1. Human Impact on the Environment

2. extinct Term used to refer to a species that has died out
If a pesticide was passing
through this food chain,
which organism would have the greatest concentration of pesticide?
Bird at the top trophic
level

3. Non-renewable resource
A necessity of life (resource) which can NOT be replenished by natural means;
Ex: fossil fuels
Non-renewable resource
Wearing away of the surface soil by water
and wind
erosion

4. monoculture Renewable resource
Farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop variety year after year
monoculture
a necessity of life (resource) which can
regenerate quickly and that is replaceable;
Ex: trees, water
Renewable resource

5. Biological magnification
Increasing concentration a harmful substance in organisms at higher trophic levels in a food chain or web
Name the pesticide that
concentrated in fish-eating
birds like eagles and
caused them to lay eggs
with fragile shells
Biological magnification
DDT

6. Program in which endangered species are allowed to breed in zoos until numbers increase and then are returned to their natural habitats
Captive breeding
Forests that have never been cut that
provide unique habitats for wildlife
Old growth forests OR “virgin” forests

7. Uppermost layer of soil that contains most of the nutrients and is susceptible to erosion
topsoil
Wavelength of sunlight that causes sunburn, skin cancer, and cataracts which the ozone layer protects us from
Ultra violet (UV)

8. Green revolution Sustainable development
The development of highly productive crop strains and the use of modern agriculture techniques to increase yields of food crops
Green revolution
Way of using natural resources without depleting
them and of providing for human needs without
causing long term harm to the environment
Sustainable development

9. desertification smog A mixture of chemicals (smoke + fog)
A process caused by a combination of poor farming practices, overgrazing, and drought that turns productive land in areas with dry climates into deserts
desertification
A mixture of chemicals (smoke + fog)
that occurs as a gray-brown haze in
the atmosphere
smog

10. pollutant biodiversity
Harmful material that can enter the biosphere through land, water, or air
pollutant
the sum total of the variety of organisms in
the biosphere; It is a measure of the health
of an ecosystem
biodiversity

11. term used to refer to a species that is at risk of becoming endangered
threatened
Splitting of ecosystems into small areas
Habitat fragmentation

12. endangered Biological magnification increasing concentration a harmful
a species whose population size is rapidly declining and will become extinct if the trend continues without intervention
endangered
increasing concentration a harmful
substance in organisms at higher
trophic levels in a food chain or web
Biological magnification

13. Invasive species conservation
Plants or animals that have migrated or been introduced into places where they are not native and for which there are no natural predators or parasites to control their population
Invasive species
The wise management of natural resources,
including the preservation of habitats and wildlife
conservation

14. Areas containing endangered ecosystems that could benefit most from efforts and $ to preserve them
Hot spots
Atmospheric layer in which ozone (03) gas
is relatively concentrated which protects
us from the sun’s ultra-violet radiation
Ozone layer

15. Acid rain Global warming
Rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids caused by burning fossil fuels
Acid rain
Increase in the average temperatures of
the Earth
Global warming

16. Illegal hunting of animals
Fuels such as oil, coal, or natural gas produced by the decay of dead organic matter that cause many environmental problems such as global warming and acid rain
Fossil fuels
Illegal hunting of animals
poaching

17. Tell two modern agricultural methods that are helping to preserve the
Zebra mussels and leafy spurge in South Dakota and rabbits in Australia are examples of what environmental problem
Invasive species
Tell two modern agricultural methods
that are helping to preserve the
environment
Satellite/GPS imaging, no-till, crop rotation, contour plowing, controlled grazing, cover crops, biological pest control

18. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Governmental body whose job it is to monitor and enforce environmental regulations, provide education on environmental issues, conduct environmental research, and provide funding for environmental programs
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Agreement signed by almost 200 countries,
including the United States, which agreed to reduce
(and eventually stop) the use of ozone depleting
chemicals.
Montreal Protocol

19. The giant aquifer that supplies water for drinking and agricultural irrigation to much of the farming midwest
Ogallala
Act passed to protect endangered species that
prevents importation into the United States of
anything that comes from an endangered animal
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Act

