Environmental Science Midterm

What would happen if one of the three scientific principles of sustainability, chemical cycling, was disrupted?

a. Living organisms would synthesize new chemicals to replace those lost.

b. Natural resources would become rich in nutrients.

c. More chemicals would be produced to replace those lost.

d. Solar energy would cease to be available.

e. Living organisms would run out of chemicals that they need.

Living organisms would run out of chemicals that they need

What is predicted to happen as biodiversity decreases?

a. Solar energy will become increasingly important.

b. Humans will have less impact on the remaining species.

c. Nutrient cycling will become more efficient to compensate.

d. Organisms will be less able to adapt to a changing world.

e. Farming will become more sustainable.

organisms will be less able to adapt to a changing world

_____ refers to the natural resources and services that keep humans and other species alive.

a. Natural capital

b. Ecosystem

c. Sustainability

d. Biodiversity

e. Nutrient cycling

natural capital

Pricing products to include all of the expenses involved in production and disposal, including environmental costs, is called _____.

a. full-cost pricing

b. renewable pricing

c. economic pricing

d. sustainable pricing

e. win-win pricing

full-cost pricing

Using observations about the natural world to develop solutions that reflect what humans see in nature is called _____.

a. ecological design

b. using renewable resources

c. biomimicry

d. using inexhaustible resources

e. biological design

biomimicry

If someone were trying to avoid degrading natural capital, what should they avoid?

a. Harvesting trees faster than nature can restore them

b. Conserving biodiversity

c. Using renewable resources

d. Preventing the erosion of topsoil

e. Using inexhaustible resources

harvesting trees faster than nature can restore them

What could be one way to prevent the tragedy of the commons from leading to the degradation of a resource?

a. Allow people to use the resource freely.

b. Reclassify the resource as natural capital.

c. Prevent private ownership of the resource.

d. Enforce laws restricting the use of the resource.

e. Encourage open-access use of the resource.

enforce laws restricting the use of the resource

What problem would be addressed by including health-related expenses and environmental damage in gasoline pricing?

a. Consumers would be more likely to engage in open-access gasoline use.

b. Consumers would pay less for a tank of gas.

c. Consumers would be encouraged to purchase more gasoline.

d. Consumers would be able to buy larger vehicles.

e. Consumers would no longer be unaware of hidden costs

consumers would no longer be unaware of hidden costs

An ecological footprint refers to the amount of _____ needed to supply a person or an area with renewable resources and that is needed to absorb and recycle the wastes and pollution produced by such resource use.

a. solar energy

b. food and water

c. nonrenewable resources

d. land and water

e. land and oxygen

land and water

What will happen if humans do not develop more sustainable approaches to life on the earth?

a. The ecological deficit will decrease, but humans will still be negatively affected.

b. The ecological deficit will continue to increase, and humans may not survive.

c. The ecological deficit will continue to increase but is unlikely to have major negative effects on human life.

d. The ecological deficit will decrease, and humans will benefit from increased ability to control their surroundings.

e. The ecological deficit will stay the same, neither improving nor worsening, unless people develop more sustainable approaches to life on the earth.

the ecological deficit will continue to increase, and humans may not survive

What is an effect of lack of exposure to nature?

a. People have reduced risk of being susceptible to the tragedy of the commons.

b. People are likely to have more thoughtful responses to environmental problems.

c. People may have improved creativity and flexibility in thinking and problem-solving.

d. People become healthier.

e. People may forget their dependence on the natural world and be less inclined to act to preserve it.

people may forget their dependence on the natural world and be less inclined ot act to preserve it

If someone believes that all species are equally important and worthy of protection and access to resources, then that person has a(n) _____ environmental worldview.

a. life-centered

b. planetary management

c. earth-centered

d. planet-centered

e. stewardship

earth-centered

What would be the best first step for someone who wanted to live as sustainably as possible?

a. Being self-reliant and avoiding cooperation

b. Staying away from nature in artificial environments

c. Increasing use of natural capital

d. Avoiding waste while recycling and reusing as much as possible

e. Keeping costs for products as low as possible

avoiding waste while recycling and reusing as much as possible

If people read the same magazine about an environmental issue and come to very different conclusions, then they probably have differing _____.

