Midterm Review Flashcards
Envritonmentalists
are concerned with people and their environment
the concept of sustainable development is to
meet the needs for the infinite future
the case study of Easter Island demonstrates that
all of the above
Technology
all of the above
Some enviornmentalists say that most enviornmental crises are based ultimately on
population growth
The main problem caused by population growth is
increasing demand for all resources
Loss of biodiversity is caused by
all of the above
Which statement is a feature of sustainable development as envisioned by many environmentalists
all of the above
Global trends of particular concern to enviornmentalists are
all of the above
Factors that contribute to a loss of global biodiversity include
all of the above
maintaining global biodiversity is important for humans because
all of the above
Humans as a species are capable of radically altering earth’s ecosystem. one goal of the environmental movement is to maintain a long’term relationship with the natural world. Three themes that provide direction to this goal are
sustainability, stewardship, sound science
the concept of sustainability as applied to fish species means we will manage fisheries to
maintain viable populations of all fish species
in the united states, the environmental movement
all of the above
reasons for scientific controversy include:
all of the above
which is the correct sequence of activities when applying the scientific method
observation, question, hypothesis formulation, experimentation, theory or refined hypothesis
which of the following are characteristics of developing countries
all of the above
soils are degraded by
all of the above
carbon dioxide gas is
all of the above
organized envionmental group s such as the national audubon society, national wildlife federation, nature conservancy, and the sierra club promote environmental stewardship
all of the above
examples of sophisticated civilizations whose alteration of their environment contributed to the societys demise include
all of the above
which of the following are examples of sustainable resource management
all of the above
if i carpoll with a neighbor i think i can reduce my weekly expenses
hypothesis
my expenses exceed my allowance by 5/week
observation/question
you carpool with your neighbor ad 5.
experiment
if i carpool my weekly expenses now equal my available income
theory/revised hypothesis/conclusion
all of the species on earth together with their environments collectively comprise the
biosphere
a species is best defined as
the total population of a kind of plan, animal, or microbe that can interbreed and produce young
an ecosystem is best defines as
a grouping of plants and animals which interact with each other and their environment in a way such that the entire grouping is perpetuated
a grouping of plants, animals, and microbes interacting with earth other and their environment in such a way thta the group is sustained is defined as
a species
several related ecosystems make up
a biome
all of the biomes of the earth make up
the biosphere
the major natural ecosystem of the central united states (iowa, kansas, nebraska_ was
grassland
which of the following biomes does not occur in the US
tropical rain forest
which of the following is not abiotic
bacteria
abiotic means
nonliving
which of the follwoing is not an ecological category of organisms found
inorganic
the three major biotic components of ecosystem structure are
producers, consumers, detritus feedrs and decomposers
in most ecosystems , the producers are the
green plants
the process that photoautotrophic producers perform that is not performed by other organisms in most ecosystems is
photosynthesis
the process of photosynthesis does not include
consuming organic food
which of the following would be considered inorganic
nitrogen, water, and phospates
which of the following dervie energy for growth directly from abiotic energy sources
heterotrophs
the important material that producers synthesize is
carbon dioxide
light provides plants with
energy
plant producers obtain chemical nutrients from
all of the above
those organisms that produce their own organic material from inorganic materials as an energy source are referred to as
autotrophs
organisms that feed on other living organisms as a source of their energy and nutrients are called
consumers
animals that feed directly on green plants are called
herbivores
animals that feed directly on green plants (living or dead) cannot be
carnivores
what kind of relationship generally occurs among cats and mice
predator-prey
which of the following is not a consumer
an oak tree
dead plant and animal material and fecal wastes are referred to as
detritus
animals such as earthworms, millipedes, and termites which feed on dead organic matter, are
detritus feeders
which of the following terms would not apply to a mushroom
producer
which of the following is not correctly matched
mushroom-detritus
a description of all the feeding relationships among plants and animals and among various animals is best defined as
a food web
all primary consumers belong to what feeding level of a web
trophic level two
the first trophic level refers to
all green plants
when we speak of the biomass of producers in an ecosystem, we refer to
the combined weight or mass of all producer organisms added together
in a natural ecosystem the biomass of herbivores will be _____ the biomass of carnivores