20. Agreement, aimed at reducing global warming, which has been ratified by 104 nations that asks participants to reduce by 2012 their greenhouse gas emissions to a percentage of their 1990 emission levels. (The President Bush has questioned some of the details of the treaty and the US has not ratified it)
Kyoto Accord
Chemicals containing chlorofluorocarbons used in aerosol cans and refrigerants that
cause a depletion of the ozone layer
CFC’s

21. Area in which the addition of an abundance of limiting nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus cause an algal bloom, blocking sunlight, and causing the death of organisms below
Dead zone
Tell where we could see this problem in the United States
Gulf of Mexico where Mississippi River empties

22. Natural process in which atmospheric gases trap energy from sunlight as heat
Greenhouse effect
the scientific study of interactions among
organisms and between organisms
and their environment
ecology

23. All the organisms that live in a place together with their nonliving or physical environment
ecosystem
an immediate increase in the amount of algae
and other producers that results from the addition
of a large amount of limiting nutrient
Algal bloom

24. Name an environmental problem caused by burning fossil fuels
Acid rain
Global warming
Air pollution/smog Habitat destruction
Tell the cause of dead zones
Agricultural runoff

25. Name the author whose book “Silent Spring” described the dangers
Name an invasive species that is causing problems in South Dakota
Zebra mussels
Leafy spurge
Name the author whose book
“Silent Spring” described the dangers
of DDT and started the environmental
movement
Rachel Carson

26. Healthy ecosystems have a ________ level of biodiversity. high
low high
high
Tell something humans do that endangers species and reduces biodiversity
Over hunting, poaching, habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation, industrial growth, ag runoff, burning fossil fuels (leads to global warming & acid rain); CFC’s, deforestation, air & water pollution

27. Biological magnification
During the late 1950’s-early 1960’s people living
near Minamata Bay, Japan became ill with a
crippling neurological disease, later discovered
to be caused by mercury being dumped into the
ecosystem there. The toxin passed along the
food chain and people became ill from eating fish
caught in the bay.
This is an example of which concept you learned
about?
Biological magnification
Pollutants concentrate in the highest trophic levels (in this case… humans)

28. Name an effect of too much UV light
Name one of the greenhouse gases
CO2
Methane
CFC’s
Water vapor
Name an effect of too much UV light
Sunburn/skin cancer
Premature aging
Cataracts/blindness
Reduced crop yield
Food chain disruptions

29. Global warming (helps acid rain too)
Name the environmental problem addressed by the Kyoto Accord
Global warming (helps acid rain too)
Tell 3 “goods and services” ecosystems
provide for humans
Solar energy, food production, oxygen production, nutrient storage & recycling, climate regulation, habitats for wildlife, waste detoxification, natural pest/disease control, air/water purification, source of new medicines, soil erosion/runoff management

30. Tell one effect of acid rain on an ecosystem
Name the environmental problem addressed by the Montreal Protocol
Ozone depletion
Tell one effect of acid rain on
an ecosystem
Kills fish, reduces biodiversity, damages forests, human illness/death (asthma/bronchitis)

31. Tell something we can do to help reduce global warming
Reduce use of fossil fuels (anything that uses less electricity or less water would help)
Drive less
increase fuel efficiency on cars
National energy policy that emphasizes and encourages use of alternative energy
Recycle
Reduce deforestation
there are more. . .

32. Trees remove CO2 from atmosphere during photosynthesis;
How does deforestation impact global warming?
Trees remove CO2 from atmosphere during photosynthesis;
fewer trees means less CO2 is removed
… more global warming

33. Name 3 “goods and services” provided to humans by the biosphere
Solar energy
Oxygen production Nutrient storage/cycling
Climate regulation food production Human/industrial waste detoxification Natural pest/disease control
Source of new medicines
Source of raw materials for building stuff Air/water purification erosion/runoff management
there are more

34. Environmental Protection Agency
What does EPA stand for?
Environmental Protection Agency
Which of the following are caused by burning fossil fuels?
acid rain
global warming ozone depletion
smog
All EXCEPT
ozone depletion
are caused by
burning fossil fuels

35. Which atom makes ozone? Name 2 harmful effects of Ultra-violet light.
Sunburn, skin cancer, cataracts/blindness,
Premature aging (wrinkles), decreased crop production, harm food chains
Which atom makes ozone?
Oxygen; O3