Enviromental Biology Final Exam Study Guide

Describe the key components of an ecosystem

All organisms and their physical and chemical environments including living organisms and nonliving elements.

Distinguish between ecosystem functions and ecosystem services

Ecosystem services is what the ecosystem provides for humans such as provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services. Ecosystem functions is energy flowing in and out of the system.

Explain how the law of conservation of mass and energy applies to ecosystems

Energy and matter can be neither created nor destroyed, everything goes somewhere

Explain why change in ecosystems is inevitable and necessary

Because its essential for ecosystem to respond to external and internal actions such as seasons and storms.

Explain why sustainable actions must conform to the law of conservation of mass and energy

The well-being of present and future humans is dependent on acting sustainably

Describe the relationship between sustainability and ecosystem diversity and complexity

Actions must not disrupt functions of ecosystems

Describe the methods scientists use to find answers to questions about the environment

- Observation
- Experimentation
- Synthesis

An ecosystem is best defined as __.

all the organisms and their physical and chemical environment within a specific area where energy and matter influence the distribution and abundance of organisms present

Negative feedback processes tend to function within ecosystems to __.

stabalize the ecosystem

Sustainable use of resources requires __.

an understanding of rate of resource renewal and ability to manage rate of use

A hypothesis can best be described as __.

a proposed explanation based on observation

Due to their complexity, any given response to an environmental problem involves significant \__________, and no one response is likely to present the ultimate solution.

trade-offs

Which situation best describes the tragedy of the commons?

Herders put too many sheep in a public field because they think ÒIf I donÕt use this available resource, someone else will.Ó

Which of the following statements is NOT falsifiable?

People should not litter because it is wrong to do so

Which type of study is appropriate for demonstrating the cause-and-effect relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable?

experimental

The law of energy and mass conservation states that \________.

energy and matter cannot be created or destroyed

Which of the following is not an abiotic factor?

Bacteria

Compare the viewpoints of the preservationists and conservationists in regard to the value of nature

Preservationists believe that Parks/public land should preserve wild nature in a pristine state, Conservationists believe that nature should be used and managed sustainably to provide the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people

Compare the systems of anthropocentric, biocentric, and ecocentric ethics,with specific regard as to whether humankind, living organisms, and natureare assigned intrinsic or instrumental value.

Anthropocentric ethics
- Intrinsic value-humans only
- Instrumental value-everything else that helps
humans
• Biocentric ethics
- Intrinsic value-all living things
• Ecocentric ethics
- Intrinsic value-communities and ecosystems
- Deep ecology movement

State why free markets often produce incentives for actions that deplete resources or damage the environment

Because theres limited resources and cause problems to human well-being

Describe how the concept of natural capital can be used in the ecological valuation of ecosystem services.

Value of ecosystem measured by cost of possible loss of ecosystem. Natural capital helps us decide what earth's resources humans depend on

Gifford Pinchot, first head of the U.S. Forest Service, advocated the conservationist view of nature. This view promoted \________.

resource use in a sustainable manner to provide the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people

The animal rights movements in society evolved from \________.

biocentric ethics

Rachel Carson's book, \________, pointed out the dangers posed to the natural environments and humans by pesticides

Silent spring

Environmental justice seeks to \________.

ensure that people are treated fairly regardless of race, gender, or economic status in the management of natural resources

The economic value of an ecosystem service can be measured by accessing the willingness to pay for the action to \________ them.

Conserve

A grass root organization is attempting to preserve a stretch of forest that is being considered for purchase by a manufacturing plant. The organization's main strategy is to inform the nearby housing developments of the effect on their home values if the manufacturing plant goes versus the preserved forest. This approach is using \________.

hedonic valuation

The most essential compound needed to sustain life as we know it is \________.

Water

What is an element?

a chemical that cannot be broken down or separated into other chemicals

What is the basic subunit of elements?

atoms

Which number indicates neutral on a pH scale?

7

The stratospheric ozone layer is important to ecosystems because it \________.

absorbs and scatters UV light

Distinguish between elements, atoms, and molecules.

