Seaport ECOL-C100 midterm and final exam

1. Organisms that feed only on plants are called

	detritivores
	omnivores
	carnivores
	herbivores
	decomposers

2. Which of the following is NOT an example of an indicator species?

	trout in water with a specifric temperature requirement
	birds that need a large forested area
	butterflies that use a specific plant as food
	frogs that take in water and air though their skin
	All are example of indicatory species

3. A species in an ecosystem that plays a central role in the health of that ecosystem, and whose removal may cause the collapse of the ecosystem, is called a(n)

	foundation species
	indicator species
	native species
	keystone species
	specialist species

4. One way that species evolve over time to reduce niche overlap is called

	competitive exclusion principle
	resource partitioning
	population distribution
	chemical warfare
	mimicry

5. Aerobic respiration requires

	glucose and carbon dioxide.
	glucose and oxygen.
	oxygen and water.
	carbon dioxide and water.
	carbon dioxide and oxygen.

6. The first law of thermodynamics tells us that

	Doing work always creates heat.
	Altering matter is the best source of energy.
	Energy cannot be recycled.
	Energy is neither created nor destroyed.
	Energy cannot be converted.

7. Which of the following is NOT a greenhouse gas?

	carbon monoxide
	water vapor
	carbon dioxide
	methane
	nitrous oxide

8. Which of the following is an example of a density dependent population control

	parasites
	predators
	infectious diseases
	competitors with high niche overlap
	all of these answers

9. If grass stores 1,000 energy units received from sun, the ecological efficiency of the ecosystem is 10%, and the trophic levels are grass > cow > human, how many units of energy does the human receive of the original 1,000 units?

	900
	200
	100
	10
	1

10. Complex feeding patters for consumers in an ecosystem are called

	food webs
	food chains
	trophic levels
	pyramids of energy
	trophic chains

11. All of the following are part of the freshwater aquatic life zones, EXCEPT

	lakes
	mangrove forests
	inland wetlands
	streams
	rivers

12. In terms of habitat destruction, the greatest eliminator of species is

	pollution of streams, lakes, and oceans
	destruction of coral reefs
	destruction of wetlands
	plowing of grasslands
	deforestation in tropical areas

13. The term malnutrition refers to people who consume

	low calories
	low carbohydrates
	too much meat
	low protein, high carbohydrate
	high protein

14. In lakes, the nutrient-rich water near the shore is part of the

	limnetic zone
	benthic zone
	littoral zone
	profundal zone
	abyssal zone

15. With the Arctic warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, which of the following organisms is rapidly moving toward threatened status?

	sea lions
	walrus
	polar bears
	seals
	arctic fox

16. Which of the following is an ADVANTAGEof hydropower?

	high methane emissions
	disruption of downstream aquatic ecosystems
	high-cost of energy
	large land disturbance
	large untapped potential

17. Even carefully designed logging roads have harmful effects, including all of the following EXCEPT

	increased erosion
	sediment runoff into waterways
	habitat fragmentation
	decrease access to farms, mines, and ranches
	loss of diversity

18. Organisms in this area must be able to avoid being swept away, crushed by waves, or being left high and dry at low tides, and must survive daily on seasonal salinity and temperature changes.

	estuaries
	coastal wetlands
	bathyal zone
	intertidal zone
	coral reefs

19. What can you do to help sustain terrestrial biodiversity? All of the following are things each of us can do, EXCEPT

	Plant trees and take care of them.
	Recycle paper and use recycled products.
	Buy sustainable wood and wood products.
	Help restore nearby degraded forests or grasslands
	Do not plant your yard with local plants

20. Late successional plants are largely unaffected by plants at earlier stages of succession, a factor called

	facilitation
	imperturbability
	inhibition
	tolerance
	intolerance

21. Which of the following does NOT represent kinetic energy?

	the wind blowing
	flowing water
	reservoir behind a dam
	ocean waves
	electricity

