Ecology Final Exam. 2. What is a pioneer species? What is the most common pioneer species? First species to move into an ecosystem - lichen

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1 1. What is extinction? All members of a species die off 2. What is a pioneer species? What is the most common pioneer species? First species to move into an ecosystem - lichen 3. Why would a 5 cubic meter section of a 50-acre lake not be appropriate to study fish biodiversity? Not a large enough area to study 4. Life on Mars is likely due to the fact that the atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide. This is a hypothesis. What question(s) about carbon dioxide would scientist need to consider when testing this? Can it be produced by abiotic processes 5. Compare habitat and niche. Habitat is the home/location of an individual. Niche is the job or roles of the individual within the habitat. 6. Why is a mushroom considered a consumer? It is a decomposer eating dead material. 7. Define trophic level. One step in a food chain. 8. What is biodiversity? The variety of organisms in an area. 9. What trophic level are producers in? bottom or first 10. What is mutualism? Give an example. When two organisms benefit from each other. Bee and flower 11. What role do plants play in the carbon cycle? Take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere 12. Why are bears and humans on the same trophic level(s)? Because we are both omnivores. 13. What is a food web? Connected food chains, or a series of feeding relationships 14. What is the water cycle? Use and reuse of water through an ecosystem 15. In the food web, what would lead to a decrease in the hawk population? Less rabbits 16. Explain how the hawk is both a secondary and a tertiary consumer. 2 nd after rabbit, 3 rd in the grasshopper, lizard and the mouse, snake chains

2 17. Which plant grew the most in week 2? What was its growth? Plant 4 at 6inches 18. What is the independent variable? Dependent? IV amount of water, DV - growth 19. Compare and contrast predation and parasitism. Predation hunts, kills and eats immediately. Parasitism slowly feeds off host causing it harm. 20. How do you know that this picture shows primary succession? Starts with rocks and no soil A B C D 21. In B, there is a blue-green growth on the rocks. What is it and what is its function in succession? Lichen a pioneer species, breaking rock into soil 22. How does the law of 10% cause an energy pyramid to get smaller at the top? Each of the trophic levels only gets 10% of that below it 23. Which level in a food pyramid do you find the herbivores? 2nd 24. Which trophic level gets solar energy INDIRECTLY? All consumers 25. How is fire useful in taiga? Seeds germinate (cones open) 26. Which organisms have the least contamination in picture? Producers lowest trophic level 27. What is the sun s role in most ecosystems? Provides energy 28. Why are decomposers necessary? Which types of organisms are the primary decomposers in terrestrial ecosystems? Recycle nutrients, bacteria and fungi are primary decomposers 29. What is the understory of a forest? Above the floor below the canopy 30. Which terrestrial biome has the highest species diversity? Where on the planet is it found? Tropical rainforest found in the tropics around the equator

3 31. Which biome has plants that are adapted to obtain and conserve water? desert 32. Which forest biome has acidic soil and the least rainfall of all the forests? In what region is this forest found in? taiga, temperate zone 33. Which biome has permafrost? tundra 34. In which biome(s) would searching for food at night be a good adaptation? Desert to stay cool 35. Describe a savanna. Tropical grassland with migrating herbivores 36. Define biome. Areas with the same types of plants and animals 37. Since plants forms the base of the food web, they determine which _animals species will live in a biome. 38. Cactus spines are modified leaves to reduce water loss. 39. How is migration a useful adaptation on the savanna? Travels with the rain 40. Which forest layer gets the least sunlight? floor 41. Why do tundra plants bloom and set seed quickly? Because the growing season is so short 42. Describe the adaptations of the conifer to the taiga. Triangular shape to shed snow, evergreen to photosynthesis as soon as it is warm enough, 43. Why is changing fur color (based on season) a useful adaptation in the tundra and taiga? camouflage 44. How does observation begin the scientific process? Seeing something causes a scientist to ask questions that lead to experiments 45. Data must be replicated to be considered valid. Others must be able to get the same information. 46. Why would a hypothesis change? New data 47. What are keystone species? The ecosystem would break down if they were gone 48. Why is habitat preservation the best way to preserve biodiversity? It saves both known and unknown species 49. What is mass extinction? Many species die at the same time 50. What is the most serious nuclear accident that occurred in the United States? Three Island Island

4 51. What is uranium-235 used for? How is it considered environmentally friendly by some? Nuclear fuel, no greenhouse gas 52. Which type of power generates the most air pollution? Fossil fuels 53. Which energy source is the most widely used? Why? Fossil fuels, easily gotten, cheap 54. Which energy sources are renewable? Solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydrogen, water 55. What is the MAIN reason for slowing the construction nuclear power plants? expensive 56. What is a direct use of fossil fuels? Burning gas for heat in a gas stove 57. What is hydroelectric energy? From moving water 58. Renewable energy is from sources that are constantly being formed. 59. How can the United States increase its energy efficiency? Drive less, take public transportation, turn off appliance when not in use 60. What is geothermal energy? From the heat of the planet 61. What is biomass energy? Energy from biomass wood, trash, etc 62. What is conservation? Only using what is necessary 63. A school was built on top of the Love Canal, a chemical waste dump. 64. What can cause erosion? Wind, rain 65. Dry regions are more likely to see desertification from erosion. 66. What is a pathogen? Organism that causes disease usually bacteria, fungi or protista 67. By improving air circulation, you reduce the amount of indoor pollutants in your home. 68. Define eutrophication and its effects on aquatic biomes. Eutrophication is when there is a build up of nutrients in an aquatic biome that leads to an algal bloom. As the algae die, the decomposers use up the oxygen in the water creating a dead zone. 69. T/F Bacteria on the ocean floor (benthic zone) live on decaying matter. True 70. Mud on the lake floor is a part of which zone? benthic 71. Contrast swamps and marshes. Swamps have woody plants. Marshes have reedy plants.

5 72. Suckers for holding onto rocks is important in which freshwater biome? river 73. Coral reefs are made of by which type of organism? polyps 74. Define wetland. Land that is covered with water for a least a portion of the year 75. How is the use of solar energy limited? It is not available everywhere, everyday even though it has great potential. 76. Why must methane be removed from landfills? It is explosive. 77. List some household hazardous waste. Dish detergent, light bulb, oven cleaner 78. Why can you only compost biodegradable material? Because it is organisms that break down the material into soil 79. What is desalinization? Why would it be used? Removing salt from water, drinking water 80. What types of agriculture products add to water pollution? Fungicides, animal wastes, pesticides 81. How does thermal pollution kill fish? (Think about how they breath). Warm water contains less oxygen. 82. How can plastic harm marine life? They can get tangled in it, eat it by accident and damage their digestive system 83. Reusable, durable product reduce land pollution. Name 5 reusable, durable products. Refillable pen, dish rag, cloth diapers, cloth napkins, glass/ceramic cups and plates, etc 84. How do personal and cultural views impact human population? Can cause the population to continue growing, prevent population control 85. Sweden s age pyramid is wide in the middle age categories, what does that country need to plan for in the future? An elderly population with fewer adults to take care of them 86. Where is Mexico s largest part of the age pyramid? children