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Environmental Biolgoy Flashcards

(100 cards)

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1
Q

What is environmental science?

A

The study of how the world works; examines cause and effect relationships underlying issues and problems that rise from our use of the natural world

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2
Q

What is the difference between ethics and morals?

A

Ethics seek to define fundamentally what is right and wrong regardless of cultural differences. Morals reflect predominant cultural feelings about ethical issues.

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3
Q

What are environmental ethics?

A

Environmental ethics examine the moral basis of environmental responsibility

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4
Q

What are the three types of environmental ethics?

A

Anthropocentric - human centered
Biocentric - all life forms have a right to exist
Ecocentric - environment deserves direct moral consideration

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5
Q

What is the difference between conservation and preservation?

A

Conservation should be used and managed sustainably to provide the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people. Preservation is areas of no human contact.

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6
Q

What are five types of socioeconomic environmental ethics?

A

Societal environmental ethic - how a society views the environment
Corporate environmental ethics - costs of controlling wastes, proper amounts of raw material, etc.
Industrial ecology - providing ways to produce goods and services without destroying the environment
Individual environmental ethics - recognition of individual responsibility must lead to changes in individual behavior
Global environmental ethics - degradation in any nation affects the quality of life in other nations

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7
Q

What are the four main types of terrestrial biomes?

A

Temperate, tropical, desert, and polar

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8
Q

What is a climatograph?

A

A graph that shows the pattern of seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation for a particular location.

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9
Q

What are the different types of tropical biomes?

A

Tropical rain forest, tropical seasonal forest, and tropical savanna

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10
Q

What are the different types of temperate biomes?

A

Temperate deciduous forest, temperate evergreen forest, chaparral, and temperate grasslands

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11
Q

What are the different types of polar biomes?

A

Boreal forest and tundra

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12
Q

How do mountains affect climate and weather?

A

Air temperature drops as altitude increases, rain falls on the mountain as the air climbs, the opposite (leeward) side is dry

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13
Q

How do coastlines affect climate and weather?

A

Harsh environments suitable for halophytes - transitional area between terrestrial and aquatic biomes

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14
Q

What are the differences between competition, exploitative, and mutualism?

A

Competition - both species are harmed
Exploitative - one species benefits, one is harmed
Mutualism - both species benefit

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15
Q

What is the difference between intraspecific and interspecific competion?

A

Interspecific competition - between multiple species

Intraspecific competition - between the same species

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16
Q

What is the difference between competitive exclusion and species coexistence?

A

In competitive exclusion, one species completely excludes another species from using the resource while species coexistence does not fully exclude the other from resources so they live side by side

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17
Q

What is the difference between a fundamental and a realized niche?

A

Fundamental - everywhere a species could be

Realized - where a species is based on competition and interactions with other species

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18
Q

What is resource partitioning?

A

Species use different resources or share them in different ways

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19
Q

What is character displacement?

A

Competing species diverge in their physical characteristics (evolution)

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20
Q

What are the relationships between predator and prey populations?

A

Increased prey populations, increase predator populations
Increased predator populations, decrease prey populations
Decreased predator populations, increase prey populations

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21
Q

What is amensalism?

A

A relationship in which one organism is harmed while the other is unaffected

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22
Q

What is commensalism?

A

A relationship in which one organism benefits, while the other remains unaffected

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23
Q

What are trophic levels?

A

Places in the feeding hierarchy - (producers, levels of consumers, decomposers)

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24
Q

What are keystone species?

A

Species that play an important role in the ecosystem and cause many ripples if something occurs

