APES test unit 4 (+ AP classroom questions)

Which of the following best explains why the maximum sustainable yield for ocean fisheries has been exceeded?

Too many fish of reproductive age are harvested.

A sustainable society would emphasize

using energy efficiently and reusing and recycling matter

Which of the following is most likely to occur in a forested region that has been recently clear-cut?

The concentration of nitrates in streams running through the region will increase.

The combustion of one gallon of automobile fuel produces about 5 pounds of carbon (in CO2). Two autos are making a trip of 600 miles. The first auto gets 20 miles per gallon, and the second gets 30 miles per gallon. Approximately how much less carbon (in CO2) will be produced by the second auto on this trip?

50 lbs

20x5 = 100

30 x 5 = 150

150-100=50

The chart above compares the daily water use per person to the price of water in selected countries. Which of the following conclusions can be correctly drawn using only the data in the chart?

Increased water use is generally correlated with lower water prices.

The major cause for the decline in the worldwide catch of fish since 1990 is

overfishing

Sustainable use of forests in the United States would likely be encouraged by

cutting small groups of medium- and large- sized trees in uneven-aged forests

Of the following, which constitutes the greatest percent of domestic use of water in the United States?

flushing toilets

Which of the following best illustrates the concept of the tragedy of the commons?

Depletion of an aquifer by regional farmers

Overgrazing of public land by privately owned livestock is an example of the

tragedy of the commons

Which of the following is a major goal of the program begun in 1995 to reintroduce the gray wolf into Yellowstone National Park?

Enable the removal of the gray wolf from the endangered species list

The graph above shows how seed production in a plant species varied with population density in an unfragmented habitat (site A) and in a fragmented habitat (site B). Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the data?

Habitat fragmentation has more effect on seed production than does population density.

The CITES treaty has been helpful in protecting endangered animals and plants by

listing those species and products whose international trade is controlled

Which of the following identifies the two factors thought to be the most harmful to biodiversity?

Destruction of habitat and invasion by nonnative species

Characteristics that tend to increase the risk of a species becoming endangered include which of the following?

Having a very limited distribution

Being a specialist at the end of a long food chain

Having a small population size

1, 2, and 3

If mean global temperature keeps on increasing as predicted by contemporary scientists, which of the following is most likely?

Specialist species living in fragile ecosystems will risk extinction.

A large forested area is fragmented into small forest tracts separated by agricultural areas. This change will most likely lead to

a decrease in the gene flow within species of the original forest

Fragmenting one large park or preserve into many small parks with human habitation in between them is most likely to lead to which of the following?

reduction in species diversity

The factor that likely poses the greatest threat of extinction of species worldwide is

increasing loss of habitat

High rates of species extinction caused by human activity have taken place at which of the following times in Earth's history?

At the end of the Permian period

At the end of the Cretaceous period

During recent times

3 only

Why do introduced species often become pests?

They displace native species.

When logging is carried out in a watershed, a likely effect on the local streams is

increased water temperature

Road construction, logging, and mining are banned in which of the following federal lands?

National wilderness preservation areas

In general, which of the following is the best long-term method of preventing extinctions?

Protecting the habitats of endangered species

Reasons that the population size of an exotic species often grows rapidly when the species is introduced in a new environment include which of the following?

The exotic species is resistant to pesticides.

There is a large, underutilized food source in the new environment.

The exotic species has few natural predators in the new environment.

2 and 3 only

Which of the following would likely reduce the threats posed by exotic species to native species?

Increasing inspections of goods coming into a country

Mandating that bilgewater from vessels be emptied in ports instead of in the open ocean

Enforcing legislation that restricts imported materials such as untreated wooden packing crates

1 and 3 only

Of the following, the greatest threat to populations of migratory North American songbirds is

clearing of tropical forests

Which of the following is most likely to result from destruction of wetlands surrounding a river?

An increased frequency of flooding of the river valley

A state highway was constructed over wetlands. The state obtained a permit to fill the existing wetlands in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act in 1972, and agreed to create another wetland. This trade-off approach to addressing an environmental issue is known as

mitigation

The location where desertification is occurring most rapidly

A. south america in the northeastern region

Species are becoming extinct ______________ times faster than they were before humans. At the end of this century, the extinction rate is expected to be _______________ times higher than the background rate.