a. environmental worldviews

b. social backgrounds

c. employment opportunities

d. ethnic origins

e. educational levels

environmental worldviews

What would be a good way for someone to explain why it is important to live sustainably?

a. Sustainable living will result in more examples of the tragedy of the commons.

b. Sustainable living is the most profitable approach in the short term.

c. Sustainable living is necessary to provide a livable world for future generations.

d. Sustainable living provides substantial short-term cost savings.

e. Sustainable living is the most appropriate way to increase ecological footprints.

sustainable living is necessary to provide a livable world for future generations

The lower portion of the _____ holds enough ozone gas to filter out about 95% of the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation.

a. hydrosphere

b. stratosphere

c. mesosphere

d. troposphere

e. atmosphere

stratosphere

The _____ includes all life on the earth.

a. hydrosphere

b. troposphere

c. geosphere

d. atmosphere

e. biosphere

biosphere

Changes in concentrations of gases in the troposphere, including water vapor, strongly affect how much _____.

a. solar energy is retained through the greenhouse effect

b. gravity is felt by organisms on earth

c. solar energy leaves the sun heading toward the earth

d. fossil fuel is available in the geosphere

e. fossil fuel is used for industrial processes

solar energy is retained through the greenhouse effect

If you wanted to study a population, you might choose to study _____.

a. the parts of an animal cell

b. all of the living and nonliving components of a tropical rainforest

c. interactions between snowshoe hares and wolves

d. all of the American toads in a pond

e. the behavior of a tiger salamander in a pond

all of the American toads in a pond

If you found an unknown organism in the woods feeding on a living plant, you could identify it as _____.

a. a decomposer

b. a plant

c. an autotroph

d. a producer

e. a heterotroph

a heterotroph

If you find a frog eating a grasshopper, you can classify the frog as _____.

a. a primary consumer

b. a decomposer

c. a tertiary consumer

d. a secondary consumer

e. an autotroph

a secondary consumer

When leaves fall from trees and first begin to break down, they are part of the _____ horizon of the soil.

a. C

b. O

c. B

d. M

e. A

O

A food chain determines how _____ and nutrients move along pathways from one organism to another.

a. solar energy

b. chemical energy

c. biomass

d. water

e. oxygen

chemical energy

_____ have a very high Net Primary Productivity (NPP) because they have a large number and variety of producer trees and other plants.

a. Coral reefs

b. Tropical rain forests

c. Savanna grasslands

d. Boreal forests

e. Deciduous forests

tropical rain forests

The water cycle is powered by _____.

a. the rotation of the earth

b. the tides

c. the earth's gravity

d. the biosphere

e. energy from the sun

energy from the sun

A small amount of the earth's water ends up as _____.

a. water vapor in the atmosphere

b. surface runoff that can travel to large bodies of water

c. precipitation

d. liquid freshwater available to living organisms

e. ocean water

liquid freshwater available to living organisms

Along with water vapor, a key contributor to the greenhouse effect is _____.

a. Ar

b. HCl

c. N2

d. O2

e. CO2

CO2

In nitrogen fixation, _____combine gaseous N₂ with hydrogen to make ammonia (NH₃).

a. protists

b. multicellular plants

c. fungi

d. bacteria

e. animals

bacteria

The use of cameras mounted on aircraft and satellites to scan and collect data on the earth's surface is called _____.

a. GIS

b. GPS

c. topography

d. cyclical surveillance

e. remote sensing

remote sensing

If you wanted to study the movement patterns of deer at different times of year using radio transmitters, you would need to use _____research techniques.

a. randomized

b. laboratory

c. fields

d. genetics

e. GIS

fields

What is a way that we can reduce the risk of speciation crises?

a. Move more animals from natural areas to zoos.

b. Examine ways to reduce corridors between protected areas.

c. Monitor extinction rates closely.

d. Determine where new species are forming.

e. Reduce deforestation and habitat fragmentation.

reduce deforestation and habitat fragmentation

Scientists have estimated the background extinction rate to be about _____.

a. 10 species per million per year

b. 1,000 species per million per year

c. 1 species per million per year

d. 0.5 species per million per year

e. 100 species per million per year

1 species per million per year

To accurately develop projected extinction rates, we should ideally _____.

