ENV TEST #1

one member benefits while the other is harmed

exploitation

a population increases by a fixed percent

exponential growth

affect people other than buyers or sellers

external costs

the disappearance of a species from Earth

extinction

a circular process in which a system's output serves as input to that same system

feedback loop

energy can change form but cannot be created or destroyed

first law of thermodynamics

the rate at which materials move between reservoirs

flux

a series of feeding relationships

food chain

a visual map of feeding relationships and energy flow among organisms

food web

an imprint in stone of a dead organism

fossil

the cumulative body of fossils worldwide

fossil record

people are tempted to cheat and not participate in sacrificing to protect the environment

free riders

species with broad niches

generalists

manufactured materials that are bought

goods

from private or government sources

grants and funding

tax environmentally harmful activities and products

green taxes

consumers are misled into thinking companies are acting more sustainably than they are

greenwashing

total amount of chemical energy produced by autotrophs

gross primary production

water found underground beneath layers of soil

groundwater

rate of change in a population's size per unit time

growth rate

the environment where an organism lives

habitat

the process by which organisms actively select habitats in which to live

habitat selection

nonrandom patterns where organisms live

habitat use

animals feed on the tissues of plants

herbivory

organisms that gain energy by feeding on others

heterotrophs

ecosystems whose plants rapidly convert solar energy to biomass

high net primary productivity

anyone could buy or settle on 160 acres of public land

homestead act of 1862

organic compounds that contain only carbon and hydrogen

hydrocarbons

the flow of liquid, gaseous, and solid water through the environment

hydrologic cycle

all water on Earth

hydrosphere

A _______ is a testable statement that attempts to answer a scientific question

hypothesis

a statement that tries to answer the question

hypothesis

targeted, structured research

hypothesis-driven science

the number of individuals present at a given time

population size

a group of individuals of a species that live in the same area

populations

instead of stabilizing a system, it drives it further toward an extreme

positive feedback loop

energy of position

potential energy

rain or snow returns water to Earth's surface

precipitation

process by which individuals of one species (predators) capture, kill, and consume individuals of another species (prey)

predation

A cow eating grass is an example of a _____.

primary consumer

organisms in the second trophic level that consume producers. herbivorous grazing animals. deer & grasshoppers

primary consumers

conversion of solar energy to chemical energy in sugars by autotrophs during photosynthesis

primary production

disturbance removes all vegetation and/or soil life

primary succession

In an ecosystem, phytoplankton are _____.

producers

organisms capture solar energy for photosynthesis to produce sugars

producers or autotrophs

bacteria and archaea

prokaryotes

Which of the following sequences is arranged in proper order from the smaller units to the largest units?

proton, element, molecule, organism

positively charged particles

protons

governmental laws, regulations, orders, incentives, and practices to advance societal welfare

public policy

information expressed by numbers

quantitative data

species that reproduce quickly

r-selected species

Most energy in the majority of ecosystems arrives as ______ and exits in the form of _____.

radiation from the sun, heat

haphazardly located individuals, with no pattern

random

specific rules to achieve objectives of broadly written statutory laws

regulations

ethics varies with social context

relativists

replinished over short periods

renewable natural resources

others try to reproduce the results

repeatability

a community changes in response to a disturbance, but later returns to its original state

resilience

a community resists change and remains stable despite the disturbance

resistance

competing species coexist by specializing

resource partitioning

the science of restoring an area to an earlier (presettlement) condition

restoration ecology

water flows into streams, lakes, rivers, oceans

runoff

Which of the following approaches has encountered the most public resistance in the United States?

"green" taxes to encourage environmentally responsible behavior

Which statement best describes the concept of sustainability?

An example of sustainability may be to collect enough bark in order to make a medicine but not remove so much bark that the tree is harmed.

pH > 7

Basic solutions

an organism's capacity to produce offspring

Biotic potential

links carbon atoms from carbon dioxide into sugar

Calvin Cycle

controversial taxes on gasoline, coal-based electricity, and other fossil fuels

Carbon taxes

include simple sugars and large molecules of simple sugars bonded together

Carboydrates

solar energy splits water and creates high-energy molecules that fuel the Calvin cycle

Chloroplasts

A _____ is an unmanipulated point of comparison for treatments in an experiment

Control

arises from conventions or treaties

Conventional Law

international law arising from long-standing practices or customs held by most cultures

Customary Law

_______ is information obtained from scientific studies

Data

What is a main lesson that can be learned from historians and anthropologists studying Easter Island?

