Environmental Science Final Review 2014_15
Note: You should study major vocabulary words from the text and practice for the final by
completing the Chapter Reviews 6-9.
Chapter 5
1. What is a biome? Name the biomes of the earth.
A region of similar climate and vegetation. Some biomes include the savannah, tundra, marine,
freshwater, tropical rain forest.
2. How do altitude and latitude affect the environment?(Describe how vegetation changes as you
climb a mountain and give reasons for this change)
Changes in altitude and latitude affect the climate. For example: If you climb a mountain the
vegetation changes as you move up; tall trees at bottom, grasses and shrubs towards the top.
3. What is salinity and why is it important?
Salinity is the measure of salt in water. Animals that live in aquatic biomes are sensitive to the
amount of salt in the water.
4. Why is it important to educate the public on the effects humans have on ecosystems?
So people can make choices to reduce the impact they make on the environment.
5. Support your answer with evidence and/or examples.
If people know that using products containing harmful chemicals are destroying the environment
they may choose to buy a different product. Ex: CFC’s in the 80’s were found in cans of
hairspray, CFC’s were found to cause holes to develop in the ozone layer.
6. Explain how life in an aquatic environment changes as depth increases.
Light becomes less available so there are less or no plants to feed animals. Plants need light for
photosynthesis to make food, these aquatic plants are the base of the aquatic food chain for most
organisms.
Additional note: Animals that live in the deep are adapted to living in the dark and some must swim
to upper zones to find food. Some organisms are chemosynthetic meaning they can make food from
the chemicals spewed out of the vents in the ocean floor.
7.
Look at notes on ocean zones. Would you expect to find plants or animals that feed on plants in
the Aphotic zone or the Abyss? Explain your answer.
No, see answer to number 6.
Chapter 6
8. What are some reasons growth rates increased after the development of agriculture and again
after the industrial revolution?
There were more available food supplies available during the agricultural rev. as people began
farming and raising animals. Ind. Rev. lead to mass production of resources so population began
to grow at an exponential rate.
9. Would it be realistic to expect exponential growth to continue endlessly? Explain.
No, resources would begin to run out. Food, space, clean water, this would lead to an increase in
death and possibly a decrease in number of births.
10. How has technology played a role in human population size?
Technology has combated many of the problems that would naturally occur from overpopulation.
Sanitation and water treatment technology reduce the spread of disease, farming techniques and
genetically modified foods to produce food, medicines and treatments to keep people alive longer,
etc.
11. Why do women in developing countries such as those in Africa and Asia have more children than
they actually want?
It is not always the choice of the woman. Different cultures have different social pressures. Some
countries on these continents believe women should get married and have children. If a family is to
send a child to school it is the male child they educate and the female they try to marry off.
12. What is consumption?
The use of resources while creating pollution.
13. What problem is being identified by in the “Tragedy of the Commons”?
No one takes responsibility for publicly owned/used properties. “It’s not mine so why should I take
care of it” Example dirty public rest rooms, littering in the street, park or parking lot, ocean
pollution (International waters are not owned by any one nation, so who’s responsibility is it to
protect it>)
14. What problems arise from over use of natural resources? Provide an example.
Pollution and decrease in biodiversity. Example logging is destroying tropical rain forests,
increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, decreasing the amount of species through habitat
loss. Many of our medicines have been developed using plant products found in the tropical rain
forest so there are many we may not discover if we destroy the habitat.
15. What is carrying capacity? How does it affect population growth?
The maximum number of individuals that can be supported by environments resources.
16. ***Be able to read a graph illustrating exponential and logistic growth.***
Chapter 7
17. What is energy conservation? (first law of energy) What is the second law of energy?
1st law (conservation of energy): energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred from
one form to another.
2nd law: each time energy transfers it is reduced to a lower level or less valuable form.
18. Why is energy conservation important?
Since it cannot be created or destroyed and is reduced to a lesser form we must use it wisely. Also
much of our energy resource is fossil fuels which releases pollutants into the environment.
