Download Envir. Exam 2 Study Guide

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Environmental Science
Study Guide for Exam 2
The exam will cover chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10
This study guide is designed to assist you with preparing for the exam. This study guide is not guaranteed to
be all inclusive.
Things to know:
Chapter 6 – Population and Community Ecology: Distribution and Abundance of Species
 Know what a population is- all individuals that belong to the same species and live in a given area at a
particular time
 Know what a community is- incorporates all of the populations of organisms within a given area
 Know what population ecology is- The study of factors that cause populations to increase or decrease is
the science of population ecology
 Know how size, density, distribution, sex ratio, and age structure affect a population
 Size- total number of individuals within a defined area at a given time.
 Density- number of individuals per unit area. Helps determine rare or abundant
 Distribution- description of how individuals are distributed with respect to one another
 Sex ratio- ratio of males to females
 Age structure- how many individuals fit into particular age categories
 Know the difference between density-dependent factors and density-independent factors
Dependent- depends on size of population
Independent- same effect regardless of population size
 Know what is meant by carrying capacity- Limit of how many individuals the food supply could sustain
 Know the difference between intrinsic growth and logistic growth
Intrinsic growth potential maximum for growth
Logistic Growth- S shaped, initially exponential, but levels off as it reaches the carrying capacity
 Know what happens when a population exceeds its carrying capacity
Overshoot and die off
 Know the difference between K-selected and r-selected species
K- Increase slowly, levels off
R- Increase quickly, likely with overshoots and die offs
 Know the three different survivorship curves
Type 1- excellent survivorship till old age
Type 2- Constant decline
Type 3- Very low rates of survivorship early in life
 Know what is meant by competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism
Competition- The struggle of individuals to obtain a limiting resource.
Predation- use of one species as a resource for another species
Mutualism- benefits two interacting species
Commensalism- one species benefits other not affected
 Know why resource portioning occurs
Two species divide a resource based on differences in the species’ behavior or morphology. Happens
because of competition
 Know the difference between primary and secondary succession
Primary- Starting from scratch
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Secondary- Areas that have been disturbed but have not lost their soil.
Know what the Theory of Island Biogeography states
Demonstrates the dual importance of habitat size and distance in determining species richness. Larger
habitats typically contain more species, larger habitats can support more species, larger habitats usually
contain a wider range of environmental conditions, the distance between a habitat and a source of
colonizing species is the final factor that affects the species richness of communities.
Chapter 7 – Human Populations: Patterns and Processes of Human Population Growth
 Know some of the factors that have led to rise in the human population
More births than deaths,
 Know what is meant by:
o Birth rate
- Crude- number of births per 1000 individuals per year
o Death rate
- Crude- number of deaths per 1000 individuals per year
o Growth rate
o Immigration
- People moving into a country
o Emigration
- People moving out of a country
o Doubling-time
- The number of years it would take the population to double
o Total fertility rate
- An estimate of the average number of children that each woman in a population will bear
throughout her child bearing years
o Replacement fertility rate
- The TFR required to offset the average number of deaths in a population so that the current
population will remain stable
 Know what age structure diagrams are and what information can be gathered from them
 Know the four phases that human populations will go through (e.g., Theory of Demographic Transition)
Phase 1: Slow Population Growth Phase 2: Rapid Population Growth
 Know how family planning and economic development affect human population growth
-Regulation of the number of spacing of offspring through the use of birth control
-Economic development more developed countries, overpopulated. Developing, more people die
 Know some sustainable concepts for living with a large human population or what can be done to limit
population growth
Family Planning, Government incentive, Education of women
Sustainable
Limit water usage, Low flow fixtures, shorter showers
Limit fossil fuels, ecofriendly cars, carpooling/bus, and bikes
Switch to renewable resources, hydroelectric, solar, wind generation,
3 R’s, Organic agriculture, land preservation, no till farming, rational grazing
Chapter 8 – Earth’s Resources: Geologic Processes, Soils, and Minerals
 Know the rock cycle (e.g., figure 8.15 in your textbook)
 Know what the Theory of Plate Tectonics states
Earth’s lithosphere is divides into plates, most of which are in constant motion
 Know what is meant by:
o Core
Most inner layer
o Mantle
Middle layer, mostly made of magma
o Crust
Outermost layer of the lithosphere
o Asthenosphere
Located in outer part of mantle
o Mineral
Solid chemical substances with uniform structures that form under specific temperatures and
pressures
o Ore
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o Reserve
Know what convection is and how it can lead to a hot spot
Radioactive decay of various isotopes of elements which release heat. Heat causes plumes of magma
to well upward from mantle. Plumes produce hot spots.