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25
What is trophic cascade?
predators at high trophic levels indirectly affect populations at low trophic levels
26
What is the difference between resistance and resilience?
Resistance is a community of organisms resist change and remain stable despite the disturbance Resilience is a community that changes in response to a disturbance but later returns to its original state
27
What is succession?
The predictable series of changes in a community
28
What is primary and secondary succession?
Primary succession - disturbance removes all vegetation and or soil life Secondary succession - disturbance dramatically alters, but does not destroy, all local organisms
29
What are pioneer species?
The first species to arrive in a primary succession area
30
What is a climax community?
A community that remains in place with few changes
31
What are the periods of human population growth?
Pre-agricultural period Agricultural period Industrial period
32
What are the stages of human population growth?
1. Stage one - before economic development, high death and birth rate 2. Stage two (mortality transition) - death rate decreases, birth rate high, rapid growth 3. Stage three (fertility transition) - low death rate, birth rate decreases, population slows 4. Stage four (stability transition) - low birth and death rate at equal, zero growth or negative growth
33
What is the infant mortality rate?
Percent of infants within a population who die before age one
34
What is biocapacity?
Area and quality of land to supply resources
35
What is the IPAT equation?
The IPAT equation determines the human impact on the environment. I = PAT where I equals impact, P equals population, A equals affluence or individual consumption, and T equals technology or energy using items
36
What are the composition of gases in the atmosphere?
78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and water vapor
37
What are the layers of the atmosphere?
Thermosphere (top) - extends to space; ISS orbits here Mesosphere Stratosphere - ozone here Troposphere (bottom) - life
38
What is the saturation vapor pressure?
The amount of water the atmosphere can hold at the temperature. As the temperature increases, the saturation vapor pressure increases. Above the saturation vapor pressure, water liquifies and turns into rain.
39
What is relative humidity?
A measure of the extent to which air is saturated, expressed as a percentage.
40
What is dew point?
The temperature where humidity is at 100%
41
What is an energy budget?
Measures all energy entering and leaving the Earth
42
What is the difference between climate and weather?
Climate - long-term atmospheric conditions | Weather - short-term variations local atmospheric conditions
43
What is air quality?
Amounts of gases and small particles in the atmosphere that influence ecosystems or human well-being
44
What is air pollution?
Gases or particles that are present in high enough concentrations to harm humans
45
What specific types of air pollutants are there?
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - chemicals that vaporize into the air; natural or anthropogenic Aerosols - tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in air, size determines residence time Primary air pollutants - chemicals or particles directly released in air Secondary air pollutants - chemicals and particles that are formed by reaction to other chemicals and aerosols in the atmosphere
46
How are pollutants dispersed in the atmosphere?
Diffusion - diffuse along concentration gradients Convection - disperse more rapidly and at greater distance Wind patterns
47
What general types of air pollutants are there in the troposphere?
Acid depositions - acid precipitation Heavy metal pollution - fossil fuel mercury and lead Smog - industrial and photochemical
48
How do pollutants enter the stratosphere?
Disperses from troposphere into stratosphere
49
How does indoor air pollution differ than outdoor air pollution? How is it the same?
Generally more polluted than outside air | Carbon monoxides, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, VOCs, and particulate matter, pesticides
50
What is a water balance coefficient?
General index of the availability of water in a particular region
51
What biomes do positive and negative water balance coefficients suggest?
Positive - forest | Negative - savannas, grasslands, deserts
52
What does the water budget look like?
1. Water from the atmosphere into the oceans via precipitation. 2. Water from the atmosphere on land via precipitation. 3. Water from the land to to the oceans via runoff and groundwater. 4. Water from land to atmosphere via evaporation. 5. water from oceans to atmosphere via evaporation.
53
What are watersheds?
Areas of land that drain to form rivers and lakes; also called drainage basins; separated by mountains and plateaus
54
What are the differences between open and closed watersheds?
Open watershed drain into the ocean but closed watersheds do not
55
What is the difference between a perennial and intermittent stream?
Perennial - flows year round | Intermittent - only flows at certain times
56
What is a channel?
The normal pathway of a waterway
57
What is a floodplain?
Area surrounding the channel that periodically floods
58
What are the zones of a stream?
Riparian zone - area of transition between stream and terrestrial systems Hyporheic zone - area of saturated sediment next to stream and immediately beneath
59
How do humans impact waterways?
Dams and diversions - reduce water flow and disrupt system | Channelization and artificial levees - reduces flooding, speeds water flow
60
What general types of pollution impact waterways?
Point-source - a specific location such as pipes/factories | Non-point-source - a variety of sources across
61
What is the difference between lakes and ponds?
Lakes are greater than 5 hectares while ponds are smaller than five hectares
62
What is the difference between open and closed basins?
Open basins are drained by a stream or river whereas a closed basic has no outlet stream (percolation or evaporation only)
63
What is a lentic ecosystem?
Ecosystems of lakes and ponds
64
What are the zones of a lake ecosystem?
Littoral zone - shallow area near shore with rooted vegetation and most primary production Benthic zone - water and sediment on bottom Pelagic zone - water not close to bpttom Photic zone - water with enough sun for photosynthesis Aphotic zone - little or no sunlight
65
What is groundwater?
Water that resides in rocks and soil beneath the ground
66
What are the areas of groundwater?
