question

What does the nucleus of an atom contain?

answer

protons and neutrons

question

What are performance bonds used for in the US?

answer

cover the cost of reclaiming and revegetating mined sites

question

1997 Kyoto Summit

answer

created an international commitment to reduce the emission of green house gases

question

What is corporate expansion primarily determined by?

answer

profitability and cost reduction

question

What percent of the earths water is undrinkable?

answer

99%

question

What is a disadvantage of a subsidy?

answer

The actual cost of subsidized product is higher because bureaucracy necessary to administer the subsidy costs money

question

Why has world food production doubles in the last 40 years?

answer

fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yielding varieties

question

Why do industries pollute?

answer

manufacturing consumes energy and produces waste, they want to cut costs and increase profits, and proper waste disposal is too costly

question

What was protested at the Conference on Population and Development Representatives?

answer

A baby born in the United States will consume 20 times the resources in its lifetime as an African or Indian baby

question

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

answer

initiated by the United Nations to assess four bored ecosystem services

question

What are the steps in a cost benefit analysis?

answer

Calculation of the net profit, identification of the profit, determination of all impacts

question

What happens when the supply of a product exceeds the demand for the product?

answer

the producers lower their prices

question

What does is mean when a solution has a low pH number?

answer

it is an acid

question

In what form is energy lost in when converted from one form to another?

answer

heat

question

The Earth Summit

answer

formerly known as UNCED, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the first worldwide meeting dealing with environmental concerns

question

What is the goal of a deposit refund program?

answer

encourage product recycling through the rerun of a deposit

question

Ecocentrism

answer

theory which suggests that the environment has direct rights and qualifies for moral personhood

question

Extended product responsibility

answer

the use of recycled wood products in the manufacture of new products

question

What is risk tolerance based upon?

answer

user management policy, risk tolerance programs, perception of risk

question

Why do waterfowl present special wildlife management problems?

answer

they are migratory

question

What are human impacts on temperate forests?

answer

farming, logging, and population centers

question

What are eutrophic lakes?

answer

shallow, warm, nutrient-rich lake

question

How have Mediterranean Shrublands been impacted by humans?

answer

they are near oceans and have a moderate climate

question

How much of the earths surface is covered by oceans?

answer

about 70%

question

Temperate Deciduous Forests

answer

have fewer species than a tropical rainforest and contain shade tolerant spring wildflowers

question

Which biome is characterized by organisms which are inactive during the day and burrow underground?

answer

Desert

question

What are the stages of succession called?

answer

seral stages

question

What is genetic diversity influenced by?

answer

migration, mutation, and sexual reproduction

question

Which organism forms the base of the energy food pyramid in a pelagic marine ecosystem?

answer

phytoplankton

question

Competitive Exclusion Principle

answer

concept that no 2 species can occupy the same ecological niche in the same place at the same time

question

What causes desertification?

answer

overgrazing and cutting frees for firewood

question

What are the regions of a lake ecosystem?

answer

Euphoric zone, limnetic zone, littoral zone

question

Natural Selection

answer

the process that determines who an individual mates with

question

What is the number one cause of extinction?

answer

habitat fragmentation and loss

question

Which biome is characterized by having no reptiles or amphibians and an abundance of migratory waterfowl?

answer

tundra

question

In what process is phosphorus released from rocks?

answer

weathering and erosion

question

What is the best harvesting method that allows cutting of mature trees without damaging the forest?

answer

selective harvesting

question

What organism is dominant in bare rock primary succession?

answer

lichen

question

Climax Communities

answer

able to maintain their mix of species, in energy balance, have more kinds of organisms

question

Why are sport hunting seasons regulated to the fall?

answer

so that surplus animals are taken before the challenges of winter

question

What is the development of herbicide resistance in population of weeds over several generations an example of?

answer

Evolution

question

The Endangered Species Act of 1973

answer

gave the federal government jurisdiction over any species that were designated as endangered

question

What are the 2 major factors that influence vegetation in biomes?

answer

precipitation and temperature

question

What taxonomic group displays the greatest biodiversity?

answer

insects

question

Environmental Science

answer

an interdisciplinary field that includes both scientific and social aspects of human impact on the world

question

Environment

answer

everything that affects an organism during its lifetime

question

Science

answer

an approach to studying the natural world that involves formulating hypotheses and then testing them ti see if the hypotheses are supported or refuted

question

Ecosystem

answer

a region in which the organisms and the physical environment form an interacting unit

question

Sustainablility

answer

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs

question

What are the emerging global issues?

answer

population growth, maintaining functional ecosystems, food security, environmental governance, environment and health, environment and security, environment and globalization, and energy and the environment

question

What are human health problems that are linked to environmental conditions?

answer

air pollution, water pollution, malaria, accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease, emerging diseases

question

Ethics

answer

one branch of philosophy, seeks to define what is right and what is wrong, broad was of thinking about what constitutes a good life and how to live one

question

What are the 3 environmental ethics key propositions?