22. Which of the following is said to occur when one organism feeds on another organism, usually by living on or in that other organism?

	interspecific competition
	predation
	parasitism
	mutualism
	commensalism

23. The highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply is called

	conservation
	sustainable yield
	preservation
	recycling
	all of these answers

24. Scientists classify energy as either

	chemical or physical
	kinetic or mechanical
	potential or mechanical
	potential or kinetic
	chemical or kinetic

25. Which of the following is NOT an abiotic factor?

	water
	potassium
	bacteria
	nitrogen
	sunlight

26. All of the following are elements EXCEPT

	water
	oxygen
	nitrogen
	hydrogen
	carbon

27. The mass number is equal to the sum of the

	neutrons and isotopes
	neutrons and electrons
	neutrons and protons
	protons and electrons
	ions and isotopes

28. When plotting the number of individuals in a population against time the data yield a J-shaped curve, which indicates which of the following?

	logistic growth
	environmental resistance
	exponential growth
	carrying capacity
	biotic potential

29. Carbon is a major component of

	water
	the oceans
	organic compounds
	the atmosphere
	hydrologic cycle

30. Effects of pollution might include

	being unable to see the top of skyscrapers because of smog
	destruction of a statue in a city park by acid rain
	spread of a disease from an open dump
	fish kills in lakes and streams
	all of these

31. It is necessary to use energy to get energy. The difference between what you get and what you use to get it is called

	gain
	loss
	gross energy
	profit
	net energy

32. The middle, partially melted zone of the interior of the earth is called the

	crust
	tectonic plate
	core
	mantle
	magma

33. The greatest marine biodiversity is located

	in the bottom region of the ocean
	in the surface region of the ocean
	in the coastal region of the ocean
	in the open ocean
	in coral reefs

34. Which of the following is NOT true about surface fires?

	They free valuable mineral nutrients tied up in decomposing litter.
	They release seeds from cones of lodgepole pines.
	They increase soil erosion.
	Wildlife requires surface fires to maintain their habitats.
	They help control diseases.

35. Global oil production peaks when

	oil becomes cheap and use increases
	demand for oil lessens
	large new proven reserves are located
	maximum global rate of production is reached
	OPEC decides to slow oil production

36. The lack of sufficient water to meet the needs of the people in a country or region is called

	water deficit
	water shortage
	drought
	hydrological shortage
	hydrologic cycle

37. The term undernutrition refers to people who consume

	low calorie diet
	high calorie diet
	low protein, low carbohydrates
	low protein, high carbohydrates
	high protein, low carbohydrates

38. Deep lakes with steep banks that have a small supply of plant nutrients are

	oligotrophic lakes
	eutrophic lakes
	culturally eutrophic lakes
	hypereutrophic lakes
	mesotrophic lakes

39. The United States uses what percentage of all the oil produced in the world?

	6%
	7%
	8%
	17%
	23%

40. The most important factor in determining which biome is found in a particular area is

	soil type
	topography
	geology
	climate
	landforms

final exam

1. All of the following are exmaples of environmental nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), except

	World Wildlife Fund
	Natural Resources Defense Council
	U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
	The Nature Conservancy
	Greenpeace

2. As a form of waste reduction, reuse does all of the following, EXCEPT

	decreases the use of matter resources
	decreases the use of energy resources
	cuts pollution and waste
	creates local jobs
	costs money

3. Which of the following is NOT a type of ewaste?

	discraded TV sets
	discarded computer printer paper
	discarded cell phones
	discraded electronic toys
	discarded computer monitors

4. At what level of exposure to a particular toxic chemical will the chemical cause harm?

	toxicity
	biomagnification
	persistence
	response
	dose

5. Markets do well in the production and distribution of private goods, but are not so good at

	accumulating resources
	distribution of resources
	public services
	protecting sources of information
	developing strategies

6. Typical rain in the eastern US is at least _____ times more acidic than what normal precipitation should be

	2
	5
	10
	20
	50

7. Governments intervene in markets to do all of the following, EXCEPT

	prevent degradation of open-access resources
	provide public services
	provide security ad protecton
	manage public resources
	direct production of goods and services

8. Developed contries, in the year 2000, pledged to devote 0.7% of their national income toward reducing hunger and poverty, and moving toward environmental sustainability. What is the average actual amount donated by these countries?

