Environmental first semester exam – Flashcards
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major contributors to the field of environmental science
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biology, earth, chemistry, physics, and social science
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most of today's environmental problems began during what period in human history?
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Industrial Revolution
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environmental science is a study of which types of interactions between humans and the environment
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how humans: use natural resource, relate to the nonliving environment, human actions alter the environment
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what is studied in environmental science?
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impact of humans on the environment
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population growth in the 20th century accelerated what environmental stresses
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resource depletion, pollution, and habitat destruction
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why is the world's loss of biodiversity a source of concern?
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humans depend on other organisms and their nonliving environment
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using economic consideration of resource use, the law of supply and demand describes..?
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the relationship between the availability and the worth of resources
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using both the merits and expenses involved in implementing a particular environmental solution is an example of?
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a cost-benefit analysis
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compared with their counterparts in developed countries, individuals in developing nations typically have
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shorter life span
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achieving a sustainable world is a goal that will depend on...?
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responsible consumption by developed countries and cooperation between governments, industry, and citizens
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example of a reusable resource
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building wooden furniture
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developed countries
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france, canada, new zealand
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what is not a result of the industrial revolution
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overhunting of large animals
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Hardin's "tragedy of commons" essay addresses the conflicts associated with what environmental challenge?
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protecting shared resources
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according to the law of supply and demand, reduced oil production lead to
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higher prices for oil
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what is not an environmental function of wetlands?
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increasing runoff
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what is not an important advantage for aquatic organisms living near the surface of a lake or pond?
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presence of decomposing organisms
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what is not a characteristic of salt marshes and mangrove swamps
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both are dominated by marsh grasses
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photosynthetic organisms are found mainly in shallow water due to availability of..?
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sunlight
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in what zone is aquatic life abundant and diverse
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littoral
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in what zone is the water cool and dark
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Benthic
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what is not a threat to coral reefs?
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phytoplankton
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estuaries are extremely productive ecosystems because they continually receive nutrients from ___ and ___
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rivers and oceans
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what causes most coastal pollution in the U.S.
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industrial waste and sewage
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as they flow down a mountain to flatter ground, rivers generally become..?
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wider, warmer, and slower
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water ____ sunlight; therefore photosynthesis in lakes and oceans does not occur below 100 meters
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absorbs
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what aquatic ecosystem is adversely affected by runoff?
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rivers, oceans, and estuaries
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most pollutants that enter estuaries break down over time, yet they are still considered a problem because...?
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it is the volume of the pollutants, more than the time factor, that harms estuaries
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what adaptation prevents phytoplankton from sinking into deep water
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flagella
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what are two threats to ocean ecosystems
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nutrient runoff and industrial waste discharge, entanglement of marine mammals in trawl nets and overfishing, and sewage and algal blooms
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many angiosperms depend on animals for...?
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pollinating their flowers, and distributing their seeds
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what invertebrates are generally small, allowing them to live on little food and to hide from enemies?
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insects
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name a vertebrate
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frogs
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what is considered a lower plant
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ferns and mosses
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which of the following does not belong with the rest moss grass algae wild flower
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algae
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describes soil and temperature in an ecosystem
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abiotic factors
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what is part of an organisms habitat
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shelter, food, and water
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what does not describe part of the process of evolution by natural selection
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communities include population of several species
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some snakes produce a powerful venom that paralyzes their prey. this poison is an example of...
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an adaptation
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what best describes a population
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members of the same species living in the same place at the same time
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organisms can adapt to...
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their physical surroundings
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the process of two species changing genetically in response to long-term interactions with each other is
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coevolution
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for evolution to occur in a population, individuals with a trait that is "naturally selected for" must
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reproduce
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an organism is resistant to a chemical if it
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has a gene that protects it from the chemical
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some organisms are more likely to survive because they
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have certain physical traits, lack certain physical traits, and have certain behaviors
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most scientist classify organisms into
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6 kingdoms
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most land animals depend on angiosperms for
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food
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what converts nitrogen in the air into a form plants can use?
