APES

Which of the following would most likely neutralize the effect of acid rain on bodies of water, based on the composition of soils and bedrock in the region?

A forest underlain by limestone

Which of the following best describes the action of an endocrine disruptor?

An endocrine disruptor blocks the receptor protein binding site of a hormone so that the cell cannot receive a signal.

If the trend in total water withdrawal represented in the graph continues, which of the following is most likely to happen in the future?

Aquifers will be depleted if demand is higher than recharge rate.

Researchers suspect that sewage leaked into the Moose River. Rates for which of the following diseases should be used to determine whether the human population using the river as a source of drinking water was exposed to sewage?

Dysentery

The dangers of disposing of toxic chemicals underground came to public attention in which of the following locations?

Love, Canal New York

A scientist is studying PCBs���� in tertiary consumers. She wants to determine if PCBs���� can be found in tertiary consumers even though these compounds were banned in the United States in the 1970s. Which of the following best identifies a testable hypothesis for the study?

PCBs���� are persistent organic compounds that are fat-soluble, so they should be found in the fatty tissues of tertiary consumers even though the compounds have been banned for decades.

Waste from which of the following is an example of nonpoint source pollution?

Runoff from agricultural fields

The excessive pumping of groundwater from wells can influence the water levels below ground. Which of the following is more likely to occur in aquifers in coastal areas than in aquifers in other regions?

Salt water intrusions into the aquifers

Acid deposition would most likely result in which of the following? Responses

The release of aluminum ions from soil

Which of the following is true of farm-raised salmon?

They are often infected with parasites and sea lice.

All of the following are commonly used to deal with the side effects of eutrophication in lakes EXCEPT

adding nitrates

Eutrophication results in the death of trout and other fish as a result of Responses

asphyxiation from lack of oxygen

This type of irrigation, often used in orchards growing tree crops, distributes water to plants through small parallel channels between crop rows but often leads to increased soil erosion in the field.

furrow irrigation

Three common methods employed in the cleanup of oil spills are

large floating booms, skimmer boats, and genetically engineered bacteria

Acid rain is associated with which of the following?

the burning of fossil fuels

Question Approximately how many more times acidic, in terms of H+ concentration, is precipitation in the northeastern United States as compared to precipitation in the South Pacific? Responses

10

Based on the data in the graph, which of the following illustrates the approximate percent increase in total water withdrawals between 1970 and 2010 ?

56

Which of the following identifies and describes the equipment needed to best determine the amount of water that infiltrated the soil?

A ruler should be used to measure the level of water above the pavers in both pallets immediately after pouring the water over the pavers and immediately after the one-hour wait time.

Which of the following procedures would be best for remediating the effects of soil salinization?

Addition of large amounts of water to leach out salts

Which of the following is a direct economic advantage associated with aquaculture?

Aquaculture produces large amounts of seafood for human purchase and consumption year-round.

The graph above shows the effect of sewage on biological oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen (DO) in a flowing stream. The smallest fish populations will most probably be found at point

C

Mandates the restoration and maintenance of the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters Responses

Clean water act

Which of the following is the most likely route for mercury to enter the food web?

Coal-burning emissions → deposition → ocean → plankton → fishes

Which of the following best describes why DDT��� is classified as a persistent organic pollutant? Responses

DDT��� is very stable, and as much as 50% of the original concentration can remain in the soil 15 years after the initial application.

Which of the following methods of agricultural irrigation results in the loss of the least amount of water by evaporation?

Drip Irrgiation

A point source discharges organic waste into a stream. Which of the following graphs best depicts the expected pattern for dissolved oxygen (DO) in this stream as a function of distance from the discharge point?

E

Which of the following examples includes both a point and a nonpoint source of pollution?

Fertilizer from suburban lawns and wastewater from a water treatment plant

Significant increases in water temperature can drastically change dissolved oxygen (DO)(DO) levels in a lake. Why does the combined effect of these two environmental changes result in algal blooms?

Low dissolved oxygen leads to death for aerobic organisms, like fish, whose decomposition provides an overabundance of nutrients for the algae, resulting in the large blooms.

Scientists are interested in measuring the effect of pollution on the water quality of a stream. They will use observations of various bottom-dwelling insects, or macroinvertebrates, collected in the stream as indicators of the physical, chemical, and biological conditions within the stream. Which of the following best describes why macroinvertebrate sampling can be used to assess the overall health of a stream?

Macroinvertebrates live in an aquatic ecosystem for a long enough time to show the chronic effects of pollutants, and many tend to remain in the same area throughout their life span.

vA team at a university in Pennsylvania has concerns about the health of streams in a watershed because of the various land uses in the area. There has been an increase in road repair work, and the area has many dairy farms. Which of the following would be most effective at preventing sediment runoff into the streams of the watershed?

Maintain zones of grass at least 100m100m wide on the sides of streams in the area.

Which of the following best explains why top predators can have up to 60 times as much of persistent organic pollutant (POPPOP) as their prey and up to 600 times as much of the pollutant as producers?

POPsPOPs accumulate in the body fat of living organisms. POPsPOPs increase in concentration as they move up the food chain.

Which of the following best describes a way that persistent organic pollutants (POPsPOPs) cause harm in the environment?

Persistent organic pollutants are soluble in fat, so they accumulate in an organisms' fatty tissues.

The greatest amount of fresh water is found in which of the following?

Polar ice caps and glaciers

Based on the diagram, which of the following is the most likely reason that a community with good sanitation could still have individuals who contract cholera?

Runoff from a nearby agricultural field pollutes a reservoir used for drinking water.

Many synthetic chemicals, such as PCBs, act as estrogen mimics. In an ecosystem, these persistent chemicals would have the greatest effect on which of the following?

Secondary consumers

Based on the diagram above, which of the following best describes why a population in an area that has poor sanitation can be particularly at risk for a cholera outbreak?

The bacterium that causes cholera is spread through ingestion of contaminated water or food.

What is the main purpose for the experiment?

To observe the effect of organic waste on DO

Which of the following human health issues is linked to exposure to pollutants released during the incineration of plastic waste?

asthma

This pathogen infects the intestine and is spread through contaminated water or food. Responses

cholera

Is primarily responsible for acid rain in the northeast United States Responses

coal

Alligators in a Florida lake polluted by high levels of dioxins (chlorinated hydrocarbons) had low testosterone levels and failed to reproduce. Scientists came to the conclusion that the dioxins were acting as which of the following?

endocrine disruptors

Lakes that are characterized by high water clarity and low concentrations of dissolved nutrients are classified as

oligotrophic

Although the use of DDT was banned in the United States in 1972, a test of the body tissue of an average United States resident today would most likely reveal the presence of DDT because Responses

other countries that export produce to the United States still use DDT

Which of the following actions would be the most effective in decreasing acid rain and acid deposition problems? Responses

reducing use of fossil fuels

Which of the following factors would most likely contribute to the conditions observed in the Long Island Sound?

restricted circulation

Question Requires minimum safety standards for community water supplies Responses

safe drinking water act

Which of the following water quality indicators should be measured to best determine if the wastewater is increasing the acidity of the river?

the amount of hydrogen ions

One important step that homeowners in the new development can take to protect water quality in Samel Creek would be to Responses

use rain barrels to reduce the flow of storm water into the creek