Biology 210 Environmental Biology Final Exam Spring 2012 1. Which of the following is NOT a method by which to achieve more sustainable use of nonrenewable mineral resources? a. Reduce waste, recycle, and reuse. b. Slow population growth. c. Find substitutes. d. Reduce mining subsidies. e. Remove minerals faster so the mining processes do not pollute the air for as long a time period. 2. World oil supplies and prices are expected to be controlled long-term by a. OPEC b. the United States c. Mexico d. Russia e. Saudi Arabia 3. Which of the following countries has the greatest tar sand deposits? a. Saudi Arabia b. Canada c. Venezuela d. Kuwait e. United States 4. A process for extracting natural gas that is causing a growing environmental problem involves hydraulic fracturing of rocks and is called a. deep well mining b. strip mining c. offshore drilling d. deep water drilling e. fracking

5. The main problem with use of conventional natural gas as a transportation fuel is a. the expensive engine modifications required to convert an automobile for use of natural gas b. the fact that it has higher CO2 emissions than gasoline produced from conventional oil c. the very low reserves, which could supply U.S. needs for less than 25 years d. the fact that not many fueling stations exist at present e. it can only be obtained by fracking 6. Coal supplies ____ of the electricity generated in the United States. a. 54% b. 34% c. 44% d. 24% e. 84% 7. The world's most abundant conventional fossil fuel is a. crude oil b. natural gas c. biomass d. tar sand e. coal 8. The world's identified and unidentified coal reserves should last at least ____ years at current usage rates. a. 10 b. 50 c. 100 d. 150 e. 200

9. The majority of commercial energy comes from a. hydropower b. wind c. biomass d. renewable energy resources from the earth’s crust e. nonrenewable energy resources from the earth’s crust

10) In 2009 Exxon Mobile paid _____ of it’s income in taxes to the USA. a. 30% b. 20% c. 10% d. 0% e. 50%

11) The best way to reduce the US dependency on foreign oil is to…

a. Increase the amount of off shore drilling b. Drill in the Alaskan arctic refuge c. Increase subsidies to oil companies to increase their drilling

capacity d. Increase fuel efficiency of cars and light trucks to e. A-C are correct

12) The fuel economy (MPG) of a model T ford (1908) is ____ the average

MPG for cars in the USA in 2008. a. Half b. < Half c. Slightly better d. Slightly worse e. The same

13) “Clean” coal…

a. Reduces the incidence of black lung in miners b. Produces fewer greenhouse gasses than normal coal c. Produces no greenhouse gasses d. Minimizes emissions that cause acid rain e. Causes less acid runoff from mines than “dirty” coal

14) Which of the following releases greenhouse gasses? a. Burning Oil b. Burning Coal c. Burning Peat d. Burning Natural Gas e. All of the above

15) The fuel economy (MPG) of a model T ford (1908) is ____ the average

MPG for cars in the USA in 2008. a. Half b. < Half c. Slightly better d. Slightly worse e. The same

16) The primary advantage of Hydrogen power is…

a. Production of Hydrogen produces no greenhouse gasses b. It can be used to fuel the transportation sector c. Hydrogen is easy to mine and refine d. It is easy to store in existing gas stations e. All of the above

17) When a factory pollutes a river the costs and losses that affect

people downstream would be called... a. External costs b. Internal costs c. Incidental costs d. Indirect costs e. None of the above

18) Which of the following is NOT true about Peak Oil?

a. It is the point after which production of oil will decline never to rise again

b. We may have already hit “peak oil” c. After this point we will begin to exploit oil deposits that are

harder to access (Oil Shale, Oil Sands etc.) d. It is the point when oil on the planet runs out e. It occurred in 1970 for the USA

19) The country with the highest CO2 emission rate per person is… a. The USA b. China c. Russia d. India e. Kenya

