APES Midterm #1

1.

1 point

In general, which of the following is the best long-term method of preventing extinctions?

Breeding endangered species in captivity

Protecting the habitats of endangered species

Paying people not to kill endangered species

Providing food to endangered species

Removing predators from areas that contain endangered species

2.

1 point

Characteristics that tend to increase the risk of a species becoming more endangered include which of the following?

I. Having a very limited distribution
II. Being a specialist at the end of a long food chain
III. Having small population size

I only

II only

III only

II and III only

I, II, and III

3.

1 point

Which of the following will result in accelerated eutrophication when introduced into streams, lakes, and bays?

Bacteria and viruses

Pesticides

Herbicides

Phosphates

Acid wastes and salts

4.

1 point

Which of the following actions would be the most effective in decreasing acid rain and acid deposition problems?

Using higher smokestacks

Reducing the use of fossil fuels

Developing acid-resistant crops

Adding lime to acidified lakes

Relocating power plants to areas of lower population density

5.

1 point

(Find the term that relates) The process in which glucose is synthesized by plants

Eutrophication

Dentrification

Photosynthesis

Decompistion

Transpiration

6.

1 point

Which of the following identifies the two factors thought to be the most harmful to biodiversity?

Acid deposition and increased use of fertilizers for agriculture

Depletion of the ozone layer and oil drilling

Destruction of habitat and invasion by nonnative species

Changes in climate and proliferation of endemic species

Global warming and decline in fisheries

7.

1 point

In a human population undergoing the demographic transition, which of the following generally decreases first?

Birth rate

Death rate

Average family size

Life expectancy

Level of education

8.

1 point

Elements hat cycle in the environment and that also have a gaseous phase at some point in their cycle include which of the following?
I. Carbon
II. Phosphorus
III. Sulfur

I only

III only

I and II only

I and III only

I,II, andIII

9.

1 point

One solution for reducing the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide would be to

Increase oceanic temperatures to enhance carbon dioxide uptake.

Increase the rate of removal of tropical rain forests

Decrease the total area of rice paddies

Decrease the use of fossil fuels

Decrease the production of chloro fluorocarbons

10.

1 point

Acid rain is associated with which of the following?

Formation of the antarctic ozone hole

Release of PCBs into the atmosphere

Damage to tropical rain forsets

The burning of fossil fuels

The increasing pH of lake waters

11.

1 point

If wastewater treatment plant effluent that contains nitrates and phosphates is allowed to flow into a body of water, which of the following may result?

Chlorination

Decompisition

Eutrophication

Oxygenation

Mathylation

12.

1 point

Which of the following is a process that indirectly removes carbon from the Earth's atmosphere?

Formation of carbonate deposits

Outgassing by volcanoes

Respiration by mammals

Respiration by anaerobic bacteria

Photo dissociation by ultraviolet light

13.

1 point

Which of the following element constitutes the highest percentage of mass in Earth's Crust?

Oxygen

Aluminum

Carbon

Potassium

Nitrogen

14.

1 point

Which of the following best helps to explain why phosphorus is often a limiting factor in many ecosystems?

There is usually a gaseous phase in the phosphorus cycle

Phosphorus cycles very quickly through environments

Under many conditions, phosphorus forms stable insoluble compounds

Phosphate is not readily taken up by plants

There are no anthropogenic sources of phosphorus

15.

1 point

Fragmenting one large park or preserve into many small parks with human habitation in between them is most likely to lead to which of the following?

Reduction in species diverstity

Stabilization of microclimates

Decrease in the proportion of edge habitat

Increase in gene flow within species

Increase in population size of top carnivores

16.

1 point

(Find the process that relates) Plants roots absorb ammonium ions and nitrate ions for use in making molecules such as DNA, amino acids, and proteins.

Nitrification

Dentrification

Assimilation

Ammonification

Nitrogen Fixation

17.

1 point

Which of the following is the usual cause of cultural eutrophication in surface waters of both developed and developing countries.

