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Environmental Science Final
ENVS 1401
149
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate 2
07/21/2016

Additional Environmental Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
In general, natural resources ________.
Definition
should be used efficiently and conserved
Term
Microbes in our digestive tract that help us digest food demonstrate a(n) ________ association.
Definition
symbiotic
Term
Coal, oil, and natural gas are ________.
Definition
symbiotic
Term
Which of the following is true about top predators
Definition
They are likely to be keystone species.
Term
A climax community always
Definition
remains in place until a disturbance restarts succession
Term
Which of the following is true?
Definition
Species on Earth today are but a fraction of all species that ever lived.
Term
Sustainable development ________.
Definition
means consuming resources without compromising future availability
Term
________ believe that within a market economy, economic sustainability is achieved through reduction of growth and by more efficient resource use.
Definition
Environmental economists
Term
A small section of prairie grasses, over a year, produces enough biomass to feed insects, mice, rabbits, birds, deer, antelope, and a host of decomposers. The amount of food potentially available to the herbivores is the ________.
Definition
net primary production
Term
A hypothesis is ________.
Definition
a testable proposition that explains an observed phenomenon or answers a question
Term
The origin of all nitrogen in biological tissues is ________.
Definition
atmospheric N2 gas
Term
A system receiving inputs and producing outputs without undergoing any changes in size or function is said to be in ________.
Definition
dynamic equilibrium
Term
The San Andreas Fault in California is an example of a(n) ________.
Definition
transform plate boundary
Term
Ecology is ________.
Definition
the study of organisms and their interactions with each other and with the environment
Term
Zebra mussels ________.
Definition
are an invasive exotic species that clogs water intake pipes at factories, power plants, and wastewater treatment facilities
Term
________ are the primary water‑insoluble components of cell membranes.
Definition
Lipids
Term
Taiga and tundra both ________.
Definition
have comparatively low temperatures throughout the year
Term
Macronutrients ________.
Definition
are required in large amounts for organisms to survive
Term
River water held behind a dam is best described as a form of ________.
Definition
potential energy
Term
Type of rock formed when magma or lava cools ________.
Definition
igneous
Term
The functional role of a species in its community is its ________.
Definition
distribution
Term
Skin, hair, muscles, and enzymes are classified as ________.
Definition
proteins
Term
Which of the following describes mass wasting?
Definition
downslope movement of soil and rock due to gravity
Term
"If domestic fuel prices rise to $5 per gallon, conservation will increase, alternative fuels will be developed, and energy efficiency and our quality of life will improve." This philosophy is consistent with ________ economics.
Definition
environmental
Term
The scientific process and knowledge is based on ________.
Definition
testing hypotheses that are built on observations
Term
________ are typical primary consumers in a temperature deciduous forest.
Definition
Deer
Term
"Ecosystem services" include ________.
Definition
pollination of crop plants
Term
________ is best defined as the study of how we decide to use scarce resources in the face of demand.
Definition
economics
Term
A coyote, which can alter its food intake to match seasonal abundance of plants, fruits, or small animals, is considered to be ________.
Definition
a generalist, able to be flexible
Term
Detritivores include ________.
Definition
millipedes, soil insects, many ants
Term
Unregulated populations tend to increase by ________.
Definition
exponential growth
Term
Rock that has undergone heat or pressure that causes it to change form is called ________.
Definition
metamorphic
Term
An example of greenwashing is ________.
Definition
creating the illusion of green or sustainable practices
Term
Endemic species ________.
Definition
are found only in one place on the planet
Term
Grazing animals such as deer are ________.
Definition
primary consumers or herbivores
Term
Ecotones are the ________.
Definition
transitional zones between ecosystems
Term
A paradigm ________.
Definition
is a means of evaluating scientific hypotheses
Term
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies are the premises of ________.
Definition
environmental justice
Term
Which of the following would be most vulnerable to extinction?
Definition
an orchid endemic to a forest where logging is occurring
Term
A population is a (the) ________.
