APES S1 Review
Flashcard #1:
Q: What is environmental studies, and does it involve biotic and/or abiotic factors?
A: Environmental studies examines interactions among human and natural systems, involving both abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) factors.
Flashcard #2:
Q: Name the five global-scale environmental indicators.
A: Biodiversity, food production, average global surface temperature & CO2 levels, human population, and resource depletion.
Flashcard #3:
Q: How do biodiversity and genetic diversity help ecosystems?
A: Higher genetic diversity enables populations to better respond to environmental changes.
Flashcard #4:
Q: Define ecological footprint.
A: The amount of land required to sustain human needs.
Flashcard #5:
Q: What is sustainability, and how is it measured?
A: Balancing human well-being with resource management for future generations; measured by ecological footprint.
Flashcard #6:
Q: What are key terms in the scientific method?
A: Hypothesis, null hypothesis, control group, independent variable, dependent variable, accuracy, precision, and theory.
Flashcard #7:
Q: What are two unique challenges of environmental science?
A: No control planet and balancing human well-being with environmental goals.
Flashcard #8:
Q: What is the difference between covalent, ionic, and hydrogen bonds?
A: Covalent: electron sharing; Ionic: electron transfer; Hydrogen: weak attraction between molecules.
Flashcard #9:
Q: What is the pH scale?
A: A measure of acidity or alkalinity; below 7 is acidic, above 7 is basic.
Flashcard #10:
Q: State the law of conservation of matter.
A: Matter cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
Flashcard #11:
Q: What is the first law of thermodynamics?
A: Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
Flashcard #12:
Q: Describe positive and negative feedback loops.
A: Positive amplifies changes; negative resists changes.
Flashcard #13:
Q: Define an ecosystem.
A: A community of living organisms interacting with non-living elements in a system.
Flashcard #14:
Q: Write the equation for photosynthesis.
A: 6CO2+6H2O+sunlight→C6H12O6+6O26CO_2 + 6H_2O + \text{sunlight} \rightarrow C_6H_{12}O_6 + 6O_26CO2+6H2O+sunlight→C6H12O6+6O2.
Flashcard #15:
Q: What is the difference between GPP and NPP?
A: GPP is total captured energy; NPP is energy available after respiration.
Flashcard #16:
Q: Explain how water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus each cycle within ecosystems.
A: Water: Evaporation, precipitation, infiltration, etc. Carbon: Exchanged between organisms and atmosphere. Nitrogen: Converted into forms usable by organisms. Phosphorus: Released slowly from rocks through weathering.
Flashcard #17:
Q: Why are calcium, magnesium, and potassium important in organisms?
A: They regulate cell processes, dissolve in water as ions, and are found in rock and soil.
Flashcard #18:
Q: What is the difference between ecosystem resistance and resilience?
A: Resistance: How much a disturbance affects energy/matter flow. Resilience: How quickly an ecosystem returns to its original state.
Flashcard #19:
Q: What is the intermediate disturbance hypothesis?
A: Highest biodiversity occurs at intermediate levels of disturbance, allowing species to reproduce and regulate competition.
Flashcard #20:
Q: What is the difference between weather and climate?
A: Weather: Short-term conditions (e.g., temperature, precipitation). Climate: Average weather over a long time in a region.
Flashcard #21:
Q: What are the layers of the atmosphere?
A: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, Exosphere.
Flashcard #22:
Q: What forces drive global circulation patterns?
A: Unequal heating of Earth, atmospheric convection currents, Earth's rotation (Coriolis effect), Earth's tilt/seasons, and ocean currents.
Flashcard #23:
Q: How does the Coriolis effect influence weather patterns?
A: It causes deflection of objects’ paths due to Earth's rotation, affecting wind and ocean currents.
Flashcard #24:
Q: How do rain shadows form?
A: Moist air rises over mountains, cools, and rains. Dry air descends on the leeward side, creating arid conditions.
Flashcard #25:
Q: Describe the major terrestrial biomes.
A: Tundra, Temperate Rainforest, Temperate Seasonal Forest, Temperate Grassland, Tropical Rainforest, Savanna, Subtropical Desert, Taiga, Woodland.
Flashcard #26:
Q: Describe the major aquatic biomes.
A: Freshwater: Streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands. Marine: Salt marshes, mangroves, coral reefs, open ocean, intertidal zones.
Flashcard #27:
Q: What is biodiversity, and how is it measured?
A: Biodiversity is the number of species in an area, indicating environmental health.
Flashcard #28:
Q: What processes cause genetic diversity?
A: Random mutations and recombination.
Flashcard #29:
Q: What is natural selection vs. artificial selection?
A: Natural: Traits aiding survival are passed on. Artificial: Humans breed for specific traits.
Flashcard #30:
Q: List the four processes of random evolution.
A: Mutation, gene flow, bottleneck effect, founder effect.
Flashcard #31:
Q: What factors affect the pace of evolution?
A: Environmental changes, genetic variation, population size, and generation time.
Flashcard #32:
Q: Define allopatric and sympatric speciation.
A: Allopatric: New species due to geographic isolation. Sympatric: New species without geographic isolation, often through polyploidy.
Flashcard #33:
Q: What is the difference between fundamental and realized niches?
A: Fundamental: Ideal conditions. Realized: Actual conditions under which species live.
Flashcard #34:
Q: How does environmental change affect species?