Easter Island was once inhabited by a flourishing civilization that depleted the island's natural resources to the point that the island is now a barren landscape devoid of trees, most wildlife, and arable land.

transitional zones between two ecosystems in which elements of each ecosystem mix

Ecotones

tourists visit protected areas

Ecotourism

an intangible phenomenon that can change the position, physical composition, temperature of matter

Energy

Which of the statements below is the best description of energy?

Energy is the ability to do work.

required for any federal action that might significantly impact the environment

Environmental Impact Statement

To develop an integrated approach to environmental policy

Environmental Protection Agency

seeks to promote Europe's unity and its economic and social progress

European Union

Which best describes the cause for 'dead zones' in the Chesapeake Bay?

Eutrophication.

people could mine on public land for $5/acre with no government oversight

General Mining Act of 1872

regions of DNA that code for proteins that perform certain functions

Genes

the amount of time it takes for one-half of the atoms in a radioisotope to give off radiation and decay

Half-life

In England, dogs with large, floppy ears called hounds were favored for hunting because of their excellent sense of smell. Which statement most accurately represents the process that enabled humans to produce such dog breeds from their wild predecessors?

Humans noticed dogs with large, floppy ears had a better sense of smell and were more effective hunters, thus, they could be valuable to humans during a hunt. By breeding dogs of similar, desirable traits with one another, a new breed of large, floppy-eared dogs was eventually created.

Urbanized society powered by fossil fuels

Industrial revolution

Which of the following is a step that Costa Rica took to conserve its biodiversity?

It opened national parks, encouraged ecotourism, and created protected areas so that close to 25% of its land is protected or reserved.

species with long gestation periods and few offspring

K-selected species

reduces greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change

Kyoto Protocol

Which of the following is the most inclusive of the factors that play into population growth rates?

Limiting factors, along with biotic potential, restrain population growth

Which of the following statements is true?

Living systems tend toward disorder.

reveal causal relationships. the independent variable is manipulated. yields the strongest evidence.

Manipulative experiments

all material in the universe that has mass and occupies space

Matter

a simplified representation of a complicated natural process

Model

160 nations agreed to reduce ozone-depleting chemicals

Montreal Protocol

Which of the following best describes the ideas behind the parable of "The Tragedy of the Commons?"

Motivated by self-interest, resources are overused by some individuals, which leaves less for others.

search for correlations among variables. compare how dependent variables are expressed in different contexts

Natural Tests

Could 235U decay into an isotope of 236Pb?

No, because as uranium decays it will shed subatomic particles not add them.

entities that influence international policy

Nongovernmental Organizations

Addresses U.S.-Mexico issues

North American Free Trade Agreement

described the ecological and health effects of pesticides and chemicals

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring

A leaf falls from a tree and lands on the ground. Through time, decomposers digest the organic materials in the leaf. Which of the following statements regarding this scenario is true?

The decomposer has recycled the organic materials in the leaf and released them back into the soil.

Insects are our #1 competitor for food as they are our primary agricultural pest. Insects are small, extremely mobile, and reproduce rapidly. Which of the following statements is true about such a species?

The insect species is r-selected.

When an increase in the population of prey occurs, which of the following usually occurs in the population of its predator?

The population of the predator increases.

only humans have rights

anthropocentrism

Which statement about the terms theory and hypothesis is correct?

Theories can be used to predict new discoveries by generating new hypotheses from them.

Pick the answer that best evaluates the following statement: "It has been said that land animals can't exist without plants but that plants could exist without animals."

This statement is true because plants are able to convert solar energy into carbohydrates. Animals must get their energy from plants or herbivores, other organisms that eat plants.

encouraged the timber industry to clear-cut ancient trees with little government policy to limit logging or encourage conservation

Timber Culture Act of 1873

unregulated exploitation of public resources leads to depletion and damage

Tragedy of the commons

plays an active role in policy

United Nations

principle holding that the right action is the one that produces the most benefits for the most people

Utility

When a species is moved from its native area to a new area, it can become an invasive species and damage its new ecosystem. What is one reason these species are able to damage an ecosystem?

When a species is transported, it leaves behind its predators and the diseases that previously kept its population in check. Therefore the species is able to grow to large and damaging numbers.

Which of the following statements is correct in determining energy transfer between tropic levels when taking into account the heat given off from cellular respiration?

When organisms use cellular respiration to process energy, only a small amount of energy is transferred to the next trophic level.

one of the largest funding sources for economic development in poor countries

World Bank

has recently acquired the ability to impose fines on nations that trade unfairly, allowing it to enforce fairness among nations in trading practices.

