ENV 101 Environmental Unit 2 Challenges Science Sophia Course

ENV 101 Environmental Unit 2 Challenges Science Sophia Course

One example of an earth system is (A) the atmospheric system , which includes climate and weather.

Which factors determine the kind of life that will exist in an area and define different biomes?



climate and precipitation



temperature and oxygen



oxygen and sunlight



temperature and precipitation



climate and sunlight



oxygen and precipitation

Match the second half of the sentence to the first to form a true statement.

As elevation increases

If you are close to the equator

If you are distant from a large body of water 

A.

the chances of precipitation increase.

B.

temperatures grow colder. 

C.

it rains less. 

D.

the temperature is warmer. 

According to the graph, which two biomes have the lowest temperatures?

Steppes

Taiga

Desert

Savanna

Tundra

Temperate forests

process called (A) transpiration , in which water vapor is released from plants. Once in the atmosphere, it creates clouds in a process called (B) condensation . Then, at some point, the water will fall back to earth in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

Match each definition below with its corresponding example.

This type of species evolves over time in conjunction with competitors and predators in a given ecosystem.

This type of species is from outside of the original environment but is deliberately or accidentally introduced into a new environment.

This type of species negatively affects habitats and biodiversity.

A.

Asian carp were brought to the U.S. to eat excess algae from ponds but found their way into rivers; the fish eat plankton, the diet of many smaller fish, and can grow to be 100 pounds.  

B.

Oolong beetles bred in the lab cannot reproduce in the wild and have no natural protections against predators or disease.

C.

Chickens were domesticated in Southeast Asia around 5400 BC; they were first brought to the Americas around 3,300 years ago. 

D.

Many birds in New Zealand evolved to have very small or completely useless wings; they had no need to fly because there were no mammals to prey on them. 

Rate the following statements as True or False.

= Correct Answer

 

= Incorrect Answer

            True    False

All energy comes from the process of fixation, in which plants capture light from the sun.    

Plants use oxygen from the atmosphere to produce glucose.            

Cellular respiration uses oxygen to break down sugar and produce carbon dioxide.            

Rate the following statements as True or False.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            True    False

Plants use oxygen from the atmosphere to produce sugar.               

​All living things are made of carbon compounds, which are recycled.                    

Carbon recycling is done through decomposition, which breaks down dead organisms.                       

Select two negative impacts of deforestation.



Forest destruction disrupts rainfall patterns for croplands.



Forest lands are cleared so they can sustain more life.



Groundwater levels increase when forests are removed and flooding follows.



Deforestation has led to the preservation of animals and plants on a large scale.



Burned trees release CO2, which increases global temperatures.



It leads to the potential for infectious disease threats.

 

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Classify each resource below as renewable or non-renewable.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Renewable Resource  Non-Renewable Resource

Petroleum                  

Ethanol                      

Sunlight                     

Classify each resource below as renewable or non-renewable.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Renewable Resource  Non-Renewable Resource

Geothermal heat                    

Wind              

Natural gas                 

Match each description to the correct item.

materials that cannot be replaced within a reasonable time span

materials that can be replaced within a reasonable time span

materials that are useful to humans; found in all biomes

A.

natural resources

B.

ecosystem services

C.

renewable resources

D.

nonrenewable resources

Categorize each description into its appropriate biome.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Tundra Desert Savanna

Has little to no topsoil and few nutrients                              

Most grazing animals live here                                 

Has a layer of permafrost all year                             

Categorize each description into its appropriate biome.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Steppe Savanna          Tropical Rainforest

These are hot and humid with much rainfall.                       

These are cold grasslands with little precipitation.                           

These are near the equator and have tall grasses but few trees.                                

Identify the two actions below that are NOT ways carbon is cycled through the environment.

An animal eats a plant.

Coal is burned.

An animal exhales.

Plants produce carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide is converted to sugars.

Dying organisms consume oil and coal.

Choose two ways that carbon is cycled through the environment.

Carbon enters the atmosphere through transpiration of plants.

When fossil fuels are burned, they absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

Decomposers such as bacteria break down dead organisms and release carbon.

Plants release carbon in the form of a gas called carbon dioxide.

Animals eat plants and receive carbon as sugars and other compounds.

Microorganisms take carbon from the atmosphere and convert it into usable forms.

(A)Nitrogen , which is an essential biological compound found in DNA and amino acids that make up proteins, occurs in the atmosphere in an unusable form and must undergo the process of (B) fixation , which is facilitated by bacteria in the roots of plants.

Choose two environmental events from those below that are NOT a result of an invasive species.

