ENVS Final
correct order of revolutions
(first) industrial (second) medical (third) green
four basis of the scientific method
- Every result has a cause - What we perceive with our senses represents an objective reality - Through our powers of observation, manipulation, and reason, we can discover and understand the basic principles and natural laws of the universe - Objective reality functions according to certain basic principles and natural laws that remain consistent through time and space
True about the Grameen Bank
- It loans small amounts of money to poor people - The payback rate on the loans has exceeded 97% - Recipients of the loans form credit associations
Deserts that lie in the rain shadow of a mountain range
- Taklamakan - Atacama - Death Valley
second law of thermodynamics
- in any energy conversion, some of the usable energy is always lost - systems will go spontaneously in one direction only-toward increasing entropy
China's One Child Policy
- monthly subsidy for one-child families - housing preferences for one-child families - job priority for only child
If all the ice on the Arctic Ocean were to melt, sea level would rise by ____ meters. a. 0 b. 0.7 c. 7 d. 70
0
Approximately how many people in the world today do not have access to safe drinking water a. 1 million b. 10 million c. 100 million d. 1 billion
1 billion
The ecological efficiency in a food chain is 10%. Toxic substance X is transferred between trophic levels with an efficiency of 40%, If the concentration of X on trophic level 3 is 32 parts per million (ppm), what is the concentration of X on trophic level 1?
2 ppm
Approximately what percentage of pregnancies in the US are terminated by abortions each year?
20%
Student Stephanie is planning to grow some flowers in her back yard. She learns that the flowers use nitrogen and phosphorus in a ratio of 62 atoms of nitrogen for every 14 atoms of phosphorus. Stephanie decides to buy some fertilizer to help her flowers grow. The local garden store has four kinds of fertilizer that contain nitrogen and phosphorus as follows
20% nitrogen and 10% phosphorus by weight
Which one of the following fissionable isotopes is produced in a breeder reactor?
239Pu
Of the CO2 that has been emitted to the atmosphere as a result of fossil fuel burning and deforestation in the last 250 years, about _________ has been taken up by the ocean. a. 10% b. 25% c. 50% d. 75%
25%
The amount of wastewater generated in the US is about ___ amount of freshwater used to irrigate crops in the US
25%
In hypothetical country A, everyone dies when they reach the age of 60. In hypothetical country B, which has a better health care system, everyone dies when they reach the age of 75. If the total population of both countries is stable, what percentage of the total population would you expect to be in the age group 32-46 years inclusive?
25% in country A and 20% in country B
The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is currently about a. 100 ppm b. 200 ppm c. 300 ppm d. 400 ppm
400 ppm
If all the ice on Greenland were to melt, sea level would rise by ____ meters. a. 0 b. 0.7 c. 7 d. 70
7
The human population currently numbers about ____________
7 million
Complete the following sentence in 25 words or less: a keystone species is
A SPECIES THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE ECOSYSTEM AND FOR MANY OTHER SPECIES SURVIVAL
adaptation
A characteristic that improves an individual's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
A mycorrhiza is
A symbiotic association between a plant and a fungus
Heterotrophs include which ones of the following kinds of organisms? a. Decomposers b. Carnivores c. Omnivores d. Herbivores e. Detritivores f. Scavengers
ALL OF THE ABOVE
Which ones of the following are examples of secondary production? a. A herbivore eats plants and converts part of the plant biomass into herbivore biomass. b. A primary carnivore eats a herbivore and converts part of the unfortunate herbivore's biomass into primary carnivore biomass. c. A scavenger eats some road kill and converts part of what it eats into scavenger biomass. d. An earthworm consumes nonliving organic matter in the soil and converts part of what it eats into earthworm biomass. e. A secondary carnivore eats a primary carnivore and converts part of the unfortunate primary carnivore's biomass into secondary carnivore biomass.