100-1,000

10,000

biological extinction

when a species can no longer be found anywhere on the earth

mass extinction

the extinction of many species in a relatively short period of geologic time

We are losing between _____ species per year, or between _____ and _______ species per day

1,000-10,000

2-27

Why should we be concerned about the current rate of extinction? Besides the species themselves, what will be lost if they perish?

We would lose whole ecosystems that depend on vanishing species along with the vital ecosystem services they provide like air and water purification, natural pest control, and pollination

endangered vs threatened species

Endangered: species that has so few individual survivors that the species could soon become extinct

Threatened: species still has enough remaining individuals to survive in the short term, but because of declining numbers, it is likely to become endangered in the near future

three characteristics that can put a species in greater danger of going extinct

low reproductive rate

specialized niche

feeds at a high trophic level

What are three reasons why we should work to prevent our activities from causing or hastening the extinction of other species?

We depend on economic services from animals like food crops, lumber, paper, water, prescription drugs, tourism, and ecotourism

It will take 5-10 million years for natural speciation to rebuild the biodiversity that is likely to be lost this century

Many people believe that wild species have a right to exist, regardless of their usefulness to us (stewardship view that we have a responsibility to protect the earth)

HIPPCO acronym

H- habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation

I- invasive (nonnative) species

P- population growth and increasing use of resources

P- pollution

C- climate change

O- overexploitation

List two accidentally introduced invasive species and the part of the world they pose a threat to

Sea lamprey (lakes)

Argentina fire ant (United States)

What is the best way to limit the harmful impact of nonnative species?

Prevention:

Funding a research program to identify invaders

Increasing ground surveys to track invasive species

Establishing international treaties to ban transfer of nonnative species

Requiring cargo ships to discharge their ballast water and replace with saltwater

Educating the public about the effects of invasive species

What can you do to help control invasive species?

Do not buy wild plants and animals or remove them from natural areas

Do not release wild pets into natural areas

Do not dump aquarium contents or unused fishing bait into waterways/storm drains

Only use local firewood when camping

Bruh or clean gear and pets before entering and leaving wild areas

How did DDT threaten top predator birds?

Made top predator birds' eggshells so fragile that they could not reproduce successfully

Describe bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Which comes first?

Bioaccumulation and biomagnification: magnified as it moved up through their food web

What does CITES stand for?

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

How does CITES help protect endangered species?

Signed by 178 countries, bans the hunting, capturing, and selling of threatened or endangered species

Lists species that are in danger or extinction and cannot be commercially traded as live specimens or for their parts or products

Restricts international trade of many species of plants and animals

ESA acronym + goal

Endangered Species Act of 1973

To identify and protect endangered species in the United States and abroad

2 out of many promises of the ESA

National Marine Fisheries Service is responsible for identifying and listing endangered and threatened ocean species

Forbids federal agencies to carry out, fund, or authorize projects that would jeopardize any endangered or threatened species or destroy or modify its critical habitat

benefits of wildlife refuges

Serve as wetland sanctuaries that are vital for protecting migratory waterfowl

Over ¼ of all US endangered and threatened species have habitats in the refuge system

Some refuges have been set aside specifically for certain endangered species (have helped deer and other animals)

benefits of seed banks and botanical gardens

Seed banks preserve genetic information and endangered plant species by storing their seeds in refrigerated, low-humidity environments

Botanical gardens contain plant species and helps raise them

benefits of zoos and aquariums

If they have the long-term goal of reintroducing the species back into wild habitats they can be good

Egg pulling - hatching them in zoos

Captive breeding - pred in captivity and reintroduced into the wild

the precautionary principle

When substantial preliminary evidence indicates that an activity can harm human health or the environment, we should take precautionary measures to prevent or reduce such harm even if some of the cause-and-effect relationships have not been fully established scientifically

old growth (primary) forest

Uncut or regenerated forest that has not been seriously disturbed by human activities or natural disasters for 200 years or more, reservoirs of biodiversity because they provide ecological niches for a multitude of wildlife species, 36% of world's forests

Second growth forest

Stand of trees resulting from secondary ecological succession, develop after the trees in an area have been removed by human activities like clear-cutting for timber or conversion to cropland or removed by natural forces such as fire, hurricanes, or volcanic eruptions

Tree plantation (tree farm)

Also called commercial forest, a managed forest containing only 1-2 species of trees all of the same age, usually harvested by clear-cutting as soon as they become commercially valuable, the land is ten replanted and clear-cut again in a regular cycle. Less biologically diverse & less sustainable/violate nature's biodiversity principle of sustainability, but more eco-friendly because they are not cutting down a pre-existing forest

What are some ecosystem services provided by forests?