Know the three types of tectonic plate boundaries
Convergent- Collide
Divergent- Go away from
Transform- Slide past each other
Know some of the environmental hazards associated with earthquakes and volcanoes
Emits gas, ash, and molten lava
EQ- collapsed structures and buildings, fires, contaminated water
supplies, ruptured dams, and deaths
Know the difference between weathering and erosion
Breakdown of rocks and minerals
Physical removing of rock fragments from a landscape or ecosystem
Know the difference between erosion and deposition
Look above
Deposition- Accumulation or depositing of eroded material such as sediment, rock fragments, or soil
Know what soil is- mix of geologic and organic components
Know what is unique about the soil horizons
As soil forms, develops characteristic horizons
Know what factors can accelerate or slow the formation of soil
Know the difference between Surface mining and subsurface mining
On surface
Below Surface
Know some of the steps that have been done to try and limit environmental hazards associated with
mining and soil erosion
Mining law of 1872 regulate mining of silver, copper, and gold as well as fuels, also known as
General Mining Act
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 regulates surface mining of coal and the
surface effects of subsurface coal mining.
Chapter 9 – Water Resources: Supply, Distribution, and Use
 Know what is meant by:
o Groundwater
Duh
o Aquifer (confined vs. unconfined)
Confined- surrounded by a layer of impermeable membrane
Unconfined- water can easily flow in and out, no impermeable membrane
o Artesian well
-drilling a hole into a confined aquifer releases pressure on water
o Cone of depression
Water being rapidly withdrawn, causes cone of depression, dries out wells
o Saltwater intrusion
Due to pumping of freshwater, salt water able to infiltrate
 Know how much useable freshwater exists
Less than 3%
 Know some issues with excessive groundwater pumping/withdrawal
Cone of depression, salt water intrusion,
 Know how lakes are classified
Are classified by their level of primary productivity
 Know how humans use levees, dikes, aqueducts, and dams to control water
Levees- large bank built up on each side of the river, dike- built to prevent ocean waters from flooding
adjacent land, aqueducts- are canals or ditches used to carry, water from one location to another, damsbarrier that runs across a river or stream to control the flow of water
 Know what is meant be desalinization and some challenges associated with this process
Removing of salt from salt water, distillation takes great deal of energy, reverse osmosis causes brine that is
very salty water, can contaminate soil and harm fish and other aquatic creatures
 Know the basic types of irrigation and makes each of them unique
Furrow- easy and inexpensive, digs trenches fills them with water, 65% efficient, flood irrigation- involves
flooding an entire field with water and letting water soak in evenly, 70-80% efficiency, Spray irrigation- more
expensive and uses some energy, giant lawn sprinklers, 75-95% efficient. Drip Irrigation- slowly dripping hose
that is laid on ground or buried, over 95% efficient
 Know what the major source of water use is industry
Mostly towards generating electricity, refining of metals and paper
 Know what the major uses of water are for the average U.S. household
Toilet flushing, bathing, laundry, Cooking and drinking
 Know some of the issues with water ownership
Who really own the water?
 Know some basic steps that can be used to conserve water and why it is some important to conserve
our water resources
Technological improvements in water fixtures, faucets, and washing machines
Chapter 10 – Land: Public and Private
 Know what is meant by:
o Land Use
-using land for a certain purpose?
o Tragedy of the commons
-the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from selfinterest for short-term gain
o Externality
-the cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of the good
or service
o Maximum Sustainable yield
-the maximum amount that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of
that resource
 Know what public lands are and some different categories of public lands
-public land protected for a variety of reasons, including environmental protection. National Parks,
Managed Resource Protected Resource, Habitat/Species Management Areas, Strict Nature Reserves
and Wilderness Areas, Protected Landscapes and Seascapes, National Monuments
 Know what the resource conservation ethic is
-states that people should maximize resource use based on the greatest good for everyone
 Know what rangelands are and what some of the environmental concerns with them are
-dry, open grasslands, too fragile for multiple uses, soils are in poor condition
 Know what forests are and what some of the environmental concerns with them are
-dominated by trees and other woody vegetation, clear cutting causes increased wind and water
erosion, logging
 Be able to differentiate clear cutting and selective cutting
-Clear- removing all or almost all of trees within an area
-Selective- removes single trees or relatively small amounts, allows for trees to reseed.
 Know what ecologically sustainable forestry is
-has a goal of maintaining all species in as close to natural state as possible
 Know how tree plantations can lead to ecosystem degradation
-never develop into mature ecologically diverse forests
 Know what a prescribed burn is and how it is helpful to forest ecosystems
-fire is deliberately set under controlled conditions, reduce risk of uncontrolled natural fires
 Know what an Environmental Impact Statement is
-outlines the scope and purpose of the project, describes the environmental context, suggests
alternative approaches to the project, analyzes environmental impact on each alternative
 Know are some laws/acts to protect public land and organisms living on it
-National Environmental Policy Act- mandates an environmental assessment of all projects involving
federal money or federal permits
 Know what urban sprawl and urban blight are
Sprawl- creation of urbanized areas that spread into rural areas and remove clear boundaries
between the two
Blight- the degradation of the built and social environments of the city that often accompanies and
accelerates migration to the suburbs
 Know how zoning and smart growth reduce urban sprawl
-zoning- planning tool- smart growth- focuses on strategies that encourage the development of
sustainable, healthy communities
 Know what some components of smart growth are
-Mixed land uses, Create a range of housing opportunities and choices, Create walkable
neighborhoods, encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions, take
advantage of compact building design, foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense
of place, preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and open critical environmental areasprovide a variety of transportation choices, Strengthen and direct development toward existing
communities, make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost-effective