ENVS 1126- Dr Hou FALL 2022 Exam 1
CITIES
(1975): ban the international trade in ivory in 1989
Haber-Bosch
(Industrial N fixation): N2+3H2 -> 2NH3
Law of Limiting Factors
(Liebig's Law of the Minimum, 1840); "Any factor outside the optimal range will cause stress and limit growth, reproduction, and survival of a population"
Environmental Science
-Deals with environmental issues Study of how the world works -Provides answers that allow societies to make changes consistent with a sustainable future
An average person might consume 2,000 kilocalories of food in one day. This is enough energy to heat up how many liters of liquid water from 0 degrees Celsius to 100 degrees Celsius (just reaching the boiling point of water, but not turning the water into steam)?
2 liters
A population is growing exponentially with a doubling time of 1year. If the size of the population now is 100, what will be the size of the population 3 years from now?
800
Why is exponential growth unsustainable?
A species cannot exceed carrying capacity indefinitely.
key stone species
A species that can cause dramatic changes in the structure of a community if removed
Which one of the following best represents the productive use of a natural resource?
A woman gathers mushrooms from a forest to sell in the local produce market
Calorie
Amount of energy needed to raise temperature 1 gram of water 1 degree C
Which of the following is a correlation that is causing widespread concern
As levels of CO2 increase, average global temperatures are increasing
Law of Conservation of Matter
Atoms do not change and are not crated to destroyed
Six Key Elements
C H O N P S, Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S).
Organisms and Environmental factors
Ecology, Species, Population and biotic communities,
A poacher kills polar bears in Alaska and ships their skins to buyers in Asia. The poacher is most likely in violation of laws that come from the
Endangered Species Act and Cites
Rachel Carson
Her 1962 book, Silent Spring, exposed the use of pesticides and would lead Congress to pass clean air and water laws.
Researchers wanted to determine if pesticide Was effective at killing grasshoppers that typically invade cornfields. Two ten-acre cornfields located 1 mile apart were chosen. the cornfield to the west was only sprayed with water. The cornfield to the east received the same amount of water with a 10% solution of pesticide Z. Samples of the numbers of grasshoppers the field were made every week for ten weeks. Results: # of grasshoppers in west doubled after 10 weeks # of grasshoppers in east declined by 50% after 10 weeks Question: Draw conclusions to the experiment
If a cornfield is sprayed with pesticide Z, it will have fewer grasshoppers 10 weeks later.
Which of the following is an example of the greatest cause of biodiversity loss in the world today?
In Brazil, ranchers cut and burn rain forest to clear fields for grazing cattle
Passed in 1900, the most significant legislation to protect wildlife from illegal killing or sale is the
Lacey Act
biological nitrogen fixation
N2+3H2 -> 2NH3
Denitrification
NO3- ->N2 Microbes use nitrates as a substitute for oxygen
Environmental paradox
Over the past 40 years, human well-being has improved, but natural ecosystems that provide us with goods and services have declined.
Which one of the following statements is true? a. R-strategists have low biotic potential and good recruitment most of the time b. R-strategists have high biotic potential and poor recruitment most of the time c. R-strategists have high biotic potential and good recruitment most of the time d. R-strategists have low biotic potential and poor recruitment most of the time
R-strategists have high biotic potential and poor recruitment most of the time
Which of the following are the three vital concepts that move societies toward a sustainable future?
Sound science, sustainability, and stewardship
First Law of Thermodynamics (Law of Conservation of Energy)
Takes energy to get energy
species diversity
The number and relative abundance of species in a biological community.
genetic diversity
The range of genetic material present in a gene pool or population of a species.
Researchers wanted to determine if pesticide Was effective at killing grasshoppers that typically invade cornfields. Two ten-acre cornfields located 1 mile apart were chosen. the cornfield to the west was only sprayed with water. The cornfield to the east received the same amount of water with a 10% solution of pesticide Z. Samples of the numbers of grasshoppers the field were made every week for ten weeks. Results: # of grasshoppers in west doubled after 10 weeks # of grasshoppers in east declined by 50% after 10 weeks Question: Which field was the control?
