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164 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
1. Which of the following ecologists coined the term ecosystem, recognizing that the biota, plus their physical environment, constitute a fundamental level of ecological organization?
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A.G. Tansley
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2. The "food web" concept focuses on feeding relationships as the links connecting the organisms of “bioan” ecological system into a single functional entity. Which of the following twentieth-century ecologists was one of the earliest to promote this concept?
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Charles Elton
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3. Are the following items part of ecosystem structure or function?
Soil Nutrient Cycle Respiration Species Composition |
Structure, Function, Function, Structure
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4. The _________ law of thermodynamics can explain why, in a terrestrial ecosystem, there is more energy stored __________.
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second … in herbivores rather than carnivores
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5. The _________ law of thermodynamics can explain why, in a terrestrial ecosystem, there is less energy stored __________.
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second... in carnivores rather than in herbivores
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6. In any ecosystem, the higher the light intensity, the greater the rate of net primary production.
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False
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7. One of the following broad ecosystem types achieves a net primary productivity that can exceed that of tropical forest. Which is it?
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swamp and marsh
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8. Which of the following broad ecosystem types has the least primary productivity?
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Tundra and alpine
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9. Using modern techniques for measuring gas exchange (based on absorption of infrared light), it is possible to determine within seconds the primary productivity of a small terrestrial plant or even one of its leaves. Which of the following compounds would be monitored by such a measurement?
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carbon dioxide
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10. The energy ingested by an animal minus that energy excreted (in feces, etc.) is known as
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assimilated energy
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11. Given what you know about transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next, what can you conclude about the potential food-chain length in natural ecosystems?
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there is an upper limit to the number of trophic levels in a food chain, probably around 4–5.
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12. The Odum energy diagram symbol with a bullet shape represents:
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producer
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13. The Odum energy diagram symbol with a "bird house" shape represents:
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storage
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14. The Odum energy diagram symbol with a hexagonal shape represents _____ and anteaters are _____.
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Consumers, Insectivores
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15. The average residence time of water in liquid form on the earth's surface is about _______ years
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2800 years
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16. Most of carbon on Earth are in __________.
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sedimentary rocks
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17. The "photosynthetic efficiency" of most ecosystems, that is, the ratio of net primary production to the solar energy available to the autotrophs is about:
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1-2%
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18. Which of the following has been monitored to determine primary productivity in aquatic plants, employing pairs of sealed bottles (“light” and “dark”)?
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Oxygen
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19. Energy used in _________ is NOT part of the “respired energy” of an animal.
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Reproduction
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20. If we take a "ballpark estimate” of 10% for ecological efficiencies of herbivores and carnivores, what percentage of the energy content of net primary production would we expect to find in production at the third (carnivore) trophic level?
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1%
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21. Which of the following is NOT a heterotroph?
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Algae
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22. The San Antonio area is dependent on water from _______.
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The Edwards Aquifer that is rapidly recharged
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23. Match the 3 processes of carbon cycle with their time scales:
*Photosynthesis and respiration which exchange CO2 *Exchange of CO2 between atmosphere and oceans, lakes and rivers *Dissolution of C in water vs. precipitation (deposition) of carbonate sediments (limestone and dolomite sedimentary rock) |
Short time scale, intermediate time scale, long time scale
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24. Which of the following is NOT considered “ecosystem structure”?
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Photosynthesis
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25. The photosynthetic efficiency of an ecosystem can be limited by _____________.
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Temperature, moisture, and nutrients
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26. Which of the following plant consumers would you expect to exhibit the highest assimilation efficiency?
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herbivores feeding on seeds and young vegetation
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27. The ecological efficiency states that about _____ of the energy captured at one trophic level is passed on to the next level
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5-20%
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28. The Odum energy diagram symbol in the shape of a circle (from outside of a system) represents:
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Forcing function
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29. Ground finches specialized in eating seeds are called
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Granivores
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30. The global assimilation rate of carbon by photosynthesis is approximately 85 gigatons per year, balanced by an equivalent rate of dissimilation by respiration. Given a global organic carbon pool (excluding fossil carbon) of 2650 gigatons, what is the average residence time of carbon in this pool?
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31 years (because 2650/85=31.18)
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31. The concept of the ecosystem as an energy-transforming machine obeying thermodynamic principles was not widely accepted in the early part of the twentieth century. It was not until the 1940s that the work of a young aquatic ecologist, __________, brought widespread attention to this concept.
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Raymond Lindeman
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32. The energy remaining in autotrophs after respiration (GPP-R) is:
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Net Primary Production
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33. The ________ is the proportion of the gross energy intake that is assimilated.