Lack of proper filtration devices for power plant effluents

Introduction of cyanobacteria to streams and rivers

Runoff of metal ions in bodies of water

Runoff of nitrate compounds into bodies of water

Runoff of herbicides into bodies of water

18.

1 point

(Find the term that relates) The process by which a soil nutrient is reduced and released back into the atmosphere as a gas.

Eutrophication

Dentrification

Photosynthesis

Decompistion

Transpiration

19.

1 point

Ozone in the stratosphere is important to organisms at Earth's surface because ozone molecules are very strong absorbents of

Infrared ret

Ultraviolet rays

microwaves

visible light rays

x-rays

20.

1 point

The main environmental effect of ozone depletion could include all of the following EXCEPT

lower food-crop production

decreased concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere

Disruption of marine food chains

Increased incidence of skin cancer

Reduction of primary productivity in oceans

21.

1 point

Which of the following would be the strongest evidence in support of a scientists contention that a local area was experiencing acid deposition?

A sudden die-off of all the fish in the local stream

A gradual increase in the temperature of a local lake

An increase in the rate of photosynthesis of aquatic plants in a local lake

A long term increase in the pH of a local pond

An increase in the concentrations of soluble heavy metals in a local pond

22.

1 point

The two major processes in the carbon cycle are

Weathering and erosion

Photosynthesis and respiration

Evaporation and transpiration

Erosion and deopsition

Fixation and Dentrification

23.

1 point

Which of the following is most likely to be the direct result of lack of genetic diversity in a food crop such as corn?

Decreased kernel size

Decreased potential yield

Decreased dependence on chemical fertilizers

Increased susceptibility to plant disease

Increased resistance to pests

24.

1 point

The most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere is

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Water Vapor

Carbon Dioxide

Hydrogen

25.

1 point

Stratospheric ozone depletion is most likely to result in which of the following?

Increased growth of food crops due to increasing amounts of ultraviolet radiation

Extended grazing season for cattle

Disruption of photosynthesis in plants

Increased movement of the human population toward equatorial regions

A higher percentage of cloudless days

26.

1 point

(Find the Term that relates) The rapid rate of this process in tropical forests results in low-nutrient soils.

Eutrophication

Dentrification

Photosynthesis

Decompistion

Transpiration

27.

1 point

(Find the process that relates) Nitrate ions and nitrite ions are converted into nitrous oxide gas and nitrogen gas

Nitrification

Dentrification

Assimilation

Ammonification

Nitrogen Fixation

28.

1 point

High rates of species extinction cause by human activities have taken place at which of the following times in Earth's history?

I. At the end of the Permian Period
II. At the end of the Cretaceous period
III. During Recent times

I only

II only

III only

I and II only

I, II, and III

29.

1 point

The increase in the size of the Earth's population in the last century has been dramatic. Which of the following identifies two major contributors to this increase?

New methods of agriculture and the identification of new food crops

The Industrial Revolution and modern medicine

Increased emigration/immigration and decreased warfare

New methods of birth control and decreased warfare

Increased education for women and the development of new pesticides

30.

1 point

The factor that most likely poses the greatest threat of extinction of species worldwide is

Weakening of environmental legislation

Increase in hunting and fishing

Aggressive collecting of specimens by museums and zoos

Black-market trade in endangered species

Increasing loss of habitat

31.

1 point

Which of the following statements about genetic diversity is true?

Genetic uniformity of a crop increases the crop's overall resistance to pests and disease.

Genetic resistance to pests and diseases can be increased by crossing a crop plant with ancestral varieties

Genetic engineering technology is used to increase genetic diversity by creating new species with synthetic genes.

Genetic diversity within populations of common crop species such as corn is typically high

Genetic diversity is usually high in endangered species.

32.

1 point

(Find the process that relates) Ammonia is converted to nitrite, then to nitrate.

Nitrification

Dentrification

Assimilation

Ammonification

Nitrogen Fixation