Environmental Science Chapters 1-6

Identify one way that humans are affecting the carbon cycle.

-burning fossil fuels (cars, factories, and power plants) -natural burning of wood in forest fires -greenhouse gases

Discuss the factors that confine life to the biosphere.

-most life requires liquid water, moderate temperatures, and a source of energy. this has to be continually cycled

Describe the steps by which a population of insects becomes resistant to a pesticide

1. Insect pests are sprayed with an insecticide. Only a few resistant insects survive. 2. The survivors pass the trait for insecticide resistance to their offspring. 3. When the same insecticide is used again, more insects survive because more of them are resistant

Classify environmental problems into three major categories.

1. air pollution 2. loss of biodiversity 3. resource depletion

List the five major fields of study that contribute to environmental science.

1. biology 2. physics 3. social science 4. chemistry 5. earth science

Describe three values that people consider when making decisions about the environment.

1. comparing 2. observing 3. choosing

Name the three major processes in the water cycle.

1. evaporation 2. condensation 3. precipitation

Describe the four steps in a simple environmental decision-making model.

1. gathering information 2. consider values 3. explore consequences 4. make a decision

Name two threats to the world's forest biomes.

1. habitat destruction 2. trading of exotic plants and animals

List three characteristics of tropical rain forests.

1. humid and warm climate 2. receives 200-450 cm of rain in a year 3. nutrient poor soil

List the three stages of the nitrogen cycle.

1. lightning converts some atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates that organisms can use. 2. other bacteria convert ammonia into nitrates, which plants can use 3. bacteria in soil and water add nitrogen to the atmosphere

List three differences between developed and developing countries.

1. lower life expectancy in developing countries. 2. population grows faster in developing countries 3. higher average incomes in developed countries *more diverse industrial economies in developed countries *stronger social support systems in developed countries

Name the three domains and the four kingdoms of organisms and list characteristics of each.

Domain Archaea Domain Bacteria Domain Eukarya Kingdom Fungi Kingdom Protista Kingdom Plantae Kingdom Animalia The table is on page 102 which lists the characteristics for the domains and kingdoms

Explain how a pioneer species contributes to ecological succession.

a species that colonizes an uninhabited area and begins the process of ecological succession

Describe two desert animals and the adaptations that help them survive.

amphibians- estivate (burying themselves in the ground and sleep through the dry season) reptiles- have thick, scaly skin that prevents water loss. insects and spiders- covered in body armor that helps them retain water

Explain why an energy pyramid is a representation of trophic levels.

an energy pyramid shows how energy is lost from one trophic level to the next.

Explain the concept of adaptation.

an inherited trait that increases an organism's chance of survival and reproduction in a certain environment

Distinguish between the biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem.

biotic factors include all of the organisms. abiotic factors include the nonliving parts of the ecosystem.

Explain why the size of a statistical sample is important.

change in size is like change in availability

Describe how wind and water alter Earth's surface.

chemical weathering wears down rocks, making them smoother as time passes, and erosion transports the materials elsewhere.

Explain the difference between open and closed systems.

closed system- energy enters and leaves the system but matter does not. open system- both matter and energy are exchanged between systems and the surrounding environment

Explain the importance of conceptual and mathematical models.

conceptual model is a verbal or graphical explanation of how a system works or is organized. mathematical model is one or more equations representing the system or process.

Describe one way in which consumers depend on producers.

consumers get their energy indirectly from the sun by eating producers or other consumers

Explain the importance of curiosity and imagination in science.

curiosity and imagination are important because without it we wouldn't be able to perform experiments

Explain how habitats are important for organisms.

each organism is adapted for its specific habitat

Name and describe the main layers of a tropical rain forest.

emergent layer- trees reach heights of 60-70 km upper canopy & lower canopy- absorbs up to 95% of sunlight understory- plants don't grow taller than 3.5 m tall

Define environmental science and compare environmental science with ecology.

environmental science- the study of the environment that includes the physical, biological, and social sciences. ecology is the study of how creatures interact with each other and their environment

Explain how the excess use of fertilizer can affect the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles.

excess use of fertilizer can lead to algal bloom which is an overabundance of algae growth. this can deplete an aquatic ecosystem

Explain how temperature and precipitation determine which plants grow in an area.

plants will grow in an area that provides its particular temperature and precipitation. If it's not in that range then the plant will not grow.

Describe how a population differs from a species.

population- group of the same species that live in the same place species- group of organisms that can mate to produce fertile offspring

Explain the relationship between probability and risk.

probability is the chance that something will happen. risk is the probability of an unwanted outcome.

Distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable resources.

renewable resources- resource that can be replaced relatively quickly by natural processes. nonrenewable resources- resource that can't be replaced or can't be reproduced faster than it is consumed.

Explain the process of evolution by natural selection

the process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce with more success than less well adapted individuals do.

Explain the greenhouse effect.

the process in which greenhouse gases absorb and reradiate infrared radiation near the Earth

Describe the short-term and long-term process of the carbon cycle.

the short-term process of the carbon cycle includes photosynthesis. the long-term process of the carbon cycle includes carbon being converted into carbonates, which makes up the hard parts of bones and shells.

Compare the short-term and long-term consequences of two decision regarding a hypothetical environmental issue.

there are positive and negative consequences for short-term and long-term decisions.