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Assimilation efficiency
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34. Pitcherplant, a plant that can trap and consume insects, is:
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mixotroph
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35. The flow of energy from plants to herbivores to carnivores represents:
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grazing food chain
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36. What percentage of solar energy striking the earth provides the energy required to drive theglobal water cycle? [ALSO A CLICKER QUESTION]
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25%
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37. What percent of the Earth's total water are fresh water?
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3%
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38. The assimilation efficiency (assimilation / ingestion):
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Is lower in grazers than in carnivores
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39. The open ocean is sometimes referred to as a "biological desert" because of its very low primary production. What is the most important factor limiting primary production in open ocean?
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low availability of nutrients
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40. Only one of the following lists correctly ranks four terrestrial ecosystems from most to least productive. Which is it?
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Tropical forest, temperate forest, savanna, tundra
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41. How can humans increase their food supply?
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By eating lower on the food chain
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42. Which of the following is NOT an autotroph?
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Fungi
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43. The large-scale agricultural production on the high plains of the Texas Panhandle is dependent on water from _______.
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The Ogallala Aquifer that is slowly recharged
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44. The flow of energy from dead particulate organic matter to detritivores to predators represents:
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detritus Food Chain
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45. Specialized leaf eaters are:
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Folivors
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46. Spiders are:
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Carnivores
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47. The ratio of energy channeled into net production (growth and reproduction) to the energy assimilated is the organism's net production efficiency. Which of the following would you expect to have the highest net production efficiency?
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Sedentary cold blooded animals
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48. Plants, algae, and some bacteria capture the energy of sunlight and store it in chemical form. We refer to these organisms collectively as_______.
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Primary producers
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49. The open ocean is sometimes referred to as a “biological desert” because of its very low primary production. What is the most important factor limiting primary production in Open Ocean?
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Low availability of nutrients
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50. The ecological efficiency [or food chain efficiency] refers to the percentage of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next. Which of the following is a typical range of ecological efficiencies?
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5-20%
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51. Where did most of this mass come from [tree stump]?
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CO2
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52. The more the precipitation, the greater the rate of net primary production
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True (until a certain point when precipitation causes flooding and there is no more production)
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53. Characterize the pre-industrial atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in the context of the earth’s geologic history.
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It was probably at the lowest level in the earth’s geologic history
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54. What percentage of solar energy striking the earth provides the energy required to drive the global weather cycle?
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25%
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55. Which of the following abiotic processes can result in the transformation of atmospheric nitrogen gas [N2] to ammonia [NH3] available to plants and microorganisms?
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Lightning
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56. Which of the following land use type export more phosphorus to the aquatic systems such as streams and lakes?
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Urban
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57. Which of the following region is a more important source of N to the Gulf?
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Ohio
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58. A stream flowing through or under a glacier can leave deposits of soil and rock in its path. After the retreat of the glacier, these deposits appear as a long, winding hill in the landscape, creating a unique microhabitat, What is the name applied to this structure?
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Esker
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59. Using this system, a researcher can bring together diverse sets of geographic information to quantify characteristics of the landscape mosaic and to determine how organism are affected by landscape characteristics
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GIS
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60. The degree of resolution at which an organism experiences variation in the landscape is referred to as:
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Grain
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61. Which of the following ecologists was the first to apply thermodynamic principles to the study of ecological systems?
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Alfred J. Lotka
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62. Which of the following statement is TRUE regarding landscape structure and landscape process?
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Landscape structure affects landscape process, and vice versa.
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63. If we consider the areas within 100 m of forest to cropland edge as the edge habitat, which of the following patch has the HIGHEST proportion of interior habitat?
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A square patch 100 ha in size (1000 m by 1000 m)
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64. As the tigerbush landscape became fragmented from 1960 to 1992, the average vegetation patch size_______ and the average vegetation patch shape index______
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Decreased...decreased
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65. Listed below are five consequences of habitat fragmentation. Which of these is directly responsible for an overall decrease in species richness?
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Total amount of habitat decreases
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66. Listed below are five consequences of habitat fragmentation. Which of these favors the brown-headed cowbird?
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Amount of edge habitat increases
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67. Both density of tick nymphs and percentage infected with the bacterial agent of Lyme disease were highest in the smallest forest fragments. What was the principal cause of the relationships observed?
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Increased abundance of white-footed mice in small forest patches
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68. About how many species of plants and animals worldwide have been described and given Latin names?
