Old Material (to study for final)

Question 1

Ecosystem Services

Answer 1

Resources provided by environmental systems that benefit people
Exs:
- trees provide oxygen, thermoregulation, food, habitats, lumber
- water provides hydration, habitat, thermoregulation, and transportation

Question 2

What is science?

Answer 2

A way of knowing and discovering how nature works by examining the structure of the natural world

Question 3

Steps of the Scientific Method

Answer 3

Question, Hypothesis, Experiment, Collect Data, Conclusion, Report Findings, Peer Review

Question 4

Define Hypothesis

Answer 4

A testable explanation for an observation

Question 5

What is reliable science?

Answer 5

Peer-reviewed, well-documented methods, scientific consensus

Question 6

What is the peer review process?

Answer 6

Submit work to a journal to show your peers exactly what you did so they can review it and make sure the methods are valid and sensical
This requires a lot of transparency

Question 7

Energy

Answer 7

The ability to do work

Question 8

What are the two kinds of energy? Examples?

Answer 8

Kinetic energy (in motion): flowing water, car driving
Potential energy (stored): coal, gasoline, molecules in food

Question 9

Evolution

Answer 9

Process through which life forms change genetically over time, which occurs across generations through heritable traits

Question 10

Natural Selection

Answer 10

Individuals with certain genetic traits are more likely to survive and reproduce under a specific set of environmental conditions

Question 11

What are the various kinds of interspecies interactions?

Answer 11

Competition, herbivory, predation, parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism

Question 12

Competition

Answer 12

Using similar resources
Neg (-) effect on both species
Ex: hyena and vulture fighting for dead carcass

Question 13

Herbivory

Answer 13

Consumption of plants by animals
+ for animal, - for plant
Ex: cows eating grass

Question 14

Predation

Answer 14

Predator vs prey dynamic
+ for predator, - for prey
Ex: lion hunting zebra

Question 15

Parasitism

Answer 15

Parasite obtains nourishment from a host through prolonged close contact
+ for parasite, - for host
Ex: mites, lice, heartworm, common cuckoo (hijacks nest of the reed warbler)

Question 16

Mutualism

Answer 16

Benefits both species
Ex: bees and flowers (pollen)

Question 17

Commensalism

Answer 17

Benefits one species but has no effect on the other
Ex: whales and barnacles
Ex 2: epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants)

Question 18

Density Dependent Factors

Answer 18

Rely on population density
Ex: competition for resources, diseases, predation

Question 19

Density Independent Factors

Answer 19

Doesn’t have to do with population
Ex: climate change, habitat destruction, natural disasters, pesticides

Question 20

What are Hadley Cells? How do they impact climate?

Answer 20

Large atmospheric circulations where warm air rises at the equator, cools and moves outwards, then sinks at medium latitudes (30 degrees north and south), before moving back towards the equator and pulling moisture from the surface as it goes

This leads to rainforests at the equator and deserts just north and south of them

Question 21

What is Primary Productivity? Where is it highest/lowest?

Answer 21

Rate of biomass production through photosynthesis (essentially how much plant life there is)
Varies across ecosystems depending on nutrients, light, water, heat, etc.

Highest in swamps, marshes, estuaries, tropical rainforests, and temperate forests
Lowest in deserts, arctic, and open ocean

Question 22

Bioaccumulation

Answer 22

A particular animal/individual has a build-up or high concentration of contaminants

Question 23

Biomagnification

Answer 23

The phenomenon where those that are higher on the food chain have higher levels of contaminants
Ex: DDT in water gets into algae, then goes to zooplankton, minnows, larger fish, and finally fish-eating birds

Question 24

Environmental Impact Equation

Answer 24

I = PAT
Impact = Population size x Affluence x Technology

Affluence = resource use
Tech = how goods/services are developed

Question 25

What are CAFOs? What are some problems associated with them?

Answer 25

Concentrated animal feeding operations Concerns: zoonotic disease spread, antibiotic resistance, waste runoff, fecal contamination, methane

Question 26

What are fisheries? Concerns with them?

Answer 26

Concentration of wild aquatic species suitable for commercial harvesting Concerns: overfishing, habitat destruction (caused by nets), bi-catch

Question 27

What is aquaculture? Concerns with it? Potential innovations?

Answer 27

Farming fish Concerns: waste, relying on wild populations to feed farmed fish, disease spread Innovations: cameras to track feeding, using tides to disperse waste, nets

Question 28

What are farm subsidies? Concerns with them?