Elements are made of one type of atom, atoms are basic units of matter, molecules are two or more atoms combined

Define energy

Capacity to do work

Distinguish between kinetic and potential energy in a system

Kinetic energy is energy in motion, potential energy is stored energy

Explain how the organization of ecosystems is related to entropy

- Second law
▪ Energy transformations increase disorder
- Entropy
- Energy often lost as heat

List the two main gases found in Earth's atmosphere and identify their
contribution to the total volume of the atmosphere

78% of nitrogen and 21% of oxygen

Explain how photosynthetic organisms have affected the composition of
Earth's atmosphere

Earth has gravity tohold atmosphere

Distinguish between weather and climate

Climate is Long-term atmospheric conditions, Wheather is Short-term variations local atmospheric conditions

Explain how variations in temperature produce patterns of weather and climate

Temperature difference more extreme at center of continents and higher at latitudes

Explain how wind cells form, and how they influence patterns of prevailing
winds and rainfall

Windcells form by Earth's tilted axis and causes patterns by shifting different directions such as north and south

Describe how proximity to large bodies of water, such as the ocean, affectsthe climate of places on land.

currents regulate global climate, helping to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface

Explain why photosynthesis is essential to most ecosystems on Earth

Photosynthesis is essential to most ecosystems because it produces oxygen and carbohyrates,which are used in cellular respiration by most prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Explain why cellular respiration is essential to all living organisms.

because it provides the energy for living organisms to perform all of the other necessary functions to maintain life.

Compare the genetic makeup of parents and their offspring in asexual and
sexual reproduction

• Asexual reproduction
- Simple cell division
- Genetically identical offspring

Differentiate between arithmetic and exponential population growth

- Exponential growth
▪ Growth accelerates with each generation
- Arithmetic growth
▪ Growth is constant

Identify reasons why populations in the real world do not continue to increase
exponentially

because of death and emigration rate

Describe the three main patterns of survivorship, and give examples of organisms with each of those patterns

▪ Type I: most die old: Human
▪ Type II: Young and old die equally: Bird
▪ Type III: most die young: Sharks

Define carrying capacity

The maximum number of organisms an ecosystem can support

Explain how environmental resistance changes as population size increases

As population size increases environmental resources diminish

Describe the logistic growth curve and the conditions in which it occurs

As population increases resources decreases

Describe how an organism's range of tolerance for one factor may be influenced by other factors in its environment

Range of tolerance for various factors determines habitat and niche

Define fitness in the context of natural selection

• Most fit leave more offspring, their adaptation
becomes more common
• Less fit have fewer offspring, their adaptation
becomes less common

Explain Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection

Biological evolution may occur rapidly
- Recent studies on Darwin's finches
• Droughts caused rapid evolution
• Return of rains reverted population

State the biological definition of species

organisms that can breed andproduce fertile offspring

Describe four forms of reproductive isolation

- Geographical
- Temoporal
- Behavioral
- Structural

Describe how reproductive isolation may lead to the evolution of new species

Reproductive isolation allows organisms to evolve to be different enough that they become distinct species that can no longer interbreed if their populations become contiguous again.

From what process do all organisms use energy to power their physical, behavioral, and reproductive functions?

Cellular respiration

In the process of natural selection, the organisms most likely to survive are the organisms that \________.

Are most reproductively fit

When populations approach their carrying capacity, their resources \________.

become more scarce and growth rate approaches zero

An organism's range of tolerance is best described as \________.

the span between the minimum and maximum temperatures in which an organism flourishes

Which of the following is the best modern definition of evolution?

change in allele frequencies in a population over time

Genetic drift refers to __.

a change in the frequency of a population's inherited trait brought about by a chance event

The first law of thermodynamics states that __.

although energy can be transformed from one form to another, it cannot be created or destroyed in normal chemical reactions

The place where an organism lives is its \________.

habitat

Populations in which the probability of dying is constant at every age exemplify \________.

