Climate change Flashcards
Define pollution
Introduction of contaminants into natural
environment that cause adverse change
What is the lethal concentration 50?
The concentration of a chemical in the air or water that will kill 50% of the test animals with a single exposure
What is the lethal dose 50?
The single dose of a chemical that, when
fed to a group of test animals or applied dermally, will kill 50% of the animals
What 3 kinds of effects can pollution have? Explain them
Additive - effects simply add together for an overall effect
Synergistic - effects combine in such a way the overall impact is worse than that of additive pollutions
Antagonistic - one pollutant may cancel out or reduce the effect of another
What are the 4 sources of pollution?
Point-source
Multi-source
Seeping
Spreading
Name a form of acute pollution
Oil
Name a form of chronic pollution
Pesticides
What is the equation for pollution concentration factor?
Concentration Factor (CF) =
concentration of the pollutant in the
consumer ÷ concentration of the
pollutant in the diet.
What are the 5 main causes of extinction?
Habitat fragmentation
Agriculture
Deforestation
Human over-population
Poaching and hunting
What statistical test can be used to measure biodiversity, accounting for both species richness and evenness?
Simpson’s reciprocal diversity index 1/D
What is the lowest possible outcome of the Simpson’s reciprocal diversity index equation and what does it mean?
1 - only 1 species is present
Define endemism
A term used to describe
the usually limited geographical
distribution of a taxonomic group,
usually at family, genus or species
level
