BIO 112 - Ecology, the environment, and Conservation

enivornment stuff

All ecosystems require ________ to form the foundation of energy flow in a food web.

autotrophs

A ________ is the linear path taken by nutrients and energy as they move through different organisms.

food chain

A ________ model attempts to quantify all aspects of entire ecosystems in their natural states.

holistic ecosystem

________ will cause the most severe effects in the apex predator of a food web.

Biomagnification

The rate at which photoautotrophs incorporate energy from the sun is the ________ of an ecosystem.

gross primary productivity

A(n) ________ is composed of both biotic and abiotic components.

ecosystem

The organism that contains the least amount of energy in an ecosystem is the ________.

apex consumer

The majority of the atmosphere is ________.

nitrogen

The carbon footprint of humanity is largely influenced by ________.

fossil fuel use

________ is often the limiting nutrient in aquatic ecosystems.

Phosphorus

Atmospheric sulfur is largely ________.

sulfur dioxide

________ time is the average time an individual water molecule stays in a reservoir.

Residence

A major impact of human use of nitrogen compounds is ________.

eutrophication

Excess phosphorus and nitrogen in aquatic ecosystems is responsible for ________.

dead zones

Nitrogen ________ must occur before biological organisms can incorporate atmospheric nitrogen into their macromolecules.

fixation

Minerals are cycled from land to water by rain and ________.

surface runoff

The ________ is the area of the planet where water movement and storage occurs.

hydrosphere

The movement of phosphate from the ocean to the land is ________.

extremely slow

Sulfur may move directly from the atmosphere to the land by ________.

fallout

Humans impact from agricultural practices is often much larger in ________ regions.

dry

Climate evidence shows that since the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have ________.

steadily increased from the historical highest levels

Scientists agree that climate change will ________.

alter regional climates, leading to habitat loss

The rate of sea level increase ________ between 1993 and 2010.

raised to 2.9–3.4mm/year

Melting clathrates release ________, which accumulates in the atmosphere.

methane gas

The Little Ice Age occurred between ________.

1550 and 1850 AD

Global transportation has its most significant environmental impact because it ________.

burns most of the world’s oil

________ is the long-term, predictable atmospheric conditions of a specific area.

climate

There is a direct relationship between ________ and temperature.

solar intensity

Climate change would encompass which of the following?

Two to three years with a shift in temperatures and rainfall for the average summer conditions in New York

Glacier recession has been directly observed in ________ National Park.

glacier

Before the Industrial Era, ________ were a driver of climate change.

Milankovitch cycles

________ provide a key historical evidence of Earth’s past climate.

Antarctic ice cores

Global warming has been associated with the ________ extinction.

Permian

The ________ carbon cycle is the faster movement of carbon through ecosystems.

biological

The largest mass extinction ever has been linked with ________.

global warming

________ biodiversity is the raw material that generates adaptation in species.

genetic

________ is one method for recognizing existing biodiversity.

DNA barcoding

Fundamentally, ________ are the current largest threat to global biodiversity.

humans

Humans have directly contributed to increased biodiversity through our ________.

agricultural efforts

Biological ________ are areas with high numbers of endemic species.

hotspots

Biodiversity ________ at higher latitudes.

decreases

To date, ________ of eukaryotic species have been identified and named.

less than 20 percent

Biodiversity plays a key role in identification of new ________.

medicines

Since 1500 AD, ________ species have been driven to extinction by overhunting or overfishing.

86

________ species are a good indication of biodiversity.

Endemic

There are 34 areas with high numbers of endemic species identified; these areas contain ________ of Earth’s endemic plants.

about half

________ are particularly vulnerable to extinctions caused by invasive species.

Lakes and islands

The main source of animal protein from the wild are ________ populations.

fish

Habitat loss in the tropics often directly correlates with species extinction due to ________.

high levels of endemic species

Biodiversity can often be restored and maintained through ________.

habitat restoration

The K-T extinction is directly linked with ________

a cataclysmic asteroid

One of the key tools in conservation efforts is ________.

establishment of preserves

________ illustrate(s) the relative amounts of energy or biomass across trophic levels.

ecological pyramids

Which of the following would an organismal ecologist studying frogs examine?

preferred nesting locations of frogs

________ ecology attempts to solve real world problems, including conservation efforts.

Applied

Ecologists studying ecosystems will examine ________.

abiotic and biotic components

When conducting field studies, ecologists classify members of the same species as ________ and members of different species as ________.

conspecifics; heterospecifics

Understanding ecological issues addresses ________.

basic human needs

When studying frogs, a(n) ________ ecologist would focus upon temperature impacts on the sex distribution of the frogs.

ecosystem

Which of these would fall under urban ecology?

ecosystems within New York City

________ is the geographic distribution of life and the nonliving factors that influence that distribution.

Biogeography

________ water has more dissolved oxygen.

Cold

Adaptations in photosynthesizers often relate to ________ availability.

sunlight

________ species are found in only a certain area, often of limited geographical size.

endemic

The optimal environmental conditions that lead to maximum plant productivity require a ________ climate.

warm and wet

Animals as a rule are found in living in temperatures ranging from ________.

0ºC to 45ºC

________ influences the rate of evaporation and transpiration.

wind

Animals will ________ to survive extreme hot, dry climates.

estivate

It is particularly important for plants to obtain ________ from soils.

nitrogen

Distinctive species can often be found in ________.

physically isolated geographies

Stratification is the process by which a freshwater lake develops ________.

layers of different temperatures

Abiotic factors vary mainly based on ________.

latitude and elevation

Freshwater organisms maintain water balance by ________.

excreting dilute urine

The ________ is the organic matter available as food.

net primary productivity

Distinctive species can often be found in ________.

physically isolated geographies

Many animals address seasonal temperature fluctuations by ________.

migrating to leave seasonally cold areas

To determine unique patterns of species distribution, ecologists will focus on ________.

species presence and absence

The vegetation that appears at the top of a high mountain is likely to be similar to the vegetation at ________.

high latitudes

________ is central to the distribution of species within aquatic biomes.

Light

No plants can be found within the ________ zone.

abyssal

________ is an important factor influencing the distribution of biomes.

Precipitation

The ________ forest has defined growing seasons.

temperate

Moving water is always ________ closer to the source.

faster flowing

The ________ has the most stable temperature and precipitation profile year round.

tropical rainforest

One of the most important abiotic features in freshwater biomes is ________.

stratification

________ variation throughout the year will have a key impact on biome and vegetation distribution.

Temperature

The ________ is the largest aquatic biome.

ocean

Lakes and ponds are heavily influenced by ________.

stratification

A(n) ________ can have a drastic, and often detrimental, impact on freshwater biomes.

algal bloom

Why do steppe biomes have few trees?

low rainfall

The organisms that are found within the coral calcium carbonate structure are ________.

cryptofauna

A biome ________.

may be present in different locations that have similar climates

Sunlight is always available in the ________ zone.

neritic

The maximum population an environment can support is the ________.

carrying capacity

Scientists employ ________ to study dynamic changes in populations.

demographics

Dandelions, which disperse small seeds long distances on wind currents, are a ________ species.

r-selected

Humans have an unmatched ability to alter ________.

carrying capacity

Population ecologists will study population ________.

size and density

The key factor to consider with density-independent factors is that they ________.

have the same impact regardless of total population size

________ is the potential reproductive capacity of an individual.

Fecundity