Environmental Science
Which statement is TRUE of environmental science?
A. It relies only on natural sciences such as ecology and geology.
B. It examines only the workings of the natural world.
C. It examines the natural world and our relationship to it.
D. It is focused on areas without human impact.
E. It focuses on the future of the Earth.
C. It examines the natural world and our relationship to it.
A(n) _________ factor is the one abiotic or biotic factor whose supply determines the population size of a given species in a given biome.
A. tolerance
B. stress
C. intolerance
D. finite
E. limiting
E. limiting
__________________ is the complete loss of a species from the Earth.
A. Endangering
B. Threatening
C. Extirpation
D. Endemic
E. Extinction
E. Extinction
While hiking, you spot a Hawaiian duck, a bird only found in Hawaii. This makes it ____________.
A. extinct
B. endemic
C. extirpated
B. endemic
Scientists generally require a level of certainty of at least ______ to be sure their conclusions are correct.
A. 50%
B. 60%
C. 75%
D. 80%
E. 95%
E. 95%
The concept that everyone should have access to a clean, healthy environment as a basic human right is known as ___________________.
A. environmental equality
B. environmental justice
C. an environmental worldview
D. ecological equality
E. environmental right
B. environmental justice
All populations eventually reach a maximum number as they experience resistance factors. What is the name of the term describing this maximum size?
A. biotic potential
B. carrying capacity
C. growth rate
D. population density
E. population distribution
B. carrying capacity
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A. Populations with more genetic diversity are less likely to suffer from inbreeding.
B. Selection pressures can change over time.
C. Giraffes that stretch their necks more than other giraffes will have babies with longer necks.
D. Natural selection acts on individual organisms.
E. Adaptive traits allow individual organisms to better survive and reproduce.
C. Giraffes that stretch their necks more than other giraffes will have babies with longer necks.
Emigration is the movement of individuals ____.
A. out of an area
B. closer to urban areas
C. into an area
D. closer to coastal areas
E. into more populated areas
A. out of an area
Why do scientists use comparative studies?
A. Most species are all the same, so a comparative study can be used instead of performing an experiment.
B. Similar phenomena in other species or regions can provide clues to events being investigated.
C. Comparative studies can replace an observational study, saving time and money.
D. Scientists use comparative studies to prove a hypothesis.
E. Scientists use comparative studies for research to publish peer-reviewed papers.
B. Similar phenomena in other species or regions can provide clues to events being investigated.
Which of the following lists the steps of the scientific method in the correct order?
A. observe, create a testable prediction, form a hypothesis, experiment, support or refute the hypothesis
B. observe, form a hypothesis, create a testable prediction, experiment, support or refute the hypothesis
C. form a hypothesis, create a testable prediction, observe, experiment, support or refute the hypothesis
D. create a testable prediction, form a hypothesis, observe, experiment, support or refute the hypothesis
B. observe, form a hypothesis, create a testable prediction, experiment, support or refute the hypothesis
In the Everglades food chain below, which organism is a secondary consumer?
sawgrass → insect → frog → raccoon → alligator
A. sawgrass
B. insect
C. frog
D. raccoon
E. alligator
C. frog
The intentional breeding for certain traits, or combination of traits, is ________.
A. natural selection
B. the founder effect
C. the bottleneck effect
D. genetic drift
E. artificial selection
E. artificial selection
Which of the following social justice issues influence desired fertility and total fertility rates?
A. education for women
B. access to health care
C. land reform for women to own property
D. access to birth control
E. All of these answer choices influence fertility.
E. All of these answer choices influence fertility.
A bear eating a fish is an example of which of the following?
A. nutrient cycling
B. energy flow
C. solar radiation
D. both nutrient cycling and energy flow
E. both energy flow and solar radiation
D. both nutrient cycling and energy flow
Which statement is NOT characteristic of a sustainable ecosystem?
A. It makes the most of renewable energy.
B. It uses matter conservatively. (It recycles or reuses so nothing is wasted.)
C. It keeps populations in check.
D. It depends on local biodiversity.
E. It is able to support an ever-increasing number of species.
E. It is able to support an ever-increasing number of species.
Owls hunt for field mice in a field at night. Foxes hunt for field mice in the same field during the day. The term that best describes the interaction between the owls and the foxes is ________________.
A. mutualism
B. commensalism
C. parasitism
D. resource partitioning
E. predation
D. resource partitioning
Which is likely NOT an example of coevolution?
A. A moth that has a long tongue reaches the nectar of a flower that is housed in a long tube.
B. A tree trunk growing thicker and stronger prevents breakage from hurricane-force winds.
C. A caterpillar develops resistance to a toxin produced by its main plant food source.
D. A mollusk develops a thick shell to avoid predation by a crab with strong pinchers.
B. A tree trunk growing thicker and stronger prevents breakage from hurricane-force winds.
Based on the cycle of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, one can say that the ultimate original source of energy for all living things on Earth is:
A. glucose
B. water
C. the sun
D. carbon dioxide
C. the sun
When an oak tree undergoes photosynthesis, it is essentially __________.
A. adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
B. removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
C. adding nitrogen to the atmosphere
D. removing nitrogen from the atmosphere
E. All of these answer choices are correct.
B. removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
What is the difference between bioaccumulation and biomagnification?
A. Bioaccumulation involves mainly fat-soluble chemicals, while biomagnification involves mostly water-soluble chemicals.
B. Bioaccumulation involves mainly water-soluble chemicals, while biomagnification involves mostly fat-soluble chemicals.
C. Bioaccumulation is predominantly an aquatic problem, while biomagnification is usually a terrestrial problem.
D. Only animals lower on the food chain bioaccumulate, while all organisms can biomagnify.
E. Bioaccumulation is the buildup of substances within one organism, while biomagnification involves those substances moving up the food chain as one organism eats another.
E. Bioaccumulation is the buildup of substances within one organism, while biomagnification involves those substances moving up the food chain as one organism eats another.
A study examined the bird community composition of four different mangrove forests. Which forest community would you conclude shows a high species diversity in birds?
A. high richness, high evenness
B. high richness, low evenness
C. low richness, high evenness
D. low richness, low evenness
A. high richness, high evenness
In a coral reef, small fish can hide from predators in the corals. Large fish are fast and can evade predators with speed. Medium fish cannot fit in the coral and are not as fast as the large fish. In evolutionary terms, what would you expect to see in the population over time?
A. The large fish would be selected against.
B. Only the medium fish would survive.
C. The small fish would be less likely to survive.
D. The medium fish would be less likely to survive.
E. The small fish would be selected against.
D. The medium fish would be less likely to survive.
The change in population size over time is known as ________.
A. population momentum
B. crude birth rate
C. life expectancy
D. population growth rate
E. total fertility rate
D. population growth rate
Which of the following is TRUE of the biodiversity on Earth?
A. There are more categorized than uncategorized species on Earth.
B. There are more uncategorized than categorized species on Earth.
C. There are no uncategorized species on Earth.
D. There are more known species of plants than any other group of organisms.
E. There are more species of mammals than species of insects.
B. There are more uncategorized than categorized species on Earth.