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Issues in Environmental Bio > Final Exam > Flashcards

Final Exam Flashcards

1
Q

toxicant

A

a toxic substance or poison that can be man-made or natural

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2
Q

toxicity

A

the degree of harm a chemical substance can inflict

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3
Q

toxins

A

toxic chemicals manufactured in the tissue of living organisms/naturally made in plants and animals
ex: snake venom

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4
Q

environmental toxicology

A

deals specifically with toxic substances that come from or are discharged in our environment

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5
Q

what are the four types of environmental hazards?

A

physical, chemical, biological, and cultural

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6
Q

physical hazards

A

arises from processes that occur naturally in our environment and pose risks to human life or health
ex: UV rays from the sun that cause skin cancer

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7
Q

chemical hazards

A

include many of the synthetic chemicals that humanity manufactures
ex: pharmaceuticals

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8
Q

biological hazards

A

result from ecological interactions among organisms

ex: mosquitoes causing diseases

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9
Q

cultural hazards

A

hazards that result from your place of residence, the circumstances of your socioeconomic status, you occupation, or your behavioral choices
ex: choosing to smoke cigarettes

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10
Q

what are hormones?

A

chemical messengers in the body that are produced in small quantities

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11
Q

how do hormones work?

A

receptors and hormones connect together which then tells the body to do a certain action

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12
Q

how can an endocrine disruptor disrupt the normal behavior of hormones?

A

endocrine disruptors mimic hormones when they connect to receptors and they then block and mimic those hormones

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13
Q

carcinogens

A

substances or types of radiation that cause cancer

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14
Q

mutagens

A

substances that cause genetic mutations in the DNA of organisms
- cause irreversible change in your DNA

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15
Q

teratogens

A

chemicals that cause harm to the unborn

- cause birth defects in the embryo

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16
Q

neurotoxins

A

chemical toxicants that assault the nervous system

ex: snake venoms, mercury, lead

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17
Q

allergens

A

over-activate the immune system, causing an immune response when one is not needed

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18
Q

endocrine disruptors

A

toxicants that interfere with the endocrine system

- affects and controls growth, development, sexual maturity, regulate brain function

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19
Q

examples of endocrine disruptors and their effects?

A

BPA- mimics estrogen and can interfere with basic bodily functions

Phthalates- cause males to become more feminine, females to become more manly, alters the development of genitals, and affects sperm count and quality

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20
Q

how do scientists understand the hazardous effects of toxicants?

A
  1. field observations
  2. natural tests
  3. manipulative experiments
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21
Q

LD 50

A

lethal dose- the amount of toxicant required to kill 50%of the subjects

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22
Q

ED 50

A

effective dose- the amount of toxicant required to effect 50% of the subjects

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23
Q

threshold dose

A

the smallest dose of radiation that will produce an effect

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24
Q

dose-response curve

A

it correlates the dose exposure with the changes in the human body/health that is then plotted on a graph

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25
Q

troposphere

A

bottommost atmospheric layer that blankets the Earth’s surface and provides us the air we breathe
- air pollutants hang out here

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26
Q

stratosphere

A

extends above the troposphere 11-50km above sea level and is more dry and more dense
- where the ozone layer is

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27
Q

air pollution

A

substance in the air that is poisonous or harmful

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28
Q

air pollutants

A

a material in the air that can have adverse effects on humans and the ecosystem

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29
Q

primary pollutants

A

pollutants released directly from a source, directly harmful, and can interact with other pollutants
ex: ash from a volcano, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide

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30
Q

secondary pollutants

A

the pollutants that form when primary pollutants react with one another and form these (secondary) pollutants
ex: ozone formed from pollutants from urban smog, sulfuric acid and nitric acid that form acid rain

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31
Q

what is residence time?

A

how long a pollutant stays in the atmosphere

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32
Q

stratospheric ozone depletion

A

the thinning of the ozone layer caused by the release of chemical compounds because of human activities and industries

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33
Q

what is the ozone hole?

