Agriculture
Name at least 3 components of the Green Revolution
Irrigation
Fertilizer
Monocropping
Machinery
Pesticides
What is the primary storage sink for the nitrogen cycle?
Atmosphere
Farming aquatic organisms such as fish and shellfish is called...
aquaculture
However, we are not charged for the costs of any environmental damage that occurred in manufacturing that item. Those costs are known as
(a) externalities.
(b) the tragedy of the commons.
(c) the maximum sustainable yield.
(d) marginal costs.
(e) economic cost-benefit analysis.
(a) externalities.
Name two types of surface mining.
Placer
Mountaintop removal
Strip
Open Pit
What is one advantage of genetically modified crops?
Increased profits due to GM crops that have lower fertilizer/pesticide/herbicide requirements
Disease resistant crops can lead to higher yields
Increased nutritional value
Less workers exposed to fertilizer/pesticide/herbicide
Less fertilizer/pesticide/herbicide needed, which reduces negative impacts
Higher yields which means less land needed for agriculture
What is the key ingredient in fertilizer?
Nitrogen (nitrates)
Many scientists argue that worldwide fisheries are declining, yet the worldwide number of fish harvested continues to increase. What would best explain this discrepancy?
A. The scientists are being overly cautious
B. Fisheries are collapsing only in the areas that the scientists are studying.
C. more people are reporting the fist that they catch.
D. Only apex predator populations are collapsing.
E. An increase in fishing technology and increased fishing effort are leading to an increase in catch despite the declining populations.
E. An increase in fishing technology and increased fishing effort are leading to an increase in catch despite the declining populations.
An old-growth forest would be defined as
a. a commercial forest older than 30 years
b. a forest undisturbed for at least 50 years
c. a second-growth forest undisturbed for at least 100 years
d. a re-planted forest that has little disturbance for 100 years
e. an uncut or regenerated primary forest undisturbed for several hundred years
e. an uncut or regenerated primary forest undisturbed for several hundred years
Heavy landscape damage and water pollution have occurred in ________ as a result of ________.
A. Canada; subsurface mining for oil sands
B. Mississippi; strip mining for uranium
C. San Francisco; placer mining for gold
D. Florida; open pit mining of limestone
E. Appalachia; mountaintop removal mining for coal
E. Appalachia; mountaintop removal mining for coal
Critics of using genetically modified organisms as food crops warn of which of the following
dangers?
I Introduction of new allergens into the food supply
II Loss of genetic diversity in food crops
III Decreases in food production worldwide
I and II
Small inputs of this substance, commonly a limiting factor in aquatic ecosystems, can result in algal blooms and dead zones.
A. Dissolved carbon dioxide
B. Sulfur
C. Dissolved oxygen
D. Potassium
E. Phosphorus
E. Phosphorus
All of the following are reasons protecting marine biodiversity is difficult EXCEPT
A. Human ecological footprint is expanding.
B. Much of the damage is not visible to most people.
C. Oceans lie outside the legal jurisdiction of any country
D. There is no understanding of what needs to be done.
E. People view the ocean as inexhaustible.
D. There is no understanding of what needs to be done.
All of the following are important ecological services provided by forests EXCEPT
A. Reduce soil erosion.
B. Release atmospheric carbon.
C. Purify water and air.
D. Influence local and regional climate.
E. Provide numerous wildlife habitats
B. Release atmospheric carbon.
The acid most commonly found in mine drainage is
A. Citric acid
B. Acetic acid
C. Sulfuric acid
D. Carbonic acid
E. Hydrochloric acid
C. Sulfuric acid
Name one way to improve soil quality.
Polyculture
Crop rotation
Cover crops
Windbreaks
Mulch
Let land lay fallow
The conversion of nitrate to nitrous oxide and nitrogen gas is called _____.
A. ammonification
B. assimilation
C. denitrification
D. nitrification
E. nitrogen fixation
C. denitrification
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) make meat more economical, but may have some negative environmental impacts. These include all of the following EXCEPT
A. High concentrations of animal waste
B. Increase in nutrients in storm water runoff
C. Increase in sediments in storm water runoff
D. Increased use of land area over other types of animal farming
E. Increase in strains of antibiotic resistant microorganisms
D. Increased use of land area over other types of animal farming
Which of the following is not an environmental consequence of clear-cutting?
(a) Increased soil erosion and sedimentation in nearby streams
(b) Decreased biodiversity due to habitat fragmentation
(c) Increased fish populations due to the influx of nutrients into streams
(d) Decreased tree species diversity due to the loss of shade-tolerant species
(e) Stands of same-aged trees
(c) Increased fish populations due to the influx of nutrients into streams
Which of the following is associated more with surface mining than subsurface mining?
A. It is more dangerous.
B. It is more expensive.
C. It produces less waste material.
D. It disturbs more land.
E. It causes subsidence.
D. It disturbs more land.
Which of the following practices is consistent with the production of organic crops according to the US Department of Agriculture?
A. Using sodium nitrate as a fertilizer on green, leafy vegetables
B. Using petroleum-based products to prevent buildup of aphid populations in field crops
C. Using chemicals known as pheromones to disrupt insect mating cycles
D. Using pesticides only after physical methods such as removing pest-infected leaves have been proven unsuccessful
E. Using genetically modified plant varieties that kill insects that chew their leaves
C. Using chemicals known as pheromones to disrupt insect mating cycles
Which of the following is NOT a human intervention in the nitrogen cycle?
A. Large amounts of nitric oxide (NO) are released into the atmosphere by smokestacks, which can cause acid rain.
B. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is added to the atmosphere through the action of bacteria on livestock waste
C. Large amounts of nitrogen are released into the atmosphere as forests are cleared
D. Large amounts of nitrates are added the Gulf of Mexico, causing a eutrophic dead zone
E. Specialized bacteria convert ammonia into nitrate and then into nitrogen gas, reducing nitrogen available to plants
E. Specialized bacteria convert ammonia into nitrate and then into nitrogen gas, reducing nitrogen available to plants
Vegetarianism is often cited as a partial solution to the growing problem of deforestation and other types of habitat destruction as the human population continues to grow. The reason for this is
A. Vegetarians are healthier due to a lack of animal fat in their diets
B. Vegetarians often support conservation efforts that promote forest conservation
C. Vegetarians consume fewer calories per person and therefore require fewer acres of farmland
D. More people can be fed using less agricultural land because vegetarians eat at a lower trophic level
E. Vegetarian diets often recommend consuming large amounts of tree nuts as a source of protein, which preserves forest habitats
D. More people can be fed using less agricultural land because vegetarians eat at a lower trophic level
A management system that includes fire suppression will likely lead to
I. Large quantities of biomass accumulating on the forest floor
II. An increase in the likelihood of uncontrolled natural fires
III. Increase in fire-dependent species
A. I only
B. I and II
C. I and III
D. II and III
E. I,II, and III
B. I and II
What two elements make up the majority of the Earth's crust?
Silicon & Oxygen