Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap Course List)
14th Edition
ISBN: 9781305073951
Author: Cecie Starr, Ralph Taggart, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr
Publisher: Cengage Learning
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Videos
Textbook Question
Chapter 6, Problem 3DAA
Energy Efficiency of Biofuel Production Most of the plant material currently used for biofuel production in the United States consists of food crops—mainly corn, soybeans, and sugarcane. In 2006, David Tilman and his colleagues published the results of a 10-year study comparing the net energy output of various biofuels. The researchers grew a mixture of native perennial grasses without irrigation, fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides, in sandy soil that was so depleted by intensive agriculture that it had been abandoned. They measured the usable energy in biofuels made from the grasses, and also from com and soy, then measured the energy it took to grow and produce biofuel from each kind of crop (FIGURE 6.18).
FIGURE 6 .18 Energy inputs and outputs of biofuels made from three different crops. One hectare is about 2 .5 acres.
3. Which of the three crops would require the least amount of land to produce a given amount of biofuel energy?
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solution
Students have asked these similar questions
3
On a maize farm in Ethiopia, the insolation energy is 5,654,875 calories/m^2/day. The gross productivity of the rice is 0.02742g/cm^2/day, and 35% of the energy is lost due to respiration. There are 4000 calories in 1 gram of maize. Calculate the net primary productivity of the maize and the efficiency of photosynthesis of maize. Show work below.
Form of energy
Kcal/m^2/yr
Efficiency of energy transfer (%)
Sunlight
600 000
n/a
Chemical energy in producers
6 585
Chemical energy in primary consumers
81
Calculate the efficiency of energy transfer by the producers. That is, what percentage of the energy in sunlight was converted into chemical energy and incorporated into plant biomass?
Calculate the efficiency of energy transfer by the primary consumers. What percentage of the energy in plant biomass was incorporated into the bodies of the primary consumers? What became of the rest of the energy?
How much energy is available for secondary consumers? Based on the efficiency of energy transfer by primary consumers, estimate how much energy will be available to tertiary consumers.
Draw a pyramid of production for the producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers for this ecosystem (see example in your textbook).
Chapter 6 Solutions
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap Course List)
Ch. 6 - A cat eats a bird, which ate a caterpillar that...Ch. 6 - Plants use__________ as an energy source to drive...Ch. 6 - Most of the carbon dioxide that plants use for...Ch. 6 - Which of the following statements is incorrect? a....Ch. 6 - Prob. 5SQCh. 6 - When a photosystem absorbs light, __________. a....Ch. 6 - Prob. 7SQCh. 6 - What accumulates inside the thylakoid compartment...Ch. 6 - The atoms in the molecular oxygen released during...Ch. 6 - Prob. 10SQ
Ch. 6 - Prob. 1DAACh. 6 - Energy Efficiency of Biofuel Production Most of...Ch. 6 - Energy Efficiency of Biofuel Production Most of...Ch. 6 - The Calvin-Benson cycle starts when a. light is...Ch. 6 - Which of the following substances does not...Ch. 6 - Closed stomata ________. a. limit gas exchange b....Ch. 6 - In C3 plants, ______ makes sugar production...Ch. 6 - Match each with its most suitable description....Ch. 6 - Prob. 1CTCh. 6 - While gazing into an aquarium, you see bubbles...Ch. 6 - AC3 plant absorbs a carbon radioisotope (as part...Ch. 6 - As you learned in this chapter, cell membranes arc...
