If don't mind could you check my answers for environmental science
1.The interdisciplinary study of humanity’s relationship with other organisms and the non-living physical environment is termed:
a) ecology
b) sociology
c) political science
d) risk analysis
e) environmental science ****
2. As energy flows through an ecosystem
A. 10% of useful energy is lost
B. Chemicals accumulate in higher trophic levels.
C. Energy is transferred 100% efficiently
D. There is no change to energy gained at each level.
E. 90% of useful energy is lost. ****
Which of the following is a carbon sink?
A) volcano
B) trees****
C) consumers
D) bacteria
E) humans
8. Which of the following stages comes LAST in addressing environmental problems?
a) risk analysis
b) political action
c) evaluation****
d) scientific assessment
e) public education and involvement
The Cycle listed that has the most immediate effect on acid precipitation would be
a) Carbon cycle
b) Sulfur cycle****
c) Water cycle
d) Phosphorous cycle
e) Rock cycle
Net primary Productivity per square meter is highest in which biome listed below?
a) Deserts
b) Grasslands
c) Boreal forests
d) Open oceans
e) Estuaries****
"The Tragedy of the Commons" refers to:
a) an environmental theory promoting public ownership of lands and resources.
b) an economic theory promoting private ownership of lands and resources.
c) an analogy describing the conflict between individual interest and management of shared resources.***
d) events impacting the common people, particularly farmers, of developing countries.
e) environmental problems generated by farming practices.
In a positive feedback mechanism:
a) a change in some condition triggers a response that counteracts the changing condition
b) a change in some condition triggers a response that neutralizes the changing condition
c) a change in some condition triggers a response that intensifies the changing condition****
d) all of these
e) none of these choices
Which of the following is NOT a renewable resource?
a) trees
b) fishes
c) minerals****
d) fresh water
e) fertile agricultural soil
An environmental impact statement must include:
a) an ethical analysis of the proposed action.
b) short- and long-term effects and any adverse environmental effects.
c) solutions to any potentially adverse environmental effects.****
d) documentation of the financial cost-benefit analysis of the proposed action.
e) a description of the solution to any associated environmental controversy.
The National Environmental Policy Act:
a) mandates development of an Environmental Impact Statement at the end of any project using federal funds.
b) provided for the establishment of the Court on Environmental Quality to enforce U.S. environmental law.
c) requires the evaluation of federal highway construction and military projects.
d) requires documentation of the financial impact of all projects with potential environmental impact.****
e) was signed into law in 1965.
Which of the following series is organized according to the levels of organization used by ecologists?
a) population -> ecosystem -> community
b) species -> community -> abiotic factors
c) species -> ecosystem -> population
d) population -> community -> biotic factors
e) population -> community -> ecosystem****
Physical laws state that we can recycle:
a) both matter and energy.
b) neither matter nor energy.
c) matter, but not energy.****
c) energy, but not matter.
d) There are no physical laws governing the recycling of matter or energy.
A secondary consumer would eat:
a) tertiary consumers.
b) fungi.
c) bacteria.
d) herbivores.****
e) lions.
Of the following statements, which statement is false?
a) The second law of thermodynamics predicts that although localized areas may temporarily increase in the degree of order, the overall randomness of the universe will not decrease.
b) Energy flow in ecosystems is linear, or one-way.
c) Photosynthesis converts the energy of the sun into stored chemical energy.
d) Cellular respiration converts carbohydrates into usable energy and heat.
e) Only about half the energy available in an organism is transferred to the consumer that eats it.****
Net primary productivity represents:
a) plant growth per unit area per unit time.
b) energy per unit area per unit time.
c) the energy available to herbivores.
d) amount of biomass found in excess of that broken down by a plant's cellular respiration.
e) All of these choices are correct*** dont know
In a pyramid of energy, the lowest quantity of energy ( kcal per m2), would be found in the:
a) producers.
b) primary consumers.
c) secondary consumers.
d) tertiary consumers.
e) herbivores.****
One human impact on the phosphorus cycle occurs through:
a) burning of fossil fuels.
b) the erosion of agricultural lands.***
c) the greenhouse effect.
d) global warming.
e) depletion of the ozone layer.
