Environmental Studies

Question 1

Species

Answer 1

a group of organisms which share the same characteristics and are capable of interbreeding

Question 2

Population

Answer 2

a group of organisms of the same species which live in the same habitat so that random interbreeding takes place

Question 3

Community

Answer 3

all the plants and animals living in a defined area

Question 4

Ecosystem

Answer 4

the study of living things and their relationship to each other and to the environment

Question 5

Ecology

Answer 5

the study of living things and their relationship to each other and to the environment

Question 6

Ecological niche

Answer 6

the functional position of an organism in its environment

Question 7

Environmental resistance

Answer 7

the combined effect of all the limiting factors that limit the growth of a population

Question 8

Limiting factors

Answer 8

factors (density dependent or density independent) that limit the rate of population growth

Question 9

Natality

Answer 9

the birth rate

Question 10

Mortality

Answer 10

the death rate

Question 11

Immigration

Answer 11

the process that occurs when an organism enter a new place to settle permanently

Question 12

Emigration

Answer 12

the process that occurs when an organism leaves one place to go and live in another place

Question 13

Migration

Answer 13

a group of birds, or other animals that are moving together from one region or country to another to avoid harsh environmental conditions.

Question 14

Carrying capacity

Answer 14

is the max population size a certain environment can support for an extended period of time,for a population of aparticular species

Question 15

Density-dependent factor

Answer 15

affects a greater percentage of individuals in a population as the number of individuals increases; it will also affect each individual more strongly.

Question 16

Density-independant factor

Answer 16

affect the same percentage of individuals regardless of population size.

Question 17

Methods to determine population size

Answer 17

1. Direct method: census, a pitfall sampling method can also be used
2. Indirect method: simple sampling and mark recapture, a number of animals are caught and marked

Question 18

increasing population

Answer 18

A population pyramid with a small number of old people indicates a population with a high birth rate, a high death rate and a short life expectancy.

Question 19

stable population

Answer 19

There is approximately the same number of young people and old people

Question 20

decreasing population

Answer 20

There are more old people than young people. Each year more people die than are born

Question 21

Ecological footprint

Answer 21

the impact of a person, city, or country on the ecology of a local area or the whole planet. It is a measure of how much land and water a person, city or country needs and the wastes that are produced.

Question 22

Sustainable

Answer 22

careful use of natural and human resources so that they will also be available to future generations

Question 23

Conservation

Answer 23

the management of the Earth’s resources so that it yields the greatest sustainable benefit to future generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs of future generations

Question 24

Predation

Answer 24

one individual(the preadtor) captures another individual(the prey)

Question 25

intraspecific

Answer 25

Competition among members of the same species

Question 26

interspecific

Answer 26

Competition among individuals of different species