Water table - underground depth where rock and sediment are completely saturated Recharge zone - area from which water enters water table from surface Discharge zone - groundwater flows to surface
67
What are wetland types?
Marshes - periodically or continuously flooded, herbaceous plants Fens - wetlands fed by groundwater, grasses and patchy woodlands Swamps - fed by flowing water, shrubs and trees Bogs - rainfall is source of water, low nitrogen and phosphorus plants Estuaries - partially enclosed bodies of water where freshwater meets ocean water Oceans - salt water covering over 71% of the earth
68
What are gyres?
Patterns of surface circulation on the oceans
69
What are currents?
Circulations of ocean water that affect climate patterns
70
What are vertical currents?
Caused by differences in temperature and salinity, exchanges water from the surface and the depths; also called thermohaline circulation
71
What are United States water rights?
Eastern - adjacent landowners have rights | Western - bought and sold like property; no immediate rights
72
What is biodiversity?
variety of all life forms, combinations, and organization in an area defined spatially and or temporally
73
What is the latitudinal gradient for biodiversity?
species richness increases nearer to the equator
74
What are the types of biodiversity?
Ecological biodiversity - diversity of ecosystems, communities, and habitats Landscape biodiversity - variety and abundance from place to place Community biodiversity - number of species, relative abundance, arrangement in space Genetic biodiversity - variation in genes that exists within a species Population biodiversity - measured by genetic diversity and genetic variation
75
What is the importance of biodiversity?
Helps respond to disturbance and change, provides humans with service, and improve good production
76
How do human activities increase extinction rate?
habitat loss and destruction, habitat fragmentation, overharvesting, invasive species, pollution, altered patterns of disturbance, climate change
77
What is the difference between endemic and invasive species?
Endemic - prevalent in or specific to a certain region | Invasive - found in many areas, not limited by a specific habitat feature
78
What are consequences of biodiversity loss?
degradation of ecosystem function, loss of ecosystem services, economic loss, health impacts, social disruption, loss of food source, loss of tourism and recreation, loss of medicine sources, loss of aesthetics and spiritual ties with nature
79
What is land-use planning?
A planning endeavor to evaluate the needs of the population as well as land characteristics and values
80
What is the history of human agriculture?
1. Hunter-gatherers 2. Begin agriculture with stone tools 3. Early selective breeding 4. Agronomy - multiple disciplines improve agriculture 5. The Green Revolution - improved plant breeding and techniques, modern fertilizers, pesticides, increased productivity
81
What is agroecosystems?
funnel energy into plants and animals useful to humans
82
What is a downside of agroecosystems?
prone to nutrient loss through irrigation (leaching), increased erosion, and lack of restoring the land between cycles
83
What is soil fertility?
ability of soil to support plant growth
84
What are the three different types of water that soil holds?
Gravitational - water that flows through soil Hygroscopic - water bound to soil particles Capillary - water held in micropores
85
What is field capacity?
amount of water that a soil can retain against the pull of gravity
86
What is a potential evapotranspiration?
an estimate of the average amount of water that would evaporate from a hypothetical agricultural field over the course of a year
87
What are the environmental impacts to domestic animals?
``` manure is rich in nutrients some pathogen concerns methane production (global warming, energy source) transmission of diseases clear land for pastures ```
88
What are genetically modified organisms?
an organism whose DNA has been altered by combining the DNA of multiple species; can improve yields, disease and pest resistance, addition of nutrients; very controversial
89
What are the differences between chemical and biological pest controls?
Chemical - effective yet some threat to human health | Biological - use of predators and parasites to control
90
What is integrated pest management?
use of chemical, biological, and cultural pest control to minimize crop loss
91
What are the various aspects of integrated pest management?
``` Pest resistant crop species and genotype Careful monitoring of pest populations Cultivation practices that discourage pests Natural control of pest populations Prudent use of pesticides ```
92
What are municipal sewage treatment plants three stages?
Primary - physical reduction Secondary - break down by microorganisms Tertiary - reduce nutrient waste
93
How does household wastewater get disposed?
From pipes out of the house it leads to a septic tank. From the septic tank, a nonperforated pipe leads to a drain field. Some may have a distribution box that channels the wastewater. In the drain field, the water travels through perforated pipes through gravel or crushed stone. A vent pipe is also in the drain pipe.
94
How do landfills work?
Landfills are lined with impervious clay and plastic to prevent leeching. The trash is then compacted and covered. When full, the landfill is capped with clay. Methane is produced.
95
What are leachates?
Liquids that leak from landfills
96
How does waste incineration work?
Wast is burned at high temperatures to reduce volume and weight and filters and scrubbers are in place for pollutants
97
What are hazardous wastes?
Wastes that are flammable, corrosive, explosive, and/or toxic. There are three categories: source specific, nonspecific source, and discarded commercial chemical wastes.
98
What are current disposal methods for hazardous waste?
1. Permanent retrieval storage sites - continuously monitored landfills 2. Chemical processing 3. High-temperature incineration 4. Bioremediation - break down by living organisms 5. Superfund sites
99
What are the benefits and downsides of electronic waste recycling?
Benefit - some useful parts are saved and reused Downside - at present, these are in places where no safeguards exist and the burning of these parts cause hazardous conditions for human populations and local ecosystems
100
What is radioactive waste?
Material that is contaminated by isotopes of elements that emit destructive forms of radiation; these must be monitored for long periods of time and come from hospitals, labs, nuclear power plants, and weapon labs.

Comprehensive Exam (6 decks)

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