The phosphorus cycle differs from the carbon cycle in that:
a) there is little or no human impact on the phosphorus cycle.
b) phosphorus is not a critical component of living organisms.
c) the hydrosphere plays a role in the phosphorus cycle.
d) the atmosphere does not contribute to the phosphorus cycle.****
e) plants play a role in the carbon cycle, but have no role in the phosphorus cycle.
Pollution is considered an external cost because:
a) it has a harmful effect borne only by people who purchased the product that caused it.
b) its cost to the environment is not reflected in the price of the product that produces it.****
c) it has a significant impact on the consumer's decision to buy the product that causes it.
d) it is a hidden cost that would produce increased demand if the consumer were aware of it.
e) it is an advertised cost that may affect consumer demand for a given product.
An ecosystem can be characterized as:
a) populations + community.
b) all species, population, and community interactions for organisms in a given area.
c) the abiotic components of the environment.
d) all of the biological interactions, plus interactions with the abiotic environment, in a given area.***
e) interactions between physical processes and the abiotic environment.
Nitrogen fertilizer:
A) contributes to acid rain.***
B) leads to the formation of nitrous oxides.
C) may contaminate groundwater or cause Eutrophication.
D) contributes to the production pf photochemical smog.
E) All of the above
All of your answers appear to be correct except for the following:
Net primary productivity represents (choose e):
e) All of these choices are correct.
In a pyramid of energy, the lowest quantity of energy (kcal per m2) would be found in the (choose d):
d) tertiary consumers.
The rest of your answers are correct. Good job!
1. The correct answer is e) environmental science. To arrive at this answer, one must understand that environmental science is the study of the relationship between humanity and the natural environment. It is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses knowledge from various fields such as ecology, sociology, political science, and risk analysis.
2. The correct answer is e) 90% of useful energy is lost. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of energy flow in an ecosystem. Energy is not transferred efficiently from one trophic level to another, and as a result, only about 10% of the energy is passed on to the next trophic level. The rest is lost as heat or used for metabolic processes.
3. The correct answer is b) trees. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of carbon sinks. A carbon sink is a reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases. Trees are known to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and store it in their biomass, making them a carbon sink.
4. The correct answer is c) evaluation. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the stages involved in addressing environmental problems. The stages typically include scientific assessment, public education and involvement, risk analysis, political action, and evaluation. Evaluation comes last as it involves analyzing the effectiveness of the actions taken to address the environmental problem.
5. The correct answer is b) sulfur cycle. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of acid precipitation. Acid precipitation is caused by the release of sulfur dioxide and other sulfur compounds into the atmosphere, primarily through human activities such as burning fossil fuels. Therefore, the cycle that has the most immediate effect on acid precipitation is the sulfur cycle.
6. The correct answer is e) estuaries. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of net primary productivity. Net primary productivity refers to the amount of energy or biomass produced by plants through photosynthesis, minus the energy used by the plants for their own respiration. Estuaries, which are highly productive ecosystems, have high levels of net primary productivity due to nutrient-rich waters and a high diversity of plant life.
7. The correct answer is c) an analogy describing the conflict between individual interest and management of shared resources. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of the tragedy of the commons. The tragedy of the commons refers to a situation where individuals acting in their own self-interest deplete or degrade a shared resource, leading to negative consequences for all. It is a concept that highlights the conflict between individual interest and the sustainable management of common resources.
8. The correct answer is c) a change in some condition triggers a response that intensifies the changing condition. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of positive feedback mechanisms. In a positive feedback mechanism, a change in some condition triggers a response that further amplifies or intensifies the changing condition, leading to a self-reinforcing cycle.
9. The correct answer is c) minerals. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources. Renewable resources are those that can be replenished or regenerated over time, such as trees, fishes, fresh water, and fertile agricultural soil. Non-renewable resources, on the other hand, are finite and cannot be replenished, such as minerals.
