Global change bio Exam 2 study questions

How does the production of livestock lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions?

through the process of digestion cattle produce and emit methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide

When does the northern hemisphere experience summer?

When it tilts towards the sun

One consequence of climate change is change in temperature and precipitation patterns, which results in

an increase in the severity and frequency of droughts and heat waves

If greenhouse gases are linked to climate change, which of the following would be correct?

as greenhouse gases increase, temperatures should increase

Over the past several decades, the overall trend for earth's temperatures has been

increases in overall global temperatures at an accelerating rate, a phenomenon known as global warming.

Lionfish are an invasive fish in the oceans off the state of Florida. The populations of these fish have increased tremendously because there are no natural predators. People have started culling (catching) the fish to try to control populations. If the lionfish population continues to increase, but people don't increase their catch of this fish, this would be an example of a/an

inverse density-dependent mortality factor

What type of economic changes are necessary to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius?

investments in energy infrastructure to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies and charging stations for electric cars

The greenhouse effect

is caused by gases such as carbon dioxide trapping heat in the earth's atmosphere.

Because it takes so long for some species, such as whales or giant sequoias to reach maturity, recovery of population size is more difficult. This is a characteristic of

k-selected species.

Which of the following are examples of extreme weather that have been linked to climate change?

more frequent and intense hurricanes

Use the graph to answer the following question. Approximately how much warmer were the oceans in 2020 compared to the 1971-2000 average?

1 degree F

Overfishing caused the collapse of the Canadian cod fishery. When, based on the yields, did overharvesting begin?

1960

When did the cod fishery collapse?

1992

Based on these data, which annual yield was most likely to be a sustainable level of harvest prior to the fishery collapse?

250,000 tons.

What is an environmental consequence of burning fossil fuels?

Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere

Your environmental science professor assigns you to do a brief write up about carbon dioxide. Which of the following responses provides the best information for this assignment?

Carbon dioxide traps and reradiates infrared heat making it a greenhouse gas.

What happens to carbon during photosynthesis?

Carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide is combined with hydrogen from water with solar energy to produce carbohydrates.

When resources are limited, there is a limit to the size of a population. This would be called the

Carrying Capacity

Which of the following is an accurate description of how currently known solar cycles impact Earth's climate?

Changes in solar output occur on 11 year cycles and impact the amount of solar radiation reaching the earth.

Which of the following descriptions accurately depict changes associated with Milankovitch cycles? Select all that apply

Changes to the axial tilt reduce solar output. Changes to the shape of the earth's orbit influence surface temperatures on the earth. Changes to the axial tilt result in warmer summers and cooler winters. Changes to the shape of the earth's orbit increase solar output. The axial wobble results in changes to the distance between the sun and parts of the earth.

Which of the following is a significant reason plants are overharvested?

Collection of rare plants

Which of the following statements correctly explains the greenhouse effect?

Greenhouse gases absorb infrared radiation emitted by the planet's surface. This trapped heat energy is released slowly back into the atmosphere.

How do greenhouse gases cause climate warming?

Greenhouse gases prevent radiation of infrared energy back into space, trapping the heat near the earth's surface and causing the climate to warm.

How have humans been different than other predators?

Humans kill adult prey at higher rates than other predators.

Which of the following areas have large fossil fuel reserves? Select all that apply.

Iceland the Middle East Russia China Venezuela

Why is ocean acidification problematic for some marine life?

It decreases the amount of carbonate in the oceans, making the creation of shells and other hard structures difficult for marine life

Even though an oak tree produces many seeds, which is characteristic of an r-strategist, it has characteristics of a K-strategist that make recovery slow. Which of the following would be one of these characteristics?

It takes a long time for an oak tree to reach maturity to produce more offspring.

Which characteristic explains why population growth and recovery is slower for K-selected species than r-selected species?

K-selected species having fewer offspring

How were birds such as the passenger pigeon hunted to extinction?

Large numbers of birds were able to be killed at one time due to their behavior.

Which of the following is an accurate description of how solar cycles influences climate?