ALL OF THE ABOVE
Several million years ago, North American foxes were a single species. However, the fox population became separated into geographically isolated sub-populations during periods of glaciation, and eventually the high-latitude and temperate-latitude sub-populations became distinct species with characteristics best suited to the environments in which they lived. This evolution of two species from a single species is NOT an example of which one of the following?
Acclimation
True about Hadley cell
Air rises at the equator and sinks at 30° latitude
The discharge of which river has NOT been significantly reduced as a result of withdrawals from human use a) Rio Grande b) Amazon C) Yellow D) Colorado
Amazon
Contains the most liquid freshwater?
Aquifers
The nutrients that support plant growth in natural terrestrial ecosystems are supplied mainly by
Breakdown of detritus
Which one of the following countries accounts for the most oil imported by the United States?
Canada
Which of the following areas experienced a net gain of forest area between 2000 and 2010?
China and Europe
Which one of the following is the major cause of mortality in the least developed countries of the world?
Communicable diseases
Only country in the world with extensive government supported urban agriculture?
Cuba
Not among the conditions conducive to small families
Early age at marriage
What causes the fertility transition?
Education Poverty cycle Health care Jobs
hydroelectric
Electricity generated by flowing water
Millennium Development Goals
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria Ensure environmental sustainability
The countries with the lowest fertility rates are found mainly in
Europe
which continent is more water used for industrial purposes than for agriculture
Europe
Which one of the following is not an example of a mechanism to escape predation?
Exotic plumage of peacock
Country X has an annual birth rate of about 35 per 1000 population and an annual death rate of 10 per 1000 population. Country X has not gone through which of the following transitions?
Fertility and demographic
Which one of the following countries generates the greatest percentage of its electricity from nuclear power plants?
France
HIPPO
Habitat destruction Invasive species Pollution Population Overexploitation
Conditions conducive to small families associated with economic development
High cost of raising children Existence of pensions and social security Opportunities for women to join the workforce Access to inexpensive contraceptives Adequate health care Educational opportunities Older age at marriage
sustainable yield
Highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply
Which one of the following problems is not attributable to habitat destruction
In Texas, ants are estimated to kill 20% of songbird babies before they leave the nest
Consumptive use of water
Irrigating crops
Why few farmers in the United States irrigate their crops via drip irrigation
Irrigation water is cheap, and initial installation costs are high
A Bt crop is a genetically modified crop that
Is resistant to many insect pests
An example of primary succession
Lichens appear on basalt rock 50 years after a volcanic eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii
Which one of the following is an example of primary succession? a. After a forest fire, pine trees grow from seeds that were protected beneath pine needles b. Grasses emerge from the soil after saltwater from a tsunami kills all above-ground vegetation in a meadow c. Trees reappear on the slopes of Mount St. Helens after the fallout of volcanic ash kills all the above-ground vegetation d. Lichens appear on basalt rock 50 years after a volcanic eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii
Lichens appear on basalt rock 50 years after a volcanic eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii
Which one of the following diseases is NOT transmitted via water contaminated with sewage?
Malaria
Two of the negative aspects of no-till agriculture
May increase the effects of pests that remain in crop residues and requires use of herbicides
The principle gas in the biogas produced in a landfill is
Methane
The glacial-interglacial cycles that have taken place during the current ice age are believed to be caused by oscillations in the characteristics of Earth's rotation about its rotational axis and in its orbit around the Sun. These cyclic oscillations are called
Milankovitch cycles
Best soil for agriculture
Mollisol
Emissions of which one of the following gases as a result of fossil fuel burning leads to the production of ozone in the troposphere
NO
Since 1960, the percentage of people living in high-income countries has increased
NOT TRUE
An abundant form of nitrogen that most organisms are unable to utilize is a. Ammonium (NH4+) b. Nitrogen gas (N2) c. Nitrate (NO3-) d. Nitrite (NO2-)
Nitrogen gas
the region of the world that currently exports the greatest amount of grain is
North America
Which two of the following countries have centrally planned economies? a. China b. North Korea c. Russia d. Cuba
North Korea & Cuba
In a soil profile, the order of horizons from top to bottom is
O, A, E, B, C
Gas that causes respiratory irritation in animals and tissue damage in plants when it is in the troposphere but contributes to the greenhouse effect and can reduce cancer rates when it is in the stratosphere
O3
The United States has extensive deposits of _________ in Colorado, Texas, Utah and Wyoming that if exploited could yield the equivalent of an estimated 800 billion barrels of oil.
