APES Final Exam Review sheet Fall Semester
Units Covered:
Terrestrial Ecology, Foodwebs, Food Chains Biogeochemical cycles
Aquatic Ecology
Human Populations
Biodiversity, Evolution and Endangered Species
1. The nitrogen cycle is one of the most important biochemical cycles, give some examples of how excess nitrogen can be a problem to the environment.
Nitrogen from fertilizers causes eutrophication which leads to over growth of Algae in lakes rivers and streams from the runoff. This overgrowth cause Apoxia of the water so that there is no oxygen or life in the water and creates dead zones in rivers, lakes and even the gulf of mexico.
Nitrogen is also not good for us to drink or eat in excess and can lead to health problems like cancer, hyperthyroidism and birth defects.
2. The hydrologic cycle refers to the recycling of _water.
3. Draw a diagram of the hydrologic cycle.
4. Define each of the following processes in the nitrogen cycle
a. denitrification - 2 NO3- + 10 e- + 12 H+ → N2 + 6 H2O Bacteria put nitrogen in soil back into atmosphere.
b. nitrogen fixation – Bacteria take nitrogen out of the atmosphere and fix it to form ammonia NH3 in the soil.
c. ammonification – bacteria convert ammonia NH3 into ammonium NH4
d. nitrification- bacteria convert ammonia into NO2
e. assimilation – uptake of nutrients from the soil and into the plant.
Process / ProductFIX –nitrogen fixation / Ammonia NH3
(fish urinate)
N -Nitrification / N itrites and Nitrates NO2, NO3
A - assimilation / Protein for plants
(makes DNA and plant parts
A - ammonification / AmmoniumNH4
Nitrogen Gas into atmosphere
D –Denitrification / Nitrogen Gas into atmosphere
5. What substance has the greatest significance for the global carbonate-silicate cycle ? carbon dioxide
6. What pathway in the carbon cycle does carbon get transferred from living biota to the atmosphere ? Cellular Respiration
7. Examine the Phosphorus cycle determine how it enters living plants? Explain why phosphorus is often a limiting factor in many ecosystems? Slow to recycle because no gaseous form of phosphorous exits and may take millions of years to solidify into rocks, uplift in to mountains and then erode again.
8. Define species richness and give an example of how one could measure it. Variety and number of different species present in an ecosystem. Measure it by counting the species in a given area and determining the frequency .
9. The concentration of H+ ions in a solution with a pH value of 3 is how many times as great as the concentration of H+ ions in a solution with a pH value of 8? 100,000 times
10. How does the burning of fossil fuels contribute to the net increase in atmospheric carbon. When you burn fossil fuels the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and then reabsorbed into the earth or used by plants.
11. What are some negative affects of farm raised fish or salmon? Cause increased disease, lice parasites, decreased biodiversity
12. Give three examples from the book of keystone species: American Alligator, grey wolf, sea otters
13. What is meant by tragedy of the commons and give an example of it.
14. Population biologists are concerned about introduced species such as the zebra mussel in North America because the compete for resources more or less (circle one )effectively than native species.
15. A field is abandoned, and an invasive plant that can live in nutrient-poor soil moves into the field. If the land is later cleared of this invasive species and it is discovered that the soil has an abundance of nitrogen compounds, what conclusion can best be made? It does not utilize nitrogen or it may have had a relationship with bacteria that caused a large amount to be deposited in the soil.
16. The factor that likely poses the greatest threat of extinction worldwide is loss of habitat
17. Define the following
a. Eutrophication – excess nutrients in the water that cause algae to overgrow
b. Transpiration – loss of water from leaves on plant by evaporation
c. Photosynthesis – water and carbon dioxide and light are used produced glucose and oxygen.
d. Decomposition – breaking down of organic matter
18. Identify which countries in the world represent the following:
a. Country with the largest area of boreal forests: Russia
b. Country with the greatest percentage of land area affected by desertification: Austrailia
c. Country with the largest area of temperate deciduous forest United States
19. Identify what each letter represents in the diagram below:
A. biotic potential
exponential growth
B. overshoot
C. logistic growth
D. linear growth
E. carrying capacity
20. Why do introduced species often become pests? They better able to compete for resources.
21. What is reclamation of disturbed lands and give an everyday example?
22.Photosynthesis is the major source of which of the following gases in Earth’s atmosphere? Oxygen
23. Identify the countries that best represent the following statements:
a. This area has the lowest amount of naturally available freshwater per capita. Saudi Arabia
b.The largest hydroelectric dam in the world is located on one of the world’s longest rivers in this area. China
c..Desalination is used to supply much of this region with freshwater. Saudi Arabia
24. What are the elements is most likely to limit primary production in freshwater lakes? Phosphorous
25. What is a wetland ? Area of land covered fresh or salt water constantly.
26. What is the zone of a pond or lake in which rooted, emergent plants such as cattails and bushes are located? Littoral
27. Briefly describe the disaster and Give all the ways in which the wastes stored in Love Canal contaminated the surrounding area. Chemical company dumped waste in barrels and stored in the ground that leaked.
