topics 5.2, 5.6, 5.14, 5.17 Flashcards
Biological control methods for managing insect pests are effective for reasons that include which of the following?
They promote genetic resistance in the target species, resulting in a population explosion of the target species.
They generally focus on one target insect to ensure that the target insect population remains low.
They can lead to a self-perpetuating population of a control species.
a. I only
b. II only
c. I and III only
d. II and III only
e. I, II, and III
d. II and III only
A farmer observes that increasingly higher concentrations of a particular pesticide have been required each year over the past ten years to achieve the same level of effectiveness on a specific insect pest. Which of the following best helps explain the observation?
a. Some individual insects live longer than others and pass on traits acquired during their lives.
b. Only the most aggressive and territorial insects survive and reproduce.
c. Some individual insects are more likely than others to survive and reproduce due to their inherited traits.
d. Some individual insects produce many offspring, and thus their offspring live longer.
e. Some individual insects reproduce before the pesticide is applied, thereby avoiding its harmful effects.
c. Some individual insects are more likely than others to survive and reproduce due to their inherited traits.
An insect population in an agricultural field is affected by monthly applications of a pesticide, as shown in the graph above. A likely cause of the overall increase in the insect population over time is
a. an increase in the population of insect predators
b. an increase in average temperature over the summer
c. an increase in soil salinity
d. a decrease in the moisture content of the soil
e. the survival of increasing numbers of resistant insects
e. the survival of increasing numbers of resistant insects
An integrated pest-management approach to pest control emphasizes which of the following?
a. Eradication of the pest population
b. Reliance on spraying broad-spectrum pesticides
c. Reduction of crop damage to an economically tolerable level
d. Use of plant monocultures to simplify spraying
e. Elimination of the use of second-generation pesticides
c. Reduction of crop damage to an economically tolerable level
Biological controls are frequently used to replace persistent chemical pesticides. Which of the following represents the greatest potential risk of using biological controls?
a. The control agent attacks not only its intended target but also beneficial species.
b. The control agent mutates and is no longer an effective control agent.
c. Repeated applications or introductions are required to eliminate the pest population.
d. Residual pesticides in the environment kill the control agent before it can eradicate the pest.
e. Biological controls prove to be more costly to use than chemical pesticides.
a. The control agent attacks not only its intended target but also beneficial species.
Which of the following changes to the local hydrologic cycle will result if large areas of land experienced clear-cutting?
a. Transpiration of water from vegetation will increase.
b. Evaporation of water from the soil will increase.
c. Runoff from watersheds will decrease.
d. Siltation of local streams will decrease.
b. Evaporation of water from the soil will increase.
Which of the following is most likely to occur in a forested region that has been recently clear-cut?
a. The concentration of nitrates in streams running through the region will increase.
b. The average depth of topsoil will increase.
c. The water temperature in streams running through the region will decrease.
d. Volume of runoff after rains will decrease.
e. The frequency of landslides will decrease.
a. The concentration of nitrates in streams running through the region will increase.
Which of the following is a commercially used method for harvesting trees and is most likely to lead to a fragmented landscape with serious impacts on biodiversity?
a. selective cutting
b. clear-cutting
c. shelter-wood cutting
d. slash and burn clearing
e. gleaning
b. clear-cutting
Coal was surface mined from five sites, labeled 1 through 5, that had originally been covered by forest. Each site was planted with a mix of tree seedlings to reclaim the area to forest. Grass was also seeded over each site to prevent initial erosion and to provide forage. Ten years after planting, information was collected at the five sites and is given in the table below. Select the letter of the row that indicates the site with the most successful forest reclamation.
a. row a
b. row B
c. row C
d. row D
e. row E
e. row E
Industrial logging threatens many forested ecosystems. Which of the following environmental consequences will most likely result from clear-cutting deciduous forests for logging?
a. More carbon dioxide will be added to the atmosphere and increase anthropogenic climate change.
b. Farmers will be able to utilize more land, resulting in a decrease in the number of floods.
c. Less oxygen will be used by the trees, so more oxygen will be in the atmosphere for humans and other animals to use.
d. The regulating services of the area, such as nutrient cycling and water regulation, would increase with fewer trees in the landscape.
a. More carbon dioxide will be added to the atmosphere and increase anthropogenic climate change.
Which of the following statements is best supported by the data in the table?
a. Crops grown using integrated pest management have higher levels of all pesticides in cucumbers but do not have higher levels in tomatoes.
b. Crops grown using integrated pest management had lower levels of monocrotophos measured in both tomatoes and cucumbers.
c. The greatest effect of integrated pest management was seen in lower levels of endosulfan in both tomatoes and cucumbers.
d. Integrated pest management resulted in substantially higher levels of all four pesticides in tomatoes.
c. The greatest effect of integrated pest management was seen in lower levels of endosulfan in both tomatoes and cucumbers.
Which of the following is a disadvantage associated with the genetic modification of crops?
a. Genetically modified crops have a decreased resistance to drought.
b. Genetically modified crops have a shorter shelf life and are more difficult to transport long distances.
c. Genetically modifications can decrease the genetic diversity of crop species.
d. Genetic modifications decrease nutritional content in foods.
c. Genetically modifications can decrease the genetic diversity of crop species.
It has been observed that forest fires can produce up to 40 percent of the mean annual global emissions of which of the following gases?
a. methane
b. ozone
c. carbon dioxide
d. sulfur dioxide
e. water vapor
c. carbon dioxide
Switching from customary large-scale agricultural practices to which of the following is most likely to reduce the exposure of farmworkers and nearby residents to toxic chemicals?
a. no-till cultivation
b. integrated pest management
c. contour plowing
d. crop dusting
e. use of cover crops
b. integrated pest management
Which of the following claims would be the best solution to the pest problem, based on the data in the graph?
a. Use of conventional pesticides is the most successful method because the pesticides can be sprayed multiple times until the pest infestation is under control.
b. Use of Integrated Pest Management techniques is the most successful method because the sources for food, water, and shelter for pests are disrupted, leading to a reduced number of pests in the area.
c. Use of the control treatment is the most successful method because insects have a short life span and will die off naturally.
d. Use of the three different treatments are equally effective in controlling pests because a variety of different methods can be successful at eliminating pests.
b. Use of Integrated Pest Management techniques is the most successful method because the sources for food, water, and shelter for pests are disrupted, leading to a reduced number of pests in the area.