Type II survivorship

The medium ground finches (normally distinguished by a range of beak sizes) that survive drought conditions in the Galapagos can eat the large and tough seeds from the fever plant. This survival can be described best as \________.

directional selection

Assuming no migration, birth rate minus death rate is equal to \________.

the increase or decrease in different populations

Describe the three periods of human population growth

Stage 1: Pretransition
- Death rate high
- Birth rate high
Stage 2: Mortality transition
- Death rate decreases
- Birth rate stays high
- Rapid population growth
Stage 3: Fertility transition
- Death rate stays low
- Birth rate decreases
- Population growth slows

Describe the four stages of the demographic transition model

Stage 1- High death and fertility rates
Stage 2- Mortality transition
Stage 3: Fertility transition
Stage 4: Stability transition

Identify the factors that determine ecological footprint and biocapacity

- Food and Fiber
- Timber and Paper
- Seafood
- Energy
- Shelter

Identify the key terms in the IPAT equation

- IPAT equation (I \= P x A x T)
▪ Determines human impact
- I \= impact (environmental)
- P \= population (size, growth, distribution)
- A \= affluence (individual consumption)
- T \= technology (energy using items)

Describe how economic development, education, and the empowerment of women affect population growth

As woman are in well developed countries and attain education the birthrates are most likely going to be lower

Describe the competitive exclusion principle

two species that compete for the exact same resources cannot stably coexist

Compare a species' fundamental niche with its realized niche

• Fundamental niche
- Complete range of areas in which an organism could
exist
• Realized niche
- Range in which an organism actually exists due to
competition

Use the concept of niche differentiation to explain how species that compete
for limited resources are able to coexist

- Niche differentiation
▪ Division of resources
▪ Potential competitors may coexist

Describe some factors that prevent herbivores from eating all of the plants on which they feed

▪ Specialized digestive systems
▪ Ability to detoxify plant chemicals

Explain how predators may have a positive effect on the health of prey
populations and their entire ecological community

- Prey respond by adapting defenses
▪ Protection
▪ Camouflage

Identify and define the three main forms of symbiosis

• Mutualism
- Both species benefit
Commensalism
▪ One species benefits, other unaffected
- Pariasitism
- One species benefits, other is harmws

The term demographic transition refers to \________.

the decline in death rates followed by decline in birth rates when a country develops a strong economy

The lowest total fertility rates might be found in \________.

countries providing education for women

What is a result when birth rates and death rates reach equal numbers?

zero population growth

The extent to which you consume ecosystem goods and services is described in terms of your \________.

ecological footprint

In using the IPAT equation, much of the impact of affluence and technology is associated with \________.

use of energy to generate electricity and power cars

The first stage of demographic transition is characterized primarily by \________.

High death rates

The feeding interactions among species in a community are best described as a(n) \________.

Food web

The approximate transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next higher trophic level is \________.

10%

Tertiary consumers are usually in which trophic level?

4th Trophic level

Chipmunks and flying squirrels competing for truffles is an example of \________.

interspecific competition

What makes it possible for the coexistence of several warbler species that feed on the same insect larvae?

The birds eat in the different portions of the forest canopy.

Mutualism is \________.

a relationship between two species in which both benefit

Describe how the amount of biomass energy changes in each successive trophic level

Energy transfers and tranform in each trophic level

Explain why ecological communities rarely have more than four trophic levels

Because energy is lost as the trophic level increase

Explain the role of keystone species in an ecological community

Keystone species are important to stability ofmany food webs, removal causes collaspe

Explain why the characteristics of organisms that live in similar environments are often very similar

Because they live in similar atmosphere's and climate's

Define biome

Communities of similar organisms in a particular climate

Define endemism and explain why rainforests have such a high level of endemic species

Endemism is a term used in biology to talk about the distribution of a taxon limited to a small geographic area and which can therefore be found naturally in this place

Explain why the communities of organisms living on mountains change with increasing elevation

Changes in elevation produce variety of climates

Define a rain shadow and explain how it is formed

Rain shadow deserts are created when mountain ranges lie parallel to moist, coastal areas

Which of the following are pioneer species on recently glaciated rock?

lichens and mosses