20) Which of the following is not true about coal mining

a. It kills thousands of people a year b. It results in acid and heavy metal runoff into rivers c. It results in underground fires d. It has resulted in the loss of about a million acres of forest in

the USA e. All of the above are true about coal mining

21) The largest reserves of fresh water on Earth are found in A) polar ice caps and glaciers. B) rivers and groundwater. C) aquifers. D) lakes and wetlands. 22) What layer of our planet is made of rock and soil? A) hydrosphere B) ecosphere C) biosphere D) lithosphere E) atmosphere 23) What type of chemical energy is stored in a plant? A) kinetic B) nuclear C) solar D) potential E) radiant

24) What is stated by the First Law of Thermodynamics? A) Energy can be created or destroyed by physical processes. B) Entropy always increases. C) Energy cannot be created or destroyed. D) The organization of the universe is steadily increasing. E) Energy transfer between organisms is inefficient and much energy is lost. 25) In the developing world A) Water costs more than soda B) Soda is not typically available C) Soda and water cost about the same D) Soda costs more than water E) None of the above 26) Which of the following statements about biogeochemical cycles is true? A) They only include processes conducted by or within living organisms. B) They pertain only to the abiotic environment. C) They describe the movement of water and other materials through the biosphere. D) They only pertain to exchanges and interactions that occur within the atmosphere. E) They are used to describe the attempts of humans to recycle various pollutants. 27) Which of the following best describes an ecosystem? 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.

28) Some farmers in the Midwest rotate their crops from year to year, switching from soybeans to corn on the same fields. What is one of the advantages of doing this? A) The corn crop benefits from reactive nitrogen added to the soil by the soybean crop. B) Corn adds large amounts of phosphorus to the soil, which helps the soybean crop. C) Both crops require the same fertilizing supplies, so farmers save by buying fertilizer in bulk. D) Soybeans add large amounts of carbon dioxide to the soil, which helps the corn crop. 29) Some students on a biology field trip were sitting around watching bees. Some of the students noticed that bees spent more time on some flowers than on other flowers. As they talked about this behavior, the students offered various explanations. Some thought that the bees were avoiding predators on some flowers while other students suggested that some flowers may have sweeter nectar. These speculations about bee behavior are examples of…

A) hypotheses. B) theories. C) laws. D) proofs.

30) The greatest worldwide use of water is for A) washing and flushing toilets. B) human consumption. C) irrigation. D) industry. 31) As a result of the privatization of public water production... A) The cost of drinking water has gone up B) In some areas water has become unavailable to fight fires C) Delivery systems are more poorly maintained than they were by public sector workers D) All of the above

32) What important role do decomposers play in the ecosystem? A) predation B) pollination C) nutrient cycling D) photosynthesis E) symbiosis 33) Primary productivity of the open oceans is very limited because of A) the shortage of water. B) low temperature. C) the shortage of nutrients. D) the shortage of light. 34) What is the best term to describe a group of wildebeest? A) community B) ecosystem C) population D) species E) family 35) Which of the following is the most efficient at converting one form of energy into useful energy? A) incandescent bulb B) high performance automobile engine C) fluorescent bulb D) oil furnace E) electric motor 36) How is carbon transferred from living organisms to the atmosphere? A) photosynthesis B) cellular respiration C) decomposition D) burning fossil fuels E) transpiration

37) The nitrogen cycle is one of the most important and complex of the biogeochemical cycles. Why is nitrogen important? A) It's a greenhouse gas. B) It's an essential part of biological molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids (DNA). C) It's the most toxic element to living organisms. D) Nitrogen dilutes the oxygen in the atmosphere causing respiratory problems. E) It's a crucial part of the process of photosynthesis. 38) What is the first step in the nitrogen cycle, in which gaseous nitrogen is converted into ammonia? A) ossification B) ammonification C) assimilation D) nitrification E) nitrogen fixation 39) How can humans interfere with the phosphorus cycle? A) by burning natural gas B) by mining for fertilizers C) emissions from automobile exhaust D) increasing global warming E) by burning coal 40) Which term names the trophic level in which energy from the sun is chemically trapped? A) carnivore B) herbivore C) producer D) decomposer E) none of the above