greater than
a relationship between two organisms in which both benefit
is known as mutualism
approximately what percentage of biomass energy will be passed on to the next energy level in a typical food chain
10%
an example of mutualism would bw
a hummingbird getting nectar from a red flower
abiotic factors refer to
physical and chemical factors of the environment
the amount of a required factor which is most favorable for an organisms growth and reproduction is known as
the optimum level
if 27 degrees c is the optimum temperature for a plan, this means that the plant will do
less well at both higher and lower temperatures
the point where an organism just barely survives is called
limit of tolerance
different species tend to have different
all of the above
all factors for growing a particular plant are ideal except one single factor that is too high (above its limit of tolerance. the result will be that
the plant will die
as an abiotic factor affecting a particular species changes from the optimum to the limit of tolerance for the species, the species will
all of the above
two or more factors that interact to cause an effect greater than one would expect from the effects of the two acting separately is called
synergism
the limiting factor which is responsible for the transitions from forests to grasslands to deserts is
all of the above
the climate of a region refers to its
temperature and precipitation
the population density of a species is
the number of individuals per unit area
for a given animal which of the following is not a biotic factor
the air it breathes
the amount of water available to a plant will be influenced by
all of the above
subsoil that is permanently frozen is termed
permafrost
specific major biomes such as deserts, forests, and grassland are mainly determined by the single limiting factor of
precipitation
the existence of different biomes in different regions is a reflection mainly of different
climate
microclimate
refers to the climate of a very specific location within a larger system
given adequate moisture, the overriding factor which determines what kind of forest is present is
temperature extremes
the environmental conditions on a rocky outcrop will be quite different than those in a sheltered gully nearby. this statement refers to
microclimates
a warm region receiving very little precipitation will have ___ vegetation
desert
the natural ecosystem of a region that has low to moderate rainfall and
a grassland
species of one continent seldom naturally “invade” an ecosystem of other continents or islands because
they cannot cross the physical barriers that separate continents or islands
study of ecology and natural ecosystems reveals to us that
we are not managing our human ecosystem in ecologically sound ways and we may be adversely affected by destruction of natural ecosystems
unlike natural ecosystems, the human ecosystem is overrunning and destroying other ecosystems.the fundamental factor behind this difference is that
natural ecosystems are held in check by limiting factors
which of the following is not a likely characteristic of an abiotic factor
population
which of the following is not organic
water
the transitional region between one ecosystem and an adjacent ecosystem
ecotone
consumers are called that because they depend on other organisms as their sole source of
nutrients
every organism has a range of tolerance for
all abiotic and biotic factors
which of the following is not a factor is determining climate in a particular geographic region
soiil
the study of natural ecosystems is important because
they provide important examples of how humans can manage areas to achieve sustainability
a grouping of plants, animals, and other organisms interacting with each other and their environment in such away as t perpetuate the groping more or less indefinitely is call a/an
ecosystem
three features that must be used to define all ecosystems are
the biotic community, abiotic factors, and energy flow
all organisms having a similar appearance that can or do mate and produce fertile offspring make up a/an
species
the transitional region between two ecosystems that contain some of the species and characteristics of the two adjacent ecosystems but also contain species unique to the transitional area is called a/an
ecotone
a group within a species consisting of individuals occupying a particular area that freely interbreed is called a/an
population
which term best describes the brushy area that separates a backyard lawn from an adjacent forest
ecotone
which term best describes all of the gray squirrels living in an isolated park within a city
population
which of the following could be studied as an ecosystem
all of the above
the daily measure of a regions temperature and precipitation is that areas
weather
what type of biome would you expect to find in a region where temperatures are moderate and where significant precipitation occurs year round
savanna
what type of biome would you expect to find in a region where temperatures are warm and precipitation is abundant year round
tropical rainforest
what type of biome would you expect to find in a region where temperatures are lwo and precipitation is low
tundra
what type of biome would you expect to find in a region where temperatures are warm and precipitation is frequent part of the year and infrequent the remainder of the year
temperate deciduous forest
