Deck 21: Human Global Ecology

Question 1

Studies of the European tit show that

A) this species cannot adapt to climate change.
B) this species is unaffected by climate change.
C) there is variation among tits in their adaptive response.
D) egg laying is independent of climate.
E) none of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

One concern about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is that

A) they may cause mutations in humans.
B) they may increase pesticide resistance in weeds.
C) Bt corn may not be resistant to glyphosate.
D) they cannot evolve.
E) none of the above

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Snowshoe hares may be affected by climate change

A) because they cannot tolerate high temperature.
B) the change in coat color is timed by photoperiod not by temperature.
C) the change in coat color is timed by temperature not by photoperiod.
D) they face more predators in warmer climates.
E) none of the above

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following does not contribute to the human impact on the environment?

A) human affluence
B) the speed of change caused by humans
C) the size of the human population
D) the rapid evolution of humans compared to other species
E) none of the above

Question 5

Studies of ice cores show that

A) CO₂ began increasing before the Industrial Revolution.
B) atmospheric CO₂ and temperature are correlated.
C) the CO₂ in the atmosphere has now reached 450ppm.
D) the ratio of isotopic forms of hydrogen is a measure of precipitation.
E) none of the above

Question 6

Which of the following may be true of atmospheric CO₂?

A) The ocean will absorb the excess atmospheric CO₂.
B) Plant photosynthesis cannot compensate for increased atmospheric CO₂.
C) When tropical forests additional CO₂ is released into the atmosphere.
D) As permafrost melts, more atmospheric CO₂ will be absorbed.
E) none of the above

Question 7

Studies of the response of corals to thermal stress show that

A) mtDNA protects corals from heat shock.
B) populations in thermally stable populations are less likely to adapt to high temperature.
C) corals are not sensitive to temperature change.
D) temperature affects the coral but not its symbiotic dinoflagellates.
E) none of the above

Question 8

Climate models predict that

A) if we stabilize atmospheric carbon at current levels, the temperature will stop rising.
B) the increase in temperature across the earth will be uniform.
C) some regions will experience increased snowfall.
D) new anthromes will develop.
E) none of the above

Question 9

Tropical species may be especially vulnerable to increased temperature because

A) they are already near their thermal limit.
B) they are less adaptable than temperate and arctic species.
C) there are no higher elevations to which species can move.
D) increased temperature will lead to higher rainfall.
E) none of the above

Question 10

Acid precipitation

A) has least effect in lakes with granite bedrock.
B) causes cations to leach from the soil.
C) probably cannot shift the pH of the entire ocean.
D) affects terrestrial systems more than aquatic systems.
E) none of the above.

Question 11

Which of the following is not true of nitrogen deposition?

A) It stimulates primary production.
B) At high levels, it produces the acid HNO_3.
C) High soil nitrate can leach cations from the soil.
D) It can lead to lower diversity of plankton in aquatic systems.
E) none of the above

Question 12

The "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico is

A) due to oligotrophism.
B) the result of the toxicity of most nitrogenous compounds.
C) due to hypoxia from microbial activity.
D) due to point sources of pollution.
E) none of the above

Question 13

Ozone-depleting substances (ODSs)

A) react more rapidly at high temperature.
B) react more rapidly in the dark.
C) are not destroyed by the reaction with ozone.
D) are inhibited by chlorine and bromine.
E) none of the above

Question 14

The concept of nonequilibrum ecology suggests

A) that homeostatic mechanisms will reduce the human impact.
B) that human impacts are simply natural processes.
C) we should focus our efforts on ecological processes rather than specific conditions.
D) that the human population cannot reach equilibrium.
E) none of the above

Question 15

According to Aldo Leopold's land ethic,

A) humans are separate from natural communities.
B) nature is a commodity.
C) stewardship of the natural world is in our own self-interest.
D) humans must adopt a more anthropocentric perspective.
E) none of the above

Question 16

Which of the following was not an important anthropogenic ecological factor in human history?

A) the Cambrian explosion
B) the evolution of agriculture
C) European colonization of the New World
D) the invention of the wheel
E) none of the above

Question 17

Boreal vascular plants are

A) immune from the effects of climate change.
B) declining primarily from habitat loss.
C) declining primarily due to climate change.
D) declining more slowly than bryophytes.
E) none of the above

Question 18

N₂O is an important ozone depleting substance.

Question 19

Ecological systems have intrinsic homeostatic mechanisms.

Question 20

Habitat degradation is anthropogenic disturbance.

Question 21

Binomial probability analysis applies to dependent events such as the effect of global warming on hurricanes.

Question 22

The IPAT equation probably overestimates the human impact on the environment.

Question 23

Bleaching of coral reefs is an example of a phenomenon with a threshold effect.

Question 24

Genetic modification of crops has led to an increase in the genetic diversity of corn, soybeans, and cotton.

Question 25

Most ocean acidification is due to HNO₃ and H₂SO_4.

Question 26

Desertification is accelerated by irrigation.

Question 27

Non-point sources of pollution affect large areas; point sources of pollution affect only the local area near the emission.

Question 28

Why was the development of agriculture important in the history of human environmental impacts?

Question 29

Why is it difficult to determine whether any particular hurricane is the result of climate change?

Question 30

What are the key variables that determine the human environmental impact?

Question 31

What are some of the important risks of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)?

Question 32

How does Leopold's land ethic change our interaction with the natural world?

Question 33

Why is it so difficult to determine whether Hurricane Katrina was the result of climate change?