Chapter 1
Focuses on how people affect the environment and how to address environmental problems (incorporates concepts from the natural sciences/social sciences.
Environmental science
The winds are deflected to the right (clockwise) in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left (counterclockwise) in the Southern Hemisphere.
the Coriolis effect
Water loss through transpiration by plants + evaporation from the soil = ?
Evapotranspiration
Large biological communities shaped by the physical environment, particularly climatic variation.
Biomes
Open ocean beyond the continental shelves.
Pelagic Zone
Is energy or nutrients cycled through ecosystems?
Nutrients through the nutrient cycle.
Does acidity or alkalinity have the ability to act as a base? (Base: a compound that takes up H+ or gives up hydroxide ions (OH–).)
Alkalinity
Acidity: Ability of a solution to act as an acid—a compound that gives up protons (H+) to a solution.
Describe the difference between weather and climate?
Weather: Current conditions—temperature, precipitation, humidity, cloud cover.
Climate: Long-term description of weather, based on averages and variation measured over decades; includes daily and seasonal cycles, as well as yearly and decadal cycles.
What zones does the biosphere lie between?
Biosphere is the zone of life on Earth
Lithosphere—Earth’s surface
crust and upper mantle
Troposphere—the lowest layer of
the atmosphere
Are phytoplankton or zooplankton photosynthetic?
Phytoplankton are photosynthetic, restricted to the upper layers through which light penetrates (photic zone).
Zooplankton are nonphotosynthetic protists and tiny animals
Give me an example of a bioindicator.
Amphibians as bioindicators.
Give me an example of climate variation over time.
Some options:
El Niño events, or the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
Glacial-interglacial cycles
Is salinity a process?
No. Salinity: Concentration of dissolved salts in water
Salinization: Soils in arid regions become saline when water is brought to the surface by plant roots or irrigation and high rates of evapotranspiration result in salt build-up.
Give me an example of human activities that can influence the distribution of biomes.
Land use change- converting forest into land for agriculture.
Did the Serengeti Plain of Africa have higher diversity than the Great Plains of North America?
Yes. The Great Plains of North America have very low diversity: large stands of uniform crop plants and a few species of domesticated herbivores.
The Serengeti Plain of Africa has a high diversity of wild animals.
Name as many methods for answering ecological questions (100 points for each correct answer).
Observational studies in the field
Controlled experiments in the laboratory
Experiments in the field
Quantitative models
List some reasons Dr. Bosch said O2/O2 levels are important (200 points for each correct).
Most organisms require O2 for metabolism
Hypoxic (low-oxygen) conditions can also promote formation of toxic chemicals
(Important for chemical reactions that determine nutrient availability)
Give me an example of something that influences albedo.
Albedo—the capacity of a land surface to reflect solar radiation
Influenced by vegetation type, soils, and topography.
What two terrestrial biomes can be characterized with permafrost?
Tundra and Boreal Forests
What are some causes of desertification (100 points for each correct answer)?
What is desertification?
Long-term droughts and unsustainable grazing can result in desertification — loss of plant cover and soil erosion.
List as many of the levels of organization (in order) as you can (100 points for each correct).
1) Molecule
2) Cell
3) Tissue
4) Organ system
5) Individual
6) Population
7) Community/Ecosystem
8) Landscape
9) Biosphere
Does water or land have a higher heat capacity (200 point)?
How does this affect maritime and continental climates (500 points for full answer)?
Water has a higher heat capacity than land.
Maritime climate—little daily and seasonal variation in temperature, and high humidity.
Continental climates—much greater variation in daily and seasonal temperatures, especially in temperate zones.
Describe rain shadow effect.
Bonus points if you can explain the difference/similarities to uplift and subsience.
Uplift— Warm air is less dense than cool air, and it rises.
Subsidence—the air descends when it cools and forms a high-pressure zone (at about 30°N and S).
List as many of the biomes that had a Smoky the Bear on Dr. Bosch’s slides as possible (200 points each).
Tropical seasonal forests and savannas
Temperate Grasslands
Temperate Shrublands and woodlands
Temperate evergreen forests
What do lotic and lentic systems mean? Give an example of each of these systems.
Streams and rivers are lotic (flowing water) systems.
Lakes and still waters (lentic) occur where depressions in the landscape fill with water.