Chapter 1 Reading Questions

1. What is the importance of studying systems in environmental science? Why cant

we just study isolated events or isolated individuals?

2. Tool use and social cooperation have allowed humans to alter their environment
enormously. How would these traits help Homo Sapiens in these scenarios:
a. Hunting in 10,000 BC?

b. Surviving in very cold climates today?

c. Responding to the discovery a huge asteroid that will crash in to the Earth in
a few years?

3. So far in history, technological development has led to both increased human wellbeing and increased environmental disruption. Why has this been the case?

4. For each of the following environmental indicators, explain which direction it is

trending and why it important to measure that indicator:
a. Biodiversity

b. Food Production

c. Global Surface Temp & Atmospheric CO2 concentration

d. Human Population

e. Resource Depletion

5. What are the goals of the environmental justice movement, and why are the
relevant to sustainability?

Chapter 1 Vocabulary List

Environment
Environmental Science
System
Ecosystem
Biotic
Abiotic
Environmentalist
Environmental Studies
Ecosystem Services
Environmental
Indicators
Sustainability
Biodiversity
Speciation
Background Extinction
Rate
Greenhouse Gases
Anthropogenic
Development
Sustainable
Development
Biophilia
Ecological Footprint
Scientific Method
Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis
Replication
Sample Size
Accuracy
Precision
Uncertainty
Inductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
Critical Thinking
Theory
Natural Law
Control Group
Natural Experiment
Environmental Justice

Chapter 20 Reading Questions

1. In a market economy, how are scarce resources distributed to satisfy unlimited
wants?

2. What are externalities, and why are they typically not reflected in the price of a
good or service?

3. How are the wealth and productivity of a nation usually measured, and what other
factors must be considered when evaluating the well-being of a nations people?

4. What characteristics must a sustainable economic system have? How does our
current system compare?

5. What are the 3 major environmental worldviews, and what does each prioritize?
1.
2.
3.
6. Provide the full name of each of the following major world and national
organizations that affect environmental quality, and describe the priorities of each:
UNEP
World Bank
WHO
UNDP
EPA
OSHA
DOE
7. What is meant by finding solutions that meet the "triple bottom line"?
8. Two major challenges for our time are reducing poverty and protecting the
environment. Can they both be accomplished? Or must progress towards one goal
always go along with setbacks in the other?

Chapter 20 Vocabulary List

Well-being
Economics

Genuine progress Indicator

(GPI)
Technology Transfer
Leapfrogging
Microlending
Natural Capital
Human Capital
Manufactured Capital
Market Failure
Environmental Economics
Ecological Economics
Ecological Economics
Valuation
Environmental Worldview
Anthropocentric
Stewardship
Biocentric
Ecocentric
United Nations (UN)
UNEP
World Bank
WHO
UNDP
EPA
OSHA
DOE
Human Development Index
(HDI)
Human Poverty Index (HPI)
Command-and-Control
regulation
Incentive-based regulation
Green Tax
Triple Bottom Line

Chapter 2 Reading Questions

*File missing need to make new ones!

Chapter 2 Vocabulary List

Matter
Mass
Atom
Element
Periodic Table
Molecules
Compounds
Atomic Number
Mass Number
Isotopes
Radioactive Decay
Half-Life
Covalent Bonds
Ionic Bonds
Hydrogen Bond
Polar Molecule
Surface Tension
Capillary Action
Acid
Base
pH
Chemical Reaction
Law of Conservation of
Matter
Inorganic Compounds
Organic Compounds
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Nucleic Acids
DNA
RNA
Lipids
Cell
Energy
Electromagnetic
Radiation
Photons
Joule
Power
Potential Energy
Kinetic Energy
Chemical Energy
Temperature
First Law of
Thermodynamics
Second Law of
thermodynamics

Energy Efficiency
Energy Quality
Entropy
Open System
Closed System
Inputs
Outputs
System Analysis
Steady State
Feedback
Negative Feedback Loops
Positive Feedback Loops
Adaptive Management
Plan

Chapter 3 Reading Questions

1. Why is it difficult to determine what the boundaries to an ecosystem are? Contrast
the examples of a cave versus a forest or desert.
2. How does most energy enter ecosystems? What types of energy conversion occur
within ecosystems?
3. How are trophic levels related to flow of energy through an ecosystem? What form
is this energy in?
4. What does the productivity of an ecosystem measure?
a. What is the difference between Gross Primary Productivity and Net Primary
Productivity? Which one do you think has more of an influence on an
ecosystem?
b. Approximately what percentage of incoming solar energy do plants capture
during photosynthesis? What happens to the rest of it?
5. Why is only a small fraction of energy at each trophic level transferred up to the
next trophic level? Where does the rest of the energy go?
6. Hydrologic Cycle
Name of Step

What process makes this

happen?

