Unit 1
What substance is the most common limiting factor in aquatic ecosystems
Phosphorus
Species Evenness- the relative abundance of the different species
What characteristics do species with type 3 survivorship curves often have? (name at least 2)
Little parental care, r-selected, small size, many offspring
What are the 4 layers of the atmosphere from closest to us to farthest AND circle the one where weather happens
Troposphere (weather here)
stratosphere
Mesosphere
thermosphere
What is urban sprawl and what has contributed to it?
Urban sprawl is when people move away from cities to suburbs and commute into cities
Causes are increased construction of highways, increased prices in cities, lower costs in suburbs and lots of job opportunities in cities
The NPP of an ecosystem is 1 kg C/m2/year and the energy needed by producers for respiration is 1.5 kg C/m2/year. What is the GPP?
2.5 kg C/m2/year
What is a pioneer species and what are 2 examples of pioneer species?
The first living thing to appear during primary succession. Moss and lichen
Define Biotic potential AND define carrying capacity
biotic potential- the growth rate of a species under ideal conditions
Carrying capacity- the max population an ecosystem can support long term for a species
What is the difference between weathering and erosion
(these are the steps of soil formation)
weathering is the breaking down of bedrock by wind or water, erosion is the broken down rock moving to a new place
What agricultural methods can help to reduce soil erosion?
No till and contour plowing
At what trophic level do organisms use a process that produces oxygen as a waste product?
Producers
Would you expect an ecosystem with more or less biodiversity to recover faster after a disruption? Why?
More biodiversity because more likely that there will be survivors or species there that can fill the new niches
A country had 16 births and 6 deaths out of every 100 people in the year 2011. Estimate how many years it will take for this population to double
7 years (rule of 70)
List the 3 types of tectonic plate boundaries and what you would likely find at each one
Convergent- mountains, volcanoes, earthquakes
Divergent- valleys, seafloor spreading
Transform- fault lines, earthquake
Pick an example of tragedy of the commons and explain why it is an example
Needs to be a common (publically available and not regulated), overused and being degraded
What biome is the most productive, AND what nutrient is often lacking in it's soil?
Tropical rainforest, often lacking nitrogen in soil
Provisioning- timber or food
Regulating- oxygen from plants, pollination
Supporting- nutrient cycling, soil formation
Cultural- aesthetics, recreation
As a country moves into stage 2 of the demographic transition,you would expect the fertility rate to ______ and the death rate to _____
fertility rate stay the same and death rate decrease
What is a rain shadow effect?
Include where there is and isn't rain, and where there is high and low pressure
Explain a pro and con for each:
CAFO
Free-range grazing
CAFO- cheaper, ethical concerns, lots of waste produced, antibiotic resistance risk
Free range- more expensive, possible over grazing, generally considered more ethical, better for land (natural fertilizer)
What is the main difference between a boreal forest and a tundra, AND what do they both have in common?
Boreal forest has lots of trees, tundra is treeless.
Both are cold
What is a keystone species and an example of one
a keystone species is a species that has a greater impact on the ecosystem than you would expect from its relative abundance. AND they impact the structure of the ecosystem in some way. example- beavers building dams
population growth rate
stage of demographic transition
likely GDP for country (high or low)
fast population growth
likely stage 2
likely low GDP
Explain what upwelling is and how it relates to El Nino
During el nino upwelling is reduced along coast of south america (peru)
What is monocropping, what are advantages and disadvantages of it? Did it become more or less common after the green revolution
planting only one type of crop. Better suited for machines to harvest. Need to use fertilizer usually. Became more common after green revolution