a. exclude from consideration species that may increase in numbers, such as cockroaches

b. exclude from consideration species that are not considered to be at risk

c. take into account the potential for a speciation crisis and that extinction rates may dramatically increase

d. use the current extinction rate and consider that it will remain constant

e. accept that it will be impossible to develop accurate projections

take into account the potential for a speciation crisis and that extinction rates may dramatically increase

A(n) _____ species has enough remaining individuals to survive in the short term, but it is likely to become endangered in the near future because of declining numbers.

a. niche

b. indicator

c. keystone

d. endangered

e. threatened

threatened

The world's species provide critical _____ that help keep us alive and support our economies.

a. ecosystem services

b. climate cycles

c. social interactions

d. species overturn

e. reusable materials

ecosystem services

The exploration of tropical forests and other ecosystems to find plants and animals that scientists can use to make medicinal drugs is called _____.

a. bioprospecting

b. pharming

c. dowsing

d. ecotourism

e. speciation

bioprospecting

If you can no longer keep an exotic pet, it is important not to release it into nature because _____.

a. it would be more useful in research

b. there are no rules against doing so and therefore finding the right approach would be difficult

c. it would be more useful as an educational animal

d. it would be more profitable to sell it

e. it could cause harm to native species

it could cause harm to native species

When introduced species do not face natural predators, competition, or other control factors and are able to outcompete native species, they are considered _____.

a. endangered

b. challenged

c. beneficial

d. invasive

e. predatory

invasive

Which species became disruptive and destructive after being deliberately introduced to the southeastern United States?

a. Purple loosestrife

b. Sea lamprey

c. Kudzu

d. Burmese python

e. Zebra mussel

kudzu

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

a. Killing them in their natural habitat to contain them

b. Helping native populations grow artificially

c. Preventing them from being introduced into ecosystems

d. Helping native species interbreed with nonnative species

e. Eradicating them after they are known to be established

preventing their introduction into ecosystems

To protect organisms that are high on the food chain, it is especially important to protect them from chemicals that _____, which may be less damaging to organisms that are lower on the food chain.

a. undergo bioaccumulation

b. immediately kill any organism that consumes them

c. quickly degrade in the environment

d. have medicinal value

e. are harmless

undergo bioaccumulation

Someone who needs to import wildlife species for scientific research would need to consult the _____ to determine the regulations on moving that species across international borders.

a. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

b. Convention on Biological Diversity

c. Endangered Species Act

d. Wildlife Refuge Acts

e. Convention on Threatened Species

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

Under the Endangered Species Act, which agency is responsible for identifying and listing endangered and threatened ocean species?

a. Fish and Wildlife Service

b. Nature Conservancy

c. National Academy of Sciences

d. National Wildlife Refuge System

e. National Marine Fisheries Service

National Marine Fisheries Service

Which of the following would you be least likely to find in U.S. wildlife refuges?

a. Use of off-road vehicles

b. Oil drilling

c. Wetlands

d. Collecting animals without a permit

e. Mining

Collecting animals without a permit

Artificial insemination, embryo transfer, use of incubators, and cross fostering are all techniques used to _____.

a. increase the populations of captive species

b. decrease populations of invasive species

c. decrease the populations of species in the wild

d. save threatened species in the wild

e. poach animals in the wild

increase the populations of captive species

The average rainfall at different times of year is an example of _____.

a. weather, which is independent of climate

b. weather, which is not affected by climate

c. weather in most cases, but sometimes climate

d. climate, which is independent of weather patterns

e. climate, which is not related to weather

climate, which is independent of weather patterns

What causes heated air masses rising above the equator to be deflected?

a. The sun's rays at the equator

b. Ocean currents

c. Land masses at the equator

d. The earth's revolution

e. The earth's rotation

The earth's rotation

If you have a heat vent that expels hot air near the floor of the room, what will happen to the air if it is cooler than the air already in the room?

a. It will rise through condensation.

b. It will rise through convection.

c. It will sink through conversion.

d. It will rise through conversion.

e. It will sink through convection.

It will rise through convection.