World Trade Organization

Which of the following is an example of kinetic energy?

a rock falling from a cliff

pH < 7

acidic solutions

believed that self-interested behavior could benefit society

adam smith

a trait that promotes reproductive success

adaptive trait

The first major era of U.S. environmental policy _______.

addressed public land management and encouraged western expansion

material goods do not always bring contentment to those who can afford them

affluenza

the relative numbers of organisms of each age in a population

age structure (distribution)

Growing crops and livestock led to sedentary lives

agricultural revolution

species form as a result of physical separation of populations

allopatric speciation

Which of the following would be most likely to be believed by the scientific community?

an experiment that has been replicated 10 times with the same results

underground reservoirs of spongelike regions of rock and soil that hold groundwater

aquifers

The main advantage of observational studies and natural experiments over manipulative studies is that natural experiments ___________.

are able to test hypotheses in the field and with large study areas

Ecosystems that convert solar energy to biomass rapidly ________.

are said to have high primary productivity

the process of selection conducted under human direction

artificial selection

the air surrounding the planet

atmophere

the number of protons

atomic number

the smallest components that maintain an element's chemical properties

atoms

Which of the following would have the largest biomass in any given terrestrial ecosystem?

autotrophs

organisms that use the sun's energy to produce their own food

autotrophs (producers)

In order for two organisms to belong to the same species, individuals of their species must _______.

be able to reproduce and have fertile offspring

certain living things have value

biocentrism

the variety of life across all levels of biological organization

biological diversity (biodiversity)

mass of living matter

biomass

major regional complex of similar communities recognized by: plant type & vegetation structure

biome

the planet's living organisms

biosphere

the total living things on Earth

biosphere

In which of the following ways did neoclassical economics contribute to environmental problems?

by encouraging society to view the supply of resources as infinite

the government sets pollution levels

cap-and-trade emissions trading system

buyers and sellers interact to determine prices and production of goods and services

capitalist market economy

describes carbon's route in the environment

carbon cycle

the maximum population size the environment can sustain

carrying capacity

the most basic unit of organismal organization

cells

the government determines how to allocate resources

centrally planned economy

potential energy held in the bonds between atoms

chemical energy

indicates the type and number of atoms in the molecule

chemical formula

a light-absorbing pigment

chlorophyll

organelles where photosynthesis occurs

chloroplasts

when people pursue economic self-interest in a competitive marketplace

classical economics

a climate diagram showing an area's mean monthly temperature and precipitation

climatographs

remains in place with few changes

climax community

arranged according to resources. most common in nature.

clumped

hosts and parasites become locked in a duel of escalating adaptations

coevolution

Most of the environmental progress made over the past few decades has come about through the _____ approach.

command-and-control

a regulating agency prohibits actions, or sets rules or limits

command-and-control approach

an assemblage of populations of organisms living in the same area at the same time

community

are interested in why species coexist and interact with one another. Communities change, and why these patterns exist

community ecologists

focuses on patterns of species diversity and interactions

community ecology

When multiple organisms seek the same limited resource, each participant exerts a negative effect on the other participants by taking resources the others could have used. This type of relationship is said to be one of ___________.

competition

multiple organisms seek the same limited resource

competition

a molecule composed of atoms of two or more different elements

compound

scientists interact with others

conferences

study the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversity

conservation biologists

an unmanipulated point of comparison

control

the effects of all variables are controlled

controlled experiment

Which of the examples below illustrates the economic principle of a negative externality?

cost of rebuilding roads damaged by trucks heavily loaded with goods

costs of a proposed action are compared to benefits that result from the action

cost-benefit analysis

atoms without electrical charges "share" electrons

covalent bond

break down leaf litter and other nonliving material

decomposers

convert nitrates in soil or water to gaseous nitrogen, releasing it back into the atmosphere

denitrifying bacteria

limiting factors whose influence is affected by population density

density-dependent factors

limiting factors whose influence is not affected by population density

density-independent factors

A scientist measures the _________ in an experiment

dependent variable

depends on the independent variable

dependent variable

If a scientist travels to the rainforest to observe and catalog new species, he or she would be conducting ___________.

descriptive science

Which list includes biomes in the correct order based on those that have the lowest annual rainfall to those that have the highest?

desert, grassland, temperate deciduous forest, tropical rain forest

An earthworm that feeds on the remains of plants and animals is acting as a _____.

detritivore

scavenge waste products or dead bodies

detritivores

whole ecological systems have value

ecocentrism

tells consumers which brands use environmentally benign processes

ecolabeling

civilizations cannot overcome environmental limitations

ecological economies

A(n) ______ expresses environmental impact in terms of the cumulative area of land and water required to provide the resources a person consumes.