The balance of an entire ecosystem can be upset.

Native species are displaced or killed.

Forests and croplands can be compromised.

Humans can be exposed to unknown pathogens.

The health and productivity of an ecosystem are improved.

Biodiversity increases.

(A)Ecology is defined as the study of organisms and their interactions with the environment. This field of study contains multiple levels of organization that have new features not found in the previous levels; these features are called (B) emergent properties .

The study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and their interactions with the environment is called (A) ecology . This field of study has multiple levels of organization, including (B) ecosystems, which are defined as all the given species in a given area along with their interactions with abiotic factors within that area.  

Classify each organism as a producer, consumer, or decomposer.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Producer         Consumer       Decomposer

Rabbits                                   

Worms                       

Trees                          

Classify each organism as a producer, primary consumer, or secondary consumer.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Producer         Primary Consumer     Secondary Consumer

Giraffe                       

Leaves                        

Lion                           

Match each term below with its corresponding example.

Predation

Competition

Symbiosis

A.

The bat-eared fox develops extra teeth and oversized ears.   

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B.

Algae lives on a crab’s back and its color camouflages the crab. 

C.

Hyenas chase and kill a small gazelle. 

D.

Two species of barnacles vie for living space on a rocky shore. 

Match each term below with its corresponding example.

Predation

Competition

Symbiosis

A.

In a forest, taller trees get more sunlight; shorter trees get less sunlight because the taller ones block the sun’s rays. 

B.

Sea anemones attach themselves to the shells of hermit crabs and drive off octopuses with their barbed tentacles in exchange for a free ride.

C.

With its exceptional eyesight, an osprey can see a fish moving in a shallow lake and easily pluck it from the water with its sharp talons. 

D.

A gecko walks straight up a wall because its bulbous toes are covered with hundreds of microscopic hairs that create a physical bond with the surface. 

Beginning at the first trophic level, place five living things in the correct food chain order.

1.e. Flower

2.c. Butterfly

3.b. Frog

4.d. Snake

5.a. Hawk

a. Hawk

b. Frog

c. Butterfly

d. Snake

e. Flower

Each trophic level absorbs only (A) 10 % of the preceding level, which means there are a limited number of trophic levels in any given ecosystem.

Beginning at the first trophic level, place five living things in the correct food chain order.

1.a. Algae

2.b. Shrimp

3.e. Fish

4.d. Seal

5.c. Polar bear

a. Algae

b. Shrimp

c. Polar bear

d. Seal

e. Fish

The flow of energy begins with sunlight, although photosynthesis captures less than (A) 1 % of the sunlight that reaches the earth’s surface. Converted energy is then passed on to other trophic levels, with each level absorbing only (B) 10 % of the preceding level.

Classify the statements below as valuing species for their intrinsic value or for their ecosystem services.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Intrinsic Value Ecosystems Services

Alberto uses alpaca wool to knit sweaters because customers demand its quality.              

Chickens should not have to live their lives unmoving in a cage.                

An elementary school class takes a field trip to a pond to study its frog population.                       

Classify the statements below as valuing species for their intrinsic value or for their ecosystem services.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Intrinsic Value Ecosystems Services

An elephant has the right to exist in its natural habitat.                    

Water birds are lovely and are often the subject of beautiful paintings.                   

Rainforests must be protected because we can make medicines from the plants.                

Select the level of organization that is considered the MOST inclusive.



Biosphere



Ecosystem



Community



Organism



Population



Habitat

Evaluate the characteristics below as representative of the exponential or logistic population growth model.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Exponential    Logistic

This growth model notes the population size that an ecosystem can sustainably support.                      

This growth model produces an S-shaped line.                    

This growth model may not always be realistic.                  

On the graph shown here, the carrying capacity for black bears is less than (A) 20 .  The first year that shows negative population growth occurred after (B) 1990 .

Ecological succession is the process of developing new biological communities. Classify the hwacer.com following examples as characteristic of "primary succession" or "secondary succession."

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Primary succession     Secondary succession

New saplings of lodgepole pine begin to grow on land scarred by a recent fire.                 

Moss quickly establishes itself on land recently exposed by glacial retreat.            

Foliage begins to grow on new land created by cooled lava.

Categorize each characteristic by its corresponding branch of ecology.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Population Ecology    Community Ecology  Ecosystems Ecology

Incorporates the role of abiotic components                         

Considers birth and death rates                                 

Analyzes predation, competition, and symbiosis                              

Pair each term below with its corresponding description.

Restoration ecology

Conservation biology

Conservation

A.

Consideration of both the living and non-living components of an ecosystem

B.