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, biology and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- SCIENCE - WRITTEN WORK 4 Matching Type. Match column A with the correct answer in column B. Write only the letter of correct answer on a separate sheet of paper. COLUMN A 1. This is the cultivation of a single crop in large areas. Vast tracts of land are converted to rice farms, sugar farms, and coconut farms. 2. This is used by farmers to kill insect pests and weeds. 3. The continuous and uncontrolled use of this product may increase soil acidity, thus destroying soil structure. 4. This can include clearing the land for agriculture or grazing, or using the timber for fuel, construction, or manufacturing. 5. Farmers use plastic sheets as mulch to cover 50-70% of the soil and allow them to use drip irrigation systems to have better control over soil nutrients and moisture. 6. A huge amount of agricultural territory is used primarily as pasture for cattle and other livestock. 7. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria can move from farms to humans through food and airborne dust. _8. It is a…arrow_forward43. Two soil samples, A & B, at same soil moisture levels are placed in contact with each other. Water will more likely move from soil B to soil A if their osmotic potentials, expressed in kPa, are: O A=-30; B=-70 O A=-10; B=+10 O A=-60; B=-10 O A=-50; B=-100 OA=-20%; B=-20arrow_forwardBio medicine made from? Where does the plant grow of bio medicine? The history of bio medicine? Manufacturing process of bio medicine? The environmental and social and also economic impacts of producing this bio Medicine describe those question please. It'll great help if you help me.arrow_forward
- You grow cells from the same E. coli for 12 hours in two identical glucose-containing flasks under oxic conditions (Flask A) and anoxic conditions (Flask B). For each statement below, indicate (a) if it is an accurate statement, and (b) explain why. Observation i) Flask A will make more ATP ii) Flask B will have a higher amount of biomass Accurate Statement? Yes/No Yes/No Explain your choicearrow_forwardAzlina wanted to maximize the bio-char yield in her experiment so that she can utilize the biochar in the subsequent pot trials to improve the crop yield. She decided to run a torrefaction reaction on biomass at a moderate temperature of 240 oC whereby the biochar yield was 20 wt%. Later on, she found out that biochar can be produced by pyrolysis with a higher yield of 40 wt% but operating at a higher temperature of 500 oC. The amount of biochar yield almost doubled from her yield from the torrefaction process. Explain whether any error involved in her experiment, then describe the error involved and suggest the method to improve the biochar yield.arrow_forwardPlease write clearlyarrow_forward
- Tundra Enlarge Image Taiga A biome is large regional area of similar communities characterized by a dominant plant type and vegetative structure. Traditionally, biomes have been used to describe large geographical regions such as deserts, grasslands, forests, and tundras. The tundra occurs between the taiga and the permanently frozen polar regions while the taiga zone occupies a wide belt between the tundra and the temperate forests on the American and Eurasian continents. The plant and animal populations vary in these two biomes. H Q Search 1) Review the images of the two biomes, the tundra and the taiga. Notice that while there are about 1,700 kinds of plants there are virtually no tree species in the tundra. What are the limiting factors in preventing the immigration of tree species into the tundra? All BUT ONE could apply. -)) A) rocky, poor soil B) very short growing season C) the presence of permafrost D) winters are six months long 2) The taiga is the most extensive biome,…arrow_forwardQuestion 1 Which of the following statements describes the semi-dwarf wheat varieties developed in the Green Revolution? Their harvest is easier with heavy machinery. O They were bred for lodging sensitivity, which is an advantage in the field. As they are shorter, grain heads can touch the ground and give the plant more stability. These plants need more time to make enough carbohydrates to grow.arrow_forwardAccording to the water potential values shown in the image, which ones are wrong and why? W air (22 °C, 50% HR) -100 MPa Cas V sheet -0.2 MPa W stem -0.01 MPa to -0.1 MPa W soil -1 MPa to -0.51 MPa -4 MPa W root -0.1 MPa toarrow_forward
- Part F - How to determine transpiration rates by the whole plant method Which of the following best explains why the plant in front of the fan lost more mass than the control plant in normal room conditions? The leaves of the plant in front of the fan had the highest initial water potential and therefore lost the most water. The control plant had lower initial water potential in the root area and therefore lost less water. The control plant had a lower initial mass and so lost water at a decreased rate. The fan rapidly moves water molecules away from the leaf surface, lowering the water potential.arrow_forwardWhy will alcoholic fermentation preserve the nutritive value of fruit juice or grains in the absence of refrigeration? O alcoholic fermentation will lower the pH to -1 thus killing all microbes who would use up the nutrients in the fruit juice of grain the ethanol/alcohol inhibits the growth of spoilage microbes which would destroy the nutritive value of the plant juice or grain O it won't- this is a trick question!! O alcoholic fermentation increases the salt concentration which in turn inhibits growth of spoilage microbesarrow_forwardRate of mass loss Red maple White oak Chestnut oak Leaves with higher lignin content and lower nitrogen content lost mass at a lower rate. White Ash pine O Red maple Pin cherry Paper birch Sugar maple o New Hampshire Beech O On average, leaves decomposed at a slower rate in New Hampshire. Low Low High Lignin content Low High Nitrogen contentarrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap...BiologyISBN:9781305073951Author:Cecie Starr, Ralph Taggart, Christine Evers, Lisa StarrPublisher:Cengage Learning
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap...BiologyISBN:9781337408332Author:Cecie Starr, Ralph Taggart, Christine Evers, Lisa StarrPublisher:Cengage Learning
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap...
Biology
ISBN:9781305073951
Author:Cecie Starr, Ralph Taggart, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap...
Biology
ISBN:9781337408332
Author:Cecie Starr, Ralph Taggart, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Microbial Nutrition and Growth; Author: Scientist Cindy;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK3UkyWjkl8;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY