NRCM 140: Test 1 Study Guide
Fall 2010
1. Explain why we are both disconnected and yet not disconnected from the natural world and its
resources. [Notes]
2. Describe the continuum of views or approaches to NRCM and where the concept of
“Ecologically Sustainable” falls in this continuum. [Notes, but see table 1.1]
3. What basic role do the major participants in NRCM (scientific and societal) play in managing
resources? [handout, Notes, Chapter 1]
4. Describe the major threats to the earth’s natural resources and explain why the fact the earth is
a “closed system” compounds these threats. [Notes, chapter 3 pages 26-46]
5. For a given resource (national forests, timber, soils, wildlife, fisheries, groundwater) explain
whether it is renewable, non-renewable, biotic or abiotic (or some combination). [Notes]
6. What fundamental roles do ecosystems play in making life on earth possible (and hence making
natural resources available)? [Notes]
7. How does tolerance affect the distribution of the major ecosystem (biome) types—be able to
the major U.S. biomes along a temp/precip gradient. [Notes, handouts/biome activity]
8. After tolerance what basic needs will any species have in order for a population to survive?
[Notes]
9. For a given ecosystem be able to describe how some basic factors (temp, precipitation,
elevation, latitude, fire, storms, past land use, glaciations, continental drift, succession, grazing,
disease, humans, and invasive species) are likely working to create the conditions shown or
described. [Notes]

The POINT is not that you can list and define the list of factors but that you can
OBSERVE a system and think of potential ways in which these things are at work.
This is open ended and you might not be 100% accurate but I want you to show me you
understand how what we see on the ground is the result of some combination of these
factors.
10. In ‘looking’ at or evaluating a resource (such as a forest) what basic questions do we have to
address? [Notes, 9/14]
*** Our field sampling and data interpretation (including our biome activity) will fall into the next
section of the class and won’t be covered on this exam. Chapter 5 has been dropped as well.