	2.0%
	1.5%
	0.75%
	0.50%
	0.25%

9. The trickle-down effect describes how

	Hhigh quality energy being converted to low quality heat energy
	Toxic wastes filter down in landfills.
	Use of microloans to alleviate poverty
	Economic growth increases the number of jobs and helps the poor help themselves.
	Movement of toxic pesticides percolate through a food web.

10. Which of the following would NOT traditionally support an eco-economy?

	Shift taxes from wages and profits to pollution and waste.
	Improve energy efficiency.
	Shift from a carbon-based economy to a renewable fuel-based economy.
	Repair ecological damage
	Decrease subsidies for alternative fuel vehicles.

11. The process by which individuals and groups tries to influence or control the policies and actions of governments is known as

	lobbying
	policy making
	politics
	all of these answers
	none of these answers

12. Countries whose environment has been severely degraded may be characterized by any of the following, EXCEPT

	deterioration of vital infrastructure
	increased immigration
	allegiance to warlords
	breakdown of law and order
	violent internal conflict or civil war

13. Ecological and environmental economists consider which of the following to be a basic cause of environmental degradation, pollution, poor health, and premature death?

	taxes on wages, income, wealth
	using tradable permits or rights to pollute
	government subsidies
	laws and regulations to prevent pollution
	poverty

14. Human inputs of outdoor air pollutants occur mostly

	in rural areas
	in the mountains
	along the oceans
	in urban areas
	in the deserts

15. New and more innovative business replacing older ones that can no longer thrive under changing economic conditions is known as

	free market system
	economic competition
	economic succession
	neoclassical economics
	environmental economics

16. ________relates to the amount of a potentially toxic substance as it passes through food chains and webs.

	Toxicity
	Biomagnification
	Persistence
	Response
	Dose

17. Which of the following countries did not adopt Agenda 21, the global agenda for sustainable development in the 21st century?

	Russia
	England
	United States
	Australia
	Canada

18. The atmospheric layer containing 75% of the mass of earth's air is the

	thermosphere
	mesosphere
	stratosphere
	troposphere
	tropopause

19. Levying taxes on each unit of pollution discharged into the air or water is an example of

	tradable pollution rights
	charging user fees
	regulation
	green taxes
	subsidies for beneficial actions

20. Which branch of the U.S. government is responsible for instructing federal agencies on their tasks?

	federal
	military
	executive
	judicial
	none of these answers

21. Environmentalists say that the best way to handle soft drink and beer containers is to

	use landfills
	use paper bottles
	use stainless steel cans
	use reusable glass bottles and PET containers and recycle
	bury them

22. Which of the following is the LEAST desirable from an environmental standpoint?

	repair
	reduce
	reuse
	compost
	recycle

23. Since 1980, the gap between the rich and the poor has

	disappeared
	increased
	stayed the same
	decreased
	stayed the same and then decreased

24. The system responsible for defense against disease and harmful substances is the

	circulatory system
	endocrine system
	immune system
	excretory system
	skeletal system

25. Most of earth's weather occurs in the

	troposphere
	thermosphere
	mesosphere
	stratosphere
	tropopause

26. The U.S. population is

	shifting to the north and east
	shifting to the north and west
	shifting to the south and east
	shifting to the south and west
	shifting to the north and south

27. The leading cause of water pollution is?

	industrial facilities
	mining
	agriculture
	domestic sources
	none of these answers

