Environmental Science Midterm Review
Name:
Identify different types of biotic and abiotic factors that make up an ecosystem.
Give an example of a producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore.
What are the three main categories that environmental problems can be placed into? Give an example
of each, as well as an example of something that can fall into all three.
What is the difference between a renewable and nonrenewable resource?
The root of environmental problems is said to be the population crisis. Explain.
What is the difference between a developing and developed country. Where does the United States
fall within the two?
List the steps that need to be taken when trying to solve or make an environmental issue. If you were
given a situation be able to go through all of the steps.
Explain how an ecosystem differs from a biome, which differs from the biosphere.
List the order of organization starting with an organism.
Know the different types of relationships that organisms have with each other. What happens to each
organism within the relationship?
Predation/competition
Parasitism
Mutualism
Commensalism
Explain the theory of natural selection and how organisms have adapted to survive in their
environment.
How is coevolution different from evolution? Be able to give an example of species that have
undergone coevolution.
Compare and contrast an organism’s habitat and niche.
What is the primary source of energy for all life forms?
Explain the transfer of energy within the food chain/web.
Describe the main steps and phases that occur in the water cycle.
What is the importance of the carbon cycle? Explain how photosynthesis and cellular respiration are
involved.
Why are nitrogen-fixing bacteria important in the nitrogen cycle?
Succession is the gradual change over time. Be able to give examples of both primary and secondary
succession and explain when each would be likely to occur.
Why is fire an important aspect in some ecosystems?
If 70% of Earth is covered in water why is it considered a finite resource?
Explain the different sources of water.
Surface water
Ground water
Aquifers
Explain the difference and similarities of a watershed and a recharge zone.
Explain the difference between point and non-point pollution. Explain which is harder to regulate
and clean up. How does each cause pollution in water located hundreds of miles away?
(figure 5-19)
Explain how pathogens enter water supplies and what they can result in.
How does pollution lead to bioaccumulation and what affect does that have on organisms throughout
the food chain?
Explain eutrophication and what leads or causes artificial eutrophication.
Thermal pollution is the sudden increase in temperature of a body of water. What causes this? What
results?
What mixtures of substances makes up acid precipitation? Explain it.
List the layers of the atmosphere.
What are the key factors that determine climate?
How are weather and climate different from each other?
How does the tilt of the earth and distance from the sun affect life?
Why do we have seasons?
What is the importance of the greenhouse effect?
How have we negatively impacted the greenhouse effect.
Briefly discuss Climate Change. What is causing it? What is trying to be done to counteract it?
Explain why CFCs are harmful.
What has lead to the thinning of the ozone layer? What is the importance of the layer?
Midterm Multiple Choice Review
Pure Science/ Applied Science
Environmental Decision Making
Tragedy of the Commons
Consumption Crisis
Biodiversity
o Extinction
o Keystone species
o Indicator species
o Speciation
Evolution
o Coevolution
o Natural Selection
o Adaptations
o Artificial Selection
o Resistance
Atmosphere
o Troposphere
o Stratosphere
Ozone Layer Depletion
o Cause
o Result
Global Warming
o Greenhouse Gases
Climate/Weather
o Latitude
o Altitude
o Windward/leeward
o Prevailing winds
Water Pollution
o Toxic chemical
o Pathogen
o Thermal pollutant
o Organics
o Inorganics
o Acid Rain
Eutrophication: normal/Artificial
Ecosystems: biotic/abiotic
Populations
Community
Species interactions
o Competition
o Predation
o Mutualism
o Commensalism
o Parasitism
o Niche
o Habitat
Cycles
o Nitrogen
o Carbon/oxygen
o Phosphorous
o Water
Energy Flow
Trophic Levels
o Producers/Autotrophs
o Consumers/Heterotrophs
o Secondary Consumers
o Tertiary consumers
Biomes
 Deciduous forests
 Taiga
 Tropical rain forests
 Deserts
 Savannas
 Temperate rainforests
Aquatic Ecosystems
 Phytoplankton
 Zooplankton
 Benthos
 Decomposers
 Nekton
Marine(97%)
 Open ocean
 Coral Reef
 Estuary
 Intertidal zone
 Abyssal plain
Fresh Water (3%)
 Ice Caps
 Rivers
 Streams
 Swamps
 Marshes
 Lakes
 Watersheds
 Ground Water
o Aquifers
o Recharge zones