1. What is the defining characteristic of a closed system, such as a biodome?
- A. It completely prevents both energy and matter from entering or leaving.
- B. It allows energy to enter but prevents the exchange of matter with the outside.
- C. It relies on a constant external supply of water and nutrients to survive.
- D. It primarily functions by exporting waste materials to the surrounding environment.
2. Why is the constant recycling of materials like water and carbon essential for the long-term survival of organisms in a biodome?
- A. Because new matter cannot be introduced into the sealed environment.
- B. To generate the light energy that is needed for photosynthesis.
- C. To prevent the temperature inside the biodome from becoming too high.
- D. Because the system needs to export these materials to avoid pollution.
3. A biodome is functioning as a perfect closed system. What event would immediately change it into an open system?
- A. A breach in the dome's seal occurs.
- B. The sun's light is blocked for a day.
- C. All the plants inside die suddenly.
- D. The internal water cycle speeds up.
4. Which of the following provides the best analogy for the functioning of a biodome as a closed system?
- A. A flowing river.
- B. A fertilized garden plot.
- C. A sealed terrarium in sunlight.
- D. An island that trades with the mainland.
5. In a self-sustaining biodome, how is the flow of energy different from the cycling of matter?
- A. Energy is recycled internally, while new matter flows in from the outside.
- B. Energy flows through the system, while matter is cycled continuously within it.
- C. Both energy and matter are continuously recycled within the sealed system.
- D. Matter is converted into energy to power the system's life processes.
6. A biologist observes that the total biomass in a grassland ecosystem has been steadily decreasing for a year. What is the most fundamental explanation for this trend?
- A. The organisms have all migrated to a different ecosystem with more space.
- B. A change in weather patterns has made the environment less comfortable for the animals.
- C. There is not enough energy being captured and stored in the food web.
- D. The consumer populations have become more efficient at avoiding their predators.
7. Why does a severe shortage of Energy Storage Molecules lead to a "system-wide collapse" of a food web?
- A. It only affects the producers at the bottom.
- B. It causes widespread habitat destruction.
- C. All organisms are interconnected through the flow of energy.
- D. It forces all organisms to migrate to a new ecosystem simultaneously.
8. A severe drought kills most of the grass in a prairie ecosystem. What is the most likely immediate effect on the energy flow in this ecosystem?
- A. Carnivores will immediately learn to eat the dead grass for energy.
- B. The amount of available Energy Storage Molecules for herbivores will decrease.
- C. The overall biomass of the ecosystem will suddenly and dramatically increase.
- D. Decomposers will cease to function, and dead organic matter will not be recycled.
9. What is the most direct consequence for an organism that cannot obtain sufficient Energy Storage Molecules?
- A. It will immediately adapt to a new food source.
- B. Its essential life functions will be impaired.
- C. It will develop new methods of photosynthesis.
- D. It will increase its water intake to compensate.
10. Which of the following is the most direct evidence of a systemic depletion of Energy Storage Molecules in an ecosystem?
- A. A temporary increase in rainfall.
- B. The introduction of a new, non-native species.
- C. Organisms shrinking in mass and ceasing to reproduce.
- D. A shift in the seasonal migration patterns of a single bird species.