Definition
group of individuals of a single species that live and interact in one area
Term
Which of the following is accurate?
Definition
when we damage ecosystems we lose both biodiversity and valuable ecosystem services
Term
Geothermal energy, wind and solar radiation are all examples of ________.
Definition
renewable environmental factors
Term
Extinction is ________.
Definition
a natural process
Term
________ is best defined as the knowledge, beliefs, values, and learned ways of life shared by a group of people.
Definition
culture
Term
Aquifers are ________.
Definition
underground water reservoirs
Term
The eutrophication that has taken place in the Gulf of Mexico and other locations appears to be due to ________.
Definition
excess nutrients from fertilizers
Term
Age pyramids, used to show the age structure of a population, generally ________.
Definition
indicate the relative numbers (frequency, or percentage) of individuals in each age class
Term
The force driving plate tectonics is ________.
Definition
heat in the deepest layers of the earth
Term
An example of a density-independent factor would be ________.
Definition
cold weather causing the lake to freeze
Term
The biosphere consists of the ________.
Definition
sum of all the planet's living organisms and the abiotic portions of the environment
Term
Paleontologists and ecologists agree that ________.
Definition
99% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct
Term
The human population is approximately ________.
Definition
6.9 billion
Term
Worldwide, the fastest growing cities today are mostly ________.
Definition
cities in developing nations, including Cairo, Egypt, and Mumbai (Bombay), India
Term
Deforestation ________.
Definition
has the greatest impacts in tropical areas and arid regions
Term
Forests reach their greatest ecological complexity when ________.
Definition
they are mature and exhibit a multi-level canopy
Term
Organic farming ________.
Definition
has increased in the United States, Canada and Europe in recent years
Term
Any consideration of the true costs of sprawl must include ________.
Definition
increased use of fossil fuels
Term
Not surprisingly, the nation with the highest rate of contraceptive use (90%) is ________.
Definition
Australia
Term
The first national park was ________.
Definition
Yellowstone
Term
The buildup of salts in soils as a result of overirrigation is ________.
Definition
salinization
Term
The loss of more than 10% productivity in arid areas due to erosion, soil compaction, forest removal, and an array of other factors is called ________.
Definition
desertification
Term
Bullfrog tadpoles are often sold as fish bait, even in areas where they do not occur naturally. When people buy 10 of them and don't use them all, they often dump the remainder into the lake or river. This is an example of ________.
Definition
introduced species
Term
Monoculture ________.
Definition
is an agricultural practice of growing large stands of a single species
Term
According to the IPAT model, technology that enhances our acquisition of minerals, fossil fuels, timber, and ocean fish ________.
Definition
increases environmental impact
Term
During most of our species' 160,000-year existence, and until about 10,000 years ago, we depended on ________.
Definition
hunting and gathering
Term
The breakdown of large rocks into smaller pieces is ________.
Definition
affected by rainfall, freezing and thawing
Term
________ is the world's most populous nation, home to ________ of the people living on Earth.
Definition
China; one-fifth
Term
A population which is not growing will have a TFR of ________.
Definition
2.1
Term
In general, successfully introduced species experience ________.
Definition
increased competition from other organisms
Term
The practice of planting large areas with a single type of crop, monoculture ________.
Definition
is a development of industrial agriculture
Term
Ecosystem-based timber harvesting uses methods that ________.
Definition
leave seed-producing or mature trees uncut to provide for future forests
Term
Relative to agriculture, insects are usually ________.
Definition
essential pollinators and predators for sustainable systems
Term
Agricultural practices, where the members of a farming family produce only enough food for themselves and do not make use of large-scale irrigation, chemical fertilizer, or machinery and technology, is called ________.
Definition
subsistence agriculture
Term
Researchers have demonstrated that organic farming ________.
Definition
decreased organic soil losses while giving yields comparable to conventional farming
Term
America's age‑structure diagram ________.
