Unit 1: Ecosystems
This trophic level describes a spider that feeds on mosquitoes that feed on herbivores
tertiary consumer
This atmospheric layer contains the protective ozone layer
stratosphere
Replacement Level Fertility
2.1
Efficiency of producing electricity with fossil fuels and transferring it to your house through the energy grid.
27% (Accept 25-30%)
In a protected forest, the number of nesting pairs of a specific songbird increased from 120 pairs in 2018 to 156 pairs in 2024. Calculate the percent change in the nesting population over this period.
30%
Species that ecologists use to help them understand how healthy and abundant an ecosystem is.
Indicator species
During an El Nino event, the trade winds are ______ causing warms surface water to flow eastward towards South America.
weakened
An exponential or J-Curve is characteristic of this type of strategist.
r-strategist
An impervious, nonpermeable layer of rock serving as a seal for an oil and gas reservoir below.
Cap Rock
In a temperate grassland, the total solar energy reaching the producers is measured at 2,000,000 Joules. Based on the average efficiency of photosynthesis, find the energy available to the secondary consumers.
200 J
Which stage of the water cycle is most likely to contribute to eutrophication?
runoff
An effect that results in moist, lush landscapes on the windward side of a mountain and dry arid, desert-like conditions on the leeward side of a mountain.
Rain Shadow Effect / Orographic Precipitation
The major difference in primary and secondary succession is the presence of what ecosystem building block?
Soil
What form of renewable energy has a high cost of construction, high environmental impact, and the potential to force people and wildlife off their land?
Hydropower
A developing nation has a crude birth rate of 28 and a crude death rate of 14. How many years it will take for this population to double?
50 years
An ecosystem that returns to its original state quickly after a disturbance is said to have high ______
Resilience
This biome is characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The plants in this biome have adapted to survive in these harsh conditions. Fires are common.
Chaparral (shrubland)
This economist hypothesized (and catastrophized) that humans could exceed the Earth's carrying capacity
(Thomas) Malthus
A hidden cost (or benefit) associated with the production of fossil fuels
externality
A sample of a radioactive isotope has a half-life of 40 years. If the original sample contained 160 grams, how many grams of the parent material will remain after 120 years have passed?
20 g
When a species goes through a period when its total population is very low and then rebounds to a sustainable level, we say it has experienced ____________.
bottleneck effect
Organisms that live on the bottom of the ocean (at least 90% of all marine species live at least part of their life on the ocean floor!)
Benthic
In the Demographic Transition Model, which stage is characterized by high birth rates and rapidly falling death rates?
Transitional (Stage 2)
an economic theory that illustrates the relationship between economic growth and income inequality, suggesting that inequality first increases and then decreases as a country develops.
Kuznets Curve
An aquatic ecosystem has a Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) of 35,000 kcal/m2/yr. The producers in this ecosystem lose 22,000 kcal/m2/yr through cellular respiration8. What is the Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of this ecosystem?
13,000 kcal/m2/yr
Water purification is an essential process for maintaining healthy ecosystems and providing clean drinking water making it what kind of ecosystem service?
Regulating Ecosystem Service
This U.S. law was enacted in 10-- and is key in the combat against trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish and plants.
The Lacey Act
A population pyramid (age structure diagram) with a narrow base and wider top indicates
A high proportion of elderly citizens (an aging population)
The point at which a supply curve and a demand curve intersect.
Market Equilibrium
A small office uses a laser printer rated at 400 watts. The printer is used for an average of 3 hours per day. If the local utility company charges $0.15 per kWh, what is the total cost to operate this printer for a 30-day month?
$5.40