Oil shale
Soil you would expect to find in a tropical rain forest
Oxisol
Between 1973 and 1979 the average level of lead in the blood of people in the United States dropped from roughly 16 micrograms per deciliter to less than 10 micrograms per deciliter. Which one of the following was the principal reason for this decline?
Phaseout of leaded gasoline
The fertility rate in Burkino Faso has exceeded the replacement rate for many years and is currently about 5.9. if the fertility rate were to suddenly drop to the replacement rate, why would the population of Burkino Faso continue to increase?
Population momentum
What is the difference between primary succession and secondary succession? (35 words or less)
Primary succession-is beginning from nothing other than rock Secondary succession-soil is already present after the disturbance
Your neighbor has no license to operate a solid waste to operate a solid waste disposal facility. He could be prosecuted under FEDERAL LEGISLATION
RCRA
Which one of the following is the greatest source of exposure to radiation for people in the US?
Randon gas in average house
Climate moderation is an example of which one of the following kinds of ecosystem services?
Regulating
Which one of the following accounted for the greatest amount of US economic contributions to developing countries in 2010-2011?
Remittances
NOT one of the three crops that account for the greatest farmland
Rice
Mangroves are much more abundant near Port Fourchon today than they were 30 years ago because
Rising sea level has flooded areas that were formerly too dry to support the growth of mangroves
Why large families?
Security in old age Infant and childhood mortality Helping hands Status of women Availability of contraceptives
Microlending
Small, short-term loans has greatest social benefits when focused on women Beneficiaries are the children and household
Biodiesel is a fuel made from a mixture of normal diesel fuel and oil from primarily
Soybeans
Global warming during the 21st century is expected to
Speed up the hydrologic cycle and slow the thermohaline circulation of the ocean
Millennium Development Goal 1 was to reduce by 50% the proportion of children under age five who were moderately or severely underweight. Which one of the following regions had NOT achieved that goal by 2012?
Sub-Saharan Africa
Why is the increase of atmospheric CO2 concentrations expected to cause temperatures to rise more at high latitudes than at low latitudes during the 21st century?
The CO2 is the dominant greenhouse gas at high latitudes and there is very little water vapor at high latitudes
What happens when countries pass through the fertility transition?
The dependency ratio decreases and then increases
Reducing the input of inorganic nitrogen to University Lake is expected to result in a decrease in the abundance of algae in the lake. If this happens, it would be an example of a. The law of limiting factors b. The law of conservation of matter c. The first law of thermodynamics d. Occam's razor
The law of limiting factors
NOT true about the Grameen Bank
The loans have been found to have the greatest social benefits when focused on men
In a population whose dynamics are characterized by logistic growth a. The doubling time is constant b. The maximum rate of population growth occurs halfway to the carrying capacity c. A graph of the size of the population versus time is J-shaped d. The population increases exponentially near the carrying capacity
The maximum rate of population growth occurs halfway to the carrying capacity
Cabbages and Condoms is
The name of a restaurant chain in Thailand
Clear cutting
The process of cutting down all the trees in an area at once efficient at the time of harvesting, and does not involve much active management and planning
What accounts for the fact that the wolves on Isle Royale have never eliminated the population of their prey, moose? a. The wolves are unable to kill moose that are mature and in good physical condition b. The moose have a very high biotic potential c. The National Park Service culls the wolf population to ensure that it does not threaten to eliminate the moose d. The National Park Service has used a captive breeding program to replenish the moose population when it is threatened.
