Environmental Biology Quiz

Environmental Literacy

demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the affect the environment had on humans and the effects that humans have on the environment

Ecosystem Services

human dependence on ecosystems

ex. water purification, biogeochemical cycling, natural resources such as firewood and food

Ecological Footprint

human domination of ecosystems

ex. deforestation, freshwater salinization syndrome, climate change/global warming, agricultural runoff

Sustainability

human stewardship of ecosystems

sustainable societies must live within regenerative capacity of the Earth

meet present needs without compromising future generations

Sustainable Development

development meets present and future human needs without damaging environment biodiversity

Habitat Destruction

the single greatest cause of modern extinction

affecting nearly 75% of all species designated as extinct, endangered, vulnerable, or rare

greater than 90% of world’s coral reefs have been damaged

Habitat Fragmentation

habitats are broken up into fragments mostly too small to support populations

Wildlife Corridors

connect habitat fragments

Invasive Species

introduced species are accidentally or intentionally moved from native locations to new geographic regions

ex. Nile Perch in Lake Victoria, led to the extinction of many native Cichlid species

Overexploitation

humans harvesting plants and animals too fast to replace

ex. Atlantic Cod, Minke Whale, Bison

Disruption of Food Chains

the extinction of one species can doom other members of its trophic chain

Acid Rain

when coal is burned, Sulfur and Nitrogen are released

these react with air and water vapor in the atmosphere to form Sulfuric Acid and Nitric Acid that are picked up by falling rain/snow

Freshwater Salinization Syndrome

the accumulation of salts in freshwater ecosystems due to human activities, primarily road salt, sewage, and irrigation

Global Warming

the Greenhouse Effect is caused when gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap the suns daily heat and prevent it from being released into space at night

Tragedy of the Commons

when a common resource is used below its carrying capacity, all users can benefit from the resource

if one or a few individuals use the resource beyond its carrying capacity, the resource will degrade and become unavailable to all users

Exponential Population Growth

maximum growth rate under ideal conditions

Logistic Population Growth

population growth is limited by carrying capacity (K)

fits the growth of real populations

Carrying Capacity (K)

the maximum population size an environment can support

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)

maximum number of individuals that can be sustainably harvested from a species

found at half the maximum effective population size MSY = (K x r)/2

Normal rain typically has a pH of around ___ and is slightly acidic due to dissolved ___

5.6 and CO2

pH Scale

way to rank a solution’s acidity relative to neutral pure water and is a measure of how many free protons (Hydrogen ion) there are in a solution

0-7 acidic, 7-14 basic, 7 neutral

logarithmic - moving one number means the solution is ten times more acidic and has ten times more free protons

Atmospheric fall out of acid can occur in 3 ways...

Acid rain = precipitation

Acid fog that hangs over high peaks

Dry deposition of acidic particles settling during dry weather

In Freshwater systems, Phosphorus (P) is a limiting resource for the following reasons…

Naturally low in abundance

Less soluble in water

Reacts with soil particles and metals making it unavailable to living organisms

Collects at the ocean bottom due to sedimentation and is not easily brought back to terrestrial environments

What leads to over-fertilization of freshwater systems…

pollution in the form of agricultural fertilizer and untreated sewage due to rainstorms can deliver large amounts of Phosphate

Eutrophication

harmful over-fertilization of water due to excessive nutrient input

ex. N, P, K

Stage 1 of Eutrophication

Nutrient Overload - too much N, P, or K

Stage 2 of Eutrophication

Algal Blooms - algal population explosion blocks sunlight from reaching below

Stage 3 of Eutrophication

Hypoxia/Anoxia - heterotrophs use all dissolved O2 in decomposing dead algae

Stage 4 of Eutrophication

Dead Zones - death of fish and other species that need oxygen