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Which of the following does not tend to increase biodiversity in an ecosystem ?
extreme disturbance
The dominant processes in an ecosystem are
Energy flows and chemical cycles
Disturbance in an ecosystem can increase biodiversity
True
What has caused the Aral Sea to shrink dramatically over the past 40 years ?.
water diversions in streams feeding the sea
An open system exchanges energy and materials with its surroundings .
True
What is a theory ?
A hypothesis that has withstood extensive testing
How are the impacts of natural hazards linked to population growth ?
Population growth concentrates people and resources , such that the impacts of an individual natural hazard can be greater .
Sea otter reintroduction in Alaska has led to
increase in kelp forests
Human activities that have negative impacts on ecosystems include
-land use transformation
-global climate change and changes in distribution of oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, mineral ores.
Coastal marshes reduce flooding and coastal erosion . This impact is an example of
natural service functions of ecosystems
The part of an ecosystem where a species lives is called its niche .
False
The Kissimmee River in Florida needed restoration because of
Channelization
Ducktown , Tennessee , suffered extreme environmental modification due to a large earthquake in 1811 .
False
The health of the Aral Sea has become compromised by extensive aquatic pollution
False
A closed system is not amenable to scientific scrutiny
False
The concept of a land ethic maintains that we are responsible to the entire environment , not just to humans .
True
Why are native trees more diverse in North America than europe
European trees were trapped between the ice-sheet and E-W trending mountain ranges
the san andreas fault is a __________ boundary
transform
An ecosystem involves only the living organisms in a region
false
How does an open system contrast with a closed system?
An open system exchanges energy and/or materials with its surroundings, while a closed system does not.
Earth systems science depends on the validity of the Gaia hypothesis.
false
Ducktown, Tennessee, suffered extreme environmental modification due to a large earthquake in 1811.
false
The approach of Earth systems science maintains that application of technological systems is the best means to address environmental degradation.
false
Coastal marshes perform a buffering function by doing which of the following?
-preventing coastal erosion
-reducing threat of flooding
Because human population is becoming quite large, the doubling time for population has decreased.
false
What is exponential growth?
growth that occurs as a constant percentage of the existing amount
How a species "makes its living" is called its
niche
Landslides in Southern California mountains can benefit steelhead trout.
true
The Kissimmee River ecosystem benefited greatly from stream channelization and flood control.
false
Sea otter reintroduction in Alaska has led to
increase in kelp forests
The fundamental concepts of environmental geology the textbook focusses on are
- human population growth
- the earth as a system
- hazardous earth processes
- scientific knowledge and values
- sustainability
What are the result of wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park?
-Regrowth in streamside vegetation
- improvement in stream water quality
-decrease in elk population
One result of wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park is
Regrowth of streamside vegetation
A volcano that erupts with frequent, moderate eruptions is more likely to increase biodiversity than is a volcano that erupts with major eruptions
true
The environment includes which of the following factors that impact species?
biologic, physical, chemical
What is sustainability?
development that ensures that future generations will have equal access to the resources that our planet offers
What is uniformitarianism?
A concept that states that present processes operated in the past, at similar rates
Which of the following applies to the principle of uniformitarianism?
The present is the key to the past and the past is the key to the future and the processes that operate today operated in the past and will also operate in the future.
What is average residence time?
the average time required for the total stock of a material to be cycled through a system
Humans are causing rapid extinction, leading to a reduction in biodiversity
true
Restoring the Everglades ecosystem will require
reintroduction of endangered species
Mountain ranges may have influenced biodiversity of trees in Europe and North America
true
the earth systems science includes which systems
the atmosphere, the biosphere, the lithosphere, and the atmosphere.
Ecosystems can be constructed by humans
true
Why is human population growth often considered the foremost environmental problem?
increasing population strains resources and creates additional wastes.
which are considered to be invasive species?
feral pigs and kudzu
