highest? - Answers in the tropics or tropical rainforests due to stable moisture and
temperatures
what is Lindeman's Law of 10%? - Answers on avergae, about 10% of energy available at one
trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level
what are primary producers? - Answers photosynthesizers of an ecosystem
what is respiring? - Answers using energy to keep cells alive at all times
what is detritus? - Answers stuff that is not eaten y consumers in the system like leaves that fall
to the ground and decay, get decomposed by decomposers
what are tertiary consumers? - Answers carnivores that eat the secondary consumers
what is consumption efficiency? - Answers what fraction of available biomass that can be
ingested by consumers
what is ecological efficiency? - Answers proportion of net primary energy that becomes new
secondary energy
what is assimilation efficiency? - Answers fraction of ingested biomass that can be broken
down in digestion
what is production efficiency? - Answers fraction of biomass that can be used as new growth
and storage
what is the number of trophic levels in an ecosystem limited by? - Answers available energy
(primary productivity) and efficiency of energy transfer across trophic levels
what is the equation for ecological efficiency? - Answers consumption x assimilation x
production efficiencies
what is one of the biggest movers of carbon on the planet? - Answers photosynthesis
what is the dead zone? - Answers region of the ocean with low oxygen concentration due to
nitrogen and phosphorus runoff that causes algae to die and causes less dissolved oxygen in
the ocean
what is NPP? - Answers net primary productivity, amount of actual production of sugars that
organisms can consume
what is GPP? - Answers gross primary productivity, the rate of photosynthesis
equation for NPP? - Answers GPP - (rate of respiration)
where is NPP highest? - Answers in the tropics or tropical rainforests due to stable moisture and
temperatures
what is Lindeman's Law of 10%? - Answers on avergae, about 10% of energy available at one
trophic level is transferred to the next trophic level
what are primary producers? - Answers photosynthesizers of an ecosystem
what is respiring? - Answers using energy to keep cells alive at all times
what is detritus? - Answers stuff that is not eaten y consumers in the system like leaves that fall
to the ground and decay, get decomposed by decomposers
what are tertiary consumers? - Answers carnivores that eat the secondary consumers
what is consumption efficiency? - Answers what fraction of available biomass that can be
ingested by consumers
what is ecological efficiency? - Answers proportion of net primary energy that becomes new
secondary energy
what is assimilation efficiency? - Answers fraction of ingested biomass that can be broken
down in digestion
what is production efficiency? - Answers fraction of biomass that can be used as new growth
and storage
what is the number of trophic levels in an ecosystem limited by? - Answers available energy
(primary productivity) and efficiency of energy transfer across trophic levels
what is the equation for ecological efficiency? - Answers consumption x assimilation x
production efficiencies
what is one of the biggest movers of carbon on the planet? - Answers photosynthesis
what is the dead zone? - Answers region of the ocean with low oxygen concentration due to
nitrogen and phosphorus runoff that causes algae to die and causes less dissolved oxygen in
the ocean