answer

1. the earth and its creatures have moral status, in other words, are worthy of our ethical concern 2. the earth and its creatures have intrinsic value, meaning that they have moral value merely because they exist, not only because they meet human needs 3. based on the concept of an ecosystem, human beings should consider "wholes" that include other forms of life and the environment

question

Anthropocentrism

answer

human centered ethics

question

Biocentrism

answer

life-centered ethics

question

Ecofeminism

answer

the view that there are important theoretical, historical, and empirical connections between how society treats women and how it treats the environment

question

Social Ecology

answer

the view that social hierarchies are directly connected to behaviors that lead to environmental destruction. social ecologists are strong supporters of the environmental justice movement

question

Deep Ecology

answer

the generally ecocentric view that a new spiritual sense of oneness with the Earth is the essential starting point for a more healthy relationship with the environment

question

Environmental pragmatism

answer

the approach that focuses on policy rather than ethics

question

environmental aesthetics

answer

the study of how to appreciate beauty in the natural world

question

animal rights/ welfare

answer

the position asserts that humans have a strong moral obligation to nonhuman animals

question

Development approach

answer

assumes that the human race is and should be master of nature and that the Earth and its resources exist solely for our benefit and pleasure

question

preservationist approach

answer

want to see large portions of nature preserved intact

question

conservationist approach

answer

interested in promoting human well-being

question

sustainable development

answer

first used in 1987 in a UN-sponsered document called the Brundtland Report. meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs

question

Environmental justice

answer

social justice expression of environmental ethics

question

economic growth and resource exploitation

answer

the dominant orientations toward the natural environment in industrialized societies

question

corporations

answer

legal entities designed to operate at a profit

question

greenwashing

answer

form of corporate misrepresentation whereby a company presents a green public image and publicizes green initiatives while privately engaging in environmentally damaging practices

question

natural capitalism

answer

idea that businesses can both expand their profits and take good care of the environment

question

industrial ecology

answer

links industrial and environmental quality

question

triple bottom line

answer

ethical criteria for business success, gauging corporate success on three fronts: financial, social and environmental

question

ecological footprint

answer

helps individuals measure their environmental impact on the earth

question

risk

answer

probability that a condition or action will lead to an injury, damage, or loss

question

probability

answer

mathematical statement about how likely it is that something will happen

question

risk assessment

answer

the use of facts and assumptions to estimate the probability of harm to people or the environment from particular environmental factors or conditions

question

risk management

answer

decision making process that involves using the result of assessment, weighing possible responses to the risk, and selecting appropriate actions to minimize or eliminate the risk

question

risk management plan

answer

1. evaluating the scientific information regarding various kinds of risks 2. deciding how much risk is acceptable 3. deciding which risk should be given the highest priority 4. deciding where the greatest benefit would be realized by spending limited funds 5. deciding how the plan will be enforced and monitored

question

negligible risk

answer

at what point is there really no significant health or environmental risk?

question

resources

answer

available supply of something that can be used

question

natural resources

answer

structures and processes that humans can use for their own purposes but cannot create

question

renewable resources

answer

formed or generated by natural processes

question

nonrenewable resources

answer

not replaced by natural processes, or the rate or replacement is so slow as to be ineffective

question

supply

answer

the amount of a good or service people re willing to sell at a given price

question

demand

answer

the amount of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to buy at a given price

question

price

answer

monetary value

question

ecosystem services

answer

beneficial effects of functioning ecosystems for people and society

question

environmental costs

answer

costs resources exploitation, difficult to measure since they are not easily converted to monetary value

question

deferred costs

answer

ignored, not recognized, or whose effects accumulate over time, but that eventually must be paid

question

external costs

answer

borne by someone other than the individuals who produce or consume a good or service

question

opportunity cost

answer

occur when a decision precludes other potential uses for a resource

question

pollution

answer

any addition of matter or energy that degrades the environment for humans and other organisms

question

what are the 2 primary factors that affect the amount of damage done by pollution?

answer

size of the pollution and development of technology that "invents" news forms of pollution

question

pollution costs

answer

private or public expenditures to correct pollution damage once pollution has occurred

question

pollution prevention costs

answer

incurred either in the private sector or by government to prevent, either entirely or partially, the pollution that would otherwise result from some production or consumption activity

question

pollution prevention

answer

pollution should be prevented or reduced at the source whenever feasible

question

cost benefit analysis

answer

formal process for calculating the costs and benefits of a project or course of action, to decide if benefits are greater than costs

question

subsidy

answer

gift from the government to individuals or private enterprise to encourage actions considered important to the public interest

question

What are market based instruments?

answer

information programs, tradable emissions permits, emissions fees and taxes, deposit-refund programs, performance bonds

question

life-cycle analysis

answer

assessing the environmental effects associated with the production,use, reuse, and disposal of a product over its entire usual life

question

extended product responsibility

answer

producer of a product is responsible for all the negative effects involved in its production, including the ultimate disposal of the product when its useful life is over

question

What are the 5 characteristics that define sustainability?