How does a greenhouse gas heat the atmosphere?

a. Gas molecules absorb some solar energy and it is never released.

b. Gas molecules reflect some solar energy back to space.

c. Gas molecules reflect some solar energy into the oceans.

d. Gas molecules absorb some solar energy and release it as x-ray radiation.

e. Gas molecules absorb some solar energy and release it as infrared radiation.

Gas molecules absorb some solar energy and release it as infrared radiation

You encounter a dense forest near an ocean and notice the wind blowing across it and over a mountain. What can you predict is on the other side of the mountain?

a. It is probably a relatively dry area due to the dry air found in most forests.

b. It is probably a relatively dry area due to the rain shadow effect.

c. It is probably a relatively moist area because the wind likely carries moisture.

d. It is probably a relatively dry area because oceans attract water and always have dry regions nearby.

e. It is probably a relatively moist area due to all of the water from the oceans.

It is probably a relatively dry area due to the rain shadow effect.

As you climb up a mountain, you may notice changes in species similar to those you would see if you were _____.

a. at a higher latitude, closer to the North or South Pole.

b. at a lower latitude, closer to the equator

c. at a river

d. in a desert

e. in the rain shadow of a mountain

at a higher latitude, closer to the North or South Pole.

In which biome at night does most of the heat stored in the ground radiate quickly into the atmosphere?

a. Deserts

b. Deciduous forests

c. Chaparral

d. Tropical rain forests

e. Tundra

Deserts

Savanna is a type of _____ that contains widely scattered clumps of trees.

a. grassland

b. boreal forest

c. tropical rain forest

d. desert

e. tundra

grassland

You want to restore a disturbed region of tundra and begin to develop a plan. What do you predict about the process?

a. It will regrow relatively quickly due to the high net primary productivity of the area.

b. It will take a long time for the area to recover because there are so many, densely packed trees to regrow.

c. It will take a long time for the area to recover because the plants there cannot regrow.

d. It will take a long time for the area to recover because the growing season is so short.

e. It will regrow relatively quickly due to the high amount of moisture in the area.

It will take a long time for the area to recover because the growing season is so short.

Mountains play a large part in the global hydrologic cycle by serving as major storehouses of _____.

a. low-growing plants

b. coniferous trees

c. water

d. acidic soil

e. deciduous trees

water

Which activity represents a major human impact on grasslands?

a. Hydroelectric dams and reservoirs

b. Depletion of groundwater

c. Pollution of streams

d. Conversion to cropland

e. Timber extraction

Conversion to cropland

What are the most important factors that influence the weather in a given area?

a. Wind speed and cloud cover

b. Presence of water

c. Temperature and precipitation

d. Temperature and wind speed

e. Humidity and temperature

Temperature and precipitation

If you notice that it suddenly becomes cooler as thunderheads appear, you are probably experiencing a _____.

a. warm front, in which warm air wedges under dense, cool air

b. warm front, in which cool air wedges under warm, dry air

c. cold front, in which warm air wedges under dense, cool air

d. warm front, in which cool air wedges under warm, moist air

e. cold front, in which cool air wedges under warm, moist air

cold front, in which cool air wedges under warm, moist air

Which cyclical weather event causes the Pacific Ocean waters to warm and can result in extreme weather around the earth?

a. La Niña

b. Tropical cyclones

c. Coriolis effect

d. Hadley cells

e. El Niño

El Niño

Temperature differences between the equator and poles create fast moving regions of air called _____.

a. jet streams

b. warm fronts

c. cold fronts

d. a mixed front

e. Hadley cells

jet streams

Aquatic life zones are the _____.

a. locations of turbid water in the oceans

b. aquatic equivalents of biomes

c. division between salt and fresh water

d. places in the oceans where no life forms exist

e. world's major oceans

aquatic equivalents of biomes

Which types of plankton are the base of most aquatic food chains and webs?

a. Phytoplankton and nektoplankton

b. Zooplankton and ultraplankton

c. Phytoplankton and zooplankton

d. Phytoplankton and ultraplankton

e. Nektoplankton and zooplankton

Phytoplankton and ultraplankton

You observe a region of ocean that is extremely turbid and is densely packed with algae, forming an algal bloom. Therefore, you can conclude that _____.