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1.5 Million
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69. Conservation of global is best served by directing efforts toward areas of:
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High diversity and high endemism
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70. Which of the following kinds of extinction has been linked to collisions of bolides with earth?
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Mass extinction
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71. Which is NOT a reason that limits food chains to 4-5 trophic levels?
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There is not enough physical space for predator species of higher trophic levels
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72. In the process of ________, one molecule of C6H12O6 is broken down in the presence of O2 to release CO2, H2O and 38 molecules of ATP
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aerobic respiration
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73. The energy ingested by an animal minus that energy excreted (in feces, etc.) is known as
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assimilated energy
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74. The net production efficiency (production / assimilation) for warm-blooded animals ________ that for cold-blooded animals:
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Lower than [homeotherms: 1-3%, poikilotherms: 20-50%]
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75. Regions of high species diversity always support the highest numbers of endemic and threatened species
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False
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76. What fraction of medical prescriptions filled in the United States are drugs extracted directly from flowering plants?
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one-quarter
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77. When environmentalist Rachel Carson warned of a ‘silent spring,’ she was referring specifically to?
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The threat posed to birds by widespread application of pesticides
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78. Introduction of a single exotic predator is most likely to disrupt ecosystem function if the introduced species is a _______ predator
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Keystone
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79. Application of fertilizers to aquatic ecosystems stimulates primary production just as it does in agricultural ecosystems. In aquatic ecosystems, the enhanced production can eventually lead to:
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Anoxic conditions
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80. Which of the following ecosystems services is considered indirect and dependent more on maintenance of intact ecosystems and less on availability of particular species?
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Production of clean air and water
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81. Solar energy that reaches the earth's surface may be absorbed and re-radiated by an object. The outgoing wave lengths are _________ the incoming wave lengths.
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Longer than
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82. What kinds of organism are capable of carrying out ammonification?
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All organisms
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83. The Phosphorus cycle is not of particular interest to ecologists because phosphorus is not an essential element.
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False
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84. Which of the following statement is TRUE regarding landscape structure and landscape process?
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Landscape structure affects landscape process, and vice versa.
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85. If patch A and patch B are of the same size but patch A has a GREATER patch shape index value than patch B, then patch A has _____ edge habitat than patch B.
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More
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86. The World Land Trust and Wildlife Trust of India are collaborating to protect important habitat corridors to ensure the long-term persistence of which of the following charismatic animals?
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Asian elephant
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87. If we have just clearcut 70% of a forested area with clear cut areas well distributed and connected with logging roads, what would be the matrix of the landscape?
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clearcut area
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88. ___________ in the 1960s-1980s is likely a major cause of the fragmentation of the tiger bush landscape in Niger.
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Significant human population growth and associated fuel wood consumption.
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89. Habitat fragmentation results in increased patch isolation, smaller patch size, and higher patch numbers, all of which have uniformly negative effects on species richness.
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False
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90. Images acquired from airplanes and satellites can be used to identify features on the earth’s surface and their locations in landscapes. Which wavelengths of reflected radiation make it easy to identify areas of vegetation, which typically stand out as bright red in the images produced?
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visible or near infrared
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91. The landscape scale that an animal experiences in the course of its movements is referred to as:
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Extent
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92. Which of the following abiotic processes can result in the transformation of atmospheric nitrogen gas (N2) to ammonia (NH3) available to plants and microorganisms?
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Lightning
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93. The cycling of elements within an ecosystems is a result of:
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All of the above (physical, biological, and chemical processes)
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94. Most of phosphorus on earth are in?
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Sedimentary Rocks
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95. Most of the Nitrogen on earth is in the?
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Atmosphere
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96. In an open grassland landscape, a wooded stream corridor could function:
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All of the above (as a conduit to forest/woodland animals, as a barrier to grassland animals, and as a barrier or filter to runoff and erosion)
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97. For species with good dispersal capabilities (birds and flying insects, for example), one of the following may suffice to provide connectivity between patches of suitable habitat, without the need for a continuously connected corridor.
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Stepping stones
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98. Fragmentation of the tiger bush landscape in Niger
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Decreased landscape’s ability to retain water
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99. Listed below are five consequences of habitat fragmentation. Which of these favors the brown-headed cowbird?
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Amount of edge habitat increases
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100. Using this system, a receiver picks up signals from orbiting satellites and processes these signals to determine latitude, longitude, and elevation of any location on earth.
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GPS
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101. Is biological nitrogen fixation _________ process?
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an assimilatory
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102. If atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration were decreased, one might expect:
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the earth to get colder
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103. If atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration were increased, one might expect:
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the earth to get warmer
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104. Which of the following region is a more important source of N to the Gulf?
