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Ecology > Ch 9-End > Flashcards

Ch 9-End Flashcards

1
Q

During the 1970’s, the Chinese government introduced a variety of measures aimed at controlling the growth of the country’s population because

A

Leadership had good cause to believe that uncontrolled population growth would result in devastating environmental impact affecting its ability to maintain adequate food supplies for its citizens

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2
Q

Which of the following is an unintended consequence of China’s one-child policy, according to your text

A

Concern that a shrinking work force will not be able to provide the needs of an aging population

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3
Q

As of 2014, global population was

A

7 billion and growing by 70 million per year

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4
Q

Which of the following countries or regions has the highest growth rate as of 2012?

A

Mali

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5
Q

Given a fixed, positive percent growth rate, population size will

A

Increase by growing increments with each successive generation

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6
Q

Which of the following is not a consequence of human population growth?

A

Declining infant mortality

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7
Q

T/F:According to the IPAT model, increased affluence causes increased environmental impact

A

True

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8
Q

In the modified IPATS equation, the S stands for

A

Sensitivity

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9
Q

According to the study of Haberl et al. (2007), the greatest consumption of NPP (net primary productivity) by humans occurs in

A

Densely populated, intensely cultivated areas

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10
Q

The difference between demographers and population ecologists is

A

Both study the same phenomena but demographers deal exclusively with human populations

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11
Q

A population pyramid with a wide base and narrow top depicts a population that is

A

Increasing rapidly

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12
Q

Overall, human male births have a slight preponderance over female births. This phenomenon is due to

A

An adaptive trait which compensates for the slightly higher death rate among males vs. females

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13
Q

The European TFR (total fertility rate) of 1.6 means that overall, in the absence of immigration, Europe’s future population will

A

Shrink

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14
Q

Since 1990, the annual growth rate of human population has

A

Decreased in all areas, regardless of development status

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15
Q

In the demographic transition model, the “transitional stage” is characterized by

A

An moderately declining birth rate and steeply declining death rate

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16
Q

La Ferrara et al. 2012 showed a covariance between a declining fertility in most Brazilian age groups and the geographical range of the broadcast network, Globo. Which of the following was not cited as evidence that there was a causal relationship between fertility and Globo programming?

A

Polling results from women in Globo’s signal area

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17
Q

According to Hooke et al. (2012), which of the following may be the most significant element of global change for decades to come?

A

Changes in land use

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18
Q

According to Hooke et al. (2012), which of the following categories of land has steadily decreased as a percentage of total ice-free land area since 1700?

A

Forest

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19
Q

According to Hooke et al. (2012), which of the following categories of human-modified land is the largest percentage of total ice-free land?

A

Pasture

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20
Q

According to Hooke et al. (2012), which of the following is a corrective for overshoot

A

All of the above

Reduce demand

Develop technological solutions

Reduce populations

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21
Q

The difference between cropland and rangeland is

A

Cropland is used to grow plants; rangeland is used to grow animals

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22
Q

The earliest widely accepted evidence of agriculture comes from

A

The “Fertile Crescent”

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23
Q

The dominant component of soil is

A

Weathered rock

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24
Q

Based on the definition of “humus,” in which of the following soil horizons is it most abundant?

A

A horizon

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25
Q

Which of the following descriptors of soil texture is not associated with a specific particle size?

A

Loam

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26
Q

Which of the following statements regarding cation exchange is untrue?

A

Soils with high acidity have high cation exchange capacity

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27
Q

Soil in rain forests are

A

Most subject to leaching of nutrients from the A horzion

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28
Q

All of the following contribute to soil degradation except which one?

A

Deposition of eroded sediment in river flood plains

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29
Q

Which state experienced the greatest soil degradation during the “Dust Bowl” period of the early 1930’s?

A

Kansas

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30
Q

Desertification forces more people onto marginally productive land, making desertification more likely. This is an example of

A

A positive feedback loop

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31
Q

Inclusion of legumes in crop rotation programs provides which benefit distinct to this plant type?

A

Increase in fixed nitrogen

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32
Q

In agriculture, cover crops are employed for what primary purpose?

A

Reduce erosion

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33
Q

No-till cultivation is employed on the greatest percentage of agricultural land in which country or region?

A

Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay

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34
Q

What percent of Earth’s freshwater is employed in irrigation?

A

0.7

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35
Q

Salinization is caused by

A

Over irrigation in arid climates

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36
Q

On average US government payments to farmers constitute about what fraction of their income?

A

0.2

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37
Q

The draining of wetlands for conversion to agricultural and urban use has reduced wetlands to what percent of their original extent in the U.S.?