The wolves are unable to kill moose that are mature and in good physical condition
TRUE OR FLASE The epidemiologic transition has preceded the fertility transition
True
Diseases transmitted via water contaminated with sewage
Typhiod fever Cholera Infectious hepatitis
Which one of the following countries has the highest fertility rate? a. Japan b. Italy c. China d. United States
United States
Which one of the following countries has the shortest life expectancy? a. Iceland b. Norway c. Japan d. United States e. Switzerland
United States
The site recommend by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for long-term disposal of radioactive waste from the nuclear power industry in the United States is
Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Definition of a landscape
a cluster of interacting ecosystems like forests, open meadows and rivers together
ecotone
a region of transition between two biological communities.
Instrumental value of species
a species or organisms' existence of use benefits some other entity
ecosystem services
a. Food production b. Waste treatment c. Soil formation d. Erosion control e. Nutrient cycling
Several million years ago, North American foxes were a single species. However, the fox population became separated into geographically isolated sub-populations during periods of glaciation, and eventually the high-latitude and temperate-latitude sub-populations became distinct species with characteristics best suited to the environments in which they lived. This evolution of two species from a single species is an example of which ones of the following? a. Adaptation b. Acclimation c. Speciation d. Natural selection
adaptation speciation natural selection
The fact that the number of California condors has increased from fewer than 50 individuals in 1985 to more than 400 today is NOT AN example of The fact that the number of whooping cranes has increased from 14 is AN example of
adaptation or acclimation or speciation NONE OF THE ABOVE
True about Ferrel Cell
air rises at 60 latitude and sinks at 30 latitude
acclimation
an organism's change in response to a change in the organism's environment
Organisms that make high-potential-energy organic molecules from low-potential-energy inorganic compounds are _________________________.
autotrophs
Animals and plants not native to North America and whose presence has has serious negative impacts on some native species did NOT include a) Kudzu b) nutria c) Fire Ants d) Beavers
beavers
examples of mutualism
bee and flower lichens plants and fungi that grow on their roots
Source of nourishment that requires the greatest amount of land per calorie to produce
beef
Mutualism is a relationship between organisms in which both _____________.
benefit
golden rice is genetically modified variety of rice that is fortified with
beta carotene
The forms of renewable energy that currently account for the greatest amount of renewable energy production in the United States are?
biomass and hydropower
______________________ is the reproductive capacity of a species, i.e., the potential of a species to increase its population and/or distribution, and ________________________ is the totality of factors such as adverse weather conditions, shortages of food or water, predators, and diseases that tend to cut back populations and keep them from growing or spreading
biotic potential, environmental resistance
Population stabilizes when
birth rates equal death rates
Which one of the following kinds of plants is most sensitive to damage from fire? a. Redwood trees b. Grasses c. Broad-leaved trees d. Pine trees
broad-leaved trees
Geothermal heat pumps
can be used to heat and cool buildings
A bag of fertilizer is labeled 12-18-20. What is the percentage of organic matter in the fertilizer?
cannot tell
Organisms are composed of four principal kinds of complex organic compounds, namely proteins, _________________, _________________, and __________________.
carbs, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids
NOT an example of mutualism
cattle egrets and water buffalo
Overfishing for _______ on the Grand Banks and Georges Bank resulted in the collapse of the fisheries during the period from 1980 to 2000
cod
three crops that account for the greatest farmland
corn canola soybeans
The US allocates more land than any other nation to the production of genetically modified varieties of which two of the following crops?
corn and soybeans
which one of the following is not a technique used in integrated pest management
cosmetic spraying
selective cutting
cutting down only some trees in a forest and leaving a mix of tree sizes and species behind some mature trees are removed in small groups or singularly
What practice of the Easter Islanders proved to be unsustainable and an example of very poor stewardship?
cutting down trees
Factors that are involved in regulating the size of a population do not include which one of the following? a. Bottom-up regulation b. Top-down regulation c. Density-independent limits d. Density-dependent limits e. Parasite-host relationships
density-independent limits
Epidemiologic Transition
distinctive causes of death in each stage of the demographic transition
the source of protein that is used with the greatest efficiency by humans is
eggs
thermoelectric
electricity by a difference of temperatures.