Answer 28

Government payments or support intended to help farmers stay in business Concerns: Majority of funding goes to wealthy farmers with the biggest yields (that also have the biggest environmental impact), distorts planting decisions, + can be costly for American taxpayers

Question 29

Soil Conservation Programs

Answer 29

Pays farmers to take some of their land out of agriculture to prevent soil erosion and help build up nutrients in the soil Addresses some of the concerns with farm subsidies

Question 30

Carbon Cycle

Answer 30

Pulled from atmosphere by plants (photosynthesis) Stored in plants, soil, animals, and ocean Carbon released back into atmosphere through respiration

Question 31

How have humans altered the carbon cycle?

Answer 31

Releasing historically stored carbon by burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and over tilling

Question 32

Nitrogen Cycle

Answer 32

Majority is in atmosphere Captured by plants through lightning strikes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil or on their root nodules

Question 33

Phosphorus Cycle

Answer 33

Majority in contained in rocks Dissolved as water runs over said rocks Water is absorbed by plants

Question 34

What can happen if farmers water their crops too much?

Answer 34

Soil Salinization: accumulation of salts in upper layers of soil, stunting plant growth Waterlogging: accumulation of groundwater leads to rising water table and lack of oxygen in soil

Question 35

What are some alternatives to synthetic pesticides? Potential concerns?

Answer 35

Cultivation Controls - altering planting times and crop rotation Biological Controls - using living things (like parasites, predators, bacteria, and viruses) to address pests Concerns: can't control population (control becomes pest), difficult to mass produce/apply, time lags

Question 36

What are Hydroponics? Benefits? Drawbacks?

Answer 36

Growing plants without soil by exposing their roots to nutrient-rich water Benefits: year-round growing, water conservation, no runoff, efficient light, no pesticides, reuse abandoned spaces Drawbacks: high electric bills to power lights

Question 37

Cross Breeding

Answer 37

Combining two sexually compatible species to create a new variety that has the desired traits of the parents Uses existing traits

Question 38

Transgenesis

Answer 38

Adding new genes to the genome of a plant (that may come from a different species) Must be done in a lab

Question 39

Gene Editing

Answer 39

Changing the genome of an organism using enzymes (editing what's there, but not adding anything new from a different species)

Question 40

Invasive species

Answer 40

Non-native species that disrupt the ecosystem by outcompeting native populations or transmitting disease

Question 41

What are some examples of invasive species?

Answer 41

Zebra mussel: sharp, clog pipes and rudders Round goby: reproduce fast = outcompete natives Emerald ash borer: burrows into tree = killing it Spotted lanternfly: feeds on sap = kills tree Autumn olive: displaces native plants

Question 42

Clearcutting

Answer 42

Cutting down everything in an area (most environmentally damaging way of harvesting trees)

Question 43

Shelterwood and Group Selection

Answer 43

Harvesting select trees at specific intervals (shelterwood = smaller, group = larger) Opens up areas of light for new plants to grow (that are protected by the larger trees)

Question 44

Single Tree Selection

Answer 44

Harvesting specific trees or kinds of trees, such as a certain species or a diseased tree

Question 45

National Forest System

Answer 45

National forests - used for logging, grazing, farming, recreation, oil extraction

Question 46

Bureau of Land Management

Answer 46

Large tracts of land used for mining, oil extraction, and grazing Requires permits

Question 47

National Park Service

Answer 47

National Parks - used only for recreation such as camping, hiking, fishing, and boating

Question 48

National Wildlife Refuge

Answer 48

Managed by Fish and Wildlife Service - used to conserve fish, wildlife, and plants with minimal recreation (like photography, birding, fishing)

Question 49

Ecological Restoration

Answer 49

Bringing a landscape back to a former condition, ideally to what it was before human disturbance

Question 50

Rehabilitation

Answer 50

Rebuilding the community to a useful, functional state Doesn't aim to restore it to its original condition Least invasive kind of restoration

Question 51

Remediation

Answer 51

Mild or nondestructive chemical, physical, or biological methods used to remove pollution Bioremediation - use of living things (ex: sunflowers near Chernobyl)

Question 52

Reclamation

Answer 52

Extreme techniques used to clean up severe pollution in severely degraded or barren sites Ex: Onondaga Lake

Question 53

Geology

Answer 53

Study of dynamic Earth processes on surface and in the interior

Question 54

What are the three zone of earth?