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Ohio
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105. What is the matrix of a post oak savanna landscape (~10 km2) that consists of grass areas (60%), wooded areas (30%), crop fields (7%), and water (3%)?
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Grass areas
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106. What is the matrix of a post oak savanna parkland landscape (~10 km2) that consists of grass areas (35%), wooded areas (50%), crop fields (10%), and water (5%)?
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wooded areas
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107. In the study of the effects of patch size on animal movement at the Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, _______.
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rodents move shorter distance and more frequent in larger habitat patches.
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108. We saw the relationships of the density of nymphs of the black-legged tick and the percentage of tick nymphs infected with Borrelia burdorferi (the bacterial agent of Lyme disease) to area of forest fragments. Both density of tick nymphs and percentage infected were highest in the smallest forest fragments. What was the principal cause of the relationships observed? [ALSO A CLICKER QUESTION]
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increased abundance in small forest patches of white-footed mice
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109. Aside from that produced by biological nitrogen fixation, biologically available nitrogen is abundantly available in various rocks and minerals, which can be mined for fertilizer.
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False
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110. How do free-living cyanobacteria obtain the energy necessary to reduce atmospheric nitrogen gas (N2) to ammonia (NH3)?
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Photosynthesis
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111. Earl Werner and colleagues found that turnover (percentage change in species composition per year) of larval amphibians in wetlands in southeastern Michigan was directly related to which property of these wetlands?
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Connectivity to other wetlands
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112. Ancient farming practices, wildfires, ecosystem engineers, and modern logging practices all share a common impact on the landscape. What is it?
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Creation of a landscape mosaic
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113. Using this system, a researcher can bring together diverse sets of geographic information to quantify characteristics of the landscape mosaic and to determine how organisms are affected by landscape characteristics.
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GIS
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114. Two habitat patches of the same area differ in their shapes. One is circular, the other narrowly elliptical. Which has the greater ratio of edge to interior?
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Narrowly elliptical patch
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116. The degree of resolution at which an organism experiences variation in the landscape is referred to as: [ALSO A CLICKER QUESTION]
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Grain
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117. The "greenhouse effect" that may cause global warming appears to be associated with:
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An increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration
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118. If you were studying an animal, like the wildebeest, which covers huge areas in its annual movements, you would probably opt for a study that examined landscape features at relatively coarse (and/or large):
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Grain and extent
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119. Denitrification is an important biological process because:
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All of the above [it results in the release of nitrogen in a form unavailable to plants, it can proceed in waterlogged, anaerobic soils and sediments, it results in the breakdown of organic matter in soils and sediments, it is carried out by certain bacteria.
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120. The transformation of the forest dominated landscape in Minnesota to a landscape dominated by beaver ponds and wet/moist meadows during the comeback of beaver population in 1926-1986 is an examples of __________.
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The effect of landscape process on landscape structure
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121. Some amphibians and insects spend their larval stages in aquatic habitats and then range more widely across a variety of terrestrial and aquatic habitats as adults. As these organisms transition from their larval to adult stages, ecologists must __________ the extent of the landscape within which they attempt to understand the ecology of these species.
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Expand
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122. Nitrogen is made available to food webs by:
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Fixation
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123. The study of the effects of animal activities on landscape structure in Minnesota in 1926-1986 shows that..
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The increase in beaver population led to decreased forest cover and increased wet/moist meadows cover
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124. In the study of the role of road corridors in enhancing seed dispersal, seeds of _______ different plant species were uncovered in a car wash in Australia
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about 260
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125. About how many species of plants and animals worldwide have been described and given Latin names?
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1.5 million
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126. About how many species of plants and animals exist on the planet?
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10 million
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127. The present rate of extinction on Earth falls within what scientists consider the “background” or “normal” rate of extinction.
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False
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128. Researchers Tilman and Downing have demonstrated which of the following?
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More stable biomass production during drought in high-diversity systems
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129. An area that has a large number of unique species found nowhere else is said to possess a high level of:
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Endemism
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131. Which of the following is encompassed by the term biodiversity?
*The diversity of species on Earth *The diversity of ecosystems and biomes on Earth *The diversity of evolutionary lineages (taxonomic groups) on Earth *All of the above |
All of the above
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132. Which of the following is encompassed by the term biodiversity?
*All of the species found within a given community *All of the ecosystems found within a landscape *All of the communities found within an ecosystem *All of the above |
All of the above
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133. The height of young aspen _______as a result of reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone and _______ trophic cascades.