41) Most of the Earth’s deserts are at approximately 30° latitude, north and south, because these latitudes are characterized by (A) generally warm ocean currents (B) predominantly low atmospheric pressure (C) descending dry air currents (D) slow-moving jet streams (E) enhanced solar radiation 42) How does the phosphorus cycle differ from the carbon cycle? 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. 43) Which of the following organisms is a secondary consumer? A. wolf B. elk C. mouse D. bacteria 44) Which of the following statements best distinguishes between hypotheses and theories? a) Theories are hypotheses that have been proven b) Hypotheses are tentative guesses; theories are correct answers to questions about nature c) Theories are hypotheses which have been tested repeatedly and have not been falsified d) Hypotheses and theories are terms for essentially the same thing in science e) Theories are facts

45) Water is pumped to Los Angeles through aquifers from as far away as... A) 1400 Miles B) 20 Miles C) 200 Miles D) 4000 Miles E) 400 Miles

46) A tropical grassland with widely scattered clumps of trees would be called a a. savanna b. pampas c. veldt d. steppes e. taiga

47) Lakes that fall between the two extremes of nutrient enrichment are called a. trophic b. oligotrophic c. mesotrophic d. eutrophic e. metatrophic

48) Surface-level ocean currents are caused by a. prevailing winds blowing over the ocean surface b. dense ocean water sinking c. warm ocean water exchanging with cool ocean water d. cool ocean water rising e. strong winds coming from warm coastal areas and traveling across the

ocean surface

49) Much of this biome has disappeared from Earth because it has been converted to grazing lands for cattle and croplands. a. temperate grassland b. tropical grassland c. temperate forest d. cold grassland e. cold desert

50) Approximately how long has there been life on planet Earth? a. 3.5 billion years b. 35 billion years c. 35 million years d. 3.5 million years e. 350 million years

51) In typical, fairly deep, temperate zone lakes, the vast majority of animals are found in the a. profundal and benthic zones b. limnetic zone only c. littoral zone only d. benthic zone e. limnetic and littoral zones

52) A forest that is known for its year-round uniformly warm temperature is the: a. taiga b. boreal forest c. subalpine forest d. tropical rainforest e. temperate deciduous forest

53) A rain shadow is most likely to be produced by a a. forest b. sand dune c. mountain d. ocean e. lake

54) Large terrestrial regions with similar climate, soil, plants, and animals are called a. niches b. populations c. ecosystems d. biomes e. communities

55) Mountain biomes a. do not affect climate b. recover quickly from vegetation loss c. have little biodiversity d. have deep, rich soils e. may act as sanctuaries for animal species driven from lowland areas

56) Which of the following ecosystems has the highest net primary productivity? a. temperate forest b. lakes and streams c. open ocean d. swamps and marshes e. agricultural land

57) Climate and vegetation vary with a. latitude and longitude b. latitude only c. elevation only d. latitude and elevation e. elevation and longitude

58) Permafrost is characteristic of the ____ biome. a. thorn woodland b. tropical savanna c. taiga d. Arctic tundra e. deciduous forest

59) In lakes, the nutrient-rich water near the shore is part of the a. profundal zone b. littoral zone c. benthic zone d. abyssal zone e. limnetic zone

60) All of the following affect the climate of the earth except: a. gases in the atmosphere b. the earth's surface features c. the earth's gravity d. solar radiation e. the earth's rotation

61) The fragility of the desert ecosystem is indicated by a. long recovery time from disturbance b. the high growth rate of plants c. moderate species diversity d. abundant groundwater e. all of these except the high growth rate of plants

62) Which of the following is not appropriate to use in describing a tropical rain forest? a. high nutrient content of soil b. rainfall c. diversity d. moist conditions e. layered

63) The distribution of the desert, grassland, and forest biomes is determined principally by a. average annual temperature only b. latitude c. sunlight d. wind e. average annual precipitation and temperature