The figure to the right shows concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere from the late 1950's to the present time. In addition to the long-term trend of increasing CO2 concentrations, the concentrations also oscillate up and down by several parts per million on an annual basis. During a period of one year, at what time of year would you expect the concentrations to be LOWEST? a. In the middle of summer b. At the end of summer c. In the middle of winter d. At the end of winter
end of the summer
The figure to the right shows concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere from the late 1950's to the present time. In addition to the long-term trend of increasing CO2 concentrations, the concentrations also oscillate up and down by several parts per million on an annual basis. During a period of one year, at what time of year would you expect the concentrations to be HIGHEST? a. In the middle of summer b. At the end of summer c. In the middle of winter d. At the end of winter
end of the winter
A population of organisms is liable to become extinct if the number of individuals a. Falls below the critical number b. Exceeds the critical number c. Falls below the carrying capacity d. Exceeds the carrying capacity
falls below the critical number
the fact that a billion birds die from crashing into windows is associated with which letter of "HIPPO"
habitat destruction
R-strategists have
high biotic potential and poor recruitment most of the time
CO2 concentration graph
high= end of winter low= end of summer
Removing the handle on the Broad Street Pump to determine whether the water was the cause of a cholera outbreak in London in 1854 is an example of a. Stewardship b. Density-independent regulation c. A test of the theory of spontaneous generation d. Hypothesis testing
hypothesis testing
Statements of Second Law of thermodynamics
in any energy conversion, some of the usable energy is always lost systems will go spontaneously in one direction only- toward increasing entropy
The hydrologic cycle describes the movement of water through the ecosystem. As part of the hydrologic cycle, precipitation falls to the ground. At that point, four pathways are possible: surface runoff, reabsorption by plants, and
infiltration or evaporation
The two general categories of energy are potential energy and ____________ energy.
kinetic
Which one of the following is not one of the three forms of capital recognized by sustainable economics? a. Intangible capital b. Produced capital c. Liquid capital d. Natural capital
liquid capital
K-strategists tend to have __________ biotic potential and _________ recruitment. a. Low . . . poor b. Low . . . good c. High . . . poor d. High . . . good
low...good
which of the following soil orders is best suited for agriculture
mollisol
Which one of the following sources of energy is NOT used by electric power plants that generate electricity by boiling water?
natural gas
most electric power plants built in the US since 2000 use which one of the following sources for energy
natural gas
the top three primary sources of energy in the US are
natural gas, coal, and oil
Bats and swallows both feed on flying insects, but they do not compete because bats feed at night and swallows feed during the day. Although bats and swallows live in the same habitat, they occupy different _______________.
niche
In regions where various types of vegetation coexist and compete, periodic fires do not tip the balance in favor of
oak trees
The average rate of continental drift is about a. One inch in 1 year b. One inch in 10 years c. One inch in 100 years d. One inch in 1,000 years
one inch in 1 yr
What is the difference between eutrophication and cultural eutrophication?
one is happening over along period of time
The tragedy of the commons is a consequence of which one of the following kinds of tenure over the land and water where resources are found?
open access
property rights is associated with the Tragedy of the Commons
open access
Denitrification is a microbial process that occurs in soils and sediments depleted of ____.
