APES Unit 3 (study guide + jeopardy)

List the main reasons that the blue whale is endangered

Low reproductive rate

A threatened/vulnerable species is one that may soon become _________

endangered

How does CITES try to protect species?

restricts international trade of endangered species

Why is the consumption of the American Alligator of great concern by invasive species like the Burmese Python in the Florida Everglades?

American alligator = keystone species

True or False: Many r-selected species are endangered.

False

Pollination by honeybees doing something important to humans is called an ______ _______

Ecosystem service

Ecotourism

tourism directed toward exotic, often threatened, natural environments, intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife.

True or False: The Indian Tiger, Black Rhino, African Elephant, and Asian/Indian Elephant have all lost large amounts of habitat in the past couple centuries.

True

Define bioaccumulation and biomagnification. List an example of a situation where both were seen in a food chain/web.

Bioaccumulation: chemical pollutant in the environment is taken up & accumulates in tissue of an organism.

Biomagnification: chemical becomes more concentrated as it moves through food chains/webs.

Ex: DDT thinning eggshells of birds of prey.

Precautionary principle

act to prevent/reduce harm when evidence indicates action/protection is needed

True or False: the Bald Eagle is currently endangered.

false. it was, but it is now recovering

List advantages and disadvantages of captive breeding programs

advantages: release/reintroduce species into the wild more stable and healthy, and protect endangered species.

disadvantages: considered unethical to interfere with an animal's natural environment.

Which piece of legislation is the most far-reaching: CITES or the Endangered Species Act?

Endangered Species Act?

What widely used pesticide in the '50s and '60s caused Bald Eagle populations to decrease?

DDT

Anthropogenic

originating in human activity (pollution or environmental change)

Not only are ecosystems in trouble, but _______ _______ (what ecosystems do for us) are also being negatively affected.

ecosystem services

What makes a forest 'old-growth'?

Uncut forest that hasn't been disturbed by human activities or natural disasters

List characteristics of sustainable forest management.

- charge for ecosystem services

- plant a tree for every one taken

- manage ecos to make sure they remain healthy

- locate and preserve forest with high biodiversity

- stop clear cutting on slopes

- leave dead trees for habitat

- buy sustainably harvested wood

What are things that can be done to make fire-suppressed forests safer?

- education

- prescribed burns

- let smaller/controlled fires burn

- protect structures in danger

- use drones with infrared

List as many ecological services that forests provide.

- remove CO2 from the atmosphere

- store and release water, habitat for ⅔ of land species

- provides biofuel

- industrial wood

- medicines

What are the effects of removing vegetation and increased erosion in riparian areas?

- water pollution and soil degradation from erosion

- acceleration of flooding

- local extinction of specialist species

- habitat loss for native and migrating species

- release of CO2

- loss of CO2 absorption

List as many methods of grassland restoration.

keep grazing levels moderate

What are ecosystem services done by wetlands?

- recharging groundwater

- providing fish and animal habitat

- reducing flooding by storing storm water.

Biodiversity hotspot

contain high diversity of species under severe threat of extinction

How is selective cutting in a stand of trees done?

selective cutting: medium age or mature trees cut singly or in small groups

What things have happened as a result of the reintroduction of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park in '95 & '96?

- decrease in the elk population

- more food (dead elk and other wolf pray) for scavengers

- coyote population halved

- increase in small animal population

- aspen population did not recover

What are some things the government of Costa Rica have done to increase the number of forests in their country?

- established a system of nature reserves and national parks (27% of costa rica land by 2016 was in this system)

- principle of sustainability

- govt eliminated subsidies for converting forests in grazing lands

- pays landowners to maintain and restore tree cover

True or False: use of public transportation in urban areas contributes to environmental problems associated with cities.

False

List as many characteristics of an eco-city as you can.

- Residents can walk, bike, or use low polluting mass transport

- Buildings, vehicles, and appliances meet high energy-efficiency standard

- Plants and trees planted

- Abandoned lots and industrial sites are reused

- wildlife is protected

- food comes from organic farms

- greenhouses

- gardens

- parks available

True or False: The Colorado River flows through some of the driest areas in the U.S.

True

Aquifer

A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater

Watershed

The land area that supplies water to a river system

List the top 3 locations and their percentages of where freshwater is found on Earth.

- glaciers

- water vapor

- groundwater make up 90% of freshwater

___% of the Earth's surface is covered with water.

71

Virtual water

Water that is not directly consumed but is used to produce food and other products

Freshwater scarcity stress

a measure based on the amount of freshwater available compared to the amount used for human purposes

Why have areas like the San Joaquin Valley and Mexico City experienced land subsidence?

over pumping

What's it called when an aquifer gets water back after precipitation sinks downward into the soil and rock?

groundwater recharge

List the ways that dams can damage downstream estuaries.

