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Environmental Science > Chapter 3 > Flashcards

Chapter 3 Flashcards

1
Q

Define Ecology

A

The study of all processes tied to the distribution and abundance of life and the ties between living things and their habitats.

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2
Q

Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species is the order of what system?

A

Taxonomy

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3
Q

What is the old definition of species and is it valid?

A

It’s not valid, and it’s all members that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

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4
Q

What is a homo?

A

A genus

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5
Q

What are Homo sapiens?

A

A species

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6
Q

What are Homo sapiens sapiens?

A

A subspecies

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7
Q

What is the genus, species, and subspecies of domesticated dogs, cats, and tigers respectively?

A

Canis lupus familiaris, Felis catus, and Panthera Tigris Tigris.

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8
Q

How is species determined today?

A

DNA

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9
Q

How were Canis lupus familiaris domesticated?

A

Self-domesticated

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10
Q

What is a population, and give an example of one?

A

Individuals of a species living in a given area. An example is gray wolves living in the Yellowstone National Park.

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11
Q

What is a biota or a biotic community, and how is the community’s constitution determined?

A

All the living organism in a natural area and the constitution is determined by abiotic factors.

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12
Q

How does the plant community affect the animal community?

A

It limits or controls by its presence or absence.

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13
Q

What is the difference between an ecosystem and an ecotone?

A

An ecosystem is a complex of biotic communities and the abiotic environment affecting them within an area, while an Ecotone is a transitional region between ecosystems.

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14
Q

Give an example of an Ecotone and of an Ecosystem, respectively.

A

An example of the former is a deciduous forest, an example of the latter is a grassland-forest ecotone.

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15
Q

What is a landscape?

A

A cluster of interacting ecosystems

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16
Q

Give an example of animals interacting out of their usual ecosystems?

A

Jaguars and bears go into aquatic ecosystems to fish.

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17
Q

What is, a large area of Earth’s surface with the same climate and similar vegetation called?

A

Biome

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18
Q

Name five major biomes on earth?

A

Aquatic, desert, forest, grasslands and tundra

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19
Q

What is the Tundra Biome like?

A

It has low temperatures and precipitation

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20
Q

Say two adjectives to describe the Chaparral biome

A

Hot and dry

21
Q

A rolling grassland with scattered shrubs and isolated trees perfectly describes what biome?

A

Savanna

22
Q

Dry large rolling terrains of grasses, flowers, and herbs describes?

A

Grassland

23
Q

Inner Mongolia is largely grasslands and thus lacks what resource?

A

Trees

24
Q

How the people of Inner Mongolia live?

A

As nomadic shepherds who live in tents.

25
Q

Deserts have little precipitation, usually less than 40 cm per year, which is not enough to support most vegetation. Are deserts hot or cold?

A

They can be either or.

26
Q

Boreal forest (taiga) have high altitude and are in the Northern Hemisphere. Their precipitation varies. What is the temperature and the type of trees that are found there?

A

Coniferous trees and cold temperatures are there.

27
Q

Describe the rainforest in two words and then explain the precipitation?

A

Warm and wet. Annual precipitation 125–660 cm.

28
Q

Why is soil normally poor in the rainforest, and what are rainforest plants an important source of?

A

Leaching of soluble nutrients and the plants are a source of drugs that treats illnesses such as cancer and malaria.

29
Q

What type of forest has trees that lose leaves in during winter, temperate latitudes, precipitation of 100-150cm, and is found in eastern North America, Europe, and far east.

A

Deciduous forest

30
Q

What is the main biome that Scientist are worried about plants going extinct in?

A

Rain forest

31
Q

What are the main biomes in North America?

A

Tundras, Taiga, Tropical Rain forest, temperate deciduous forest, grassland, and desert.

32
Q

What are the main biomes in South America?

A

Tundra, grassland, desert, and tropical rain forest.

33
Q

What are the major biomes in Africa?

A

Tropical rain forest, Deciduous forest, desert, and grassland.

34
Q

What are the three major land biome in Australia?

A

Tropical rain forest, desert, and grassland.

35
Q

What the four major land biomes in Europe?

A

Deciduous forest, grassland, Taiga, and Tundra.

36
Q

Of the biomes’ tundra, taiga, grassland, desert, tropical rain forest, and temperate deciduous forest, which of these does Asia have?

A

All of the above

37
Q

What are the two wettest states?

A

Hawaii gets the most rainfall then Louisiana

38
Q

What is the ecological hierarchy in order?

A

Biome, landscape, ecosystems & ecotones, Biotic communities, populations, and species.

39
Q

What the two types of environmental factors?

A

Conditions and resources

40
Q

What are the five environmental conditions or TROSS?

A

Temperature, Salinity, rainfall/water, sunlight, and oxygen.

41
Q

What is percent of the air is oxygen, and is oxygen soluble in water?

A

Oxygen is relatively insoluble in water, and twenty percent of air is oxygen.

42
Q

What are the environmental resources?

A

Nutrients, water, sunlight, oxygen, and food.

43
Q

What mangrove is the least sensitive to cold temperatures?

A

Black Mangroves

44
Q

Why is most of the ocean in the dark?

A

Because sunlight sufficient for photosynthesis only goes 100m deep into the ocean and the ocean is 3700m deep.

45
Q

How does CO2 enter plants in aquatic systems for photosynthesis?

A

Gas exchange from the atmosphere.

46
Q

In regard to abiotic factors, every species has

A

Optimum range, zones of stress, and limits of tolerance.

47
Q

Mangroves in Louisiana are spreading more, why?

A

Because of hotter summers.

48
Q

Why did the global average temperature go down in the 1940s-197-80s?

A

Due to high levels of sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere, from industrial activities post WW2 and volcanic eruptions.

49
Q

What causes global dimming?

A

Aerosols, from coal-burning power plants, fires, and industrial emissions, reflect sunlight and create a cooling effect.

Environmental Science (5 decks)

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