West
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Without energy input, systems will go spontaneously in one direction only- toward increasing entropy
Nina got a new baby turtle from a friend and is told to feed it worms. For the first few months, the turtle seemed to grow well. But as time passed, the turtle's shell appeared soft and fragile. Someone suggested that the turtle might not be getting enough calcium in its diet. If this is true for this turtle, dietary calcium is
a limiting factor
Entropy
a measure of the disorder of a system
The application of the precautionary principle to a commercial fishery whose primary catch species is in decline would result in
a total allowable catch below the best estimate of the maximum possible yield
Bacterial denitrification is a(n) _________ process that converts NO3 to __________.
aerobic; nitrogen (gas)
Which of the following represent ecosystems with high average annual net primary productivity?
algal beds, reefs, tropical rain forests, swamps and marshes
Which one of the following represents ecosystems with high average annual net primary productivity?
algal beds, reefs, tropical rainforests, swamps and marshes
biotic community
all the living organisms in an ecosystem
Regulating and cultural services provided by natural ecosystems:
are essential but difficult to value in monetary terms
The population of game fish in a lake is under heavy fishing pressure. If too many fish are caught, the population will crash and future years of fishing will suffer. The game fish can exhibit logistic growth under certain circumstances. Assuming logistic growth, it would be best to manage this game fish population by permitting the harvesting of just enough fish to keep the game fish population:
at 50% its carrying capacity
Four Spheres of Earth's environment
atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, biosphere
When a single species evolves into two species, the new species must
be reproductively isolated
Some birds have been seen to consume certain soils in what is called geophagy. In some cases, the soils help the birds digest toxins that occur in their diets. These birds eating soil represent a member of the
biosphere containing a component of the lithosphere
The little blue heron [Egretta coreula] inhabits Southern Louisiana year-round. What is true about the scientific name of the little blue heron?
both parts of the name are necessary to designate the little blue heron
With few exceptions, inorganic compounds do not have
carbon hydrogen bonds carbon calcium bonds
On land, the carbon used today in photosynthesis to form carbon atoms of plant tissues is mostly returned to the air because of
cellular respiration in plants, animals, and organisms in the soil
inorganic compounds
compounds that do not contain carbon and hydrogen
organic compounds
contain carbon and hydrogen
Over the past 12,000 years, the greatest loss of biological wealth has resulted from the
conversion of natural ecosystems to modern agriculture
The cultural and aesthetic value of a forest to indigenous people represents its
cultural service
Biodiversity in the world is
declining and is most negatively impacting the poorest people of the world.
Which one of the following terrestrial biomes accounts for the greatest percentage of global surface area?
desert
Cattle and termites both have symbiotic microorganisms living in their digestive tracts that help these animals by
digesting cellulose
Which one of the following is a density-independent factor that is not involved in maintaining population equilibrium?
drought
On a vacation, you are walking along the water's edge on an ocean beach. What is the best way to describe the place that you are walking?
ecotone
The species that are most vulnerable to extinction are those, which are
endemic and limited to a single population
Some beetles escape from a ship and fly to a small island covered with grass but with no trees or beetle predators. As the beetles feed, they destroy all the grasses. But with abundant food, the beetle population soars, doubling in size every month. After about a year, the population crashes as thousands of beetles have destroyed almost all of the plants and there is little left to feed the large population. This scenario best illustrates:
exponential growth followed by a population crash
In general,
food chains are interconnected to form food webs
The most productive systems on land are
forests
All scientific investigations are initially founded upon
good observations
Teddy Roosevelt said that the president's duty is to keep future generations in mind. this is an example of
good stewardship
The acronym HIPPO identifies the five major factors contributing to extinction today. These are
habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, population, and overexploitation
Four Global Trends
human population growth, decline of ecosystems, global climate change, loss of biodiversity
Which of the following terms best describes the practice of environmental science
integrative and interdisciplinary
When a windmill turns to generate electricity, the amount of kinetic energy input in the process
is more than the amount of electrical energy produced
The information of an energy pyramid reveals that for human food choices,
it is more expensive and less efficient to get most of your dietary calories from meats
Which one of the following is the largest branch of ecological study?
landscape ecology
Which one of the following is a characteristic of a K-selected species?
large body size
Which one of the following is an example of primary succession?