- trap sediment

- harm species

List the benefits a dam and reservoir system provides for a region.

- provides irrigation water

- provides drinking water

- reservoirs for fishing and recreation

- produce hydroelectric power

- reduce down-stream flooding

What is one way large areas can force farmers to reduce their use of river water? Hint: voters can help to make this happen.

- get rid of subsidies

- raise the cost of freshwater

What is the main reason the Aral Sea has reduced dramatically in size?

a water transfer project in central asia

True or False: much of Earth's groundwater is too deep to use.

True

Rainwater harvesting

use pipes on rooftops and channels dug in ground to direct rainwater to be stored for the dryer season

What is the most efficient way to water crops? Hint: less is lost to evaporation than traditional methods.

drip irrigation

What is the most ecologically-friendly way to reduce the possibility of flooding? Hint: protecting these types of habitats does the job.

preserving and restoring wetlands

what are the two largest storage reservoirs of fresh water on the planet?

glaciers and groundwater

what % od earth's surface is covered by water?

71%

what organism is endangered primarily because of its very low reproductive rate?

blue whale

a threatened species is one who may become ______ in the future

endangered

which piece of legislation has developed a list of endangered species and prohibits trade of them?

CITES

many endangered species are _____-selected

K

things that nature does for human benefit for free are called ________ ________

ecosystem services

travel to natural areas to view the organisms/biodiversity is called ______

ecotourism

true or false: bioaccumulation and biomagnification are exemplified by DDT thinning eggshells of birds of prey

True

which famous bird of prey caused the US to ban the use of DDT?

bald eagle

the idea that we take measures to prevent environmental/human harm even if science has not proven a connection is called the _______

Precautionary Principal

One of the biggest concerns with pythons and boas in the Florida everglades is that they are harming American Alligator populations. Alligators are important ________ ________ there.

keystone species

what type of forest has not been disturbed for at least 200 years?

old growth

true or false: reducing the demand for forest products or replacing them with alternatives is a legitimate method to managing forests sustainably

true

removing vegetation and increased erosion in riparian (river) areas often result in more _____ _______

water pollution

a common method of grassland restoration involves moving livestock from one pasture to another. this is called ________ ________

Rotational grazing

areas that are highly endangered centers of biodiversity and that contain large numbers of species facing extinction are called what?

biodiversity hotspots

access to public resources, robust recycling programs, and accessible bike lanes are all characteristics of what types of cities?

eco-city (sustainable)

true or false: increased use of public transportation is an environmental problem associated with urbanization.

false

after the reintroduction of grey wolves in Yellowstone, what has happened to the problematic elk population there?

decreased

reducing flooding, recharging groundwater, and providing fish and animal habitat are all ecosystem services provided by ______

wetlands

true or false: an ecosystem service forests provide is a release of atmospheric carbon

false

true r false: the Colorado river basin includes some of the driest areas within the US

true

why has the San Joaquin Valley sunk (land subsidence)?

groundwater over pumping

true or false: dams decrease downstream flooding potential.

true

what major water body in Russia has decreased dramatically due to water being removed from rivers feeding it?

Aral Sea

what is it called when rainwater is collected from rooftops and stored for later use?

rainwater collection

true or false: to address the problems associated with the Colorado River Basin, governments are considering eliminating subsidies for agriculture.

true

_____ are in danger because dams reduce water flow, along with the flow of nutrient-rich silt downstream

estuaries

protection of ____ is the most ecologically friendly method of reducing flooding and its damage

wetlands

true or false: a primary reason for protecting against extinction is the need for rare animals in zoos and safari expeditions

false

the process of replenishing aquifer water with precipitation and infiltration is what

recharge

what is the most efficient of delivering water to crops?

drip irrigation

when loggers remove intermediate to mature trees, less erosion takes place and fewer nutrients are lost. what type of timber practice is this?

selective cutting

not only is human activity putting pressure on earth's resources, but also minimizing or eliminating many _____ ______ nature provides.

ecosystem services

what's an important US animal that is a success story being removed from the endangered species list and is fully recovered?

bald eagle

what's the cheapest (not necessarily safest) method of dealing with forests where fires have been suppressed for decades?

controlled burns

what is a process used prior to reintroducing endangered species that has a lot of problems because of the sheer number of organisms that are necessary prior to reintroduction?

captive breeding

a ____ is an area where water drains from a lake, river, or other body of water

watershed

what is the far-reaching law that requires the identification of endangered and threatened species?

endangered species act

the amount of freshwater compared to the amount needed by humans is referred to as _____ ____ ______

freshwater scarcity stress

what 2 reservoirs prevent 99% of the water on earth to be used as freshwater?

ice/oceans

one of the reasons Costa Rica is so biodiverse is that it eliminated subsidies for _____ and switched those subsidies to ______

grazing/forest conservation

tree planting