Chapter 23 Global Ecology Flashcards
The most abundant gas in earth’s atmosphere is ______.
nitrogen
Organize the following layers of earth’s atmosphere in order from closest to earth’s surface at the bottom to farthest away from earth’s surface at the top.
thermo
meso
strato
tropo
Earth’s atmosphere traps some outgoing radiation, allowing the surface of the earth to stay warm. This phenomenon is called the _____ effect
greenhouse
Greenhouse gases ______ outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back to the earth.
abosrb
Of the solar energy shining on earth, about _____ % is reflected back into space.
30
Put the following components of earth’s atmosphere (at the surface) in order from most abundant at the top to least abundant at the bottom. (Note: Not all components of the atmosphere are listed.)
nitrogen oxygen argon carbon dioxide ozone
When the barometric pressure in the eastern Pacific Ocean declines, the barometric pressure in the western Pacific Ocean ______.
rises
The ______ is the layer of earth’s atmosphere that has the highest concentrations of atmospheric gases. It begins right above the earth’s surface.
troposphere
Gilbert Walker is credited for the identification of ______.
the southern oscillation
Ozone in earth’s atmosphere ______.
reduces the amount of ultraviolet radiation that reaches earth’s surface
Low values on the Southern Oscillation Index are associated with ______.
drought in australia and india
Which of the following gases does not contribute to the greenhouse effect by absorbing outgoing infrared radiation?
nitrogen
The Walker circulation pattern moves ______.
in the plane of the equator
Most infrared radiation from the earth’s surface is absorbed by ______ gases in the atmosphere.
greenhouse
Jacob Bjerknes is credited for connecting the Southern ______ with El Nino, giving a global perspective on weather patterns.
oscillations
When the barometric pressure in the western Pacific Ocean increases, the pressure in the eastern Pacific Ocean decreases. This is an example of the phenomenon known as the Southern ______
oscillation
During the mature phase of an El Niño event, ______.
precipitation in North and South America increases
The British mathematician who identified the relationship between barometric pressure in the Pacific Ocean and monsoon rainfall in Asia is named Gilbert ______
walker
During La Nina the ______.
western Pacific contains warmer than average seawater
Any negative values on the Southern Oscillation Index indicate ______.
lower barometric pressure in the eastern Pacific Ocean
The Walker circulation pattern is associated with ______.
warm air from the western Pacific rising and flowing eastward in the upper atmosphere
Jacob Bjerknes is credited for ______.
connecting the Southern Oscillation with El Niño
Which of the following is true concerning the mature phase of El Niño?
Droughts are common in the western Pacific.
Droughts may occur in Australia.
Barometric pressure decreases in the eastern Pacific
The El Niño Southern Oscillation tends to have what effect on temperatures?
Temperatures increase in northern U.S., Canada, and Alaska.
In North and South America, La Niña drought conditions are ______ prevalent than during El Niño.
more
During El Niño, the normally ______ waters off the coast of South America become ______.
cool; warmer
How did the El Niño event affect S. American fur seal populations?
Foraging time was increased for males and females.
The 1982–1983 El Niño ______ precipitation levels in the Great Salt Lake basin.
increased
Which of the following are correct concerning the effects of the 1982–1983 El Niño on the Great Salt Lake?
Grazing zooplankton numbers declined, resulting in a reduced grazing rate.
Predaceous corixid bugs moved into the limnetic zone.
During La Niñas, the northern United States, Canada, and Alaska typically experience _______ than average temperatures.
lower
Under normal conditions, the salinity of the Great Salt Lake is ______.
approximately 3 times greater than seawater
When El Niños ______ upwelling of nutrients, primary production ______.
decrease; decreases
Phytoplankton biomass __ near the Galapagos Islands in response to the 1982–1983 El Niño. This caused a collapse up the food chain.
decreased
The Great Salt Lake basin experienced _____ wet period(s) due to El Niños in the 1980s.
2
The El Niño of 1982 to 1983 had what effect on the salinity of the Great Salt Lake?
It greatly reduced salinity allowing less salt tolerant species to invade.
What occurred in the Great Salt Lake from 1987 to 1990?