Solar output varies in 11 year cycles resulting in variation in solar radiation reaching the earth

Of the following, which two characteristics define climate? temperature amount of precipitation tornado development high sea levels

Temperature tornado development

Which factor is most responsible for recent increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide?

burning of fossil fuels

Which of the following is an indicator of the current climate change the earth is experiencing?

decrease in snow cover and glaciers

What is necessary for the general process of fossil fuel formation? Select all that apply

oxygen during decomposition heat and pressure of the earth's crust dead organic material short periods of time long periods of time

Which of the following is an example of how overharvesting has affected plants?

poachers collecting rare plants to sell.

Evolution is a natural process that occurs over time. Evolution has been disrupted by climate change because the changes are occurring at such a rapid rate

species are not able to adapt to the changes fast enough.

Using ice core data shown in this graph, it has been noted that until recently

temperature and carbon dioxide fluctuations have remained within the same boundaries.

One of the biggest human-caused contributors to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations from 300 ppm to over 400 ppm is:

the burning of fossil fuels and the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Which of the following human activities are major contributors to climate change? Select all that apply.

the creation of cement as it involves crushed limestone, a carbon reservoir the generation of heat and electricity through the burning of fossil fuels the generation of heat and electricity through renewable energy sources modern agricultural practices that use heavy equipment and chemical fertilizer

Which of the following would be an example of a density-independent factor? predator-prey relationship between two species intraspecific competition for resource a drought parasite that affects large mammals

A drought

Which of the following descriptions is correct for the impact of changes in the earth's axial tilt on the earth's climate?

Cycles of the axial tilt occur every 41,000 years resulting in warmer summers and cooler winters.

Predators develop a search image for its prey and when prey is common, predators can kill more of them. This is an example of a

Density-dependent factor.

When a prey species becomes more common, predators can more easily find it and kill relatively more. This would be a ________ that limits population growth

Density-dependent factor.

Inverse density dependent mortality factors would result in ________ percent mortality as population density increases.

decreased

Your friend Sam says, "climate change is natural, so we don't need to worry about the observed warming." What is the best response to Sam's statement based upon evidence in the text?

Natural factors can alter the climate, but the timing doesn't match naturally observed changes

The slowing down of population growth as a population reaches carrying capacity is called

The logistic growth

What happened starting around 1960 related to the yield of cod in Canada?

The yield started to drastically increase leading to overharvesting.

Which of the following characteristics would likely determine if a species is able to successfully adapt to a changing climate and thus avoid going extinct?

an organism that has a broad tolerance for temperature

What is the relationship between atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and global average temperatures?

as carbon dioxide concentrations increase temperatures increase

When growth rate remains constant, the population size can increase dramatically, this is called

exponential growth

Since the industrial revolution of the 19th century, ______________ use has increased resulting in more __________.

fossil fuel, atmospheric carbon dioxide

Which of the following are accurate statements about methane compared to carbon dioxide? Select all that apply.

Methane is 30 times more abundant than carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the most abundant greenhouse gas.

Which of the following examples illustrates how climate can impact ecological systems?

Ocean acidification inhibits the ability of many marine organisms, like zooplankton, to make shells, which can impact fish and whales that rely on these organisms for food

Which of the following are greenhouse gases?

Oxygen, Methane, Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen.

Which is the best description of ocean acidification?

The oceans absorb global carbon dioxide emissions, which combines with ocean water forming carbonic acid, decreasing the pH of the ocean

Practices such as hunting, fishing, and collecting have occurred for all of human history. How are these practices different in the context of overexploitation?

The rates of harvest through these practices are unsustainable - the populations can't recover.

A sea turtle lives a long life and takes years to reach sexual maturity. Female turtles produce many eggs, but do not raise their young. Many of the hatchling sea turtles will not live to adulthood. Which part of the sea turtle life history is more like that of an r strategist than a k strategist? Select all that apply.

They do not raise their young. They lay many eggs, but many hatchlings won't reach adulthood. They can live long lives. They can take years to reach sexual maturity.

Which of the following are fossil fuels? Select all that apply

coal nuclear oil geothermal natural gas

Based on data from ice cores, how has the earth's temperature changed over the past 800,000 years?

the temperature has fluctuated with carbon dioxide concentrations