64) The term greenhouse effect describes a. efforts by the White House to support environmental legislation b. the trapping of heat energy in the stratosphere by nitrogen c. the trapping of heat energy in the troposphere by nitrogen d. occupational diseases of florists e. the trapping of heat energy in the troposphere by certain gaseous

molecules

65) Estuaries and coastal wetlands are important for all of the following reasons except a. filtering out waterborne pollutants b. reduction of storm damage c. providing coral for limestone production and the tourist trade d. high productivity e. nursery grounds for a variety of marine species 66) Current debate about the number and boundaries of the kingdoms of life center mainly on what groups? a) Plants and animals b) Plants and fungi c) Prokaryotes and protists d) Fungi and animals e) Eukaryotes and protists 67) Which of the following tended to undermine the creationist viewpoint commonly held in the early 1800's? a) Extinction b) Homologous structures c) Vestigial structures d) The existence of fossils e) All of the above 68) If life on earth was placed on a 24 hour scale how long have humans been around? a) 20 hours b) 2 hours c) 2 minutes d) 2 seconds e) 12 hours

69) Which of the following is in the correct order from most inclusive to least inclusive (most specific)? a) Phylum, class, order, species, genus, kingdom, family b) Kingdom, family, order, class, phylum, genus, species c) Phylum, family, class, order, kingdom, genus, species d) Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species e) Genus, species, class, order, family, phylum, kingdom 70) Uniformitarianism refers to the fact that….

a) Fossils in an area are similar to the species found in that area b) Fossils of organisms get simpler as you go into deeper geological

strata c) Changes in organisms over time are uniform d) Geological process taking place now are similar to those of the past e) None of the above

71) Oceans a. play a major role in controlling climate by distributing solar heat. b. function to dilute and disperse human wastes. c. participate in biogeochemical cycles. d. all of these answers.

73) What is the term used to describe a shallow, partially enclosed area where freshwater enters the ocean? A. coral reef B. abyssal ecosystem C. mangrove swamp D. estuary 74) The physical conditions under which a species can survive is called its... a) Range of tolerance b) Tolerance limit c) Limiting factor d) Ecology e) Optimum level

75) Which of the following is not true of the process of biological extinction? a. There has always been a certain low-level amount of ongoing background extinction occurring. b. Completely natural processes can cause population extinctions. c. The extinction of an organism can be reversed if enough government funding is provided. d. Human activities have resulted in population extinctions. e. a, b and c are all correct, but not d 76) An adaptive trait is a. any heritable trait. b. any inheritable trait that improves organisms’ chance for survival and reproduction at lower rates than other individuals in a population c. any heritable trait that improves organisms’ chances for survival and reproduction d. any heritable trait that improves organisms’ chances for survival e. any heritable trait that improves organisms’ chances for survival and reproduction at higher rates than other individuals in a population 77) Which of the following best describes an organism's habitat? a. the types of competitors b. the range of tolerance to different physical and chemical conditions c. the types of resource requirements d. the location where a species lives e. the nutrient relationships with other species 78) Hawks typically forage for their rodent prey species during the daytime. While owls may eat similar prey species, and live in the same area, they forage during the night. This is best described as an example of a. interspecific competition b. resource partitioning c. predation d. parasitism e. mutualism

79) Specialist species a. are more likely to become extinct b. are very adaptable c. tolerate a wide range of environments d. eat a wide variety of food e. all of these answers 80) An intertidal species of seastar helps to maintain the diversity of the intertidal region by controlling the mussel population. Without the seastar, the mussel population would crowd out other species and take over their territory. The seastar could be called a(n) a. keystone species b. repressor species c. indicator species d. foundation species e. aggressive species 81) An organism's niche is analogous to its a. food source b. trash dump c. address d. way of life e. all of these answers 82) Which of the following would undergo secondary succession? a. a bare rock outcrop b. a newly created shallow pond c. a heavily polluted stream that has been cleaned up d. cooled volcanic lava e. an abandoned parking lot 83) Which of the following rocks is most likely to be formed from compacted plant remains? a. coal b. limestone c. granite d. rock salt e. marble

