APES Unit 8- Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution

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.

Based on the diagram, which of the following is an expected consequence of runoff and sewage in an aquatic environment?

Decreased oxygen production by seaweed on the seafloor from an increase in turbidity

Which of the following components, which are not shown on the diagram, are part of the tertiary treatment of wastewater?

Disinfectants

Based on the diagram, which of the following is associated with the primary treatment of sewage?

Grit chamber

Endocrine disruptors directly affect which of the following in an organism?

Hormones

Which of the following is a way to potentially eliminate one of the greatest threats to the world's mangrove wetlands?

Integrate ecologically sound shrimp aquacultural practices with mangrove management.

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

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

The graph below depicts the dose response curves for three common bacteria and a newly discovered bacterium found in streams near certain agricultural properties. If all four of the bacteria species shown in the graph are equally likely to contaminate agricultural products at a dose of 102⁢ CFU, regulating which of the following species would have the greatest effect in reducing the likelihood of illness in humans?

Salmonella spp.

When water used to cool power plants during normal plant operations is released into adjacent waterways, which of the following is most likely to occur as a result?

The dissolved oxygen in the adjacent waterways would decrease because used coolant water is warm and leads to thermal pollution.

Based on the image, which of the following conclusions can best be drawn to describe the conditions in the Long Island Sound?

The sound has large numbers of phytoplankton blooms that are decomposing and consumed by respiring bacteria.

Cholera is an acute infection of the digestive system that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Infected individuals can experience a range of symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, muscle cramps, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and extreme thirst. If symptoms persist and severe dehydration results, an infected individual can die within hours of symptom onset. The diagram below shows how cholera is transmitted. Based on the diagram above, which of the following is the most likely reason that V. cholerae can spread rapidly through a population?

V. cholerae is a microscopic bacterium that can survive in various aquatic environments for prolonged periods of time and can cause a delayed onset of visible symptoms.

The two pie charts show municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States, 2015. Incineration is one solution to reduce the volume of municipal solid waste. Municipal solid waste can be used to produce energy at waste-to-energy plants. Based on the data in the graphs, which of the following materials would be best suited for incineration to reduce total volume, produce energy, and have minimal release of air pollutants?

Wood

Scientists are interested in determining if selenium, from a nearby mine, magnifies in the tissues of fish living in a lake. Which of the following best describes a testable hypothesis for the study?

Selenium will be at a higher concentration in fish tissue than in the tissue of fish prey.

A massive bluegill fish kill was observed in a lake near a power plant during the winter months. It was determined that the plant was releasing large amounts of hot water into the lake. Which of the following explains what likely caused the death of so many bluegills in the lake?

The influx of warmer water caused an unexpected increase in the metabolic rate of the bluegills, which led to increased physiological stress from limited resource availability.

Which of the following is the most likely consequence of runoff transporting chemicals that are endocrine disruptors to a pond?

Increased frequency of birth defects in fish populations in the pond

Which of the following is a point source pollutant that would likely affect the ecosystem health of a coral reef?

Oil released from the broken hull of a shipwrecked tanker

Significant increases in water temperature can drastically change dissolved oxygen (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.

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.

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

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

Which of the following practices would best help to protect against inland and coastal flooding in urban areas?

Preserving wetland and coastal mangrove habitats

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

Restricted circulation

Cholera is an acute infection of the digestive system that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Infected individuals can experience a range of symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, muscle cramps, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and extreme thirst. If symptoms persist and severe dehydration results, an infected individual can die within hours of symptom onset. The diagram below shows how cholera is transmitted. 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.

Cholera is an acute infection of the digestive system that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Infected individuals can experience a range of symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, muscle cramps, low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and extreme thirst. If symptoms persist and severe dehydration results, an infected individual can die within hours of symptom onset. The diagram below shows how cholera is transmitted. 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.

The graph below depicts the dose response curves for three common bacteria and a newly discovered bacterium found in streams near certain agricultural properties. Some drinking water standards allow bacteria in water at dosages up to the 10% probability of illness. Which of the following statements is best supported by the data in the graph?

The newly discovered bacterium would have the lowest allowable dosage to meet the drinking water standards.

A pesticide was applied to a population of roaches, and it was determined that the LD50 was 55mgkg. If the average mass of a roach was 0.02kg, which of the following approaches will determine the dose in mg per roach?

55mg/ 1kg×0.02kg

Researchers are evaluating the waste treatment facility located on the Moose River in the northeastern United States. They are sampling the river and its tributaries at several locations, as shown on the map below. Water from which of the following locations on the map would best serve as a control group for the study?

A- First Point

The graph below depicts the dose response curves for three common bacteria and a newly discovered bacterium found in streams near certain agricultural properties. An individual is exposed to the water in the stream from which the sample show in the graph was taken. If the individual was exposed to the highest dose of the bacteria, which of the following bacteria would have the lowest probability of causing illness if ingested?

C. jejuni

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

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

Researchers are evaluating the waste treatment facility located on the Moose River in the northeastern United States. They are sampling the river and its tributaries at several locations, as shown on the map below. 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 two pie charts show municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States, 2015. Based on the data in the graphs, which of the following strategies would best increase the total volume of municipal solid waste being recycled?

Enacting a single-stream recycling program and providing bins to residential homes

Researchers are evaluating the waste treatment facility located on the Moose River in the northeastern United States. They are sampling the river and its tributaries at several locations, as shown on the map below. Which of the following water quality tests would best indicate if sewage from the wastewater treatment plant has contaminated the Moose River?

Fecal coliform measured at site B (Point right after facility)

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

The LD50 for arsenic in humans is 13mg/kg13mg/kg. Which of the following approaches should be used to calculate the number of grams of arsenic it would take to reach the LD50LD50 in a 140-pound person? [Note: 1kg=2.2pounds1kg=2.2pounds]

140lb×1kg/2.2lb×13mg/1kg×1g/1,000mg

The graph below shows the LD50 for two different species of mice after being exposed to a mutagen for 30 days. Based on the data in the graph, which of the following should be used to calculate the difference in LD50 for the two different species of mice?

575mg−490mg

Based on the diagram, which of the following best describes how a malfunctioning air compressor would affect the process of sewage treatment?

Fewer bacteria would be available to absorb dissolved organics in the tank.

Mercury concentrations were measured in freshwater shrimp populations in two different ponds, one polluted with mercury and one unpolluted, with a similar food web in each pond. Which of the following best identifies the scientific question that would guide this investigation?

How much mercury accumulates in the tissues of freshwater shrimp living in a polluted pond?

The two pie charts show municipal solid waste (MSW) in the United States, 2015. Based on the data in the graphs, which of the following would result in the largest reduction in volume of municipal solid waste disposed of in landfills?

Introduce composting programs for yard trimmings and food waste

A beach community was recently negatively affected by a hurricane. Community leaders are looking for a potential solution to prevent damage from future hurricanes. Below is a list of their concerns as well as how important each issue is to the community. Which of the following solutions would best address the issues of greatest concern in the community?

Planting mangrove forests