A: It alters distributions and can cause extinctions if changes are drastic.
Flashcard #35:
Q: What is species richness vs. species evenness?
A: Richness: Number of species. Evenness: Distribution of individuals among species.
Flashcard #36:
Q: How did Earth form, and what is its age?
A: Formed 4.6 billion years ago; elements include iron, silica, and atmospheric gases.
Flashcard #37:
Q: What is the theory of plate tectonics?
A: Earth’s lithosphere is divided into moving plates, influencing environmental systems.
Flashcard #38:
Q: Describe the rock cycle.
A: Formation, alteration, and destruction of rocks through tectonics, weathering, and erosion.
Flashcard #39:
Q: What are weathering and erosion, and how do they contribute to soil formation?
A: Weathering: Breaks rocks into smaller pieces. Erosion: Moves these fragments. Both contribute to soil and element cycling.
Flashcard #40:
Q: How does soil form, and what are its horizons?
A: Formed from minerals, gases, and organic materials; horizons include O, A, E, B, C, and bedrock.
Flashcard #41:
Q: What are the major types of mining, and their impacts?
A: Strip, open-pit, mountain-top removal, placer, and subsurface mining, all causing habitat destruction and pollution.
Flashcard #42:
Q: What are confined vs. unconfined aquifers?
A: Confined: Surrounded by impermeable layers. Unconfined: Porous rock covered by soil.
Flashcard #43:
Q: How do precipitation changes affect aquifers?
A: High precipitation refills aquifers; low precipitation depletes them.
Flashcard #44:
Q: What are the benefits and drawbacks of levees, dikes, and dams?
A: Prevent flooding and store water but disrupt ecosystems and require significant materials.
Flashcard #45:
Q: What are distillation and reverse osmosis?
A: Methods to desalinate water; distillation boils water, reverse osmosis filters it.
Flashcard #46:
Q: Compare the four irrigation methods.
A: Flood, spray, furrow, and drip irrigation differ in efficiency and costs.
Flashcard #47:
Q: What are the three main human uses of water?
A: Agriculture (70%), industry (20%), household (10%).
Flashcard #48:
Q: What is human wastewater, and why is it problematic?
A: Water from human activities causes dead zones, eutrophication, and disease spread.
Flashcard #49:
Q: How do dissolved oxygen levels vary?
A: Oxygen-demanding waste increases BOD, reducing available oxygen.
Flashcard #50:
Q: What technologies treat wastewater?
A: Septic systems (small-scale, nature filters) and sewage treatment plants (urban areas, sludge use).
Flashcard #51:
Q: What causes acid deposition and acid mine drainage?
A: Burning fossil fuels releases chemicals that form acid rain.
Flashcard #52:
Q: What are major sources of oil pollution?
A: Oil spills, offshore drilling, and natural seeps; remediation includes containment, chemicals, and burning.
Flashcard #53:
Q: What is sediment pollution?
A: Leads to cloudy water, reduced productivity, and clogged gills.
Flashcard #54:
Q: What causes thermal pollution?
A: Cooling water from power plants disrupts oxygen levels, causing thermal shock in organisms.
Flashcard #55:
Q: How does the Clean Water Act help water quality?
A: Protects aquatic life and sets water quality standards.
Flashcard #56:
Q: How do population characteristics affect ecosystems?
A: Population size, density, distribution, sex ratio, and age structure impact ecosystem dynamics.
Flashcard #57:
Q: What are density-dependent vs. density-independent factors?
A: Dependent: Food, shelter, disease. Independent: Natural disasters.
Flashcard #58:
Q: What is exponential population growth?
A: Rapid growth with unlimited resources, creating a J-shaped curve.
Flashcard #59:
Q: What is logistic growth?
A: Growth slows as populations reach carrying capacity, creating an S-shaped curve.
Flashcard #60:
Q: What are K-selected vs. R-selected species?
A: K-selected: Few offspring, large size. R-selected: Many offspring, small size.
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Flashcard #61:
Q: How is water pollution legislation changing in developing countries?
A: Developing countries are implementing more laws to prevent water pollution, often using the U.S. as a model.
Flashcard #62:
Q: How does nature exist at several levels of complexity?
A: Individual: Simplest level. Population: Group of the same species. Community: Interacting populations. Ecosystem: Biotic and abiotic factors. Biosphere: All Earth's ecosystems.
Flashcard #63:
Q: What are the characteristics of populations?
A: Population size, density, distribution, sex ratio, and age structure.
Flashcard #64:
Q: What is the difference between exponential and logistic growth models?
A: Exponential growth assumes unlimited resources (J-shaped curve), while logistic growth incorporates carrying capacity (S-shaped curve).
Flashcard #65:
Q: How do density-dependent and density-independent factors affect populations?
A: Density-dependent factors (e.g., food, disease) affect populations based on size, while density-independent factors (e.g., natural disasters) affect regardless of size.
Flashcard #66:
Q: Compare the reproductive strategies of K-selected and R-selected species.
A: K-selected species have few offspring, larger size, and longer lifespans (e.g., elephants). R-selected species have many offspring, smaller size, and shorter lifespans (e.g., mosquitoes).
Flashcard #67:
Q: What are the three types of survivorship curves?
A: Type I: High survival rates until old age (e.g., humans). Type II: Constant survival rates throughout life (e.g., birds). Type III: Low survival rates early in life (e.g., insects).