Chapter 1 - Studying the state of our earth

Question 0

Ecosystem services are the:

Answer 0

processes by which life supporting resources are produced

Question 1

The environment refers to:

Answer 1

the sum of all conditions surrounding us that influence life

Question 2

Evidence of biodiversity is seen in the:

Answer 2

1. Genetic variation among human populations
2. number of species in a region
3. number of ecosystems and habitats in a region
4. variety of nutrients available in a region

Question 3

The population with the greatest ability to respond to environmental changes most likely is the one with…

Answer 3

a high genetic diversity

Question 4

The number of species on earth is estimated at…

Answer 4

2 million

Question 5

The health of frog populations is used as an indicator of environmental health because frogs are…

Answer 5

amphibious

Question 6

2 square km is equal to ________ square meters

Answer 6

2,000,000

Question 7

Factors that are responsible for grain production not keeping up with worldwide population include:

Answer 7

1. crop diseases
2. soil degradation
3. use of food crops for fuel
4. government encouragement to let land remain uncultivated

Question 8

the concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere is:

Answer 8

1. increasing in part due to fossil fuels

2. increasing in part due to deforestation

Question 9

The human population today is closest to:

Answer 9

7 billion

Question 10

Examples of nonrenewable resources:

Answer 10

1. aluminum
2. oil
3. coal
4. copper

Question 11

Economic development goes hand in hand with:

Answer 11

increased consumption of resources

Question 12

____% of the worlds most developed population consumes ____% of the world’s energy

Answer 12

20%

58%

Question 13

Sustainable development:

Answer 13

balances human needs and economic development

Question 14

Examples of sustainable practices:

Answer 14

1. Forests cut for timber are replanted

2. Steel is recycled

Question 15

Sustainable development incorporates:

Answer 15

1. the development of alternative materials
2. efficient use of energy
3. replacement of nutrients in soil
4. evaluation of residential patterns

Question 16

Calculating ecological footprint involves consideration of:

Answer 16

1. the impact of activities on the resources of Earth
2. lifestyle
3. water usage for crops and direct consumption
4. food calories required for continuing normal activity

Question 17

The death of a billion fish in the Neuse River of North Carolina in 1991 was caused by:

Answer 17

Pfiesteria

Question 18

Inductive reasoning is:

Answer 18

the process of making general statement from specific facts

Question 19

The study of environmental science differs from the study of the natural sciences such as biology and chemistry because it:

Answer 19

involves politics, law, and economics

Question 20

Environmental justice is:

Answer 20

a social movement that works toward equal enforcement of environmental laws in poor communities

Question 21

Controlled experiments in nature are difficult because:

Answer 21

large amounts of land are sometimes required to produce natural conditions

Question 22

Environmental science is:

Answer 22

the field that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature

Question 23

A system is:

Answer 23

any set of interacting components that influence one another by exchanging energy or materials

Question 24

An ecosystem is:

Answer 24

a particular location on earth whose interacting components include living and nonliving components

Question 25

Biotic means:

Answer 25

living

Question 26

Abiotic means:

Answer 26

nonliving

Question 27

An environmentalist is:

Answer 27

a person who participates in environmentalism

Question 28

Environmentalism is:

Answer 28

a social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education

Question 29

Ecosystem services are:

Answer 29

the processes by which life-supporting resources (clean water, timber, fisheries, agricultural crops) are produced

Question 30

environmental indicators:

Answer 30

describe the current state of an environmental system

Question 31

sustainability:

Answer 31

living on earth in a way that allows us to use its resources without depriving future generation of those resources

Question 32

biodiversity:

Answer 32

the diversity of life forms in an environment

Question 33

Genetic diversity:

Answer 33

measure of genetic variation among individuals in a population

Question 34

Species diversity:

Answer 34

the number of species in a region or in a particular type of habitat

Question 35

species:

Answer 35

a group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology, behavior, or biochemical properties

Question 36

Speciation:

Answer 36

evolution of new species

Question 37

Background extinction rate:

Answer 37

average rate at which species go extinct over the long term

Question 38

Ecosystem diversity

Answer 38

measure of the diversity of ecosystems or habitats that exist in a given region

Question 39

how many acres are in a hectare?

Answer 39

2.47 acres/hectare

Question 40

greenhouse gases:

Answer 40

heat-trapping gases, CO2 is most important

Question 41

Anthropogenic

Answer 41

derived from human activities

Question 42

development:

Answer 42

improvement in human well-being through economic advancement

Question 43

sustainable development:

Answer 43

balances current human well being and economic advancements with resource management for the benefit of future generations

Question 44

Living sustainably means:

Answer 44

acting in a way such that activities that are crucial to human society can continue

Question 45

ecological footprint

Answer 45

measure of how much a person consumes expressed as an area of land, the output from the total amount of land required to support a person’s lifestyle

Question 46

null hypothesis:

Answer 46

can be proved wrong

Question 47

inductive reasoning:

Answer 47

making general statements from specific facts or examples

Question 48

deductive reasoning:

Answer 48

the process of applying a general statement to specific facts or situations