which of the following is/are organic compounds
b and c
which of the following is/are inorganic compunds
a and d
all producers are
all of the above
the major categories of organisms for purposes of trophic analysis are
consumers, producers, detritus feeders, and decomposers
in sustainable ecosystems where plants are the major groups of producers, the quantity of plants far exceeds the quantity of consumers
all of the above
of the following, the most basic units of matter (all solids, liquids and gases) are
atoms
which of the following statements is false
elements are comprised of particular kinds of atoms
which of the following statements is false
all the statements are true
which of the following is not a naturally occurring element
nitrogen
which of the following are the three major gases present in the atmosphere
nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide
which of the following is not an important element in the structure of living organisms
aluminum
which statement is false regarding organic molecules
they are often complex molecules
organic molecules always contain
carbon-barbon and/or carbon-hydrogen bonds
natural organic compunds
none of the above
as an ecosystem functions in the normal way
atoms of essential elements are created
energy is the ability to
do work
the law of the conservation of energy is alos known as the
first law of thermodynamics
in the burning, rotting or decay of wood
organic molecules are eventually broken down into simple inorganic molecules/compounds
many forms of chemical energy can be measured in
calories
a calorie is defined in terms of a certain amount of
heat
the observation that some usable energy is lost in every energy conversion is encompassed in the
second law of thermodynamics
energy n action or motion is called
kinetic energy
energy cannot be completely recycled because in every energy conversion
some kinetic energy is lost as heat
the energy value of useful work performed by a process will always be ___ the energy of the fuel it soncumes
the same as
the function of chlorophyll in plants is to
absorb light
green plants obtain energy from
sunlight
plants use glucose
all of the above
a component synthesized by photosynthetic producers and on which all aerobic consumers depend is
oxygen
products of photosynthesis include
a and c
through photosynthesis, carbon atoms from carbon dioxide molecules in the air
will end up in glucose
all consumers, including humans, must feed on preexisting organic material as a necessary source of
both nutrients and energy
your bodys energy comes most directly from
food
the chemical process through which glucose and other simple molecules are broken down to release energy is known as
cell respiration
as a consumer uses food for energy, waste products do not include
osygen
in the absence of oxygen, certain organisms may derive sufficient energy from the partial breakdown of organic molecules
all of the above
mineral wastes resulting from cell respiration are mostly excreted
in the urine
fats and sugars will supply your body with mainly
energy
for consumers that eat plant material, most of the fecal waste is
all of the above
organisms which most readily break down and derive energy and nutrients from fecal material and plant wastes are
fungi and bacteria
as bacteria and fungi feed on plant and animal wastes, which of the followoing are released
all of the above
in nature an oxygen free environment is termed
anaerobic
the first principle of ecosystem sustainability is
atoms are neither created nor destroyed
which statement is false regarding the carbon cycle
the important reservoir of co2 is the soil
phosphate absorbed from the soil by a plant may be
all of the above
in aquatic ecosystems the “plants”, which are nitrogen fixers are
green algea
a farmer grows and plows under a crop of alfalfa (a legume) to enrich his/her soil with
nitrogen
“nitrogen fixation” refers to
converting nitrogen gas to chemical forms which plants can incoporate
plants of the legume (pea/bean) family are important because they
all of the above
which of the following does/do ot have a gas phase as part of its/their cycle
phosphorus
the law of conservation of matter states that in chemical and biological reactions
all of the above
which of the following is not a feature of minerals
insoluble in water
the first law of thermodynamics states that
all of the above
which of the following statements about entropy is false
potential energy increases as entropy increases
sunlight provides green plants with needed
kinetic energy
detritus is an important source of
potential energy
which statement is not true about anaerobic respiration
occurs only rarely in nature
which of the following is false about the phosphorus (P) cycle
the p cycle is greatly accelerated by transport through the atmosphere
humans have affected the phosphorus cycle in several ways, including
accumulation of phosphorus-rich pollutants in the atmosphere
which statement about the nitrogen cycle is false
atmospheric N is readily available
reactive forms of nitrogen directly available to most biota are
ammonia and nitrate
which statement is false about solar energy
it is liiting, especially in terrestrial ecosystems
which of the following is not naturally cycled through the atmosphere
phosphorus
_________ is the natural process responsible for converting atmospheric inorganic carbon to the organic forms of carbon found in living systems.
