STATION 1
1. State one reason why the cane toads were imported to Australia.
Cane toads were imported to feed on the French’s Cane beetle and
Greyback Cane beetles that were destroying sugarcane.
2. Identify one adaptation of cane toads that made them successful in their
new environment.
They are poisonous, protecting them from predators.
They were able to feed on a variety of food, such as insects, bird’s
eggs, and native frogs.
3. State one specific example of how the introduction of the cane toads
threatened biodiversity in Australia.
Cane toads fed on many different species, causing large numbers of
species to decline.
4. The story of the cane toads is a good example of what happens to a
population when it lacks:
b. Limiting factors
5. Which activity would reduce biodiversity in a forest ecosystem?
d. clearing a large area and planting one species of hardwood tree
that can be used for lumber
6. Which process is represented by letter F?
c. infiltration
7. What does letter X represent?
a. the water table
8. If the surface soil is saturated and precipitation increases, there will be
d. an increase in the amount of runoff
9. The processes of transpiration and evaporation are represented by letters
c. C and A
10. Based on the graph at the right, what is the most abundant gas in the
atmosphere?
Nitrogen
STATION 2
Read the passage below, then answer the questions on experimental design that
follow.
Poison ivy is a weed that grows in New York State. It synthesizes an oil,
urushiol, that causes skin rashes. Researchers have found that if poison ivy grows
in an environment that contains an increased concentration of carbon dioxide, the
plants grow larger, faster, and produce more urushiol. Because carbon dioxide
levels in the atmosphere are rising, poison ivy might become a hazard to people who
work or vacation outdoors.
In order to verify this research, experiments must be carried out. Design an
experiment to test whether poison ivy is affected by air containing higher than
normal concentrations of carbon dioxide. In your answer, be sure to:
1. State the hypothesis the experiment would test (remember, the hypothesis
should be a statement, not a question)
Increased concentrations of CO2 will produce poison ivy plants that grow
larger and faster, and produce more urushiol.
2. State one way the control group should be treated differently from the
experimental group
Control group should contain a “normal”, concentration of CO2 (similar to
current natural conditions) while the experimental group should contain
higher concentrations of CO2.
3. identify two conditions (CONSTANTS) that should be kept the same in both
the control and the experimental groups
Same number of poison ivy plants, same amount of water, same amount
of sunlight, same temperature…
4. Identify the independent variable in your experiment.
CO2 concentration
5. Identify the dependent variable in your experiment.
Size of plant, rate of growth, amount of urushiol produced.
6. When water used to cool machinery is returned to a river, it raises the river
water temperature. This causes a sharp decline in small invertebrate
populations. Based on the food web shown above, a likely consequence of this
change would be
d. decrease in the number of crayfish
Match the type of model in the first column to an example in the second column.
7. Physical
C
A. Computer program
8. Graphical
D
B. Concept map/flow chart
9. Conceptual B
C. Model of DNA
10. Mathematical A
D. Road map
STATION 3
The data table shows the concentrations of oxygen in parts per million (ppm)
present in freshwater and seawater at various temperatures.
Directions: Using the information in the data table, construct a line graph on the
grid on the next page, following the directions below.
1. Mark an appropriate scale on each labeled axis.
2. Plot the data for freshwater oxygen concentration on the grid. Surround
each point with a small circle and connect the points.
3. Plot the data for seawater oxygen concentration on the grid. Surround each
point with a small triangle and connect the points.
4. State one relationship between temperature and dissolved oxygen
concentration in water.
As temperature increases, the amount of dissolved oxygen decreases (in
both fresh and salt water)
5. Predict the oxygen concentration in freshwater at 35°C. ___~6.5_____ppm
6. Which group would most likely have the greatest survival success during a
long period of environmental changes?
b. a large population of red ants living in a forest
7. Which human activity would most likely deplete finite resources?
D. uncontrolled population growth
STATION 4
1. In what units is oil production being measured in the chart above?
Thousand barrels/day
2. Based on the data given, how much oil would you expect to be produced for
the month of December 2013 in the Haynesville region?
58 thousand barrels/day x 31 days = 1,798 thousand barrels (1.798
million barrels)
3. Give an example of what the oil produced might be used for.
Transportation
4. In what units is gas production measured?
Million cubic feet/day
5. What is an advantage of natural gas over petroleum?
Natural gas is cleaner
6. What do oil and natural gas have in common?
Both are fossil fuels
7. Identify one specific gas that contributes to the problem of global warming.
CO2, Water vapor…
8. State one activity of humans that increases the concentration of this gas.
Burning fossil fuels, transportation, deforestation (fewer trees to
remove CO2)
9. Describe one negative effect of global warming on humans or ecosystems.
Rising sea level, changing precipitation patterns (ex. Drought), inability
of animals to adapt…
10. Explain why switching to more efficient lightbulbs will help reduce the
school’s contribution to global warming.
Less fossil fuels (coal) will need to be used to generate electricity
therefore less CO2 will be released into atmosphere
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STATION 5
1.
What is the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion?
Fission splits the nuclei of atoms; fusion combines the nuclei of atoms
2.
Which type of reaction (fission or fusion) takes place in a nuclear
reactor?
Fission
3.
Look at the diagram below. Describe what is occurring at each step (14).
There are four main stages:
1) the fuel is burned to boil water to make steam
2) the steam makes a turbine spin
3) the spinning turbine turns a generator which produces electricity
4) the electricity goes to the transformers to produce the correct
voltage
4.
Where does most of the energy for step 1 on the diagram come from in
the United States? Burning coal
5.
Pollution that comes from 1 source (ex. BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig) is
known as __point____ pollution.
6. State two ways that the use of windmills to produce energy would be
beneficial to the environment.
Doesn’t burn fossil fuel so it does not release greenhouse gases
Does not release particulate matter/other pollutants
It is a renewable source of energy
STATION 6
1. Describe a trade-off that must be considered in the decision whether to
move forward with hydrofracking.
Consider the amount of natural gas that can be extracted and used for
energy compared to the threats to the environment (such a pollution
from fracking, greenhouse gases released, etc)
2. Identify one renewable alternative to natural gas as an energy source that
New York State could use and describe the advantage of using this source,
other than it is renewable.
Renewables include wind, hydroelectric, and solar power. These energy
sources produce less pollution and do not release greenhouse gases into
the atmosphere.
3. State 3 problems associated with the use of fossil fuels.
Release greenhouse gases
Release particulate matter
Pollution can contribute to human health problems
Increase temperatures & effects related to global climate change
Non-renewable
4. State one specific reason why public health officials are concerned about
the use of these chemicals
Accumulate in body and threaten human health. Possible thyroid
problems, infertility, reproductive defects…
5. identify the technique used to determine exposure levels to these chemicals
in humans
Biomonitoring tests for levels of industrial chemicals found in the body
6. state one possible reason why young children might have higher levels of
exposure to these chemicals than do adults
Smaller body size; greater exposure to products that contain the
chemicals (fire-retardant clothing, toys, bottles, etc.)
7. What are the 2 main compounds that react to form ground-level ozone?
Nitrogen oxides & VOCs
8. What is the source of VOCs that are shown in the diagram?
Petroleum products like gasoline
9. Other than the source identified in questions 8, what are some other
sources of VOCs?
Paint thinners, varnishes, chemical cleaners, etc.
10. Is ground-level ozone considered a primary pollutant or a secondary
pollutant? Why?
Secondary; forms when primary pollutants (NOx & VOCs) react
with each other and with gasses in atmosphere.