PBIO Final

cycles

Matter

flows in one direction

Energy

Resources like food, water.

Provisioning

Climate regulation, water purification.

Regulating

Recreation, spiritual value.

Cultural

Soil formation, nutrient cycling.

Supporting

The process of determining the value of ecosystem services.

Ecosystem Service Valuation (ESV)

CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases. Major sources include burning fossil fuels, agriculture, and industry.

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs):

Measures the impact of different gases on global warming, methane having a higher GWP than CO2.

Global Warming Potential (GWP)

CO2 moves between atmosphere, plants, animals, and oceans.

Carbon Cycle

Human activity is the primary cause of global climate change.

Scientific Consensus on Global Warming

The process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide to mitigate climate change.

Carbon Sequestration

Regulating this activity helps protect public goods like biodiversity and carbon storage.

Peat Bog Cutting

Fossil fuels are non-renewable, while solar, wind, and hydropower are renewable

Non-renewable vs. Renewable Energy

Regulate fuel efficiency to reduce emissions from vehicles.

CAFE Standards

Lowers transportation costs, expanding trade networks

Globalization

Modify trade networks to favor low-carbon goods and services.

Reducing Carbon Footprint

Integrating trees into farming systems to reduce emissions and enhance biodiversity.

Agroforestry

Ethical standards for trade that emphasize fair wages, environmental sustainability, and community development.

Fair Trade Principles

Protects species at risk of extinction by regulating habitat destruction and human interference.

Endangered Species Act

Conservation of species in their natural habitats.

In situ

Conservation outside their natural habitat (e.g., seed banks).

Ex situ

Global strategy for plant conservation, including sustainable sourcing of plant-based products.

GSPC

A secure location to store seeds for future restoration.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Areas dedicated to conservation, research, and sustainable development.

Biosphere Reserves

The study of seasonal biological events and their relationship with climate.

Phenology

Derived from organic materials, they can be more sustainable than fossil fuels.

Biofuels

An international treaty to phase out ozone-depleting substances.

Montreal Protocol

Global climate goals to limit global warming

Paris Agreement & INDCs

Using plants to clean polluted environments.

Phytoremediation

Sustainable urban planning strategies like green roofs, tree planting, and bioretention.

Green Infrastructure

Measures human impact on the planet. The U.S. footprint affects global resources.

Ecological Footprint

Evaluates environmental, social, and economic costs of decisions.

Triple Bottom Line

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference was also called what?

COP 15

Which of these was NOT a factor that was discussed as a primary driver of current biodiversity loss?

Volcanic eruptions

Which of the following are examples of ecosystem services?

Recreational opportunities 

Cleaner air

Cleaner water

Wildlife habitat

The market price method is most often used to determine the value for what type of ecosystem service?

Provisioning - something that can be traded or sold on the open market, such as timber.

Which statement best explains how coastal restoration projects can engage stakeholders and advance decision making most effectively?

Consideration of how socio-economic goals can be met by improving markets as well as social well-being.

Three of these are benefits provided by salt marshes. Which of these was NOT described in your reading as a benefit?

Improved air quality

Which of these is a regulating ecosystem service provided by salt marshes?

Reduced wave energy, limiting shoreline erosion.

How will water quality be affected by restoring or conserving salt marshes?

Chemicals are collected and nutrients released through the marsh ecosystem, lowering water quality.

The process of quantifying the value of benefits offered by a particular ecosystem to inform conservation efforts is called what?

Ecosystem Service Valuation

How can kelp forests help us monitor the movement of radioactive pollutants in the ocean?

They take up radioactive isotopes that we can measure so we can monitor the change in amounts over time.

Which of these factors are used to describe climate?

The average temperature

Rainfall throughout the year

The average humidity

The best definition for climate is which of these?

average weather conditions over broad time periods

Sunlight that enters the biosphere has what fate?

Much of it is radiated by the Earth’s surface as heat.

Which of the following statements about the water cycle is true?

Water vapor amplifies global warming caused by other greenhouse gases.

What best describes global warming potential (GWP)?

How much heat can be held by greenhouse gases relative to carbon dioxide.

