Soils
What are the five factors of soil formation?
Climate
Organisms (Biota)
Parent Material
Relief (Topography)
Time
What is the difference between point source and nonpoint source pollution?
Point source pollution: comes from a specific point of origin (ex: sewage pipe)
Nonpoint source pollution: no clear point of origin (ex: car emissions from a city)
What is the difference between food chains and food webs?
Food chains follow only one path as animals consume food, while food webs consist of many different food chains and follow the different options of consumption for each stage.
What is dbh
diameter breast height= 4.5 ft
What causes methemoglobinemia?
blue baby syndrome is caused by increased consumption of nitrates from water
List and explain the 6 possible soil horizons.
O - Organic Horizon
A - Topsoil. Surface Mineral Horizon.
E - Horizon of Eluviation or Leaching.
B - Horizon of Illuviation or Accumulation of Clay.
C - Parent Material
R - Bedrock
Name one way to prevent algal blooms?
Riparian Zones
What are the 4 basic survival needs of wildlife?
1. air
2. water
3. food
4. shelter
What is the innermost ring of a tree called?
heartwood
What is effluent water?
treated wastewater
What are the three constituents of soil <2mm? List them in order of their size from smallest to biggest.
What are the particles greater than 2mm called?
Clay, Silt, Sand
Rock Fragments
What are the 3 kinds of macroinvertebrates, and what does each mean?
Tolerant: thrives in polluted water
Facultative: can survive in both clean and polluted water
Intolerant (sensitive): cannot survive with any pollution
What is the difference between biological carrying capacity and cultural carrying capacity?
Biological carrying capacity: maximum number of individuals of a species that can exist in a habitat indefinitely without threatening other species in that habitat (takes food, water, cover, and prey/predator relationships)
Cultural carrying capacity: the maximum number of individuals of a species that the human population will tolerate (same as biological but takes human actions into account so is usually more accurate)
Dominant, codominant, emergent, and suppressed
What is one toxin that tends to increase in water sources when urban development occurs?
Heavy metals (oil, grease, and gasoline) and pesticides
Explain the reversed nature of water holding capacity and permeability in different soil textures.
sand silt clay
permeability high med/low low
water holding capacity low med/high high
-Bigger particles such as sand have larger pore spaces yet fewer of them.
-Smaller particles such as clay have smaller pores but more of them.
-Pore size affects permeability, and number of pores affects water holding capacity
What two nutrients are the main causes of cultural eutrophication and how do they enter the water source?
Nitrates and Phosphates usually enter bodies of water from agricultural field runoff and wildlife waste
How do you tell the difference between a red fox pelt and a gray fox pelt? (it's not as obvious as you might think)
gray foxes have black-tipped tails and red foxes have white-tipped tails
BOTH CAN HAVE RED/ORANGE COLORING: gray foxes usually have red/orange on a white throat/underfur; red foxes have white throats and underfur
What does serotinous mean, and name one example of a native serotinous Arizona species.
cones that require heat (such as from fire) to open
example: Ponderosa Pine
What are the 4 major pathways through which pollutants are delivered to surface water and groundwater from cropland?
1. erosion
2. dissolved in runoff water
3. subsurface flow through soil profile (to surface)
4. subsurface flow to underlying aquifers (to ground)
List and describe the types of soil parent material.
1.) Organic: "When the rate of organic matter decomposition is lower than the rate of organic matter accumulation."
2.) Residual Material: When the underlying bedrock weathers and breaks down to become the soil. "Soils that form in place."
3.) Transported:
Alluvium - material deposited by fresh water: rivers, streams
Colluvium - material moved by gravity: creep, landslides
Eolian - wind blown sands or silts: loess, eolian sands
Why do colder waters have higher levels of dissolved oxygen? (this is on the test at the competition!!)
The molecules in cold water are not moving as quickly, so the dissolved oxygen has less opportunity to leave the water. (saltier water holds less oxygen too because there is less space between the molecules because it is being taken up by other elements)
What are 4 out of the 7 features of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model?
1. Wildlife is a public resource
2. Markets for game are eliminated.
3. Allocation of wildlife by law
4. Wildlife can only be killed for a legitimate purpose
5. Wildlife species are considered an international resource
6. Science is the proper tool for discharge of wildlife policy
7. The democracy of hunting
What does the clinometer do, and what does the wedge prism do?
Clinometer: measures height of a tree
Wedge prism: measures basal area (density of harvestable trees)
What are two storm-water management BMPs used in urban areas?
(answers may vary)
detention pond, porous pavement, water quality inlets, filter strips, flood control, rainwater harvesting, rooftop gardens, etc.