A

when more than half of the ozone gas in a particular area is depleted causing harmful UV rays to pass through and reach Earth’s surface

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34
Q

causes and effects of ozone depletion

A

causes are CFCs

effects are suns UV rays come down and affect people on earth and cause skin cancer

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35
Q

when is the ozone hole the largest and over what regions?

A

springtime over the Arctic and Antarctica

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36
Q

what is the montreal protocol?

A

when 196 nations agreed to cut CFC production in half by 1998

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37
Q

when will the ozone hole recover and why will it take so long?

A

by 2070 because of the residence time of about 100 years for CFCs

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38
Q

how is acid rain caused?

A

the burning of fossil fuels which releases sulfur dioxide and nitric oxide. these then mix with water vapor in the atmosphere and turns it into sulfuric acid and nitric acid

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39
Q

effects of acid rain

A

plant mortality, leaches nutrients, runoff from acid rain hurts fish and plants

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40
Q

how did permit trading and cap and trade contribute to the reduction of acid rain?

A

the cap was the government did not allow companies to emit more sulfur into the air and the trade was that companies could buy and sell allowances that let them emit only a certain amount that one company did not already emit

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41
Q

why are some areas hit with acid rain worse than others?

A

because the wind blows the air pollution to certain areas causing more acid rain with greater damage

42
Q

climate vs weather

A

weather is meteorological changes on a very localized scale and climate is global patterns over decades

43
Q

what are the 3 factors that influence climate?

A

sun atmosphere oceans

44
Q

what is global climate change

A

describes an array of changes in aspects of Earth’s climate like temperature and precipitation and frequency of storms

45
Q

5 components of global climate change

A

sea levels, snow and ice cover, intensity and frequency of storms, precipitation, earth’s surface temperature

46
Q

how is the greenhouse effect caused

A

caused by greenhouse gases which cause Earth’s surface temperature to rise. it traps the heat from the sun in the atmosphere

47
Q

greenhouse gases and their sources

A

CO2- incinerators, burning fossil fuels, deforestation
methane-cows, landfills, burning fossil fuels
nitrous oxide- fertilizers, burning of fossil fuels
CFCs- aerosols, refrigeration
water vapor- natural component of atmosphere

48
Q

what makes some greenhouse gases more potent than others

A

one may last longer in the atmosphere but others have a larger warming potential

49
Q

which of the five gases occurs in the highest concentration

A

water vapor

50
Q

what is radiative forcing

A

it measures the impact of each greenhouse gas on earth’s surface temperature

51
Q

what factors contribute to positive radiative forcing

A

warms the surface

52
Q

what factors contribute to negative radiative forcing

A

cools the surface

53
Q

how do researchers study climate change

A

ice cores, tree rings, and sediment cores from lakes

54
Q

scientific evidence for global climate change

A

past: ice cores, sediment cores from lakes, tree rings
present: plants are blooming earlier in the season, amount of CO2 we see now is so high it has never been recorded to be this high ever

55
Q

what are proxy indicators

A

indirect evidence that substitutes for direct evidence

56
Q

proxy indicators that are used to look at the climate in the past

A

ice cores
sediment cores from lakes
tree rings
coral reefs

57
Q

whats the IPCC

A

intergovernmental panel on climate change that has scientists and government workers on a panel that observes current trends, gives predictions of future impacts, and lists strategies to pursue

58
Q

current and future impacts of global climate change

A

plants are blooming earlier in the season
bird populations are going down because of lack of food during mating season
food availability may decrease
affect human health because of air quality

59
Q

what are the impacts of global climate change on biodiversity including those on corals?

A

the water catches the CO2 which causes the water to become acidic and it then bleaches and kills the coral–>which destroys the homes and food for many fisheries and marine life

60
Q

what are the other explanations for climate change?