Which of the following gases is a greenhouse gas?

Carbon dioxide (CO₂)

What is the relationship between the water cycle and global warming?

Water in the atmosphere holds heat and this amount is increasing with climate change due to evaporative processes.

Which of these is a strategy that would help mitigate climate change?

reducing use of fossil fuels

Which of these strategies leads to greater levels of carbon sequestration and mitigates climate change?

replanting trees on deforested land.

Which of these best describes the effect of global warming on peat moss populations?

Warming melts permafrost where a high percentage of peat moss is found, releasing carbon dioxide and methane.

Which of these is a public good that would be supported if the European regulations were followed in Ireland?

Improved air quality

Which of the following is NOT a fossil fuel?

uranium

Which of these is an ecosystem service and public good that is ultimately protected by CAFE standards?

Regulating as pollutants are lower in air and water.

What is the order of the life cycle stages of fossil fuels?

extraction, processing, transportation, combustion

The purpose of CAFE regulations were to_________.

reduce energy consumption by increasing fuel economy of cars.

Which of these correctly describes a process central to globalization or a benefit that arises from globalization.

Greater international specialization in production as global trade expanded.

According to your reading, how has the expansion of trade impacted developing countries, with access to more natural resources, compared to industrialized nations?

Developed countries became industrialized first while developing countries supplied raw materials, widening the income gap.

How are GIAHS important to communities?

provide nutritional resources as they grow food.

protects soil and water resources.

provides income through cash crops.

Which of the following activities contributes the greatest proportion of GHG emissions related to livestock?

Fermentation

Which GHG gas is most heavily represented in emissions due to the digestive processes of ruminants (enteric fermentation)?

Methane (CH₄)

Which greenhouse gases make up the bulk of what is released due to manure management?

CH₄ and N₂O

What led to the collapse of the International Coffee Agreement in 1989?

Brazil and U.S. ended their membership in the ICA so export quotas could not be established.

Which of these standards must be met in agricultural systems to be Fair Trade?

Safe management of waste

The goals and principles of Fair Trade include which of these?

consumer awareness

social and environmental responsibility

development opportunities 

Coffee roasters are currently earning less than producers, jeopardizing the market.

False

Which of the following invasive plants interferes with boating opportunities?

Hydrilla

Which of these is an example of an indirect effect of an invasive species on other populations?

Blister rust kills pine trees that provided habitat for birds.

A fungal blight led to the disappearance of which tree population from American deciduous forests?

Chestnut

Which of these organisms has had a harmful effect on trees in deciduous forests?

Gypsy Moth

Who must come up with a recovery plan if a species is listed as endangered in the U.S.?

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Which of these describes a limitation of seed banks?

Not all species can be conserved through seed banks.

What made it difficult to use the seeds stored in the seed bank in Aleppo?

The Syrian War made it inaccessible

Which of the following best describes FairWild?

Sustainably collected products from native habitats.

Which of these is a storage bank in the Arctic for seeds of almost every known crop species?

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Which plan has the CBD developed to protect plant diversity and the ecosystem services that arise from them?

Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)

Which of these is a Biosphere Reserve managed by the U.S. National Park Service?

Organ Pipe Cactus Biosphere Reserve

What has had an effect on vegetation in lower parts of the Chimborazo volcano?

climate change and cultivation

Which of these is an advantage of using switchgrass as a biofuel feedstock?

There is less pollution from fertilizer use.             

Which of these describes a biofuel made from a feedstock that can be consumed as human food?

first generation

Biodiesel is produced from which of these?

vegetable oils and animal fats

What best describes the importance of the ozone layer?

The ozone layer absorbs harmful UV radiation.

What is the purpose of the Montreal Protocol?

Phase out chemicals that deplete the ozone layer.

Most plastic we use today is made from what?

Byproducts of fracking for natural gas

Research by Dr. Sharon Doty for cleaning up damaged sites used which of these to help break down pollutants? 

Bacteria

What is the term for sites protected under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act?

Superfund

What is the main purpose of green infrastructure?

reduce or prevent stormwater runoff

Which of these is a concept associated with ecological economics?

Each stage of the life cycle of a product should be considered.