ecological footprint

the environmental impact of a person or population

ecological footprint

constructs and tests models to explain and predict how ecological systems work

ecological modeling

actual efforts to restore an area

ecological restoration

study relationships at higher levels

ecologists

studies interactions among organisms

ecology

improved efficiency of production

economic development

essential services support the life that makes economic activities possible

economic services

studies how people use resources to provide goods and services in the face of demand

economics

a social system that converts resources into goods and services

economy

If scientists spend their time studying communities and the nonliving materials that they interact with, they would be called _______.

ecosystem ecologists

studies living and nonliving components of systems to reveal patterns

ecosystem ecology

arise from the normal functioning of natural services and allow us to survive

ecosystem services

essential services provided by healthy, normally functioning ecosystems

ecosystem services

all organisms and nonliving entities occurring and interacting in a particular area

ecosystems

negatively charged particles surrounding the nucleus

electrons

a fundamental type of matter

element

departure of individuals from the population

emigration

A single, small population that only exists in one place on the planet is considered _______ to that area.

endemic

exists only in a certain, specialized area

endemic species

The role of an administrative agency is that of _______.

enforcement and elaboration of laws passed by Congress

an increasing state of disorder

entropy

all the living and nonliving things around us

environment

unsustainable economies have high population growth and inefficient resource use

environmental economics

application of ethical standards to relationships between human and nonhuman entities

environmental ethics

pertains to human interactions with the environment

environmental policy

The triple bottom line seeks to combine ___________.

environmental protection, economic well-being, and social equity

all limiting factors together

environmental resistance

the pursuit of knowledge about the environment and our interactions with it

environmental science

the study of how the natural world works & how the environment affects humans and vice versa

environmental science

a social movement

environmentalism

molecules that promote (catalyze) chemical reactions

enzymes

a water body where fresh river water flows into salt ocean water

estuary

criteria that help differentiate right from wrong

ethical standards

the study of good and bad, right and wrong

ethics

plants, animals, fungi, protists

eukaryotes

the process of nutrient overenrichment, blooms of algae, increased production of organic matter, and ecosystem degradation

eutrophication

conversion of liquid to gaseous water

evaporation

means change over time

evolution

An _____ tests the validity of a hypothesis

experiment

tests the validity of a prediction or hypothesis

experiment

Which of the following sequences involved in getting new environmental policies or legislation best represents the correct order of events?

identifying a problem, identifying a cause, envisioning a solution, and lobbying the government

arrival of individuals from outside the population

immigration

A scientist manipulates the ___________ in an experiment

independent variable

can be manipulated

independent variable

fixes nitrogen on a massive scale

industrial fixation

water soaks down through rock and soil to recharge aquifers

infiltration

lack the carbon-carbon bond

inorganic compounds

between members of different species

interspecific competition

between members of the same species

intraspecific competition

non-native species that spreads widely and become dominant in a community

invasive species

ions of different charges bind together

ionic bonds

atoms that gain or lose electrons

ions

atoms of an element with different numbers of neutrons

isotopes

Ecosystem goods include _______.

items produced by ecosystems that are consumed or used in manufacturing

has a strong or wide-reaching impact

keystone species

energy of motion

kinetic energy

the study of how landscape structure affects the abundance, distribution, and interaction of organisms

landscape ecology

Which of the following are most likely to be keystone species in an ecosystem?

large-bodied, higher level consumers.

matter can be transformed from one type of substance into others

law of conversation of matter

physical, chemical, and biological attributes of the environment limiting population growth

limiting factors

do not dissolve in water

lipids

rock and sediment

lithosphere

large-sized molecules essential to life

macromolecules

occurs when markets ignore the environment's positive impacts on economies & the negative effects of activities on the environment or people

market failure

killed off massive numbers of species at once

mass extinction events

the number of protons + neutrons

mass number

In a subsistence economy, individuals _______.

meet most of their needs from nature and what they can gather or produce on their own or may trade for local goods made by different clans or families.

governments intervene in the market

mixed economy

combinations of two or more atoms

molecules

deaths within the population

mortality

The only process that can add new genes and, therefore, new variations to a species is _______.

mutation

Two examples of symbiotic relationships are ___________.

