Unit 1
This process converts atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) into ammonia usable by plants.
What is nitrogen fixation?
The total variety of genes, species, and ecosystems in an area is called this.
What is biodiversity?
Humans, pigeons, and oysters each represent one of the three types of survivorship curves. Name which type (I, II, or III) each belongs to.
Humans — Type I, squirrels — Type II, oysters — Type III
Most of Earth’s weather occurs in this atmospheric layer.
What is the troposphere?
This is the most efficient irrigation method due to reduced evaporation loss and targeted watering.
What is drip irrigation?
If an ecosystem’s NPP is 2000 kcal/m²/yr and plant respiration is 1500 kcal/m²/yr, this is the GPP.
What is 3500 kcal/m²/yr?
The first organisms to colonize bare rock in primary succession are usually these.
What are lichens/pioneer species?
A country with a 2% growth rate will double in approximately this many years.
What is 35 years?
A soil contains 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay. Use the soil triangle to identify its type.
What is loam or clay loam?
A farm using 10,000 L/day switches to drip irrigation (reduces water use by 30%). How much water is saved per day?
What is 3,000 L per day?”
On the African savanna, zebras eat tall grass, while gazelles eat shorter grass, reducing competition between the two.
What is resource partitioning?
The coyote can thrive in deserts, forests, cities, and farmland, eating everything from small mammals to fruit. This is the term used to describe this type of species.
What is a generalist?
This type of limiting factor affects population size regardless of density (e.g., hurricanes, drought)
What is density-independent factor?
This causes the movement of global wind patterns and forms large atmosphere convection cycles (Hadley cells) that distribute heat/energy.
What is the sun/uneven heating from the sun?
A large farm raises thousands of cattle in confined pens, using automated feeding systems to maximize meat production at low cost. This is an example of what type of agricultural operation? (bonus 100+ if you spell it out)
What is a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation)
Increased types of these surfaces in urban areas cause increased runoff and flooding
What are impervious/nonpermeable surfaces?
A nearby island originally had 200 bird species, but now only 66 remain. What is the percent change in species richness?
What is 67% decrease OR -67% change?
The Atlantic cod produces thousands of eggs per season, but very few survive to adulthood. Identify whether it is r- or K-selected and which survivorship curve type it follows.
What is r-selected, Type III?
Along the western coast of South America, the Nazca Plate is forced beneath the South American Plate, forming the Andes Mountains. What type of plate boundary is this? (hint: be specific!!!)
What is a convergent plate boundary (oceanic–continental)?
A farm is losing soil and nutrients due to erosion and over-tilling. Name one sustainable agricultural practice that would help improve the farm’s soil health or water retentio
What is contour plowing, terracing, cover cropping, crop rotation, or reduced tillage?
If producers capture 50,000 kcal/m²/yr of energy, how much energy is available to secondary consumers according to the 10% rule?
What is 500 kcal/m²/yr
According to the theory of island biogeography, islands that are ______ and ______ to the mainland tend to have higher survivorship.
What is larger and closer?
A country has declining birth rates, widespread urbanization, and increasing education for women. The population is still growing, but at a slower rate than before. This is its current demographic transition stage.
What is Stage 3 — Industrial?
During El Niño, warm surface waters move east toward South America. Describe one major climate impact this causes for either the western Pacific or the eastern Pacific region.
What is....Eastern Pacific: “Increased rainfall and flooding along the west coast of South America.”
Western Pacific: “Droughts and reduced monsoon rains in Indonesia and Australia.”
Mining operations often expose sulfide minerals that react with water and oxygen, creating acidic runoff that contaminates nearby streams. This impact (NAME IT) can be mitigated by implementing/adding this within the mines.
What is acid mine drainage, and one mitigation method is neutralizing with limestone or preventing water infiltration into mine waste?