Phytoplankton biomass decreased.
The typical salinity of the Great Salt Lake ______.
limits the zooplankton species richness
Graham Harrington’s study of soil moisture and the survival of the narrow-leaf hopbush in Australia showed that survival ______.
increased with the La Niña side of the Southern Oscillation
El Niño events are associated with ______ in the fish populations off the west coast of South America because of a related reduction in primary production.
declines
The seabird populations of the Galapagos Islands ______ in response to the El Niño of 1982–1983.
experienced drastic declines in reproduction
migrated north and south along South America
The 1982–1983 El Niño ______ precipitation levels in the Great Salt Lake basin.
increased
During wet years, female red kangaroos will often have a joey following her, a younger offspring in her _______, and a(n) ______ that will enter the pouch once it is vacated.
pouch
embryo
After water levels began to fall in 1987, approximately how many years did it take to reverse the changes in the Great Salt Lake following the El Niño of 1982–1983?
3
Red kangaroo females will stop breeding ______.
when there is a severe and prolonged drought
A study by Graham Harrington showed ______.
from 1884 to 1981, La Niña events were associated with widespread establishment of the narrow-leaf hopbush in Australia
When Cairns and Grigg quantified how rainfall in southern Australia affected red kangaroo populations, they found an increase in population size associated with abundant rainfall that occurred from 1988 to
______ as a result of La Niña.
1989
In the absence of human influences, nitrogen fixation is mostly carried out by free-living _____
bacteria
Nitrogen-fixing crops, such as alfalfa and soybeans, fix about ______ Tg of nitrogen per year.
43
Which of the following are characteristics of red kangaroos?
They occupy land in Australia that has occasional wet periods that alternate with severe droughts.
Their reproductive cycle is tied to environmental conditions.
They are the largest native herbivore in Australia.
True or false: Over the past 100 years or so, human contributions to the global nitrogen cycle have become stable and unchanging.
false
After a drought, red kangaroos will have young enter their pouches as soon as ____ after the first heavy rainfall.
60 days
Seventy-five percent of the world’s tropical forests occur in 10 countries. The largest single tract of tropical forest is in the country of _____
brazil
When Cairns and Grigg quantified how rainfall in southern Australia affected red kangaroo populations, they found a(n) ______.
decline in population size associated with the 1982–1983 El Niño
Landsat high-resolution images of the ______ Basin were analyzed by Skole and _____ to estimate deforestation rates.
amazon
tucker
Which of the following is not true concerning the nitrogen cycle in the absence of human manipulation?
Lightning has no effect on nitrogen fixation rates.
Results of Skole and Tucker’s work in the Amazon Basin estimated that deforestation occurred at a rate of ______ km2 per year from 1978 to 1988.
15,000
Which of the following are sources of increased nitrogen fixation in the nitrogen cycle?
burning of fossil fuels
planting of legumes
fertilization of agricultural land
When a forest is cut, the environmental changes that occur along the new borders of the forest are referred to as
_____ effects.
edge
When did industrial production of nitrogen-rich fertilizers begin?
Early 20th century
In a study of the effects of fragmentation in the Amazon Basin, researchers worked with ranchers to develop fragmented tracts of forests and _______ tracts of forests of the same size to use as a comparison or control.
unfragmented
Which country has the highest rate of tropical deforestation?
brazil
When a small fragment of tropical forest is cut, the newly exposed edges are subject to higher levels of ______ radiation and wind.
solar
Skole and Tucker estimated rates of deforestation in the Amazon Basin by ______.
using Landsat satellite photographic data
Tropical forest fragmentation ______ the forest overstory and ______ the thickness of the understory.
decreases; increases
Skole and Tucker’s early 1990’s estimate of deforestation rates in the Amazon basin were ______ than earlier estimates, including one done by the Brazilian government.
lower
Edge effects ______.
isolate previously contiguous populations
reduce habitat area
occur when a forest tract is cut
The estimated rate of global deforestation is approximately ______ km2 per year.
76,000
Brazil’s National Institute for Research in Amazonia and the ______ are responsible for a long-term study of forest fragmentation.
