Wildlife
Aquatics
Soils
Forestry
100
What is the ecological significance of the “edge effect,” and how can it influence species diversity in fragmented habitats?
The edge effect increases habitat diversity and often supports more species, but excessive edge can harm interior species sensitive to disturbance or predation.
100
Explain why stratification occurs in lakes and how it influences dissolved oxygen levels throughout the year.
Temperature differences cause layering (epilimnion, thermocline, hypolimnion); in summer, stratification prevents oxygen mixing, leading to oxygen depletion at depth.
100
What are divergent plate boundaries?
Where plates are moving apart and new crust is created by magma pushing up from the mantle
100
What are the different particle sizes in soil?
Sand, silt, clay
200
Explain the difference between a generalist and a specialist species and describe how habitat fragmentation might favor one over the other.
Generalists can exploit a wide range of resources and adapt to changing conditions, while specialists depend on specific habitats or diets; fragmentation typically favors generalists.
200
What is the difference between point source and non-point source pollution, and why is the latter often more difficult to manage?
Point sources have a single, identifiable origin (e.g., a pipe), while non-point sources come from diffuse areas (e.g., agricultural runoff), making them harder to monitor and regulate.
200
Define the five soil-forming factors
200
How does pH affect soil health?
Influences the availability of nutrients, activity of soil microbes and the solubility of minerals.
300
How does the concept of biological and social carrying capacity inform wildlife management decisions?
Biological carrying capacity is the number of individuals an environment can support ecologically; social carrying capacity is what humans will tolerate, both guide sustainable population management.
300
Describe the relationship between stream order and stream characteristics such as flow, temperature, and biodiversity.
Low-order streams are smaller, cooler, and shaded with high oxygen and detritus; higher-order streams are larger, warmer, and have more diverse aquatic communities.
300
What is friability as a soil property?
Friable soil is loose, crumbly, and easily worked, with a texture that allows for optimal root growth and water penetration. It crumbles easily under gentle pressure, and a good way to test for it is to squeeze a handful of moist soil and see if it breaks apart into smaller pieces rather than forming a smooth ball.
300
What is an auger tool?
A powerful tool with a spiral blade for drilling deep, cylindrical holes in wood or soil.
400
Describe how landscape connectivity and genetic diversity interact to influence species resilience.
Connected habitats allow gene flow among populations, maintaining genetic diversity, which increases resilience to disease, climate change, and environmental disturbance.
400
Explain the process of cultural eutrophication, including its causes, biological impacts, and potential management strategies.
Caused by excess nutrients (especially nitrogen and phosphorus) from human activity; leads to algal blooms, hypoxia, and biodiversity loss; managed through nutrient reduction, riparian buffers, and wetland restoration.
400
Describe what factors influence available water capacity in a soil, and how this affects vegetation growth.
Soil's available water capacity is primarily influenced by texture (particle size), structure (particle arrangement), and organic matter content. These factors determine how much water the soil can hold and make available for plants. This directly affects vegetation growth by providing or restricting the water needed for photosynthesis, nutrient transport, and overall turgor.
400
Who is George Washington Carver and what were his roles in the conservation movement?
Advocated for rotating cotton with other crops, recognized importance of legumes for fixing nitrogen in soil which reduced reliance on fertilizers, promoted crop diversity
500
Compare and contrast keystone, umbrella, and indicator species, providing one example of each and explaining how they guide conservation strategies.
Keystone species (e.g., sea otters) have disproportionate ecosystem influence; umbrella species (e.g., grizzly bears) require large, diverse habitats benefiting many others; indicator species (e.g., amphibians) reflect ecosystem health and change.
500
How do changes in global climate patterns alter hydrological cycles and aquatic ecosystem stability at both local and global scales?
Altered precipitation, temperature, and evaporation disrupt streamflow, water temperature, and stratification; increase extreme weather and drought; and shift species ranges and water quality globally.
500
Where can you observe a divergent plate boundary on land? (specific)
Mid-Atlantic ridge in Iceland
500
Describe how tree rings form, and how they are used in dendrochronology
Tree rings form annually from a layer of new wood cells called xylem, with each ring containing a light, fast-growing earlywood (spring) and a dark, dense latewood (summer). The width of these rings is influenced by environmental conditions like temperature and moisture, with wider rings indicating a good growing season and narrow rings signaling stressful conditions like drought. Dendrochronology is the science of using these rings to determine a tree's age