a. the region does not support other life

b. there is an excess of nutrients in the area, possibly from runoff

c. there is no phytoplankton present

d. nektonic species are not present

e. there is not enough nutrition present to support zooplankton that feed on phytoplankton

there is an excess of nutrients in the area, possibly from runoff

Areas of land near water often have mild climates because water _____.

a. is always cooler than land

b. moderates climate

c. is always warmer than land

d. contributes to rain that cools the land

e. constantly erodes the edges of the land

moderates climate

An organism that can cling tightly to a rock and resist being washed out to sea probably lives in the _____ zone.

a. euphotic

b. intertidal

c. limnetic

d. abyssal

e. bathyal

intertidal

Ocean acidification occurs because the oceans absorb about a quarter of the _____ emitted into the atmosphere by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels.

a. H2O

b. NO

c. N2

d. O3

e. CO2

CO₂

If you are taking measurements from the open ocean and suddenly find an area in which the water temperature is unusually cool and there is unusually abundant plankton then you have probably found a(n) _____ zone.

a. intertidal

b. coastal

c. upwelling

d. bathyal

e. limnetic

upwelling

If a scientist finds corals that appear to damage and break easily, what may he/she predict is responsible?

a. Ocean acidification

b. Runoff from farmland along the shore

c. Coastal development

d. Overfishing

e. Pollution of wetlands

Ocean acidification

_____ is the largest estuary in the United States.

a. San Francisco Bay

b. Delaware Bay

c. Long Island Sound

d. Narragansett Bay

e. Chesapeake Bay

Chesapeake Bay

The _____ zone in a lake consists of the shallow sunlit waters to the depth at which rooted plants stop growing.

a. profundal

b. limnetic

c. lowest

d. littoral

e. benthic

littoral

The profundal zone is _____.

a. too dark for photosynthesis

b. inhabited mostly by decomposers

c. notable for its biodiversity

d. the bottom zone

e. the main photosynthetic zone

too dark for photosynthesis

Which type of lake has a low level of nutrients and a low net primary productivity?

a. eutrophic

b. limnetic

c. autotrophic

d. oligotrophic

e. littoral

oligotrophic

Pollution that enters the transition zone is unlikely to contaminate the _____ zone.

a. source

b. limnetic

c. floodplain

d. profundal

e. estuary

source

Nutrient runoff and pollution from farms and cities to lakes and coastal regions can cause _____.

a. sea-level fall due to the loss of water

b. sea-level rise due to the volume of water

c. reduced turbidity

d. temperature increase

e. oxygen depletion due to algae growth

oxygen depletion due to algae growth

By reducing the flow of sediments to river deltas, _____ lead to degraded coastal wetlands and greater damage from coastal storms.

a. levees

b. barrier islands

c. farms

d. man-made wetlands

e. dams and canals

dams and canals

If you wanted to research an area with exceptionally high biodiversity, which location would be best?

a. The ocean surface

b. The middle ocean depths

c. Around coral reefs

d. Near coastal beaches

e. Near river outlets

Around coral reefs

Higher water temperatures and increased ocean acidity can cause coral to expel their colorful algae in a process called _____.

a. coral coating

b. genetic mutation

c. coral calcification

d. coral bleaching

e. bacterial polyp formation

coral bleaching

If lionfish could be removed, a major benefit would be _____.

a. that lionfish would stop eating the algae around coral reefs

b. reducing the risk of algae overgrowth

c. that lionfish would not protecting coral reefs from prey fish

d. crab populations could rebound

e. that lionfish would no longer be caught in fishing nets as they are so distasteful

reducing the risk of algae overgrowth

Scientists predict sea level will rise _____ by the end of this century.

a. 1–5 centimeters

b. 10–20 meters

c. 1.3–2 feet

d. 100–120 meters

e. 10–20 feet

10–20 meters

Reducing the use of purse-seine nets would be especially beneficial for _____.

a. sharks

b. lobsters

c. dolphins

d. crabs

e. seabirds

dolphins

To reduce the number of fish caught annually as bycatch, it would be most valuable to reduce the amount of _____ .

a. drift-net fishing

b. long-line fishing

c. trawling

d. fish farming

e. purse-seine fishing

drift-net fishing

Varying widely in size and behavior, _____ are an important keystone species near the top of their food webs.

a. sea turtles

b. jellyfish

c. tuna

d. coral

e. sharks

sharks

One reason marine biodiversity is difficult to protect is that _____.

