Ecosystems & Biomes
The biome that is characterized by permafrost, low temperatures, and minimal tree growth.
Tundra
Name one example of an invasive plant species in the U.S.
kudzu, autumn olive, tree of heaven, japanese stiltgrass, hogweed, callery pear, multiflora rose, etc.
has the primary responsibility for managing our nation’s forests to "promote greatest good of the greatest number in the long run."
The US Forest Service
The primary greenhouse gas responsible for climate change.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
The maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can sustainably support, considering available resources like food, water, and shelter.
Carrying Capacity
Which biome has the highest biodiversity on Earth.
Tropical rainforest
European wild rabbits, an invasive species in Australia, was introduced for what purpose?
What is to be hunted for sport
directional non-seasonal cumulative change in the types of plant species that occupy a given area through time (contain a number of stages that can be recognized by the collection of species that dominate at that point in time)
Forest Succession
The human activity that is the leading cause of increased atmospheric CO₂ (think big picture)
Burning fossil fuels
The term for animals that are most active during dawn and dusk.
Crepuscular
The dominant vegetation in a savanna biome
Grasslands with scattered trees
Rachel Carson's book that spoke of the dangers of DDT and the overuse of insecticides
Silent Spring
This tree, native to North America, produces distinctive "helicopter" seeds (samaras) that spin as they fall. Provide an example of a tree that produces these seeds.
Maple or ash
Other acceptable answers: tulip tree, elm, and birch.
The type of argumentative fallacy in which a person might claim "because it is snowing outside, climate change does not exist."
Anecdotal Evidence
The main reason behind why species of birds migrate thousands of miles annually.
To find food and breeding grounds.
Mangroves protect coastal communities from storms. Name the type of ecosystem service this is.
Regulating service
Bioaccumulation is the process of accumulation of _________ in an organism that takes place if the rate of intake exceeds the rate of excretion. ___________ are introduced into the organism through exposure from soil, water, air, or dietary intake.
Chemicals (will also accept pesticides / insecticides)
This disease, spread by invasive bark fungus and accidentally introduced into North America on imported Asiatic trees in 1904, led to the decline of American chestnut trees
Chestnut Blight
One of the primary impacts of climate change on oceans
Ocean acidification or sea level rise
In 1901, The Audubon Model Law was passed, to protect water birds from _____________ (what activity).
Plume hunting
Forests act as carbon sinks, which is an ecosystem service and provides ___________.
Climate regulation
Mineral matter in the soil comes from the breakdown of parent material through processes such as ___________.
Physical and chemical weathering, such as: erosion, freezing, thawing, decomposition, oxidation
Who was Gifford Pinchot?
The first chief of the US Forest Service -tripled the nation's forest reserves, protecting their long term health for both conservation and recreational use.
Definition of a climate indicator species.
Scientists use these species as an "indicator" of the overall health/stability of an ecosystem. They are typically an abundant species that reflects the condition of the environment around them & usually among the first species affected by ecosystem change.
"Aposematism," a survival strategy used by species like poison dart frogs.
Bright coloration to warn predators of toxicity.