Ecosystems
What percent of energy gets passed on from one trophic level to the next?
What is 10%?
Which biogeochemical cycle is most affected by combustion of fossil fuels?
What is the carbon cycle?
Which soil horizon contains the most organic material?
What is the O Horizon? (top horizon)
What is the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources?
Renewables can be replenished/renewed during a human lifetime, where as non-renewables take considerably longer to replenish/renew.
Describe health effects caused by atmospheric pollution.
What are respiratory issues (asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, coughing, wheezing), cardiovascular issues and increased risk of lung and other cancers?
What is the term for raising fish in controlled environments for food?
What is aquaculture?
What is the difference between a generalist and specialist and give an example of each.
What is generalists can live in a variety of habitats and eat a variety of things where specialists are limited in habitat, ranges of tolerance and diet. Generalists - raccoons, pigeons, cockroaches, coyotes, humans. Specialists - pandas, koalas, monarch butterflies
The ultimate source of energy for most ecosystems?
What is the Sun?
Which biochemical cycle does not contain a gaseous step/phase?
What is phosphorous?
Which soil particle is the largest and allows more water to pass through?
What is sand?
Which non-renewable energy source is most used in the United States?
What is coal?
What is the difference between a primary and secondary pollutant?
What is primary pollutants come directly from a source while secondary pollutants are created from a chemical reaction between a primary pollutant and other substances, often with light as a catalyst.
What are two environmental drawbacks of intensive meat production?
What is increased greenhouse gasses (methane from cows, CO2/others from transportation), overgrazing/desertification, conversion of native land = deforestation, habitat loss, biodiversity loss, water loss/pollution
What is the difference between K and r selected species and give an example of each.
What is K-selected species reproduce slowly/have few young - elephants, whales, humans, great apes where r-selected species reproduce quickly/have high numbers of offspring - insects, frogs, fish, rodents, plants. Most organisms fall in the middle
Which law explains that energy is lost as heat in every energy transfer?
What is the 2nd law of thermodynamics?
What process converts ammonia into nitrites and nitrates?
What is nitrification?
Which soil particle is the smallest and retains the most water?
What is clay?
What is a drawback of hydroelectricity?
What is harm or disruption to aquatic ecosystems?
What is a secondary pollutant formed from NOx and VOCs in sunlight?
What is ozone or smog?
Which type of irrigation method is the most environmentally friendly - think water efficiency and harm to soil - ?
What is drip irrigation?
What are two characteristics of a species that can pose a higher risk of becoming an endangered or threatened species?
What is specialist species, K-selected, small habitat range, small population, low genetic diversity, useful to/coveted by humans.
What is the first species (general name) to colonize during succession called?
What is pioneer species?
What is the process in the nitrogen cycle where nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere?
What is the process in the nitrogen cycle where nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere?
What is the name of the soil process in which dissolved nutrients are washed out of the soil profile, often leading to nutrient depletion and groundwater contamination?
What is leaching?
This non-renewable energy source is more clean than other non-renewables.
What is nuclear energy?
The difference between point source pollutants and non-point source pollutants? Give an example of each.
What is point source pollutants come from one, identifiable source - like one factory smokestack or one drainage pipe, where non-point sources are from several different sources - runoff from SEVERAL fields, sediment from a construction site (what part of the construction is creating the sediment?) Non-points are just harder to pin-point and identify.
Explain why it more efficient to from lower on a trophic pyramid.
What is eating lower on the trophic pyramid requires less resources to create the same amount of calories - land, water, fossil fuels, chemicals, medications, etc
What are two characteristics that increase the likelihood of an introduced species becoming invasive.
What is a generalist species, high ranges of tolerance, r-selected, a variety of dispersal methods
What is the final, stable community in succession called?
What is a climax community?
What is the term for the process by which carbon is stored for long periods in underground reservoirs such as fossil fuels or sedimentary rock?
What is carbon sequestration?
Name two ways to prevent soil erosion.
What is: cover crops, contour plowing, terracing, strip cropping, wind breaks, no till farming, mulching, rotational grazing.
List the three types of coal in the order of lowest quality to highest quality and explain what is meant by 'quality'.
What is lignite, bituminous and anthracite. Higher quality means more energy produced and a cleaner burn. Usually more time, heat and pressure create higher quality coal.
Explain the formation of acid rain.
What is sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides combining with water vapor?
Explain integrated pest management and give two examples of how this could be accomplished.
What is integrated pest management is using environmentally friendly/non-chemical solutions to eliminate pests. Traps, fencing/barriers, natural predators, crop rotation, GMO plants
What is keystone species?