APES Unit 8 part A MC
Which of the following is an example of a point source of pollution?
A leaking septic tank
A biologist is studying a small food web in which phytoplankton are eaten by krill, krill are eaten by fish, and fish are eaten by seals. During their study of the ecosystem, the biologist discovers that PCBs are present in measurable levels in the water and wants to examine how PCBs could vary in different trophic levels. Which of the following best identifies a testable hypothesis for the study?
Biomagnification will cause the seals to have the highest amount of PCBs in their tissues.
Which of the following correctly identifies both a nonpoint source and a point source of pollution? Nonpoint Source Pollution Point Source Pollution (A)Industrial smokestack / Waste discharge pipe (B)Agricultural runoff / Urban runoff (C)Leaking sanitary landfill / Pesticide spraying (D)Urban runoff / City bus exhaust
D -Urban runoff / City bus exhaust
Which of the following is the most likely impact of thermal pollution from power plants on a river ecosystem?
Decreased oxygen levels because warm water holds less dissolved gas than cold water does
Scientists are interested in studying the bioaccumulation of mercury in different species of dolphins exposed to the same concentration of mercury. The dolphins in the study will be of similar age and living in the same habitat. Which of the following best identifies a testable hypothesis for the study?
Different species of dolphins will have different levels of mercury in their fatty tissues depending on the species' ability to absorb and excrete mercury.
A scientist wants to study the effect of DDT in a fish-eating bird species. She measures a variety of variables in a population of birds over a period of ten years to determine how levels of DDT affect bird survival and reproduction. Which of the following identifies a scientific question she could ask to best evaluate the effect of DDT on the bird species?
Does the persistence of DDT lead to eggshell thinning or developmental deformities in the bird species?
Which of the following pollutants would most likely be responsible for gender imbalance in a population of frogs in which all observed frogs are female?
Endocrine disruptors
Which of the following best describes the action of endocrine disruptors in organisms?
Endocrine disruptors mimic naturally occurring hormones in animals, leading to developmental disorders.
Which of the following strategies will best help to protect mangrove habitats?
Limiting coastal development and maintain a shoreline buffer zone
According to the World Health Organization, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are found in nearly all tested organism tissues and environmental samples. Which characteristic of POPs accounts for their presence in living tissues and in environmental samples?
POPs are released in to the air, water, and land, which allows them to be transported and incorporated in multiple ways.
Which of the following correctly identifies an example of an endocrine disruptor and the effect it might have on the human body?
Phthalates in cosmetics and shampoos reduce fertility.
The diagram below depicts a surface water source that has undergone cultural eutrophication. Based on the diagram, which of the following processes most likely caused the algal bloom in the lake?
Runoff carried excess fertilizer from the cornfield into the water.
Which of the following would best be described as a point source of pollution from a farm?
Runoff from the waste lagoons of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, which enters local waterways after a flooding event
Which of the following statements best describes how the Clean Water Act legislation aims to protect wetlands from being lost?
The Clean Water Act requires wetlands to be constructed to mitigate the effect of newly drained wetlands.
The diagram below depicts a surface water source that has undergone cultural eutrophication. Based on the diagram, which of the following processes most likely caused the bottom-dwelling plants in the lake to die?
The algal bloom prevented sunlight from reaching the bottom-dwelling plants, which reduced the rates of photosynthesis.
The diagram below depicts a surface water source that has undergone cultural eutrophication. Based on the diagram, which of the following processes most likely caused the fish in the lake to die?
The remains of the bottom-dwelling plants and algae decomposed, depleting the amount of oxygen in the water.
A small lake, located downstream of a power plant, recently experienced a die-off of multiple aquatic species. Environmentalists had been monitoring the temperature of the lake for several months prior to the die-off and noticed a significant spike in the temperature of the lake immediately preceding the die-off event. Which of the following best explains why the die-off event occurred in the lake following the increased water temperature?
The warm water decreased the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, which led to an increase in the respiration rate of the aquatic organisms.
Which of the following best describes why persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are toxic to organisms?
They do not break down easily and can accumulate in the fat tissue of an organism.
Which of the following best describes how thermal pollution from power plants can affect aquatic ecosystems?
Warm water discharged into rivers and streams decreases the oxygen content of the water, which reduces the number of fish species.
Which of the following approaches would best decrease the impact of frequent flooding in a community that is subject to the hazard of flooding?
Construct wetland areas near the rivers and streams.
Which of the following best describes the source of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that could accumulate in the tissues of a top predator?
DDTDDT and other pesticides that are sprayed to control for mosquitoes