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bacteria
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which protist is a type of algae that uses energy from the sun to make food
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phytoplankton
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which animal is successful because it moves quickly, reproduces rapidly, and has a waterproof external skeleton
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bird
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what organism belong to the same population
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a human mother and her child
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which components of an ecosystem is not abiotic factors
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tree branches
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what phrase does not describe the part of the process of evolution by natural selection
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communities include populations of several species
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what type of vegetation would you expect to find on an abandoned farm that has remained undisturbed for 150 years?
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tall, mature oak trees
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what type of vegetation would you expect to find on newly volcanic islands
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lichens
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what type of succession occurs after a natural process such as volcanic eruption or flood
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primary succession
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what is the ultimate source of energy for almost all organisms except those living deep in the ocean near a thermal vent
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the sun
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what consumer might depend on a rabbit for its energy
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horse
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a consumer that eats only producers is called an
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carnivore
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what term is used to describe a linear sequence in which energy is transmitted from one organism to the next as each organism eats another organism
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energy pyramid
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what is not true about a consumer
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they make their own food
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lowest trophic level to highest
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grass, mouse, snake, eagle
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communities of bacteria have been found living thousands of feet underwater. what is a proper conclusion to say about this bacteria
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they use an energy source other than sunlight
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what would be a pioneer organism on an area of bare rock
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lichens
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the amount of light available to each layer of a tropical rain forest from least to most is
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emergent layer, upper canopy, lower canopy, understory
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describe the climate of the chapparal
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mediterannian climate:hot dry summers, mild wet winters
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what organisms has the same ecological role as lions in the savanna
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coyotes in the chaparral
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approximately what percentage of the earth's species do tropical rain forests contain
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20%
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animal species of tropical rainforest
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have adaptations to cope with extreme variations in climate
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migration of anim als in the savanna is mostly a response to
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temperature
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spadefoot toads survive the dry conditions the desert has by
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burying themselves in the ground
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the tundra is most suitable to a vertebrate that
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has green outer skin for camouflage
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a biome that has a large amount of rainfall, high temperatures, and poor soil is a...
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tropical rainforest
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the most common types of plants in the taiga biomes are...
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coniferous trees
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describe a biome
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a region characterized by specific climate and organism communities
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what type of forest has the greatest biodiversity
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tropical rainforest
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what is the diversity of the species in an are dependent on?
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rainfall
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what are the main factors that determine weather
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altitude,latitude,precipitation, and temperature
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what biome contains large treest
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temperate rain forest
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what essential characteristic does a good experiment have
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a single variable is tested and a control is used
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why are mathematical models important?
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they are especially useful with many variables
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the average mass of a wolf in a pack of wolves is an example of
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mean
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a model of a dinosaur is an example of a ____ model
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physical
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the chance that an earthquake will occur in your town during the next year is an example of
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risk
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before you can make a decision using a decision-making model, what step must you take?
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explore the consequence of each option, consider which values apply to the issue, and gather information
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if you consider what will protect our natural resources when making an environmental decision, you are examining a
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environmental
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a good hypothesis is more than a guess because it
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makes logical sense
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when making an environmental decision, listing positive and negative long term short term consequences can help to
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weigh your values
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principles or standards we consider important are known as
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values
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the decision-making model
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provides a systematic process, is a conceptual model, and helps you make a decision
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name the decision making model in order
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gather information, consider values,explore consequences, make a decision
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which step in the environmental decision making model should include reading newspapers and listening to well- informed people on all sides of an issue
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gathering information
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scientists form ______ hypothesis to answer question
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testable
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risk is the ____ of a negative outcome
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probability
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scientists ______ experiments to make sure the results are meaningful
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repeat
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the number of wild horses per square kilometer in a prairie is the horse's population's
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density
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if over a long period of time each pair of adults in a population had only two offspring and the offspring lived to reproduce, the population would
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stay the same
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competition for food cannot occur...
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between animals from two different ecosystems
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a bird that feeds at night and a bird that feeds during the day from the same flower is an example of...
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indirect competition
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in what type of interaction between species does one species benefit by harming another species but not killing it
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parasitism
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a relationship that has coevolved
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flowering plants and their pollinators
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what organism has the highest reproductive potentioal
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bacteria
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random dispersion
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solitary snakes in a desert