none of the above
natural abiotic pathway(s) that return carbon to the atmosphere include
fossil fuel consumption
a biotic process that returns inorganic carbon to the atmosphere is
aerobic respiration
anthropogenic process(es) that return carbon to the atmosphere is/are
a and b
a natural process that converts atmospheric nitrogen to forms useable by
nitrogen fixation
a natural process that converts organic nitrogen to atmospheric nitrogen gas is called
denitrification
the manufacture of synthetic fertilizers is/are a significant contributor (s) to the worlds
phosphorus cycle
the burning of fossil fuels is a significant contributor to the worlds
nitrogen cycle
which of these nutrient cycles are affected by the large=scale clear cutting of tropical rain forests
phosphorus cycle
molecules that lack carbon to carbon and/or carbon to hydrogen bonds are said to be
inorganic
molecules that include either carbon to carbon and/or carbon to hydrogen bonds are said to be
organic
examples of kinetic energy include
light energy
wood, coal, oil, and natural gas are forms of
b and d
the sugars produced during photosynthesis are used by plants
all of the above
when 10 pounds of coal is burned, 10 pounds of emissions and ash are produced. this is true because of
all of the above
only 0.200.5% of the solar energy available to plants is converted to biomass. this can be explained by
the second law of thermodynamics
solar energy is the energy source that drives the earths
carbon cycle
environments devoid of oxygen are described as
anaerobic
6c02 plus 6h20 light c6h12006 plus 6o2 is a useful general equation for describing
photosynthesis
the combination of a substance dissolved in a solvent is called a
solution
an interbreeding, reproducing group of individuals of a single species is called a/an
population
a population with stable size is one in which
death rate is the same as birth rate on the average
the term which refers to the ability of individuals to mature and attain breeding age is called
recruitment
which of the following is least likely in a species with high biotic potential
production of large numbers of offspring
the reason that population explosions seldom occur in natural ecosystems is taht
most of the offspring produced fall victim to natural enemies and/or adverse condtions
recruitment refers to
the percentage of offspring that reach maturity and reproduce
as a population density increases, which of the following generally decreases
parasitism
the minimum number of individuals needed to sustain a breeding population is called the
critical factor
if the population of a species drops below a certain critical number
its environmental resistance will increase
as a population increases and becomes more dense, it generally incurs
more dieoff from disease and parasites
humans are likely to cause extinctions because
impacts such as pollution and habitat alteration are not density dependent
overgrazing by herbivores may be controlled by such methods as hunting and
predation by natural enemies and unrestricted range movement
in a natural, dynamically balanced ecosystem herbivores generally do not overgraze vegetation because
natural enemies keep the herbivore populations below overgrazing levels
in a natural, dynamically balanced ecosystem predators generally do not eliminate their prey because
the prey is well enough adapted so that many escape
an increase in the population of an herbivore is generally
paralleled by an increase in populations of its natural enemies
if natural enemies are removed, herbivore populations will most likely
increase, overgraze, and then decline from starvation
animals that feed on plants are called
herbivores
in some ecosystems hundreds of plant species may coexist at very low densities in highly uniform areas. the best way to explain this is that there are
highly balanced competitive relationships based on differences in microhabitats
fire resistant species include
grasses and pines
fires
all of the above
fires are an important factor in maintaining
grasslands
in some species, population is limited be breeding pairs (or groups) staking out and defending an area that has adequate resources to support their needs. this is called
territoriality
territoriality limits population because
individuals, pairs, or groups that cannot acquire and defend a territory are prevented from breeding
in ecology, succession refers to
one species or group of species gradually being replaced by another
moss growing on bare rock is gradually displaced by other species because
it tends to change the environment such that other plants can invade the area
much of central maryland, which used to be deciduous forest, is now agricultural land. assuming the soil has remained fertile, if a seciton of farmland is abandoned
the forest will eventually come back through a series of stages: grass tall weeds pines hardwoods
a climax ecosystem is
one in which populations of all species are in balance with each other and their environment
compared to rates of change which occur in nature human-induced changes tend to be
extremely rapid
humans have caused ecological upsets by
all of the above
overall, human impacts are making the biosphere biologically
more simple and unstable
stability in an ecosystem over time is represented by
the same mix of populations
the number of offspring that can be produced in a population under ideal conditions is defined as
biotic potential
the combination of abiotic and biotic factors that may limit population growth is called
environmental resistance
reproductive rates that just maintain the size of a population
are at a replacement level
species whose total population size is thought to be below its critical number are defined as
endangered
complex food webs likely would not have
overgrazing at one or more trophic levels
the catastrophic results that usually occur when an alien species is introduces into a new ecosystem is good evidence that
population regulation depends on finely tuned interactions of specific species
defense of a small region against encroachment by other individuals of the same species is
territoriality
which statement about carrying capacity is false
it applies only to the larges organism in an ecosystem
which statement is false about territoriality
territories are continually made smaller so that all members of the population have one
sustainability of ecosystems depends on maintenance of a balance of
all of the above
which statement about j-shaped population growth curves is false
population grows indefinitely
which statement about s-shaped population growth curves is false
population grows indefinitely
the number of individuals of a species in a given unit ares (for example the number of rabbits per hectare_ is called
population density
the maximum population density that a habitat can support without experiencing long-term degradation is called