Definition
reflects a population with a high growth rate
Term
________ are best defined as substances that cause birth defects.
Definition
Teratogens
Term
What drives the move to the suburbs from cities?
Definition
desire to live in less stressful, more peaceful park-like conditions
Term
Clear-cutting ________.
Definition
removes all trees from an area
Term
Leaching ________.
Definition
removes water soluble nutrients from soil
Term
________ are best defined as substances that cause cancer.
Definition
Carcinogens
Term
The new urbanism tries to ________.
Definition
develop walkable communities, with homes and businesses close together
Term
A country with ________ is not expected to grow quickly in the near future.
Definition
high female literacy
Term
It is more energetically efficient for us to to eat more ________.
Definition
plant-based foods
Term
Over the past 50 years, most U.S. citizens who could afford to do so ________.
Definition
left the cities for the suburbs
Term
Toxicants that cause harm by affecting the immune system include ________.
Definition
allergens
Term
The ecological footprint of a large city is ________ than/as the surrounding rural area.
Definition
slightly higher
Term
Why do developing nations impose few or no restrictions on logging?
Definition
They are desperate for economic development.
Term
Raising ________ requires the most land and water.
Definition
beef cattle
Term
The O horizon is ________.
Definition
primarily composed of organic materials
Term
A species of lizard has gone extinct. This could be due to any of the following reasons except ________.
Definition
increased genetic diversity within the species
Term
Controlled burns would be used in forests ________.
Definition
that are subject to severe wild fires to remove fuel load and stimulate new growth
Term
The greatest diversity (numbers of different species) of organisms can be found in ________.
Definition
insects
Term
The effect of toxicants on fetuses and young children ________.
Definition
is greater because of their developmental immaturity, rapid growth and smaller biomass
Term
Biodiversity enhances human food security because it ________.
Definition
is a potential source of new food items or new genetic varieties of existing foods
Term
The world's urban populations are ________.
Definition
growing faster than the population as a whole
Term
Which of the following is a method that governments use to improve urban transportation?
Definition
Designate carpool lanes and carpool parking spots in many public places.
Term
The worldwide drop in sperm counts among men has been attributed to ________.
Definition
endocrine disruptors
Term
The consequences of overfertilization can include ________.
Definition
eutrophication in nearby waters
Term
Some indoor chemical hazard(s) are ________.
Definition
Radon and asbestos
Term
Carcinogens may be difficult to identify because ________.
Definition
there is a long lag time between exposure to the agent and disease
Term
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ________.
Definition
is an international panel that reports on how climate change influences biomes and economies
Term
Xeriscaping can save water by ________.
Definition
planting native or drought-resistant plants with little or no water requirements
Term
El Niño and La Niña ________.
Definition
produce changes of opposite direction in global temperature and precipitation patterns
Term
In the wake of the U.S. failure to ratify the Kyoto Protocol ________.
Definition
cities and states are setting their own programs for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Term
Seasons are a result of ________.
Definition
differences in the amount and intensity of sunlight brought about by the tilt of Earth's axis
Term
About 80% of the ocean's water exists in the ________.
Definition
deep zone
Term
Milankovitch cycles ________.
Definition
are changes in Earth's rotation and orbit around the sun that may trigger climate variation
Term
The most obvious cause of industrial smog is ________.
Definition
burning fossil fuels
Term
The area that underlies the shallow water bordering continents is called the ________.
Definition
continental shelf
Term
An artesian aquifer occurs when ________.
Definition
a water‑bearing layer is trapped between two layers that are less permeable
Term
Tropospheric ozone ________.
Definition
is produced through the interaction of heat and UV light, with nitrogen oxides and carbon-containing compounds
Term
Approximately ________% of the typical American city is devoted to use by cars.
Definition
usually be used from sinks for irrigation and watering lawns
Term
As of 2010, the saga of the Colorado River's water resource allocation is being complicated by ________.