A

about 50%

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38
Q

The largest landholder in the United States is

A

The Bureau of Land Management

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39
Q

The USDA estimates that each dollar spent on the US Conservation Reserve Program how much soil from erosion?

A

1 ton

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40
Q

Research by the Malpais Borderlands Group demonstrates that controlled wildfires are

A

a good way to encourage the growth of grasses

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41
Q

Transgenes are

A

Genes that have been engineered by manipulating an organism’s DNA

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42
Q

Since 1960, global production of most foods has

A

Grown faster than the rate of population growth

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43
Q

According to the Center for Disease Control, obesity in the US occurs in more than

A

One out of every three adults

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44
Q

The high-yielding, disease-resistant wheat developed by Norman Borlaug in the 1940’s is an example of

A

Selective breeding

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45
Q

T/F: The Green Revolution led to increased use of synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides throught the world

A

True

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46
Q

Which of the following is not an adverse risk of monoculture?

A

Increased deforestation

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47
Q

Of the 27 billion animals raised for food in 2011, most were

A

Chickens

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48
Q

To produce 1 kg of protein, which of the following foods requires the least water?

A

Eggs

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49
Q

Which of the following is not a problem associated with feedlot agriculture?

A

Overgrazing on rangelands

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50
Q

The use of Bacillus thuringiensis to kill caterpillars and other crop pests is an example of

A

Biocontrol

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51
Q

The resistance of crop pests to chemical pesticides is an example of

A

Natural selection

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52
Q

In a report on 21 years of data collected in Switzerland, organic cultivation did not provide which of the following benefits?

A

Higher overall crop yields

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53
Q

The primary goal of which of the following practices is “to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people?”

A

Organic agriculture

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54
Q

In the US, approximately what percent of production of corn, soy beans, cotton and canola comes from genetically modified strains?

A

0.9

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55
Q

Which of the following problems with genetically modified organisms has not been documented by scientific research?

A

Adverse impacts on human health

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56
Q

T/F: The United States requires that genetically modified foods be labeled as such.

A

False

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57
Q

In the US, transport of food from site of production to site of sale represents what percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in food production overall?

A

4-5%

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58
Q

The “aigamo method” is an example of which agricultural practice?

A

Reproducing natural ecosystems in cultivated areas

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59
Q

As of 2010, Monsanto was pursuing approximately how many lawsuits against individual farmers for infringement of patent?

A

150

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60
Q

Malnutrition is defined as

A

Failure to obtain all the required vitamins and minerals from food consumed

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61
Q

“Temperate deciduous forest” is a category of

A

Biome

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62
Q

Which of the following attributes of a forest promotes biodiversity?

A

all of the above

variability of tree height

variability of tree type

variability of tree age

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63
Q

Trees provide purified water to ecosystems by which process?

A

transpiration by leaves

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64
Q

According to the 2010 report from the FAO, global forest acreage over the period 2000-2010

A

shrank by 13M ha/year

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65
Q

Deforestation in the period 1990-2010 was most extensive in which region?

A

Africa

66
Q

Developing nations may permit timber harvesting by selling a concession to a foreign multinational corporation. Concessions are bad deals for these nations because

A

Foreign corporations have no incentive for harvesting sustainably

67
Q

Deforestation in Indonesia and southeast Asia is driven by the demand for which of the following commodities?

A

Palm oil

68
Q

A carbon offset (p. 513) has what function in a cap and trade program (p. 512)?

A

It allows polluters who can’t reduce emissions to continue emitting

69
Q

The practice of maximum sustainable yield dictates that harvesting take place when a tree population is at what percent of the carrying capacity?

A

0.5

70
Q

Which of the following 2 types of stands provides greater structural complexity?

A

Uneven-aged

71
Q

The US Forest Service provides management of and logistical support for timber sales from public lands. Profits from the sales of that timber go

A

into private corporations

72
Q

Of the following harvesting methods, which produces uneven-aged stands?

A

selection system

73
Q

Forest fire prevention leads to occasional catastrophic wild fires because

A

regular fire suppression allows large amounts of fuel to accumulate in the forest

74
Q

With regard to global warming, bark beetle infestation provides

A

positive feedback

75
Q

Of the following types of federal lands, which comprises the most area?

A

National Forests

76
Q

Studies by Daniel Donato and Jonathan Thompson suggest that salvage logging

A

increases the amount of fuel left after a fire

77
Q

T/F: In a UNESCO biosphere reserve, agriculture and human settlement are not permitted

A

False

78
Q

Avian ecologists blame which factor for declining populations of many North American songbirds?

