The Environment Exam #2
Which Act requires EPA to regulate the discharge of pollutants into waterways?
Clean Water Act
A temperature inversion can adversely affect air quality and is characterized by what?
a layer of warm air forming above cold air
What is the term used to describe the layer of soil and rock that is saturated with water?
aquifer
What is the process that results in the concentration of a pesticide in an organism increasing moving up the food chain?
biomagniifcation
Humans are considered to be which type of life-form?
carbon based
What is the most important environmental factor that distinguishes terrestrial biomes?
climate
Which type of ocean ecosystem has the greatest biodiversity?
coral reefs
Animals such as earthworms and millipedes that feed on dead organic matter are considered to be which type of organism?
decomposers
Under provisions of the Endangered Species Act, a species is considered in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range is listed as what?
endangered species
High levels of nitrogen in streams, rivers and lakes often result in what?
eutrophication
Which of the following is an example of a non-point source of water pollution?
fertilizer enriched runoff from a farm
What best describes the feeding interactions among species in a community?
food web
What is the single greatest threat to biodiversity?
habitat loss and degradation
Chipmunks and squirrels competing for acorns in a forest is an example of which type of relationship?
interspecific competition
What is an important characterization of aquatic dead zones?
low concentration of oxygen
Which of the following is not an aerosol?
methane
The symbiosis between a fungus and the roots of a tree is an example of what?
mutualism
What 2 elements are most often found in fertilizers?
nitrogen and phosphorus
What is the primary cause of soil erosion?
over cultivation
Which gas is a pollutant in the troposphere (at ground level) but is beneficial in the stratosphere where it protects humans from ultraviolet radiation from the Sun?
ozone
Primary succession depends on environmental changes brought about by which type of species?
pioneer species
What do herbivores feed on?
plants
The total number of plant and animal species that a field biologist identifies along a mountain trail is an example of what?
species richness
Photochemical smog is formed when primary air pollutants interact with what?
sunlight
What is a watershed?
the area of land from which rainfall drains into rivers and streams
What is evaporation from plant leaves called?
transpiration
Which biome has the greatest biodiversity?
tropical rainforest
Which of the following is a natural cause of climate change?
volcanic eruptions
Which of the following sources contributes the least to greenhouse gas emissions?
waste disposal
Which of the following is the most abundant greenhouse gas?
water vapor