Nutrient Cycling MCQs (Quiz 7) Posted on May 30, 2026Author agropublishers 0 1. Which of the following is NOT a weathering agent? Wind Water Longitude Ice 2. In nutrient cycling, weathering is important because it _______________ Prevents soil formation Destroys nutrients permanently Removes all minerals from ecosystems Releases minerals and nutrients from rocks 3. In ecology, a nutrient budget is best defined as ________________________________________ The total number of organisms cycling nutrients in an ecosystem The quantitative balance between nutrient inputs, outputs, and internal storage within an ecosystem The rate at which decomposers break down organic matter The financial cost of replenishing soil nutrients through fertilizers 4. Carbonation is particularly important in the weathering of ________________ Quartzite Limestone Granite Basalt 5. Denitrification returns nitrogen to the atmosphere in which form? Ammonia (NH₃) Nitrites (NO₂⁻) Nitrogen gas (N₂) Nitrates (NO₃⁻) 6. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen gas (N₂) into _______________, is then readily used by plants Urea (CO(NH₂)₂) Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) Nitrates (NO₃⁻) Ammonia (NH₃) 7. Where is the primary reservoir of phosphorus in the sedimentary phosphorus cycle? Rocks and soil, where phosphorus is held in mineral deposits such as apatite The oceans, where phosphorus accumulates in deep water The atmosphere, where phosphorus circulates as gas Living organisms, which store most of the Earth’s phosphorus 8. Under aerobic conditions, plants absorb nitrogen mainly in the form of __________________ Nitrates Nitrogen Proteins Ammonia 9. Which of the following essential plant nutrients is primarily derived from the weathering of apatite rock? Potassium Nitrogen Carbon Phosphorus 10. Which nutrient is most susceptible to leaching from agricultural soils? Phosphate Calcium carbonate Nitrate Organic nitrogen Loading … Question 1 of 10