A

Milankovitch cycles state that changes in earth’s rotation may trigger climate variation
variation in solar output states that energy from the sun decreased slightly

61
Q

mitigation to global climate change

A

reduce the effects of climate change by lowering emissions, switching to renewable energy, reducing deforestation, and more

62
Q

adapting to global climate change

A

sea walls, restricting coastal development, modifying agricultural practices to cope with less water, and migrations (environmental refugees)

63
Q

sources that can make the biggest contributions to lowering greenhouse gas emissions

A

energy
transportation
agriculture

64
Q

direct use value

A

the economic or social value of the goods derived from the services provided by an ecosystem that are used directly

includes consumptive values (harvesting goods) and non-consumptive values (enjoying scenic beauty)

65
Q

indirect use value

A

derived from goods and or services that are not directly consumed or sold, yet beneficial. ecosystem services are indirect use value, like carbon sequestration by forests

66
Q

option value

A

value in the future

67
Q

bequest value

A

the legacy you want to leave

68
Q

existence value

A

the value people are willing to pay to prevent a species such as the polar bear from going extinct

69
Q

ecological footprint

A

impact of a person or community on the environment that is expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources

70
Q

what is sustainability

A

a guiding principle of environmental science entailing conserving resources for the future

71
Q

sustainable development

A

when we satisfy our current needs without compromising the availability of future resources

72
Q

what is tragedy of the commons

A

a situation where the individual (acting out of self-interest) behaves contrary to the common good by depleting the shared resource through their collective action

73
Q

tragedy of the commons and an in class example

A

fisheries on the east coast are now protected because they were overharvested

74
Q

what is meant by market failure in an environmental context

A

it is the failure of markets to take into account the environment’s positive effects on the economy

75
Q

what are external costs

A

a cost borne by someone not involved in an economic transaction. example: harm to people because of air pollution an industry discharges that is in their backyard

76
Q

anthropocentrism

A

everything is based around humans, intrinsic value but utilitarian view

77
Q

biocentrism

A

humans and other species have the right to exist and be protected

78
Q

ecocentrism

A

importance is given to the ecosystem as a whole

79
Q

what are some best management practices from our rescue mission lab

A

keeping the native plants–> form of pest control
hydroponics–> reduces runoff and fertilizer use
chicken coop–> use waste for composting

80
Q

steps of the scientific process

A 
observations
questions
hypothesis
predictions
test
results
81
Q

hypothesis

A

a proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation

82
Q

prediction

A

a specific statement derived from a hypothesis (if, then)

83
Q

theory

A

a broad explanation based on a large body of evidence that has withstood repeated testing
(THE MOST CERTAIN)

84
Q

variable

A

in an experiment, a condition that can change

85
Q

independent variable

A

(x axis) the variable the experimenter changes

86
Q

dependent variable

A

(y axis) the variable we measure (response to the independent variable)

87
Q

quantitative data

A

measured by the quantity of something rather than the quality

88
Q

standardized variable

A

always the same

89
Q

control group

A

the group that is not being tested on

90
Q

experimental group

A

the group that is being manipulated

91
Q

manipulative experiments

A

have a control and a manipulated group

92
Q

natural experiments

A

occur in nature and are observatory experiments

93
Q

what does the STANDARD ERROR OF THE MEAN give

A

tells you how far your sample mean deviates from the actual population mean
(the larger the sample size the smaller the SEM)

94
Q

what doe STANDARD DEVIATION give

A

a statistic that measures the dispersion of a dataset relative to its mean

95
Q

what does the P VALUE give

A

the probability of obtaining the observed results of a test assuming that the null hypothesis is correct
it determines significance

(THE LOWER THE P VALUE THE MORE LIKELY THE HYPOTHESIS IS TRUE)

96
Q

what is not a source of methane

A

synthetic fertilizers

97
Q

what is not a component of global climate change

A

depletion of the ozone hole

98
Q

toxicants such as atrazine and BPA:

A

show unconventional dose-response curves
affect reproduction, development, and growth
alter levels of estrogen and testosterone in animals

99
Q

what is the green new deal?

A

a deal that has the environmental goals of: clean and renewable energy, zero carbon emissions, and updated infrastructure (transportation, power grids)

100
Q

what happens to plastic bags when they are recycled by target and Walmart?

A

ultra-low sulfur diesel

Issues in Environmental Bio (1 decks)

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