28. Pollutants in the Great Lakes of North America can take up to ____ to be flushed out to the Atlantic Ocean.

	25 years
	50 years
	75 years
	100 years
	150 years

29. To qualify as a megacity, it must have a population of ____ people.

	1 million
	5 million
	7 million
	10 million
	15 million

30. Waste that includes paper, food wastes, cans, bottles, yard waste, glass, wood, and similar items is called

	industrial solid waste
	hazardous waste
	municipal solid waste
	toxic solid waste
	ewaste

31. In a warmer world, which of the following organisms are likely to be hardest hit?

	polar bears
	insects
	weeds
	fungi
	all of these answers

32. One way to attempt to deal with the solid wastes we create is to attempt to reduce the environmental impact without trying to reduce the amount of waste produced. This is called

	waste reduction
	waste prevention
	secondary pollution prevention
	primary pollution prevention
	waste management

33. With 4.6% of the world's population, the United States produces about _____ of the world's solid waste.

	one-tenth
	one-fifth
	one-fourth
	one-third
	one-half

34. Without changing what we are doing to the environment, the projected amount of warming by the year 2100 is

	2 degrees C
	3 degrees C
	4 degrees C
	5 degrees C
	6 degrees C

35. In general, acid deposition has harmful effects for terrestrial ecosystems when it falls below a pH level of

	3.6
	4.6
	5.6
	6.6
	7.6

36. Large masses of floating plastics in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans are known as

	Great Atlantic and Pacific Garbage Patches
	Atlantic and Pacific Plastic Vortexes
	Atlantic and Pacific Plastic Hotspots
	Atlantic and Pacific Plastic Black Holes
	None of these answers

37. Experts rate indoor air pollution as a

	serious health problem for humans
	non-serious health problem for humans
	mildly serious health problem for humans
	high-risk ecological problem
	none of these

38. Which of the following is a point source of water pollution?

	offshore oil wells
	livestock feedlots
	urban lands
	croplands
	parking lots

39. The degradation of Lake Washington resulted from the introduction by sewage treatment plants of which of the following?

	phosphorus
	nitrogen
	oxygen
	chlorine
	fecal material

40. The most serious threat from ozone depletion is that increased UV radiation

	causes cataracts
	destroys phytoplankton
	increases skin cancers
	suppresses immune system
	causes worse sunburns

41. According to a 2009 EPA report, between 1980 and 2008 the combined emissions of six major air pollutants decreased by how much?

	17%
	23%
	36%
	49%
	54%

42. The amount of solid waste produced in the United States each year would fill a convoy of garbage trucks stretching around the world almost

	2 times
	4 times
	6 times
	8 times
	10 times

43. Which has NOT been a major factor promoting urban sprawl in the United States?

	A surplus of rural open space is still available.
	Federal loan guarantees to WWII veterans.
	The Homestead Act still gives land cheaply away in many areas of the country.
	Cheap gasoline.
	Poor urban planning.

44. Which of the following is NOT one of the world's leading greenhouse gas producer?

	India
	European Union
	China
	Brazil
	none of these answers

45. All of the following are on EPA's "four most dangerous indoor air pollutants list," EXCEPT

	asbestos
	radon-222
	styrene
	cigarette smoke
	formaldehyde

46. To be considered safe for swimming, a 100 milliliter sample of water should contain ___ or fewer colonies of coliform bacteria.

	0
	5
	10
	100
	200

47. The natural nutrient enrichment of a shallow lake, estuary, or slow moving stream is called

	oligotrophy
	runoff
	upwellings
	red tides
	eutrophication

48. Which of the following is not a characteristic of PCBs?

	is a carcinogen
	is a teratogen
	breakdown very slowly
	are found almost everywhere
	none of these answers

49. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates how many people on earth do NOT have access to clean drinking water?

	1 out of 100
	1 out of 50
	1 out of 20
	1 out of 10
	1 out of 7

50. One fish in _____ taken from the Great Lakes is unsafe for human consumption.

	ten
	seven
	five
	four
	three