Trash Talk
Overflow from a sewage treatment plant is an example of this type of pollution that you can physically "point" to.
What is point source pollution?
A scientist develops a dose-response curve that illustrates the relationship between atrazine concentration and the number of resulting cases of frog infertility. What is the dependent variable that would be plotted on the Y-axis?
Frog Infertility Cases
This is the largest anthropogenic source of excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
What is fossil fuel combustion?
A non-native organism that, when introduced to a new environment, causes significant harm to the ecosystem. Characteristics typically include rapid reproduction rates, lack of natural predators, and a wide ecological tolerance.
What is an invasive species?
This colorless gas with a strong odor is commonly used as a preservative in laboratories and is also a component in carpet glue, but it is known for its potential health risks, including respiratory issues and cancer.
What is formaldehyde?
This type of chemical substance blocks the receptor protein binding site of a hormone so that the cell cannot receive a signal.
What is an endocrine disruptor?
Looking at the data below, what is the relationship between salt concentration and radish seed germination success?
Salt Concentration (%) % Mortality in Seeds
3.0 100
2.0 66
1.0 16
0.0 1
What is a direct relationship? (As salt concentration increases, mortality increases.)
Coral bleaching is a tell tale sign of this problem threatening our ocean's ecosystems.
What is ocean warming?
Consider the following food chain.
Acorn > Squirrel> Hawk
If the acorn contains 2,000 J of energy, how much is available to the hawk?
What is 20 J?
This is a primary air pollutant produced from burning coal that has a higher affinity for hemoglobin than oxygen which can lead to asphyxiation.
What is carbon monoxide?
In this stage of waste water treatment, effluent is pumped through aerated tanks so that bacteria can break down organic material.
What is secondary treatment?
The following data was collected by scientists studying the effect of non point source pollution on adjacent streams with and without vegetation buffers.
With Buffers Without Buffers
.03 mg/L Nitrate 3.07 mg/L Nitrate
.34 mg/L Nitrate 7.03 mg/L Nitrate
1.3 mg/L Nitrate 5.24 mg/L Nitrate
What is a claim the scientists can make about the effect of vegetation buffers on nitrate pollution?
Vegetation buffers reduce nitrate pollution in streams.
As sea ice continues to melt, what is happening to the overall albedo of the ocean?
What is decreasing?
A species of fish found in a pond has a broad diet, is able to withstand large fluctuations in temperatures and salinity. What type of species is this?
What is a generalist species?
This atmospheric condition occurs when a layer of warm air traps pollutants close to the ground, leading to increased smog and respiratory problems in urban areas.
What is a thermal inversion?
Which restaurant described below in its attempts to reduce waste is the most energy efficient?
Restaurant A reduces the size of their portions so that customers do not require take-away containers for their meals. Restaurant B uses high quality plastic containers that can be re-used many times. Restaurant C uses low quality single use plastic containers that can be recycled.
What is Restaurant A?
In a study of a local river's water quality, the average concentration of dissolved oxygen was measured to be 8 mg/L in 2020. By 2023, the concentration decreased to 6 mg/L. What is the percent change in the dissolved oxygen concentration over this period?"
-25% or 25% decrease
The largest carbon "sink" in the carbon cycle.
What is the ocean?
Barnacles attach themselves to the skin of whales. The barnacles benefit by gaining access to nutrient-rich waters as the whale swims. The whale is unaffected by the presence of the barnacles. What type of relationship is this?
What is commensalism?
This type of air pollution control device is used to remove sulfur dioxide from industrial emissions, helping to prevent acid rain formation. What is it?
What is a wet/dry scrubber?
This term describes a body of water containing little to no oxygen often as a result of eutrophication.
What is hypoxia?
Scientists are examining the effects of thermal pollution from a nuclear power plant by measuring water temperature and its impact on aquatic life at various testing sites along a river. The site upstream from the power plant that is not affected by thermal pollution is called what?
The control group
The weakening of mollusk's shells is a tell tale sign of this threat to our ocean's ecosystem.
What is ocean acidification?
The following organisms are found at a local park
10 oak trees, 3 owls, 2 crows, 4 rabbits.
What is the species richness of the park?
What is 4?
This phenomenon occurs when moist air rises over mountains, cools, and loses moisture through condensation and precipitation on the windward side, resulting in dry conditions on the leeward side due to the decrease in water vapor.
What is the rain shadow effect?