Answer 54

Core - hot iron + nickel Mantle - less dense semi-liquid (magma) Crust - complex mineral composition (continental and oceanic)

Question 55

Sedimentary Rock

Answer 55

Made of sediments (bits of weathered rock) that accumulate in layers through compaction

Question 56

Metamorphic Rock

Answer 56

Existing rock that has been exposed to heat, pressure, and/or fluids and is transformed

Question 57

Igneous Rock

Answer 57

Existing rock is melted into magma, which is then formed into rock through heat, pressure, and eventually cooling/crystallization

Question 58

What are Greenhouse Gasses? Examples? Sources?

Answer 58

Trap heat in atmosphere like blanket Nitrous oxide Water vapor Methane - agriculture, CAFOs, fugitive emissions Carbon dioxide - industry, construction, electricity, heat (basically anything that burns fossil fuels)

Question 59

Paris Climate Agreement (2016)

Answer 59

Countries sign on and are expected to lower their GHG emissions Goal of limiting earth's average temp increase to below 2 degrees

Question 60

COP 28

Answer 60

Move away from fossil fuels Loss-and-damage fund (larger countries giving money to smaller ones that are affected more by climate change despite contributing less)

Question 61

Clean Air Act (1970)

Answer 61

Regulates 6 major air pollutants: Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, lead, particulate matter, and ozone

Question 62

What are some clean air legislations? What are their effects?

Answer 62

Emission controls such as filters in power plants Cap and trade - reduces sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere (can also be done for carbon)

Question 63

What percentage of water is fresh?

Answer 63

3% (mostly contained in ice)

Question 64

What are wetlands? What services do they provide?

Answer 64

Areas where the soil is covered in water or fully saturated either all year or seasonally, giving rise to hydrophytes Importance: recreation, natural filters, flood management, nutrient storage, biodiversity

Question 65

What causes Dead Zones? Potential Solutions?

Answer 65

Agriculture and livestock runoff = eutrophication (excess of nutrients and algae) = hypoxia and dead fish Solutions: reduce inputs and synthetic fertilizers; use cover crops to prevent soil erosion and encourage nutrient uptake

Question 66

Safe Drinking Water Act Recent changes?

Answer 66

Set regulations/national standards for safe drinking water Biden recently regulated PFAS (aka forever chemicals) found in common household objects

Question 67

Solar Energy

Answer 67

Panels with photovoltaic cells convert solar into electricity Can be installed on homes or in open spaces Solar Grazing = solar panels + livestock to maintain grass height

Question 68

Wind Energy

Answer 68

Kinetic energy captured by wind turbines (usually in offshore farms) Concerns about birds can be addressed by: colored turbines, placement away from migration routes, detection systems

Question 69

Hydropower

Answer 69

Produce electricity from flowing water (in dams with turbines) Produces a lot of consistent energy without CO2 emissions Cons: climate change = droughts, land destruction to build dams, few suitable locations, expensive, affect downstream ecosystems

Question 70

Biomass/Biofuel

Answer 70

Made from living materials such as wood and agricultural products Ethanol in made from sugarcane (Brazil) or corn (40% of it produced in US is for this purpose) Concerns: emits CO2, deforestation, grassland conversion, space and resources needed for agriculture (including pesticides + fertilizers)

Question 71

Geothermal

Answer 71

Heat stored in the rocks, soil, and fluids of the mantle is harvested via heat pump systems or repurposed petroleum drilling tech

Question 72

Coal

Answer 72

Solid made from land plant remains Pros: abundant and cheap Cons: dirty, air pollution, destruction for mines, dangerous working conditions

Question 73

Oil

Answer 73

Used to make chemicals, paints, and plastics Harvested in offshore drilling operations Cons: oil spills in ocean, destruction of Canadian oil sands, indigenous displacement

Question 74

Nuclear Power

Answer 74

Controlled nuclear fission that occurs in a reactor Pros: no carbon, lots of power, safety and regulation = less accidents Cons: risky, radioactive waste, expensive, negative perception, strategic locations

Question 75

Natural Gas

Answer 75

Small organic compounds accumulate at top of coil/oil deposits and are harvested via fracking Cons: mini-earthquakes, pollution, risk groundwater contamination LNG: dependency + middle man dynamic in Germany