answer

renewability, substitution, interdependence, adaptability, and institutional commitment

question

ecology

answer

the study of the ways organisms interact with each other and with their nonliving surroundings

question

abiotic factors

answer

non living things that influence an organism

question

examples of abiotic factors

answer

energy, non living matter, physical characteristics

question

biotic factors

answer

all forms of life which it interacts

question

limiting factor

answer

a shortage or absence of a specific factor restricts the success of the species

question

range of tolerance

answer

the degree to which it is able to withstand environmental variation

question

habitat

answer

the space that the organism inhabits , the place where it lives

question

niche

answer

the functional role it has in tis surroundings

question

population

answer

all the organisms of the same kind found in a specific geographic region

question

species

answer

population of all the organisms potentially capable of reproducing naturally among themselves and having offspring that also reproduce

question

natural selection

answer

process that determines which individuals within a species will reproduce and pass their sense to the next generation

question

evolution

answer

the changes we see in the genes and characteristics displayed in successive generations of a population of organisms over time

question

speciation

answer

production of new species from previously existing species

question

polyploidy

answer

condition in which the number of sets of chromosomes in the cells of the plant is increased

question

extinctions

answer

the loss of an entire species and is a common feature of the evolution of organisms

question

coevolution

answer

2 or more species of organisms can reciprocally influence the evolutionary direction of the other

question

predation

answer

occurs when one organism known as the predator kills and eats another, known as the prey

question

competition

answer

2 organisms stive to obtain the same limited resource

question

intraspecific competition

answer

competition between members of the same species

question

interspecific competition

answer

competition between members of different species

question

competitive exclusion principle

answer

the concept that no two species can occupy the same ecological niche in the same place at the same time

question

symbiosis

answer

close long lasting physical relationship between two different species

question

parasitism

answer

relationship in which one organism, known as the parasite, lives in or on another organism, known as the host, from which it derives nourishment

question

ectoparasites

answer

live on the surface of their host

question

endoparasite

answer

live inside the host

question

commensalism

answer

relationship where one benefits and the other one neither benefits nor is harmed

question

mutualism

answer

relationship where both organisms benefit

question

mycorrhizae

answer

root-fungus associations

question

community

answer

assemblage of all the interacting populations of different species or organisms in an area

question

ecosystem

answer

space in which interactions take place between a community, with all its complex interrelationships and the physical environment

question

producers

answer

organisms that are able to use sources of energy to make couples organic molecules from the simple inorganic substances in their environment

question

phytoplankton

answer

predominant producers in marine ecosystem

question

consumer

answer

require organic matter as a course food

question

primary consumers

answer

herbivores, eat producers

question

secondary consumers

answer

carnivores, eat other animals

question

omnivores

answer

eat both plants and animals

question

decomposers

answer

use non living organic matter as a source of energy and raw materials to build their bodies

question

keystone species

answer

one that has a critical role to play in the maintenance of specific ecosystems

question

trophic level

answer

each step in the flow of energy through an ecosystem

question

food chain

answer

series of organisms occupying different trophic levels through which energy passes as a result of one organism consuming another

question

detritus

answer

small bits of non living organic material

question

food web

answer

several food chains overlapped

question

carbon cycle

answer

processes and pathways involved in capturing inorganic carbon containing molecules, converting them into organic molecules that are used by organisms and the ultimate release of inorganic carbon molecule to the abiotic environment

question

nitrogen cycle

answer

cycling of nitrogen atoms between the abiotic and biotic components and among the organisms in an ecosystem

question

succession

answer

the concept that communities process through a series of recognizable changes in structure over time

question

climax community

answer

relatively stable long lasting community that is the result of succession

question

primary succession

answer

successional progression that begins with a total lack of organisms and bare mineral surfaces or water

question

secondary succession

answer

successional progression that begins with the destruction or disturbance of an existing ecosystem

question

abyssal ecosystem

answer

benthic ecosystem that occurs at great depths in the ocean

question

estuary

answer

consists of shallow, partially enclosed areas where freshwater enters the ocean

question

swamps

answer

wetlands that contain trees that are able to live in places that are either permanently flooded flooded for a major part of the year

question

marshes

answer

wetlands that are dominated by grasses and reeds

question

fossil fuels

answer

modified remains of plants, animals, and microorganism that lived millions of years ago

question

biodiversity

answer

describes the diversity of genes and species and ecosystems in a region

question

genetic diversity

answer

described the number of different kinds of genes present in a population or a species

question

species diversity

answer

measure of the number of different species present in an area

question

ecosystem diversity

answer

measure of the number of kinds of ecosystems present in an area

question

patchwork clear cutting

answer

smaller areas are clear cut among patches on untouched forest

question

selective harvesting

answer

take individual mature high value trees without completely disrupting the forest ecosystem

question

desertification

answer

converting arid and semiarid land to desert because of improper use by humans

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