a. many people understand that the seas are not an inexhaustible resource

b. people can see the devastation of the world's oceans firsthand

c. most of the world's ocean area lies outside the legal jurisdiction of any one country

d. the human ecological footprint is expanding slowly and controllably

e. there is little biodiversity in the oceans

most of the world's ocean area lies outside the legal jurisdiction of any one country

Research shows that properly patrolled and protected marine reserves benefit nearby _____.

a. sharks

b. coral reefs

c. fisheries

d. human populations

e. beaches

fisheries

The Optimum Sustained Yield calculation takes into account _____.

a. human population growth rate

b. the number of fishing boats

c. a species' place in the food web

d. interactions among species

e. water temperature

interactions among species

To reduce overfishing, an effective approach is to _____.

a. ease pollution controls.

b. eliminate fish farms.

c. relax monitoring and enforcement.

d. set high catch limits.

e. reduce or eliminate fishing subsidies

reduce or eliminate fishing subsidies

The policy of mitigation banking ____.

a. requires the protection of 90% of coastal wetlands

b. allows destruction of existing wetlands provided an equal or greater area of the same wetland type is created or restored

c. allows destruction of wetlands in areas where economic growth is judged to be more important

d. allows corporations to buy wetlands and develop them

e. allows banks to buy wetlands and sell to entities that will restore them

allows destruction of existing wetlands provided an equal or greater area of the same wetland type is created or restored

_____ receive many of their nutrients from the ecosystems of bordering land.

a. Lakes and streams

b. Beaches

c. Atolls

d. Oceans and seas

e. Coral reefs

Lakes and streams

The traditional way of managing freshwater fish species is to _____.

a. protect fish spawning sites

b. regulate the time and length of fishing seasons

c. prevent large inputs of human wastewater

d. spur excessive growth of aquatic plants

e. control wild predators

regulate the time and length of fishing seasons

There is growing evidence that the current harmful effects of human activities on aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services could be reversed over the next _____.

a. 100 years

b. millennium

c. 10 years

d. 20 years

e. 6 months

20 years

_____ is solid waste produced by homes and workplaces other than factories.

a. Recycled material

b. All solid waste

c. Industrial solid waste

d. Liquid waste

e. Municipal solid waste

Municipal solid waste

One of the two largest classes of hazardous wastes is _____.

a. batteries

b. light metals

c. toxic heavy metals

d. fertilizers

e. radioactive material

toxic heavy metals

After collection, a little over half of all municipal solid waste in the United States ends up _____.

a. in the ocean

b. being incinerated

c. in open dumps

d. recycled

e. in a sanitary landfill

in a sanitary landfill

_____ focuses on producing much less solid waste, along with reusing, recycling, or composting much of what is produced.

a. Waste management

b. Waste prevention

c. Integrated waste management

d. Waste reduction

e. Recycling

Waste reduction

Recycling used old plastic bottles to make new plastic bottles is an example of:

a. secondary recycling.

b. downcycling.

c. upcycling.

d. waste management.

e. primary recycling.

primary recycling.

Organic material from _____ can be added to soil to supply plant nutrients, slow soil erosion, retain water, and improve crop yields.

a. composting

b. incinerating

c. burying trash

d. landfills

e. recycling

composting

Currently, only about ___% by weight of all plastic wastes in the United States is recycled.

a. 25

b. 1

c. 15.5

d. 9.5

e. 5

9.5

Which of the following is an advantage of waste-to-energy incineration?

a. Discourages waste production

b. Inexpensive to build facilities

c. Generates almost no hazardous waste

d. Emits CO2 and other air pollutants

e. Cost of incineration is offset by the sale of energy

Cost of incineration is offset by the sale of energy

_____ are widely used for solid waste disposal near major cities in many less-developed countries.

a. Methane storage tanks

b. Incinerators

c. Sanitary landfills

d. Open dumps

e. Leachate treatment systems

Open dumps

What is an advantage of sanitary landfills?

a. Minimal noise, traffic, and dust

b. Discourages waste production

c. Minimal release of greenhouse gases

d. Shortage of landfill space

e. Can handle large amounts of waste

Can handle large amounts of waste