Definition
several years of drought coupled with the rapid growth of Las Vegas
Term
Overpumping groundwater in coastal areas can cause ________ to move into aquifers, making the water undrinkable.
Definition
salt water
Term
The Coriolis effect contributes to ________.
Definition
global wind patterns
Term
The Kyoto Protocol ________.
Definition
was intended to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases to levels lower than those of 1990
Term
Lead enters the atmosphere as a particulate pollutant. This is a problem because it ________.
Definition
causes central nervous system damage in humans
Term
Photochemical smog differs from industrial smog in that it ________.
Definition
is formed only in the presence of sunlight
Term
As water warms, it ________.
Definition
expands
Term
Precipitation that falls on Earth's surface ________.
Definition
may take a variety of pathways through surface water or groundwater flow
Term
A recent study has revealed that chlorinated hydrocarbons, gasoline and other volatile organic compounds (VOC's) have become significant pollutants in ________ from ________.
Definition
ground water / leaking storage tanks
Term
One of the problems that occurs as a consequence of CFC pollution is ________.
Definition
increasing skin cancer in humans
Term
Marine reserves ________.
Definition
are "no‑take" areas in the oceans
Term
Which of the following best describes floodplains?
Definition
a region of land that is periodically flooded when a river overflows
Term
Today, _______ has the worst acid deposition problem, primarily because of _______.
Definition
China / coal-fired electrical and industrial plants
Term
_______% of U.S.citizens live in coastal counties, thus vulnerable to rises in sea level.
Definition
53%
Term
Carbon dioxide is ________.
Definition
the main anthropogenic greenhouse gas produced in the United States
Term
One-fifth of Earth's total freshwater supply is in ________.
Definition
groundwater
Term
Radon ________.
Definition
may cause lung cancer when inhaled
Term
The rapid melting of Greenland's ice cap could disrupt the NADW formation by ________.
Definition
adding huge amounts of less dense fresh water to the surface of the system
Term
Ocean water is saltiest ________.
Definition
where there is high evaporation and low precipitation
Term
The largest portion of atmospheric gases is ________.
Definition
nitrogen
Term
You want to maintain a healthy pond at your school site. Last year another pond became eutrophic; to avoid that, you want to ________.
Definition
avoid increasing phosphorus runoff into the limnetic zone
Term
Kelp are ________.
Definition
large algae that protect shorelines from erosion, and supply shelter and food for invertebrates and fish
Term
Which one of the following is not yet regulated by the EPA?
Definition
carbon dioxide
Term
Most present‑day fisheries managers ________.
Definition
wish to set aside areas of ocean where systems can function without human interference.
Term
Keeling's reports from Mauna Loa demonstrated ________.
Definition
an increase in tropospheric CO2 from the 1950s to present
Term
The exceptionally strong warming of the eastern Pacific is referred to as ________.
Definition
El Niño
Term
The relative humidity is the ________.
Definition
amount of water vapor in the atmosphere
Term
Natural sources of air pollution come from ________.
Definition
soil dust and volcanic dust
Term
You have been hired by a rapidly growing small city to improve the air quality, which has deteriorated in the past 10 years. Your first suggestion is to ________.
Definition
improve transportation options, including carpool lanes, buses, and light rail
Term
Hydroelectric power generation ________.
Definition
is an alternative to fossil fuels that produces fewer greenhouse gases
Term
We build dams to ________.
Definition
generate electricity, prevent flooding and provide irrigation
Term
Currently, the greatest ecological crisis facing marine food webs is ________.
Definition
overharvesting
Term
Of the following greenhouse gases, ________ concentrations have increased the most since 1750.
Definition
methane
Term
Sinkholes result from ________.
Definition
overconsumption of water from aquifers weakening the substrate
Term
Carbon monoxide ________.
Definition
blocks oxygen transport in human blood
Term
Bathymetry is best defined as the study of ________.
Definition
ocean depths
Term
The greenhouse effect involves warming of Earth's surface and the ________.
Definition
troposphere
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