84) The obvious relationship demonstrated by a food chain is a. competition b. predation c. parasitism d. mutualism e. commensalism 85) A relationship in which one species benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed to any significant degree is best labeled a. competition b. mutualism c. commensalism d. parasitism e. predation 86) A large mountain just south of Reno, Nevada, is called Slide Mountain. This name refers to the fact that in the early 1980s, after weeks of heavy precipitation, a large section of this mountain became a destructive mudslide that slid down the east slopes and destroyed the vegetation and homes in its path. In the decades since the mudslide, the vegetation has completely regrown, and the slide area is no longer visible. This is an example of a. Secondary succession. b. Primary succession. c. During the first 10 years following the mudslide it was primary succession, and after that it was secondary succession. d. Tertiary succession. e. Inertia. 87) The majority of commercial energy comes from a. renewable energy resources from the earth’s crust b. hydropower c. nonrenewable energy resources from the earth’s crust d. wind e. biomass

88) Which of the following is not a common misconception about evolution? a. Evolution is a grand plan of the perfecting of species. b. In a Darwinian world, the strongest survive. c. Humans evolved from apes. d. The key to survival in a Darwinian world is coexistence through

occupying different niches. 89) Species that migrate or are accidentally introduced into an ecosystem are

called a. nonnative species. b. native species. c. keystone species. d. specialist species. 90) Structures as different as human arms, bat wings, and dolphin flippers contain many of the same bones, these bones having developed from the same embryonic tissues. How do biologists interpret these similarities? A) by identifying the bones as being homologous B) by the principles of natural theology C) by proposing that humans, bats, and dolphins share a common ancestor D) Only A and C are correct. E) A, B, and C are correct. 91) Weeds developing populations that are resistant to herbicides over several generations is an example of A. social Darwinism. B. Biogeochemical cycles. C. organic farming. D. evolution. 92) This is a type of GM crop that has had a gene inserted into it that protects it against a certain herbicide, allowing the farmer to spray with the herbicide, kill all of the weeds, but not the crop. A) flavor-savor B) canola C) Round-up ready D) Bt ready E) none of these

93) Which of the following problems occurs when private companies patent seed varieties? A) farmers can’t save seeds from previous crops if they are patented B) farmers can be sued if their plants are pollenated by plants in a neighbors patented plants C) seed cleaners can be sued even if they never clean patented seeds D) all of the above E) none of the above 94) Feeding cattle corn.... A) Is a good idea since this is the natural food for cows B) Yields low fat meat C) Helps to decrease methane emissions D) Results in a dramatic increase in the levels of E. coli E) All of the above 95) Subsidizing corn, soybean and wheat production in the USA... A) Has lead to an increased consumption of meat in the country B) Has driven farmers out of business in Mexico C) Has made unhealthy food cheaper than healthy food D) Has increased the national budget deficit E) All of the above 96) When Water buffalo trample the grass to death along the edge of a river this is an example of... a) Commensalism b) Mutualism c) Amensalism d) Competition e) Predation

97) A climax community... a) Is typified by lichen, moss and ferns b) Tends to grow more rapidly than pioneer communities (Grasses etc.) c) Is a totally unchanging community d) Can be determined by disturbances such as fire e) All of the above

98) Crop rotation.... a) Helps to maintain the nutrient levels in soil b) Helps to minimize the impact of herbivorous insects c) Is an example of old field succession d) Both “a” and “b” e) All of the above

99) The USA imports the majority of its Oil. This is because…

a. Since the 1970s oil production in the USA has been declining b. Oil consumption in the USA is continually increasing c. Oil is sold on a world market d. The USA controls about 2% of the worlds oil reserves e. All of the above

100) If a meat packing plant produces a product contaminated with lethal strains of bacterial that kill children on several occasions the FDA can… a. Advise the plant that they should make a voluntary recall b. Close the plant c. Force a recall d. All of the above e. None of the above