oxygen
rocks are a major source of
phosphorus
autotrophic organisms
plants and chemosynthetic bacteria
terrestrial biomes are groups of ecosystems characterized by similar types of
plants and climate
A biome is a large area of the earth's surface with similar _____ and ______. a. Plants . . . animals b. Plants . . . climate c. Animals . . . climate d. Temperature . . . rainfall
plants....climate
involved in maintaining population equilibrium
predation food supply disease
Freshwater issues
quantity and quality
Comparison of the gross domestic product (GDP) with the genuine progress indicator (GPI) in the U.S. has shown that since 1950 the GPI has a. Increased at about the same rate b. Increased at a faster rate c. Remained fairly constant d. Decreased
remained constant
Five species of warblers coexist in the spruce forests of Maine by feeding at different levels in the trees and on different parts of the trees. This is an example of a. Intraspecific competition b. Mutualism c. Overgrazing d. Resource partitioning e. Character displacement
resource partitioning
____________________ is the catabolism of organic compounds such as sugars to release energy needed by living organisms; it produces carbon dioxide and water as by-products. _______________ is the use of solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water to sugars such as glucose; it occurs in plants and algae and produces oxygen as a by-product.
respiration photosynthesis
The three crops that account for about 50% of global food demands are
rice, wheat and corn
_______ can result from irrigating crops in drylands areas with insufficient water to leach salts down through the soil?
salinization
Example of an ecotone
salt marsh
which one fo the following insect pests was eliminated from the United States by release of sterile males?
screwworm flies
Which of the following is NOT one of the vital concepts that moves societies toward a sustainable future
security
Demographic transition
shift from high fertility and morality to low fertility and mortality change in a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates
Best soil TEXTURE for agriculture
silt and loam
The two forms of renewable energy that have the drawback that they unintentionally kill birds are?
solar towers and wind turbines
The genetically modified crop that is grown on the greatest area of land globally is
soybeans
The energy that primary producers need to synthesize organic matter from inorganic compounds can come from which two of the following? a. Sunlight b. Geothermal heat c. Oxidation-reduction reactions d. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis e. Diels-Alder reactions
sunlight oxidation-reduction reactions
Cattle egrets ride on the backs of water buffalo and feed on insects stirred up by the grazing water buffalos. The relationship between the cattle egrets and water buffalos is an example of which two of the following? a. Commensalism b. Amensalism c. Mutualism d. Symbiosis e. Resource partitioning
symbiosis commensalism
Which of the following are the two principal abiotic factors that distinguish one terrestrial biome from another? a. Latitude b. Temperature c. Oxygen concentration d. Elevation e. Rainfall
temperature rainfall
Giving people who lived in favelas bus tokens in return for their collecting and bringing in trash cost the city of Curitiba nothing because
the bus companies were paid based on how far the buses traveled
In a population whose dynamics are characterized by exponential growth
the doubling time is constant the graph of the size of the population versus time is J-shaped
speciation
the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution.
By the end of this century, the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change is projecting that temp will rise much more at high latitudes in the northern hemisphere than anywhere else on Earth. This projection is based on the fact that
the ice on the arctic ocean is melting
Which one of the following reasons does NOT contribute to the fact that the cost of producing electricity at nuclear power plants is greater than the cost of producing electricity with fossil fuels?
the lifetime of nuclear power plants have turned out to be longer than expected
What is family planning?
the practice of controlling the number of children in a family and the intervals between their births, particularly by means of artificial contraception or voluntary sterilization. Counseling and education Availability of contraceptives
Correctly characterizes the results of using pesticides in agriculture in the US?
the quantity of crops lost to pests has increased and the percentage of crops lost to pest has increased
Accounts for the fact that timber sales from national forests in the United States decline by about 80% during the 1990s?
the strategy of managing the forests changed: trees began to be harvested at 350 - year intervals instead of 60-80 year intervals
The process by which water vapor passes through stomata from plants to the atmosphere is called
transpiration
Non-consumptive use means
water is returned to its source. But quality of the water may have changed for the worse
Which account for the fact that ecological efficiencies tend to be higher in aquatic ecosystems than in terrestrial ecosystems?
water supports weight and most aquatic animals are cold blooded
Which one of the following gases accounts for the greatest percentage of the greenhouse effect? a. Water vapor b. Methane c. Ozone d. Carbon dioxide
water vapor
forms of renewable energy that account for the greatest amount of electricity production in the United states
wind and hydroelectric
Which one is NOT among the primary reason that poor people in developing countries have large families?
women are discouraged from obtaining an education