Support energy flow and chemical cycling, reduce soil erosion, absorb and release water, purify water and air, influence local and regional climate, store atmospheric carbon, provide numerous wildlife habitats

What are some economic services provided by forests?

Fuelwood, lumber, pulp to make paper, mining, livestock grazing, recreation, jobs

selective cutting

Intermediate-aged or mature trees in a forest are cut singly or in small groups

clear cutting

Removing all of the trees from an area, the most efficient and least costly way to harvest trees but it can do considerable harm to an ecosystem

strip cutting

Clear-cutting a strip of trees along the contour of the land within a corridor narrow enough to allow natural forest regeneration within a few years, a variation of clear-cutting that allows a more sustainable timber yield without widespread destruction

surface fires

Surface fires usually burn only undergrowth and leaf litter on the forest floor, kill seedlings and small trees but spare most mature trees and allow most wild animals to escape. They help to burn away flammable ground material to prevent more destructive fires, free mineral nutrients, release seeds, stimulate germination, and control destructive insects/tree diseases

crown fires

Crown fires are extremely hot and leap from tree top to tree top, burning whole trees. They usually occur in forests that have not experienced surface fires for many decades, can destroy most vegetation, kill wildlife, increase topsoil erosion, and burn or damage human structures in their paths.

deforestation

The temporary or permanent removal of large expanses of forest for agriculture, settlements, or other uses.

some harmful environmental effects of deforestation

Water pollution and soil degradation from erosion, acceleration of flooding, local extinction of specialist species, habitat loss for native and migrating species, and release of CO2 and loss of O2 absorption

primary reasons behind deforestation

Cattle grazing and large soybean plantations, plantations of oil palm, clearing plots for small-scale farming and harvesting wood for fuel

ways to grow and harvest trees more sustainably

Including ecosystem services of forests in estimates of their economic value

Identify and protect highly diverse forest areas

Stop logging in old-growth forests

Stop clear-cutting on steep slopes

Reduce road-building in forests and rely more on selective and strip cutting

Leave most standing dead trees and fallen larger trees for wildlife habitat and nutrient cycling

Put tree plantations only on deforested and degraded land

Certify timber grown by sustainable methods

methods that can improve the management of forest fires

Small, contained surface fires to remove flammable small trees and underbrush in the highest-risk forest areas (prescribed burns)

Allow some fires on public lands to burn

To protect houses and other buildings in fire-prone areas by thinning trees and other vegetation around them

To thin forest areas that are vulnerable to fire by clearing away small fire-prone trees and underbrush under careful environmental controls

purpose of prescribed burns

To remove flammable small trees and underbrush in the highest-risk forest areas

kenaf

A rapidly growing woody annual plant, most of the paper in the United States is made from it. It yields more paper per area of land than tree farms do and requires less pesticides.

ways to reduce tropical deforestation

Debt-for-nature swaps where countries act as custodians of protected forest reserves in return for foreign aid or debt relief

Conservation concessions where gov'ts or private conservation organizations pay nations for agreeing to preserve their natural resources

Reforestation programs

rangelands

unfenced grasslands in temperate and tropical climates that supply forage, or vegetation for grazing and browsing animals, grass grows from base and is a renewable resource that can be grazed again and again

pastures

managed grasslands or fenced meadows often planted with domesticated grasses or other forage crops such as alfalfa and clover

detriments of overgrazing

Reduces grass cover, exposes the topsoil by erosion by water and wind, and compacts the soil, which diminishes its capacity to hold water

Encourages invasion of once-productive rangeland by species such as sagebrush, mesquite, cactus, and cheatgrass, which cattle won't eat

rotational grazing

Way to sustainably control the number of grazing animals and the duration of their grazing in a given area so the carrying capacity of the area is not exceeded

Where cattle are confined by portable fencing to one area for a short time and then moved to a new location

buffer zone (in a nature reserve)

Strictly protecting an inner core of a reserve, usually by establishing 2 buffer zones in which local people can extract resources sustainably without harming the inner core

Instead of shutting people out of the protected areas, this enlists local people as partners in protecting a reserve from unsustainable uses such as illegal logging and poaching

win-win

habitat corridor (in a nature reserve)

A strip of protected land connecting 2 reserves that allow animals to migrate from one area to another as needed

Most biosphere reserves fall short of these design ideas and receive too little funding for their protection and management

wilderness

Land officially designated as an area where natural communities have not been seriously disturbed by humans and where harmful human activities are limited by law

According to a 2008 study by conservation biologists, wilderness protection is being eroded because people are doing what, instead of participating in outdoor activities?