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Increased...Top-down
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134. Which of the following is a reason we should care about the extinction of species and work to conserve biological diversity?
*Moral responsibility *Economic benefits *Value of species as indicators of environmental quality *Value of species in maintaining ecosystem function *All of the above |
All of the above
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135. Which of the following statements is most accurate about patterns of overexploitation.
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Overexploitation of species has been documented throughout the world.
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136. Habitat fragmentation poses severe threats to many species because of:
*Small size of local populations *undesirable edge effects *movement in response to changing conditions *all of the above |
All of the above
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137. The immediate threat posed by the pesticide DDT to predatory birds is:
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Overly thin eggshells and deaths of embryos
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138. In a national park in Zambia, the percentage of tuskless female elephants increased from 10% in 1969 to 38% in 1989. What was the direct cause of this increase?
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Illegal poaching by ivory hunters
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139. How many nonindigenous species have been introduced to the United States?:
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50,000
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140. What was the name of the person who wrote the book that alerted the public to concerns related to the widespread use of pesticides such as DDT?
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Rachel Carson
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141. In the example of the biological magnification of DDT in a lake ecosystem, what is the order of DDT concentration in different groups of organisms?
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algae/plants, plant-eating (small) fish, fish-eating fish (large), large fish-eating birds
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142. In the United States, purple loosestrife, Japanese and Amur honeysuckle, Australian Melaleuca, and Brazilian pepper are all:
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Exotic flowering plants that have cause significant problems for native species
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143. What is a good estimate of the background rate of species extinction?
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One species per year
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144. What is the term that describes the process whereby formerly continuous areas (such as forests) are increasingly subdivided by roads, developments, agricultural areas, etc.
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Habitat fragmentation
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145. What fraction of medical prescriptions filled in the United States are drugs extracted directly from flowering plants? [ALSO A CLICKER QUESTION]
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One-quarter
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146. Large, flightless birds called _______ were exterminated from New Zealand by Maori natives before Europeans arrived.
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Moas
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147. The value of pollination services from wild pollinators in the U.S. alone is estimated at _____ dollars per year.
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4-6 billion
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148. Extinction is a normal process that occurs naturally in species.
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True
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149. Willow growth _____ as a result of reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone and ______ trophic cascades
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Increased...top-down
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150. Which of the following is an appropriate goal for conservation?
*protecting a variety of geographic areas *protecting endemic species *protecting habitats and areas of special biological interest *protecting large areas of intact habitat *All of the above |
all of the above
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151. FTY hotspots tend to have above-average densities of human populations combined with high human population growth rates.
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True
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152. The benefits of many pesticides are often short-lived, and their amounts must be increased for continued effectiveness because:
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They select for evolution of resistance in target organisms.
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153. How do invasive species arrive in new areas?
*Deliberately as crops, ornamentals or game species *Accidentally, such as in ship ballasts *Naturally *All of the above |
All of the above
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154. The _____________ of DDT refers to the dramatic increase in DDT concentration along the food chain (algae/plants -> plant-eating fish -> large fish -> fish-eating birds).
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Biological magnification
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155. What percentage of species listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act are threatened because of competition, predation, parasitism, and herbivory by introduced species?
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40%
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156. Which of the following species long thought extinct might still be around?
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IVORY BILLED WOODPECKER
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157. Which of the following ecosystem services is considered indirect and dependent more on maintenance of intact ecosystems and less on availability of particular species?
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PRODUCTION OF CLEAN AIR AND WATER
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158. Until Europeans began worldwide colonial activities about 500 years ago, humans had not introduced exotic species anywhere.
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FALSE
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159. Invasive species can be harmful in which role?
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All of the above (competitors, predators, disease)
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160. Conservation is an approach that uses the principles and experiences from which of the following fields?
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All of the above (ecology and other natural resource management fields, genetics, sociology and economics)
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161. In the example of the biological magnification of DDT in a lake ecosystem, there was roughly a/an _______ time increase from the DDT concentration in the water to the DDT concentration in the tissue of the fish-eating birds.
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1,000,000
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162. Which of the following countries has a predominantly alien flora and fauna?
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New Zealand
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163. About _____ of human food comes from plants pollinated by wild pollinators.
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1/3
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176. The present rate of extinction on Earth falls within what scientists consider the “background” or “normal” rate of extinction.
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FALSE
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177. What is a good estimate of the current rate of species extinction?
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One species per day
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178. Of the top 150 prescription drugs used in the U.S., 118 originate from natural sources:
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74 percent from plants, 18 percent from fungi, 5 percent from bacteria, and, 3 percent from one vertebrate
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