lichens appear on basalt rock 50 years after a volcanic eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii
The total allowable catch of a marine fish used for human food would be determined by calculating the
maximum sustainable yield
Which of the following organisms has the least instrumental value to humans?
mosquitos
As global climate change warms certain mountain ranges, the temperature optima for the insect species living on the mountain is causing these insects to
move farther up the mountain
Resources for seagulls along an ocean would include
nesting sites
anaerobic respiration
occurs without oxygen and may produce methane gas or ethanol
Which of the following is an example of natural goods from an ecosystem?
ocean fish netted for food
In general, humans can harvest renewable resources of plants and animals at sustainable levels because
organisms naturally produce many more offspring than are needed to maintain their populations
Which of the following are products of photosynthesis?
oxygen and sugar
natural organic compounds typically consist of some combination of carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, and/or sulpher
Which of the following is an example of a regulating ecosystem service?
pest regulation
Researchers wanted to determine if pesticide Was effective at killing grasshoppers that typically invade cornfields. Two ten-acre cornfields located 1 mile apart were chosen. the cornfield to the west was only sprayed with water. The cornfield to the east received the same amount of water with a 10% solution of pesticide Z. Samples of the numbers of grasshoppers the field were made every week for ten weeks. Results: # of grasshoppers in west doubled after 10 weeks # of grasshoppers in east declined by 50% after 10 weeks Question: What was the experimental variable in the above experiment?
pesticide Z
Terrestrial biomes are groups of ecosystems characterized by similar types of:
plants and climate
One of the major goals of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) is to
redirect water southward to provide water for cities and farms and restore some of the drained wetlands
resource partitioning
reduces interspecific competition and increases species diversity
r-strategist
reproduce early in life; many small unprotected offspring
K strategist
reproduce late in life; few offspring; care for offspring
Which of the following is not a part of environmental resistance to population growth?
reproductive rate
The bottom trawling method of fishing
results in environmental degradation similar to clear-cutting a forest
In a system, fish feed on shrimp that feed on bacteria. This food chain represents a
second order consumer eating a first order consumer, which then eats a producer
What once was an open pasture on a long abandoned farm has changed over time without the direct influence of humans. After the cattle had been removed, shrubs and bushes could be seen dotting the grass-covered hillsides. A few years later, small pine trees and then larger deciduous trees appeared. Now, there are so many trees and shaded regions it is difficult to tell that this was once a field. These ecological changes in the abandoned pasture represent
secondary succession
Biodiversity has three components:
species diversity, genetic diversity in species, and ecosystem diversity
introduced species
species moved by humans to new geographic areas, either intentionally or accidentally
A shrimp farm in Thailand results in
specific gains to the shrimp farmer.
A form of a biome is largely predicted by its
temperature and rainfall
Organisms with a very broad range of temperature tolerance would most likely occur in
the Midwestern United States
Which of the following represents a resilience mechanism?
the emergence of a meadow in a recently burned forest
Over the past 40 years, human well-being has been steadily improving, while natural ecosystems, from which we derive many goods and services, have been declining. Which one of the following does not help to explain this so-called environmentalist's paradox?
the measurements of human well-being have been fixated, it actually has been declining
The critical number represents
the minimum population base allowing the survival of a population
Invasive species are dangerous because
the native species have not evolved with these organisms
The concept of sustainable development includes
the needs of future generations
Individual restraints when using common-pool resources are necessary to prevent
the tragedy of the commons
Many ecosystems are damaged by attempts to make a quick profit because
the value of ecosystem services is poorly understood and underappreciated
Biodiversity
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Deep in the ocean off the shore of Japan are communities nestled around hydrothermal vents, where super-heated water springs from the bottom of the ocean. No sunlight ever penetrates to these deep regions. In these communities, bacteria have special enzymes that allow them to form organic matter by chemosynthesis. These communities frequently have giant tube worms, clams, shrimp, and many other organisms clustered together. Based on this information, which of the following is true about hydrothermal vent communities?
there is no photosynthesis, but heat drives chemosynthetic producers
If I wanted to find out the status of a native species in Ethiopia, where would I go?
to the IUCN's Red List
ecosystem diversity
variety of habitats, living communities, and ecological processes in the living world