Fewer people are taking part in outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting

biodiversity hot spot

Area especially rich in plant species that are found nowhere else and are in great danger of extinction

Suffered serious ecological disruption, mostly because of rapid human population growth and the resulting pressure on natural resources and ecosystem services

Why is protecting ecosystem services an urgent priority?

Most of the world's ecosystems are already dominated / influenced by human activities and that such pressures are increasing as the human population, urbanization, resource use, and the human ecological footprint all expand

Describe two of the four approaches that can be used to speed up ecological succession processes

Ecological restoration: the process of repairing damage caused by humans to the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by ecosystems (replanting forests and freeing rivers by removing dams

Rehabilitation: turning a degraded ecosystem into a functional or useful ecosystem without trying to restore it to its original condition (removing pollutants from abandoned mining sites)

reconciliation ecology

Science that focuses on inventing, establishing, and maintaining new habitats to conserve species diversity in places where people live, work, and play

What is the relationship between conductivity and salinity in water?

--

The greatest marine biodiversity occurs around

coral reefs and estuaries, and on the deep ocean floor

About 90% of the fish in the ocean spawn on

coral reefs, in costal wetlands and marshes, in mangrove forests, or in rivers that empty into the sea.

trawler fishing + similarities to clear-cutting of trees

Trawlers drag huge nets weighted down with chains and steel plates over the ocean floor to harvest a few species of bottom fish and shellfish.

Scrape and disturb an area of ocean floor many times larger than the annual global total area of forests that are clear-cut.

These ocean-floor communities could take decades or centuries to recover.

bioinvader

The deliberate or accidental introduction of hundreds of harmful invasive species into coastal waters, wetlands, and lakes throughout the world

They arrive in the ballast water that is stored in tanks in large cargo ships to keep them stable, they take the ballast water from one harbor and dump it into another

How have Lionfish contributed to coral reef destruction?

Reaches sexual maturity rapidly, has large numbers of offspring, and is protected by venomous spines, takes food from other reef fish species like grouper and snapper

About 80% of the world's population lives along coastlines. How does this threaten aquatic biodiversity?

Added to the pressure on the world's coastal zones, more pollution, habitat destruction.

Pollution from nitrate fertilizers into marine and freshwater systems causes algal blooms, fish die-offs, lower levels of dissolved oxygen, and degradation of ecosystem services in many parts of the world.

Ocean pollution from plastic items dumped from ships and garbage barges, and littered on beaches, kills birds and animals

Why is it more effective and practical to restore wetlands and mangroves than to build seawalls in order to deal with sea level rise?

Building seawalls won't stop the sea level from rising. We need to prevent the problem from happening instead of creating a problem and having to deal with it.

fishery

A concentration of a particular wild aquatic species suitable for commercial harvesting in a given ocean area or inland body of water

How has commercial fishing led to commercial extinction of several species of fish?

Overfishing and unsustainable fishing

Why is tuna ranching so destructive to blue-fin tuna?

Tuna ranching is where schools of half-grown Atlantic bluefin and other tuna are herded by the thousands into underwater pens and towed to areas where they are held and fattened for slaughter, it guarantees the decimation of a breeding population

Marine life is poised to enter an era of mass extinction due to

Overfishing, pollution, wetlands destruction, and excessive removal of water from rivers and lakes

Protecting marine biodiversity is difficult for the following four reasons

--

Which state in the U.S. has been established the nation's most extensive network of MPA's (marine protected areas)?

--

List one economic and one environmental benefit of marine reserves

--

How could the precautionary principle be applied to managing fisheries?

--

How do government subsidies sometimes encourage overfishing?

--

Why is it an environmentally-wise choice to purchase plant-eating fish (such as tilapia) when you buy fish to eat?

--