GEI Exam 1

Question 1

Environment

Answer 1

external physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives

Question 2

sustainability

Answer 2

meeting the needs of the present while ensuring the future generations will have the same or better quality of life

Question 3

What are the impacts humans have had on the environment?

Answer 3

-higher rates of extinction
-higher rates of fossil fuel extraction
-ecosystem impacts like pollution and altered river courses

Question 4

Why have humans had such large impacts?

Answer 4

-mechanization of industry and ag, along with inequalities in resource consumption
-exponential human growth
-unnatural materials (CFCs, PCB, and plastics)

Question 5

ecological footprint (EF)

Answer 5

a measure of per capita consumption, tells us how much land is needed to support human activities. indicates sustainability of lifestyles

Question 6

EF of average American

Answer 6

0.02 sq mi

Question 7

frontier ethic

Answer 7

assumes unlimited supply of resources

Question 8

sustainability ethic

Answer 8

acknowledges limit of resources and encourages conservation

Question 9

Tragedy of the Commons

Answer 9

describes what happens when unlimited self-interest depletes a shared resource

• common pasture used by all herdsman
• one brings extra cattle to make extra money
• land is overgrazed, pasture is useless

Question 10

NIMBY principle

Answer 10

“not in my backyard”: communities want to enjoy benefits of waste disposal or power supply, but don’t want environmental impacts

e.g. Yucca Mountain

Question 11

energy

Answer 11

ability to do work

Question 12

photosynthesis

Answer 12

6CO2 + 6H2O + solar energy -> C6H12O+ energy

Question 13

metabolism

Answer 13

chemical reactions that take place inside an organism’s cells

Question 14

global significance of photosynthesis

Answer 14

1. transform light energy to chem energy
2. create oxygen
3. converts CO2 into sugars

Question 15

Atmosphere composition

Answer 15

21% Oxygen 78% Nitrogen

Question 16

population

Answer 16

all individuals of the same species in a certain area

Question 17

community

Answer 17

all populations in a certain area

Question 18

ecosystem

Answer 18

all communities plus abiotic parts of environment

Question 19

biosphere

Answer 19

all ecosystems

Question 20

categories of ecosystems

Answer 20

-marine
-freshwater
-terrestrial

Question 21

ocean surface area

Answer 21

75% of Earth’s

Question 22

What contributes 40% of oxygen production?

Answer 22

marine phytoplankton

Question 23

freshwater surface area

Answer 23

1.8%

Question 24

terrestrial groups

Answer 24

biomes: tropical rainforests, deserts, etc.

Question 25

autotroph

Answer 25

produce own food

Question 26

photoautotrophs

Answer 26

gets energy from sunlight

Question 27

chemoautotrophs

Answer 27

liver near deep sea hydrothermal vents, get energy from chem. compounds

Question 28

heterotroph

Answer 28

obtains energy by consuming other organisms

Question 29

food chain

Answer 29

sequence of organisms at different trophic levels that nutrients and energy pass through

Question 30

biomagnification

Answer 30

increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms at successive trophic levels (accumulates in fat reserves) -DDT from fish to bald eagles

Question 31

biogeochemical carbon cycle

Answer 31

movement of carbon through land, water, and air (stored for long periods in carbon reservoirs)

Question 32

eutrophication

Answer 32

excess N and P from fertilizer runoff and sewage that results in excess algae and plant growth, which leads to their decay and death to take up all the oxygen

Question 33

hypoxic

Answer 33

lack of oxygen in water that kills fish

Question 34

population ecology

Answer 34

studies the interactions between populations and environment

Question 35

population size

Answer 35

total number of individuals (N)

Question 36

population density

Answer 36

number of individuals living in a specific area

Question 37

exponential growth model

Answer 37

N grows without limits G = r * N

Question 38

G

Answer 38

population growth rate

Question 39

r

Answer 39

per capita rate of increase (how much each individual contributes to population)

Question 40

shape of exponential growth

Answer 40

J-shape

Question 41

logistic growth model

Answer 41

includes limits to population size that become more effective as population size increases G= r * N * (1-N/K)

Question 42

shape of logistic growth

Answer 42

S-shape

Question 43

K

Answer 43

carrying capacity

Question 44

K-selected

Answer 44

species adapted to stable environments fewer offspring with more care

Question 45

r-selected

Answer 45

species adapted to unstable environments large numbers of offspring and low parental care

Question 46

limiting factors of population

Answer 46

density-dependent density-independent

Question 47

density-dependent limiting factor

Answer 47

predation, inter- intraspecific competition, accumulation of waste, diseases

Question 48

density-independent limiting factor

Answer 48

weather extremes, natural disasters, pollution