Describe how scientists study subjects in which experiments are not possible.

they use the correlation method correlation method- the testing of predictions based on the association between 2 or more events.

Explain the law of supply and demand.

this states that the greater the demand for a limited supply of something, the more that product is worth.

Describe the difference between tropical and temperate grasslands.

tropical seasonal forests have slightly wetter conditions and less frequent fires.

Describe the layers of Earth's atmosphere.

troposphere- extends to 18km above earth's surface. its the densest layer stratosphere- separated by the tropopause. it extends from 18 km to 50 km. contains the ozone layer mesosphere- extends to about 80 km. it is the coldest layer thermosphere- the farthest from earth's surface. it's hot

Identify the relationship between volcanic eruptions and climate change.

volcanic eruptions block the sun which causes the temperature to decrease on a global level.

Describe why vegetation is used to describe a biome.

the plants that grow in a certain region are the most noticeable characteristics of that region.

List and describe the steps of the experimental method.

1. observation-a piece of information we use gathering our senses, our sight, hearing, smell, and touch 2. hypothesis- a testable idea or explanation that leads to a scientific investigation. 3. prediction- what you think will happen based off of the information that you have at hand. the information you know already. 4. experiment- a procedure designed to test a hypothesis under controlled conditions. 5.organizing and analyzing your data 6. drawing conclusions 7. repeating experiments 8. communicating results

Describe one threat to the tundra biome.

1. oil exploration 2. global climate change

Describe three types of models commonly used by scientists.

1. physical 2.graphical 3. conceptual 4. mathematical

List two types of ecological succession.

1. primary succession 2. secondary succession

Explain three mechanisms of heat transfer in Earth's atmosphere.

1. radiation 2. conduction 3. convection

Describe the two essential parts of a good experiment.

1. single variable 2. a control

Describe the two types of ocean currents.

1. surface current- wind driven resulting from global wind patterns 2. deep current- streamlike movements of water that flow very slowly along the ocean floor.

Describe the composition of Earth's atmosphere.

78% nitrogen 21% oxygen 1% other

Explain how energy transfer in a food web is more complex than energy transfer in a food chain.

A food web includes more organisms and shows the feeding relationship between as many organisms that are possible in the ecosystem

Explain the importance of bacteria and fungi in the environment.

Bacteria allows for many organisms to extract certain nutrients from their food. Fungi breaks down the bodies and body parts of dead organisms.

Explain how scientists use statistics.

Scientists use statistics to summarize, characterize, analyze, and compare data.

Explain the main cause of earthquakes and their effects.

The main cause of earthquakes are the vibrations of Earth's crust caused by slippage along a fault. The effects of earthquakes are damage to buildings

Explain how the ocean regulates Earth's temperature.

The ocean absorbs the heat from the sun to give us stable conditions.

Explain what happens during old-field succession

When a field is no longer cultivated, pioneer species quickly grow and cover the abandoned land. The grasses and weeds produce many seeds to cover large areas. then tall trees keep light from short trees. this eventually leads to a full and mature forest from a piece of land that was once abandoned.

Describe why a good hypothesis is not simply a guess.

a good hypothesis is an educated guess

Describe the major environmental effects of hunter-gatherers, the agricultural revolution, and the Industrial Revolution.

hunter-gatherers- they hunt for animals and they set fires to prevent tree growth so they can hunt for animals agricultural revolution- allow populations to grow so that it will put pressure on the environment. industrial revolution- results in habitat destruction and pesticide pollution

Describe one plant in a temperate deciduous forest and an adaptation that helps the plant survive.

in the fall, most trees drop their leaves and in the winter, soil moisture changes to ice which causes the remaining leaves to fall to the ground

Describe how lichens contribute to primary succession.

lichen is a species that can live without soil so it can grow in a crack of bare rock

Identify two types of consumers.

mice, starfish, elephants, turtles, humans, and ants

Describe the role that nitrogen- fixing bacteria play in the nitrogen cycle.

nitrogen-fixing bacteria fixes atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia which is a more useful form.

Describe how organisms interact and depend on each other for survival.

organisms provide food for other organisms to consume for survival.

Describe how energy is transferred from the sun to producers and then to consumers

photosynthesis is the process of organisms using sunlight to make sugar. The sugar is in the form of carbohydrates which is the energy source for organisms.

Describe Earth's tectonic plates.

pieces of the lithosphere glide across the underlying asthenosphere.

Describe the properties of ocean water.

salinity- the salt content of the ocean

Describe one adaptation that may help an animal survive in the taiga.

snowshoe hares shed their brown summer fur and grow white fur that camouflage them in the winter snow

Explain what sustainability is, and describe why it is a goal of environmental science

sustainability- the condition in which human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinitely at a standard of living similar to the current one.

Explain how latitude and altitude affect which plants grow in an area.

the biome changes as the latitude and altitude change.

Describe the climate in a chaparral biome.

the climate is dry and coastal with little to no rain in the summer

Describe the composition and structure of Earth

the composition of Earth consists of the crust, mantle, and the core. the physical layers of Earth consist of the lithosphere, asthenosphere, the mesosphere, the outer core, and the inner core. page 61

Describe "The Tragedy of the Commons".

the essay discussing the conflict between the short-term interests of individuals and the long-term welfare of society. the resource can be overused and become depleted.

Describe the role of protists in the ocean environment.

the most important protists are algae. Algae can make their own food through photosynthesis.