28. If wastewater treatment plant effluent that contains nitrates and phosphates is allowed to flow into a body of water what would be the result? eutrophication
29. A state highway was constructed over wetlands. The state obtained a permit to fill the existing wetlands in accordance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act of 1972, and agreed to create another wetland. This trade-off approach to addressing an environmental issue is known as? __mitigation
30. How is ground water reduced as urbanization increases and natural soil surfaces are covered? Less water is allowed to be absorbed as groundwater
31. Describe each method below of agriculture irrigation and tell which one results in the least amount of water loss through evaporation?
A. conventional center-pivot irrigation water rotates around is the most efficient
B. drip irrigation – allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipe, tubes, and emitters. It is done with the help of narrow tubes which delivers water directly to the base of the plant.
C. laser-level irrigation – use of laser to direct or level water
D. flood irrigation – ground water flows through ditches least efficient
E.gravity-flow irrigation – elevated reservoir with a pipe coming out the bottom that feeds water into a basic drip irrigation system that is all controlled either by hand or with a very efficient battery powered timer that controls the rate at which the crop is watered.
32. What are the Economic benefits of building large dams? What are the negative impacts of dams on ecosystems? Hydroelectric power, controls flooding, water for crops and homes, recreation. Changes ecocsystem. Reduce no sediment or nutrient flow, destroys ecosystems downstream from damn.
33. The major cause for the decline in the worldwide catch of fish since 1990 is?_over fishing__
34. Be able to describe each of the following environmental disasters:
A. Bhophal, India – gas leak
B. Love Canal, New York chemical leak
C. Three Gorges Dam, China – largest Damn.
D. West Java, Indonesia – dirty river filled with trash
E. Baia Mare, Romania- cyanide leak from coal mine into water
F. Aral Sea- depleted and used up to irrigation
35. What could most effectively reduce acid rain and acid deposition in water? Reduce coal use and electricity conserving energy from reduced car emissions
36. An area where there are cold waters, low oxygen levels, and bottom dwelling fish is known as_benthos.
37. The amount of the Earth’s surface that is covered by water is approximately_71%
38. The land area that delivers runoff, sediment, and dissolved substances to a stream is a_watershed?
39. Give the ecological services of inland wetlands?clean, prevent flooding, provide biodiversity
40. What is the greatest consumptive use of water?irrigation and agriculture
41. List some common examples of water pollutants: oil, lead, chemicals, pesticides. feces
42. What is desalination? Removal from salt water by evaporation and microfilatrations
43. What is tested for to determine water quality and what agency is responsible for monitoring it? EPA, pH, dissobled oxygen, nitrates, temperature, carbon dioxide, chemicals, coliforms
44. Define surface water ? water that comes from precipitation on the surface
45. As a country goes through the demographic transition, the greatest rate of population growth takes place during which phase?transitional period
46. Describe a population that has a stable age distribution? USA
47. Be able to compare of K-strategist species as compared to r-strategist species.elephant K cockroach r
48. It has recently been estimated that the growth in world population has slowed in the past decade. Despite this trend, environmentalists remain concerned about the environmental impact of world population, principally because? Limited resources
49. Give the Factors contributing to the rise in world hunger:unequal distribution of resources, industrialization
50. If a city of population 10,000 experiences 100 births, 40 deaths, 10 immigrants, and 30 emigrants in the course of a year, what is its net annual percentage growth rate?
51. The current global human population is about 6.1 billion and is growing at an annual rate of 1.35 percent. If world population were to grow at this rate for the next year, approximately how many people would be added?
52 If the population of a country grows at a rate of approximately 5 percent per year, the number of years required for the population to double is? 70/5 = 35 years
53. The increase in the size of Earth’s human population in the last century has been dramatic. Identifies two major contributors to this increase? Medicine, Industrialization
54. Define replacement-level fertility- number of offspring to replace both parents
55. Give the formula for how Population change is calculated: see 50
56 List the outcome(s) of China’s population control policy is: gender imbalance, reduced populations, fewer girls, homocide
57. Scientists who study the patterns of human population are called _Demographers
58. Educational and clinical services that help couples choose how many children to have and when to have them is referred to as Family planning
59. The three key factors that lead women to have fewer and healthier children are: role in community, education, birth control
60. A useful indicator of the overall health of a population is ? mortality rate
61. A commercially used method for harvesting trees and is most likely to lead to a fragmented landscape with serious impacts on biodiversity is ? clear cutting
62. The largest area of old-growth forest in the United States is located where? Alaska
63. Give an example of what could leads to a decrease in biodiversity? Habitat destruction, climate change, non native species, overhunting
64. The factor that likely poses the greatest threat of extinction of species worldwide is? Habitat loss
65. Describe what CITIES is: Treaty signed by 182 countries to agree not to sell or use endangered species
66. What is genetic diversity? Variation within the genes of a species
67. What is the best long-term method of preventing extinctions? Restore habitats
68.Identify the two factors thought to be the most harmful to biodiversity? Loss of habitat, human activity
69. Characteristics that tend to increase the risk of a species becoming endangered are: K strategist,
70. Illegal hunting for profit is called poaching
71. List some problems that building homes in the middle of a wildlife preserve could lead to:
Destroy habitat and lead to loss of biodiversity