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