In Terms of Nutrient Cycling, Why Does Timber Harvesting in a Temperate

question 72

Multiple Choice

In terms of nutrient cycling, why does timber harvesting in a temperate forest cause less ecological devastation than timber harvesting in tropical rain forests?

• A) Trees are generally less numerous in temperate forests, so fewer nutrients will be removed from the temperate forest ecosystem during a harvest.
• B) Temperate forest tree species require fewer nutrients to survive than their tropical counterpart species, so a harvest removes fewer nutrients from the temperate ecosystem.
• C) The warmer temperatures in the tropics influence rain forest species to assimilate nutrients more slowly, so tropical nutrient absorption is much slower than in temperate forests.
• D) There are far fewer decomposers in tropical rain forests, so turning organic matter into usable nutrients is a slower process than in temperate forest ecosystems.
• E) Typical harvests remove up to 75% of the nutrients in the woody trunks of tropical rain forest trees, leaving nutrient-impoverished soils behind.

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Definitions:

Visual Preference

The tendency to preferentially pay attention to certain visual stimuli over others, often studied in the context of infant and child development.

Stimulus

Any external or internal event or factor that can provoke a response from an organism or a system.

High-Amplitude Sucking

A method used in developmental research where infants control the presentation of stimuli by varying their sucking strength.

Attention

The act of focusing thought or consciousness on a specific subject or activity.