REVIEW SHEET FOR NATURAL HISTORY EXAM #3

last updated: Sunday, December 10, 2006

Part 1 of 2

see syllabus for assigned reading

This are some of the key concepts and terms you should understand.

All material covered in lecture and assigned reading since the last exam will be covered on this exam.

The test will be multiple choice – bring a scantron please.

1. Do predators control population size of their prey?

2. Do prey control population size of their predators?

3. What is a community?

4. What determines the number of species globally?

5. What 2 factors are important in determining the number of species

6. on islands?

7. Define, understand and give examples of:

* biodiversity

* habitat

* niche

* interspecific competition

* intraspecific competition

* interference competition

* exploitation competition

* competitive exclusion (Gause’s Principle)

* resource partitioning

* mutualism

* commensalism

* predation

* parasitism

* predation vs. parasitism

* predator- prey interactions

* coevolution

* indicator species

* keystone species

CONSERVATIONS ISSUES

Define/explain:

8. point source pollution

9. nonpoint source pollution

10. light pollution

11. bycatch (incidental catch)

12. habitat fragmentation

13. greenhouse effect

14. acid deposition

15. ozone thinning

16. deforestation

17. desertification

18. groundwater contamination

19. edge effect

20. sustainability

21. For what reasons do humans have such a large (and increasing) impact on the environment?

22. What is the MSCP (Multiple Species Conservation Plan)?

ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY IN THE U.S.

23. What were the conservation roles of the following:

24. Rachel Carson

25. President Theodore Roosevelt

26. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

27. President George W. Bush

28. what is a frontier environmental worldview?

29. What is the principle of sustainable yield?

30. What is the principle of multiple use?

31. What is meant by the “tragedy of the commons?”

32. What is the current presidential administration's perspective towards environmental regulation?

CONSERVATION ISSUES

33. What does the acronym HIPPO stand for?

34. Give an example of how each element of "HIPPO" causes species extinctions and or environmental damage.

35. What are the 2 major causes of animal extinctions associated with human activities?

36. What is the difference between habitat loss and habitat fragmentation?

37. What is the edge effect?

38. What factors influence the number of species on islands (see text) and how is this important in terms of conservation of habitat (from lecture notes)?

39. What are the effects of habitat fragmentation?

40. Has there been significant deforestation in the US?

41. How is erosion related to deforestation?

42. Give 2 examples of biological invasions and their impacts.

43. Humans use natural resources and generate pollutants because of (a) increasing population size, (b) lifestyle, (c) both, (d) none of the above.

44. What is the greenhouse effect? Is it a natural phenomenon?

45. How do human activities exacerbate the greenhouse effect and what how does this impact climate? What are some of the actual and potential repercussions?

46. How does the US compare to other countries in terms of total energy consumption? In terms of per capita energy consumption?

47. What is bycatch?

51. How does San Diego County compare to other counties in the US in terms of number of federally listed endangered animal and plant species? Why?

52. Has commercial fishing in the oceans increased, decreased, or stayed the same since WW2?

48. What are producers and what is their role in an ecosystem?

49. What are consumers and what is their role in an ecosystem?

50. Describe the various trophic levels in an ecosystem.

51. Why are decomposers so important?

52. Explain the difference between an autotroph and a heterotroph.

53. What is a food chain?

54. What is a food web?

55. Is energy transfer between trophic levels 100% efficient? If not, how efficient is it and what happens to the energy that is not transferred to the next trophic level as biomass?

56. What is biomass?

57. Why are there rarely more than 3 trophic levels in a food chain?

58. What is net primary production?

59. What is gross primary production?

60. What is meant by the statement that energy flow through ecosystems is unidirectional but matter is cycled?

61. READ THE HYDROLOGY SECTION OF THE GEOLOGY HANDOUT

62. http://homework.sdmesa.edu/lseiger/courses/naturalhistory/seiger/seiger.htm

63. What is a watershed?

64. Define: hydrology, surface runoff, infiltration, percolation, groundwater, precipitation, water table, aquifer, transpiration, subsidence

65. Briefly describe the cycling of water through ecosystems

66. How much of the earth's water is fresh water?

67. Is all of that freshwater usable by humans?

68. What is the largest single use of water by humans?

69. Where does California rank in terms of agricultural water use compared to other states?

70. Where does California rank in terms of groundwater use compared to other states?

71. Discuss how pesticides from gold courses might move through he watershed and how that might impact the quality of your drinking water.

72. What is biomagnification (bioamplification)?

73. Almost half of US waterways are too polluted for swimming or fishing: true or false?

74. Name some ways in which humans impact biogeochemical cycles (see textbook)

75. What is an example of a biogeochemical cycle?

You should be familiar with the material in chapters 3,4,5 in the book, as covered in lecture.

This includes knowing the key features and adaptations of plants, animals, and nearshore environments as well as they threats they face.