mutualism and parasitism

births within the population

natality

the accumulated wealth of Earth's resources

natural capital

substances and energy sources we need for survival

natural resources

examine the natural world

natural sciences

: The process whereby inherited characteristics that enhance survival and reproduction

natural selection

output resulting from a system moving in one direction acts as an input that moves the system in the other direction

negative feedback loop

energy remaining after respiration

net primary production

pH: 7

neutral solutions

lacking electric charge

neutrons

an organism's use of resources

niche

bacteria then convert ammonium ions first into nitrite ions then into nitrate ions

nitrification

describes the routes of nitrogen through the environment

nitrogen cycle

nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria or lightning "fixes" nitrogen gas into ammonium

nitrogen fixation

values (e.g., ecological, cultural, spiritual) not included in the price of a good or service

nonmarket values

unavailable after depletion

nonrenewable natural resources

long chains of nucleotides that contain sugar, phosphate,and a nitrogen base

nucleic acids

the movement of nutrients through ecosystems

nutrient (biogeochemical) cycle

elements needed in large amounts by organisms

nutrients

The following statement is an example of a(n) _____: "People in Japan eat more fish on average than people of other countries."

observation

information is gathered about organisms, systems, processes, etc.

observational (descriptive) science

If a human consumes both plant and animal products then he or she is considered a(n) _____.

omnivore

carbon atoms bonded together

organic compounds

Along with population growth, which of the following is a major root of the environmental problems caused by humans?

our exploitation and consumption of resources

humans have surpassed Earth's capacity to sustainably support us

overshoot

When scientists determined that the Earth was round rather than flat, this was a ___________.

paradigm shift

a new dominant view replaces the old

paradigm shifts

insects that parasitize other insects

parasitoids

a relationship in which one organism (parasite) depends on another (host)

paratism

Which of the following is a typical K-selected species' adaptation?

parental care of the young

ecosystems, communities or habitat form the landscape and are distributed in complex patterns

patches

other scientists judge the work

peer review

a government-created market in permits for an environmentally harmful activity

permit trading

the overall character of the community fundamentally changes

phase shift

describes the routes that phosphorus takes through the environment

phosphorous cycle

the process of turning the sun's light energy into high-quality chemical energy

photosynthesis

a branching diagram used to illustrate a scientist's hypothesis about how divergence took place among evolutionary lines.

phylogenetic tree

branching diagrams show relationships among species, groups, genes, etc.

phylogenetic trees

the first species to arrive in a primary succession area

pioneer species

a formal set of general plans and principles to address problems and guide decision making

policy

: bees, bats, birds, and others transfer pollen from one flower to another, fertilizing its eggs

pollination

the party that pollutes is held responsible for covering the costs of its impacts

polluter-pays principle

long chains of repeated organic compounds

polymers

a location where nutrients remain for varying amounts of time

pool (reservoir)

the number of individuals in a population per unit area

population density

spatial arrangement of organisms

population distribution (dispersion)

investigates population changes

population ecology

a systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it

science

energy changes from a more-ordered to a less-ordered state

second law of thermodynamics

When a human eats a steak, the human is acting as a _____.

secondary consumer

organisms in the third trophic level that prey on primary consumers. wolves, rodents, birds

secondary consumers

a disturbance has removed much, but not all, of the biotic community

secondary succession

work done for others as a form of business

services

proportion of males to females

sex ratio

a reservoir that accepts more than it releases

sink

examine human interactions and institutions

social sciences

electrons, molecules and compounds come together with no chemical bonding

solutions

a reservoir releases more materials than it accepts

source

have narrow niches and specific needs

specialists

a population or group of populations

species

Economies that mirror natural ecological system, they don't grow nor shrink but stay stable

steady state economies

a government giveaway of cash or resources to encourage a particular industry or activity

subsidy

people get their daily needs directly from nature or their own production

subsistence economy

Net primary production in an ecosystem can be calculated by ______.

subtracting respiration from gross primary production

the predictable series of changes in a community

succession

living within our planet's means

sustainability

a relationship in which the organisms live in close physical contact

symbiosis

a network of relationships among components that interact with and influence one another

system

helps an entity by relieving its tax burden

tax break

A seal that just ate a clam is eaten by a shark. The shark is acting as a _____.

tertiary consumer

organisms in the fourth trophic level that are predators. hawks & owls

tertiary consumers

a well-tested and widely accepted explanation

theory

If an experiment fails to disprove a hypothesis, then ___________.

this lends support to the hypothesis but does not prove it is correct

commonly held resources will become overused and degraded

tragedy of the commons

release of water vapor by plants

transpiration

a manipulated point of comparison

treatment

predators at high trophic levels indirectly promote populations at low trophic levels

trophic cascade

rank in the feeding hierarchy

trophic levels

evenly spaced individuals

uniform

notions of right and wrong remain the same across cultures and situations

universalists

A condition in an experiment that can change is called a(n)_____

variable

conditions that can change or be manipulated

variables

the uppermost level of groundwater held in an aquifer

water table

the land area that drains water into a river

watershed