Protection and management of natural resources

C.

Has the intention of protecting biodiversity

D.

Has the intention of repairing damaged or destroyed ecosystems

Correct!

Select the two statements that do NOT describe an impact from habitat fragmentation.



Species that were formerly isolated may be connected



Species that need large grazing areas may be threatened



Sink populations may form



Increased natural connections between habitats



Increased edge habitat



Increased vulnerability to predators

Match each environmental issue with a possible solution for it.

Habitat fragmentation

Deforestation

Endangered species 

A.

Remove natural predators from the environment.

B.

Determine ways to restore damaged ecosystems.

C.

Provide managed forestry education programs.

D.

Protect habitats of threatened species.

Match each environmental issue with a possible solution for it.

Habitat fragmentation

Deforestation

Endangered species 

A.

Enforce protection efforts for plants and animals.

B.

Put pollution standards in place.

C.

Create artificial corridors.

D. Plant trees.

Choose “Yes” if the sentence below is an example of overexploitation or “No” if it is not.

= Correct Answer

 

= Incorrect Answer

            Yes      No

The only parrot native to the eastern US was hunted to extinction for its feathers.             

A forest's best trees are left standing until younger, healthy trees begin to grow beneath them. hwacer.com 

The sustainable annual limit for tuna is 7,500 tons; the fishing industry harvests 60,000 tons.   

Choose the two statements about extinctions that are FALSE.



They are natural events.



The main cause of extinction is habitat loss.



There have been five major extinctions in Earth’s history.



Keystone species rarely become extinct.



Extinctions happened at a higher rate in the past.



Pollution and invasive species can cause extinctions.

Correct!

Choose “Yes” if the sentence below is an example of overexploitation or “No” if it is not.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Yes      No

A fish species is harvested until it becomes extinct.             

A group of hunters kill several deer in a forest with an abundant deer population.             

A hundred acres of corn is fully harvested.              

Which two statements are NOT challenges to protecting endangered species?



By the time the problem is identified, it's too late.



Lack of funding.



Scientist focus on one species and not the entire ecosystem.



The animal's habitat may be unknown.



Some animals don't receive as much public interest as others.



Overemphasis on endangered ecosystems

Order the correct components of the water cycle below according to their placement in the diagram.

1.b. Evaporation

2.a. Transpiration

3.d. Condensation

4.c. Precipitation

a. Transpiration

b. Evaporation

c. Precipitation

d. Condensation

Select two causes of deforestation.



Low biodiversity



Increased CO2 levels



Increased rainfall



Soil erosion



Population growth



Agricultural needs

Animals get nitrogen from eating plants and use it to build DNA, proteins, and muscle. Animals pass nitrogen on through (A) urination .  When an animal dies, bacteria break down the nitrogen into a form that (B) plants can consume.

Place the categories of the food chain below in order, starting at the first trophic level.

1.d. Primary producers

2.e. Primary consumers

3.b. Secondary consumers

4.c. Tertiary consumers

5.a. Decomposers

a. Decomposers

b. Secondary consumers

c. Tertiary consumers

d. Primary producers

e. Primary consumers

(A) Energy , which is obtained from the sun through photosynthesis, is passed from one trophic level to the next. Photosynthesis captures less than (B) one percent of sunlight that reaches the earth’s surface.

Categorize each characteristic with its corresponding branch of ecology.

= Correct Answer

= Incorrect Answer

            Population Ecology    Community Ecology  Ecosystems Ecology

Explores symbiotic relationships as mutually beneficial to both species                             

Measures change by subtracting number of deaths from number of births over a given time    

Considers non-living components of environments                         

Choose the two actions that humans should NOT do to mitigate habitat fragmentation issues.



Restoration ecologists determine ways to restore damaged ecosystems.



Remove subpopulations from edge habitats.



Establish nature preserves with large areas of unfragmented habitats.



Construct artificial corridors to connect fragmented habitats.



Create protected areas that will have little human disturbance.



Introduce new species into a fragmented environment.

 

Choose two likely results of an invasive species being introduced into an area.

The balance of a particular ecosystem may be altered in a positive way.

The invasive species may encounter predators, competition, or disease.

Biodiversity may increase as plants and animals adapt to the intruder.

Reproduction rates for native species may increase.

The health and productivity of the ecosystem may be reduced.

Native species are threatened or endangered.

Match each item to the correct descriptor.

nonrenewable resources

renewable resources

sustainability

A.

water, wood, and animals are an example

B.

fossil fuels are an example

C.

establishing interactions with the environment that can continue indefinitely

D.

using materials wisely so they are not degraded or destroyed