World Wildlife Fund
Which of the following is not true?
Severe deforestation has only occurred in tropical forests.
Which of the following is not true concerning changes that occur due to tropical forest fragmentation?
not true
Temperatures along forest edges become cooler.
true
Forest edges are exposed to greater solar radiation.
Areas along the forest edges are drier.
Forest edges are exposed to higher winds.
Scientists have reconstructed historic concentrations of CO2 in earth’s atmosphere by analyzing ______.
air bubbles trapped in ice
Physical changes due to forest fragmentation include a(n) ______ in animal diversity, including monkeys, birds, bees, and carrion and dung beetles.
decrease
The Vostok ice core from around 160,000 years ago corresponds to a(n)
______ a period of low planetary temperatures.
ice age
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels ______.
were relatively unchanging from 1000 to mid 1700s
True or false: Massive deforestation has occurred outside of the tropics in temperate and boreal regions.
true
Much of the forested area in eastern North America was cut down by the mid- _____
1800
Keeling and colleagues took measurements of present day carbon dioxide levels in the state of ______ that complement ice core data used to address changes in these levels.
hawaii
Scientists from France and the former Soviet Union analyzed air _____ within glaciers (such as in Greenland and Antarctica) to determine historic atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
bubbles
True or false: World War I is associated with an increase in the burning of fossil fuels and corresponding increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
false
associated with a decline in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels because of a decline in global economic activity.
The Vostok ice core revealed ______.
concentration of less than 200 ppm CO2 associated with an ice age
Which of the following were used to determine historic atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over the past 1,000 years?
Mauna Loa direct measurements
South Pole ice core
Siple ice core
If the burning of fossil fuels is contributing greatly to increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, then the relative concentration of 14C in the atmosphere should be ______.
decreasing
How does Keeling’s data from Mauna Loa complement data from earlier ice core data on changes in carbon dioxide levels?
Data gathered from the Siple ice core and Mauna Loa independently established nearly identical CO2 levels.
Two of the measurements Keeling’s group made overlap the data gathered from the Siple ice core
Overall, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have ______ since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. This pattern changed temporarily during ______.
increased; the Great Depression
Reduced atmospheric 14C levels that result from the burning of fossil fuels are called the
_____ effect.
suess
The amount of 14C in fossil fuels is ______ relative to amount in the atmosphere.
low
Which is correct concerning stratospheric ozone?
It absorbs radiation associated with damaging living tissues.
It absorbs ultraviolet light.
It absorbs UV-B radiation.
Chlorine released by the breakdown of _____ molecules results in the depletion of the ozone layer.
CFC
As a result of the Montreal Protocol, global emissions of ______ have been reduced from 1 million tons annually to less than 50,000 tons in 2003.
CFCs
Hans Suess described a(n) ______ in atmospheric 14C that is caused by ______.
decrease; burning of fossil fuels
The ozone hole over the Antarctic, since its discovery in 1985, ______.
reached its maximum size in 2000
Climate models predict global warming of about ______ over the next century.
2.6°C to 4.8°C
In 1985, scientists discovered a(n) ______ in stratospheric ozone over ______.
decrease; Antarctica
Identify examples of how ecosystems have already been affected by global climate change.
Forest ecosystems have experienced a greater frequency of wildfires.
Coral reefs have experienced diebacks.
Forests in temperate zones experienced dieback.
CFCs ______.
broken down in the atmosphere ultimately cause ozone depletion
were historically used as refrigerants
contain carbon, chlorine, and fluorine
What was the purpose of the Montreal Protocol?
Reduce and eliminate human-generated ozone-depleting chemicals.
Identify predicted impacts of global climate change.
The severity of droughts will increase.
The intensity of precipitation events will increase.
After the discovery of the hole in the ozone layer in 1985 and changes to environmental policy, it is estimated that recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer will likely take another ______.
50 years or more
During the past century, the average global temperature increased by about ______°C.
0.1
The increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has ______.
resulted in a decrease in the pH of seawater
Increased rainfall and flooding due to global climate change will likely cause ______.
an increase in waterborne diseases