19. What are fossil fuels? Give some examples. What are some alternate forms of energy?
Carbon based fuel sources that are formed from remains of organisms that lived long ago. Oil, coal
and natural gas are examples of fossil fuels. Alternate fuel sources are nuclear energy from
uranium isotopes, photovoltaic cells that use energy from the sun, or turbines that uses energy from
wind or moving water.
20. What is a photovoltaic cell?
A device that absorbs energy from the sun and converts it to electricity.
21. What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources? Give examples of each.
Renewable resources can be replaced naturally where as nonrenewable resources cannot be replaced
or cannot be replaced naturally as quickly as we use them…
22. What are some changes you can make to conserve energy? Have you made these changes? Why
or why not?
Shorter showers, don’t run water when you are not using it (brushing teeth, washing hands),
choose products that are energy efficient, do not leave your computer on all day, only turn on
lights if you need them, don’t leave your chargers plugged in while not in use, turn off cell phones
when not in use, buy locally grown foods or buy locally made products when possible, buy products
from environmentally responsible industry etc….
Chapter 8:
23. What is the difference between point source and nonpoint source pollution? Which would you
rather be in charge of cleaning up after and why?
Point source pollution can be traced back to its source where as nonpoint source cannot. It would
be easier to clean up a point source pollutant as you can stop it at it’s source.
24. What are some services that the ecosystem provides?
Carbon sequestration (carbon sinks), flood prevention, water purification,
25. Why is drip irrigation important?
Process reduces water loss due to evaporation.
26. Why is water treatment important?
Reduce exposure to disease causing pathogens, increase water availability, increase amount of
clean water available for use.
27. How can land pollution affect surface water and water in an aquifer?
Land pollution can seep into ground water or runoff into surface water. Surface water can also
seep into groundwater.
28. How do oil spills impact the ecosystem?
Can kill many marine animals and destroy marine and coastal environments.
29. What are some methods for cleaning up an oil spill?
Use of dispersants, sorbents, booms, natural means/dispersal
30. What are some materials that are sorbents?
Sand, sponge, corn husks, cotton or other fibers, etc
Chapter 9
31. What is air pollution? What health impacts are caused by air pollution?
Any harmful substances put into the atmosphere, chemicals, particulate matter, pollen, dust…
Breathing/respiratory problems, headaches, in extreme cases illness or death….
32. What is the difference between a primary and secondary air pollutant?
Primary pollutant is put directly into the atmosphere where as a secondary pollutant results from
a reaction between gases in the atmosphere ( 2 or more primary pollutants react to form a
secondary pollutant).
33. What impact did the Great Smog have on the acknowledgement of air pollution?
Initially people made it fashionable it was almost romatic the “London fog” but when it became so
severe and many people died measures were taken to reduce air pollution.
34. What are some ways people have combatted air pollution?
Use of Catalytic converters in vehicles and use of industrial scrubbers, turning to alternative
fuel sources, stricter laws and regulations
35. What are some effects of acid rain? What are some measures being taken to reverse the
effects of acid rain?
Increased acidity of soil and water, destroying habitats, loss of biodiversity, aquatic plants,
microorganisms and fish, lands on trees plants, damages buildings, statues can cause a haze like
smog, contribute to health problems.
Reducing emissions, clean air act, installing scrubbers, though solving this problem is still being
addressed
36. What is global warming? What are some effects of global warming?
Global warming refers to the climate changes occurring on earth, climate change and global warming
are often used interchangeably.
Effects of climate change include increasing floods, loss of polar ice caps, extreme weather like
storms or droughts, increase in hurricane intensity, increase in the spread of human diseases in
warmer climates due to an increase in the amount of insects that carry disease.
37. What is the greenhouse effect?
The warming of the atmosphere because of trapped heat energy from the sun
38. What are some ways to prevent climate change?
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reducing fossil fuel use, using alternate forms of energy,
finding ways to increase carbon sequestration (storing carbon in the earth)
39. What are two ways burning a tropical forest contributes to global warming?
Tropical forests produce gases that contribute to global warming.
Forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so if there are less tress there will be more
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.