10. The correct answer is c) solutions to any potentially adverse environmental effects. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the purpose of an environmental impact statement. An environmental impact statement is a document that assesses the potential environmental effects of a proposed action or project. It typically includes the analysis of short-term and long-term effects, adverse environmental effects, and potential solutions to mitigate or minimize these effects.
11. The correct answer is d) requires documentation of the financial impact of all projects with potential environmental impact. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is a U.S. environmental law that mandates the consideration of the environmental impacts of federal projects or actions. It requires the preparation of an environmental impact statement, which includes the documentation of the financial impact of the project.
12. The correct answer is e) population -> community -> ecosystem. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the levels of organization used by ecologists. The correct sequence of levels of organization, from smallest to largest, is population (a group of individuals of the same species), community (an assemblage of populations of different species in a given area), and ecosystem (the community of organisms in a particular habitat interacting with the abiotic factors in the environment).
13. The correct answer is c) matter, but not energy. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the laws of thermodynamics. The laws of thermodynamics state that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can only be converted from one form to another. Matter, on the other hand, can be recycled or transformed through various natural processes.
14. The correct answer is d) herbivores. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of the food chain/web in an ecosystem. A secondary consumer is an organism that feeds on primary consumers, which in turn feed on producers (plants or algae). Herbivores are primary consumers that feed on plants, making them the prey for secondary consumers.
15. The correct answer is e) Only about half the energy available in an organism is transferred to the consumer that eats it. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of energy transfer in an ecosystem. As energy flows through the food chain, a significant amount of energy is lost at each trophic level due to metabolic processes, heat production, and inefficiencies in energy transfer. Only a fraction of the energy from one trophic level is passed on to the next.
16. The correct answer is e) All of these choices are correct. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of net primary productivity (NPP). NPP represents the amount of energy or biomass produced by plants through photosynthesis, minus the energy used by the plants for their own respiration. It can be measured in terms of plant growth per unit area per unit time or energy per unit area per unit time.
17. The correct answer is a) producers. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of an energy pyramid. An energy pyramid represents the flow of energy through an ecosystem, with each trophic level consuming the one below it. Since energy is lost at each trophic level, the producers (plants or algae) at the base of the pyramid have the highest quantity of energy.
18. The correct answer is b) the erosion of agricultural lands. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the human impact on the phosphorus cycle. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth and is often added to agricultural lands through the use of fertilizers. However, excessive use of phosphorus-based fertilizers can lead to its runoff into water bodies, causing eutrophication and impacting the phosphorus cycle.
19. The correct answer is c) the hydrosphere plays a role in the phosphorus cycle. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the difference between the phosphorus cycle and the carbon cycle. While both cycles involve the movement of elements through various reservoirs, the phosphorus cycle is primarily influenced by the movement of phosphorus through the hydrosphere (water bodies) and the lithosphere (rocks and minerals), whereas the carbon cycle involves the movement of carbon through the atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere.
20. The correct answer is b) its cost to the environment is not reflected in the price of the product that produces it. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the concept of external costs. Pollution is considered an external cost because it imposes costs and harms on the environment or society that are not reflected in the price of the product or activity that produces the pollution. This means that the true cost of the pollution is not considered in the economic transaction.
21. The correct answer is d) all of the biological interactions, plus interactions with the abiotic environment, in a given area. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the definition of an ecosystem. An ecosystem is a complex of all the organisms, their physical and chemical environment, and the interactions between them in a particular area. It includes not only the biological interactions but also the interactions with the abiotic environment, such as climate and geology.
22. The correct answer is e) All of the above. To arrive at this answer, one must understand the impact of nitrogen fertilizer on the environment. Nitrogen fertilizer contributes to acid rain, leads to the formation of nitrous oxides (a greenhouse gas), may contaminate groundwater or cause eutrophication (excessive nutrient enrichment), and contributes to the production of photochemical smog (air pollution).