A

forest fragmentation

79
Q

The principles of island biogeography are considered applicable to fragmented habitats because

A

Fragmented habitats are comparable to “islands” surrounded by a “sea” of contrasting habitats

80
Q

Of the following edge effects studied as part of the BDFFP, which penetrated deepest into the interior of fragmented habitats?

A

Elevated tree mortality

81
Q

Which of the following does not contribute to the subsidence of marsh bottoms in coastal Louisiana?

A

River flooding

82
Q

Of all the water on Earth, approximately what percent is fresh?

A

2.5%

83
Q

Of all Earth’s fresh water, most is found

A

In glaciers

84
Q

Water is under greatest pressure in which environment?

A

A confined aquifer

85
Q

In lakes and ponds, which zone supports the most phytoplankton?

A

Limnetic

86
Q

The Aral Sea has lost more than 80% of its volume of water due to

A

Irrigation

87
Q

Water mining is

A

Withdrawals of ground or surface water faster than it can be resupplied

88
Q

In the states underlain by the Ogallala aquifer, water use is

A

In excess of supply by recharge

89
Q

Bottled water is up to how many times more expensive than municipal tap water?

A

1900 times

90
Q

T/F: The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) requires producers of bottled water to supply regular reports on their sources, treatment methods and contaminants

A

False

91
Q

Of the following contaminants found in one study of bottled water, which one proves that the water came from taps (municipal sources)?

A

Disinfection products from water treatment

92
Q

Which of the following is not a negative impact from dam building?

A

Flood control

93
Q

It will not be possible to rely on desalinization as a way to increase Earth’s fresh water supplies because the process is

A

Too expensive

94
Q

Which of the following would not result in decreased agricultural demand for fresh water?

A

Increasing government subsidies for water-intensive crops such as rice

95
Q

Groundwater pollution is especially problematic because

A

Pollutants last for a longer time in groundwater than they do in surface water

96
Q

Most human health problems caused by pollution are due to which type of pollution?

A

Pathogens

97
Q

According to the research of Dr. Nancy Rabelais, drought in the Mississippi watershed has what effect on the size of hypoxic zones in the Gulf of Mexico?

A

Decreases the size

98
Q

Some of the world’s major rivers are reduced to a trickle at their deltas because of

A

Upstream withdrawals for domestic and agricultural use

99
Q

A recent (2010) Supreme Court decision regarding the Clean Water Act

A

Gave the EPA jurisdiction to enforce the law only on navigable streams

100
Q

The best way to dispose of sludge from wastewater treatment plants is

A

Process it in an anerobic digester for use as fuel and fertilizer

101
Q

Ocean floors are topographically lower than continents because

A

Oceanic crust is denser than continental crust

102
Q

New oceanic crust is constantly being formed at

A

Mid-ocean ridges

103
Q

Ocean water is salty because

A

Oceans are the ultimate repository for dissolved salt from land

104
Q

Dissolved oxygen in the ocean is highest

A

Near the poles

105
Q

The primary control on the density of ocean water is

A

Its temperature

106
Q

Compared to the atmosphere, the ocean’s ability to store heat is about

A

1000 times greater

107
Q

Surface currents in the ocean are driven primarily by

A

Wind direction and the Coriolis effect

108
Q

T/F: Upwelling is driven by surface currents

A

true

109
Q

Ocean acidification is affecting marine life primarily by

A

Increasing the solubility of calcite

110
Q

Large accumulations of trash in the ocean occur in

A

Gyres in the Pacific and Atlantic

111
Q

Kelp forests flourish where there is both

A

Cold water and rocky coastline

112
Q

The best way to eliminate oceanic trash is to

A

Prevent its entry into the ocean

113
Q

In 2010, the largest source of petroleum input into oceans was

A

Petroleum extraction operations

114
Q

Mercury enters the oceans principally from

A

The atmosphere

115
Q

Improvements in fishing technologies such as drift-netting and long-lining have led, since 1980, to

A

Increased areas of fishing with decreasing catch per unit area

116
Q

T/F: Regulatory reduction of by-catch of dolphins has resulted in increased populations of dolphin species

A

false

117
Q

Overfishing has which of the following ecological and economic effects?

A

All of the above

Fishing down the food chain

Elimination of employment

Reduced delivery of ecosystem services

118
Q

Marine ecosystems may be best protected by

A

Prohibiting fishing in marine reserves of optimum size

119
Q

The latitudinal range of coral reefs is predicted to have what relationship to changes in atmospheric concentrations of CO2?

A

Inverse

120
Q

Which of the following seafood choices is considered unsustainable, according to the Environmental Defense Fund?

A

Atlantic Halibut

121
Q

In which layer of the atmosphere does ozone contribute to human health?