carrying capacity
which of the following can alter the carrying capacity of an area for a particular species
supplemental feeding programs for the species in question
which of the following species are most likely to experience j curve population change
rabbits in an environment lacking rabbit predators
the condition in which the number of births within a population is approximately equal to the number of deaths is called
population equilibrium
the portion of a population that survives to become a part of the breeding population is referred to as the
recruitment level
the combination of all the abiotic and biotic factors that may limit population increase is called
environmental resistance
which of the following may serve as an environmental resistance
all of the above
if recruitment is equal to the replacement level for a given species then the
population is at equilibrium
the primary determiner (s) of changes in size of a given species population is/are
a and b
as a species population density increases, the environmental resistance to further growth generally
increases
examples of known alien species, species introduced to the continental US from other regions include
all of the above
exotic species may experience rapid population increase n their new environment because
all of the above
alien plant species such as purple loosestrife, kudzu, and water hacinth that were introduced into the US
all the above
alien plant species such as purple loosstrife, kudzu, and water hyacinth have been introduced into the US by
accidental release
territoriality refers to an environmental interaction where
a and c
factors that can alter plan herbivore dynamics in ways that often lead to overgrazing include
a and b
factors affecting competition between plant species include
all of the above
which of the following represents a monoculture
wheat field
which of the following represents a typical example of ecological succession in a temperate deciduous forest
bare soil, grasses, shrubs, conifers, deciduous trees
the world population is currently about
6 billion
the human population of the world is currently
growing at a rate of about 8 million per year
which of the following best describes the human population from early times to the present
slow, uneven growth until the 1800s then increasingly rapid growth
the average standard of living seen n the US is typical of
canada, the countries of western europe and asia
total fertility refers to
the average total number of children being born per woman
a human population profile shows the
numbers of people in each age group
the population profile of a developing country such as iraq has the shape of a
pyramid
the population profile of a highly developed country such as italy has the shape of a
pear, small end down
which of the following is not conveyed by a population profile with a columnar shape
the number of immigrations and emigrations
if the total fertility of less developed countries were reduced to 2.0 immediately, the population would
continue to grow, but gradually stabilize over the next 60 to 70 years
population momentum inherent in the populations of less developed nations refers to the fact that their
populations will continue to grow for some time before leveling off even if fertility rates are reduced to 2.0
continuing rapid population growth
undercuts economic growth
a poor nation suffers from a rapidly increasing population because
there is increased competition for available resources
crude death rate for a given country is a statistic of
the number of deaths per 1000 people per year
crude birth rate refers to
number of births per 1000 people per year
crude birth and death rates enable one to compare
the natural increase or decrease in different populations
dividing the percentage rate of population increase into the demographic constant 70 gives
the number of years it will take a population growing at a constant rate to double
a country which has a crude birth rate of 33 and a crude death rate of 10 is growing at what percent per year
2.3
a population which is growing at the rate of 4.5% per year will double in about
15 years
suppose that a population that has been stable for a long period of time suddenly begins to increase. the increase may be due to
all of the above
birth rates tend to decline with
all of the above
most developing nations are in what phase of the demographic transitions
low birth rate, low death rate
human population growth before the 1900s was limited by all of the following except
birth control technology
countries of the world just now becoming industrialized and with low to moderate average incomes are best referred to as
developing
the percentage of the worlds wealth controlled by developed and developing countries, respectively, is
80:20
the proportion of the worlds human population living in developing countries is
80% and growing
which statement is not true about replacement fertility rate?
all of the above statements are true
which of the following is not a problem common to many developing countries
increasing independence from foreign technology
populations with shorter doubling times will have annual rates of increase that are ____ populations with longer doublig times
greater than
prior to the 1800s the human population was in a dynamic balance.exhibiting a general slow increase in population size. environmental resistance responsible for this balance included
all of the above
prior to the 1800s the human population was in a dynamic equilibrium exhibiting a general slwo increase in population size. reasons for this balance included
all of the abofe
characteristics of developing countries include
all of the above
population characteristics of developing countries include
all of the above
when the fertility rate of a population is greater than 2 then
the population is increasing
population characteristics of developed countries include
all of the above
which of the following can reduce human impacts on natural ecosystems
a and b
subsistence agriculture
all of the above
globally, forests are being cut down faster than they are being regenerated. reason for this loss include
all of the above
consequences of global loss of forested ecosystems include
all of the above
when human population growth exceeds food availability
all of the above
as a society becomes more afflueant
a and b
demography is
the study of human population profiles
population profiles
a and b
population profiles
are a graphical depiction of the age, sex, and number of individuals in a population
when widespread food shortrages occur in rural areas, common human response is to
all of the above
the effects of poverty and food shortages are felt most by
b and c
the governments of many developing countries pass laws to encourage the conversion of natural ecosystems to noes of agricultural production which of the following are also tru
all of the above