A

Stratosphere

122
Q

In the troposphere, air temperature decreases with altitude because

A

Air pressure decreases with altitude

123
Q

Relative humidity has what relationship to temperature?

A

varies indirectly

124
Q

T/F:If Earth were not tilted on its axis, all latitudes would receive incoming sunlight at the same angle

A

False

125
Q

Seasonality is primarily controlled by

A

the tilt away from the vertical of Earth’s rotational axis

126
Q

Arid conditions at about 30 degrees north and south of the Equator is caused primarily by

A

Combined downwelling of Hadley and Ferrel cells

127
Q

Temperature inversions exacerbate air pollution because

A

They decrease atmospheric mixing, trapping pollutants at the surface

128
Q

Which of the following substances has the longest atmospheric residence time?

A

HFC’s

129
Q

Which of the following substances are not required to be monitored by the EPA?

A

Carbon dioxide

130
Q

As US population and economic activity have grown in the years since 1970, pollutants tracked by the EPA have

A

gone down by nearly 70%

131
Q

Catalytic converters do nothing to control the emissions of which of the following?

A

Carbon dioxide

132
Q

Scrubbers are designed to remove which of the following pollutants from industrial smokestacks?

A

Particulate matter

133
Q

The “Atmospheric Brown Cloud” is a continental-scale, seasonal layer of heavy pollution associated with which continent?

A

Asia

134
Q

Tropospheric ozone is a human health hazard because

A

Ozone breaks down to produce free oxygen atoms which can harm human tissue

135
Q

Research in the late 1990’s showed a particularly strong correlation between death rates and which pollutant?

A

Particulate matter

136
Q

The use of synthetic fertilizer is one factor that causes the depletion of stratospheric ozone because

A

It releases N2O into the atmosphere

137
Q

Subsequent to the Montreal Protocol, levels of stratospheric ozone have

A

Stabilized

138
Q

Which of the following is not an effect of acid deposition?

A

Increased leaching of nitrogen from soil

139
Q

Which country currently suffers the worst acid rain problem in the world?

A

China

140
Q

Of the following pollutants, which is more abundant indoors than outdoors?

A

Volatile organic compounds

141
Q

Until about 1950, levels of atmospheric CO2 had not exceeded what concentration over the previous 800,000 years?

A

300 ppm (parts per million)

142
Q

In 2016, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 is over

A

400 ppm

143
Q

On a per molecule basis, which of the following gases has the highest greenhouse warming potential?

A

Hydrochlorofluorocarbon HFC-23

144
Q

Which of the following gases has the greatest impact on the greenhouse effect?

A

Carbon dioxide

145
Q

The current level of Earth’s albedo (reflectivity), expressed in watts of incoming solar radiation is about

A

107

146
Q

The variation between glacial and interglacial (warm) climate in the last 800,000 years may be best explained by

A

Cyclical changes in Earth’s position with reference to the Sun

147
Q

Climate scientists use computer models to predict climate in the future. The reliability of climate models is primarily determined by

A

Running the model with known past starting conditions and comparing its output with observations

148
Q

According to the 4th Assessment Report of the IPCC, global temperature is predicted to rise by how about many degrees centigrade in the 21st century?

A

1 to 4

149
Q

By the last decade of the 21st century, surface temperatures will increase the most in which region, according to the IPCC?

A

Arctic regions

150
Q

The IPCC projects future climate through the use of different scenarios which differ primarily in what way?

A

The rate of future population growth in each

151
Q

In the last 130 years, sea level has risen by about

A

0.2 meters

152
Q

The most important contribution to sea level rise in the last 130 years has been

A

Thermal expansion

153
Q

By the end of the current century, sea level is expected to rise by an additional

A

1 meter

154
Q

Ocean acidification is caused by the increase in which of the following atmospheric gases?

A

Carbon dioxide

155
Q

According to the US Global Change Research Program, the effect of climate change on precipitation in the US will be to

A

Make dry areas dryer and wet areas wetter

156
Q

According to the US Global Change Research Program, the effect of sharply reduced emissions on temperature by the end of this century would be

A

A temperature increase of 3-4 degrees F

157
Q

According to the US Global Change Research Program, which of the following effects of climate change is most likely to effect our region (Northeast)?

A

Degradation of air quality and human health due to increased summer heat waves

158
Q

The largest percentage of US emissions of carbon dioxide is attributable to what human activity?

A

Electrical power generation

159
Q

Which of the following developed nations is not a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol?

A

United States

160
Q

According to your lecture on climate change, the “smoking gun” that demonstrates the anthropogenic cause for current global warming is

A

Increased ratio of light to heavy carbon in the atmosphere

Ecology (2 decks)

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