Why is this step important?

Evaporation

Solar heating of oceans,

lakes, soils

Water enters atmosphere to be

redistributed

Explain how the hydrologic cycle works:

7. Carbon Cycle
Name of Step w/ description
of change
Photosynthesis (CO2C6H12O6)

What organism/process does

it?
Autotrophs (plants) (producers)

Why is this step

important?
Converts abiotic CO2 to
biomass (base of food chain)

Explain how the carbon cycle works:

8. Nitrogen Cycle
Name of Step w/ chemical
change
Nitrogen Fixation (N2NH3 or
NO3)

What organism/process does

it?
N-fixing bacteria (ie in legume
roots) OR fires/lightning OR
fertilizer manufacturing

Why is this step

important?
Puts N in to the base of the
food chain; fertilizer
manufacture

Explain how the nitrogen cycle works:

9. Phosphorus Cycle
Name of Step w/ description
of change
Weathering of rock Phosphate
PO4

What process/organism does

it?
Weathering (by rain, wind, ice,
organisms)

Explain how the phosphorus cycle works:

Why is this step

important?
Releases P from rocks in to
reactive form usable by
organisms

10.How does the water cycle help facilitate the other cycles?

11.What human activities cause an impact on the hydrologic cycle? What are these
impacts?

12.Explain the difference between the fast and slow parts of the carbon cycle.
Fast:

Slow:

13.Which natural (nonanthropogenic) processes normally return buried carbon to the

atmosphere to balance out the carbon that is buried through sedimentation?

14.Which 2 macronutrients most frequently serve as the limiting nutrient for plant
growth in an ecosystem? Is it different for terrestrial vs. aquatic ecosystems?

15.What are the results of a sudden influx of excess nitrogen or phosphorus in to an

ecosystem?
N
P
16.How do heterotrophs (consumers) obtain their supplies of macronutrients?

17.When investigating environmental systems, why do scientists often select

watersheds as an area in which to study ecosystems and nutrient/energy cycling?

18.What characteristics do you think give ecosystems high resistance and high
resiliency against change?
19.Describe each of the major types of ecosystem services, and how their value can be
measured:

Chapter 3 Vocabulary List

Ecosystem
Producers (Autotrophs)
Photosynthesis
Cellular Respiration
Consumers (Heterotrophs)
Primary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Tertiary Consumers
Trophic Levels
Food Chain
Food Web
Scavengers
Detritovores
Decomposers
Gross Primary Productivity
(GPP)
Net Primary Productivity
(NPP)
Biomass
Standing Crop
Ecological Efficiency
Trophic Pyramid
Biosphere
Biogeochemical Cycles
Hydrologic Cycle
Transpiration

Evapotranspiration
Runoff
Macronutrients
Limiting Nutrient
Nitrogen Fixation
Leaching
Disturbance
Watershed
Resistance
Resilience
Restoration Ecology
Intermediate Disturbance
Hypothesis
Instrumental Value
Intrinsic Value
Provisions

Chapter 4 Reading Questions

There are 7 major components to the distribution of heat and precipitation (and thus
climates) on Earth:

1. Earths Atmosphere

Explain why atmospheric pressure decreases as altitude increases.

Identify which of the 5 layers of Earths atmosphere fit each description

in the table:
Aurora Borealis (northern lights) occurs here
Atmospheric pressure is highest here
All weather occurs here
Atmospheric pressure is lowest here
Atmospheric temperatures are highest here
Contains the ozone layer
Layer closest to the surface
Densest layer of the atmosphere
Outermost layer of the atmosphere
Temperature is around 20 at this layers
lowest point
The lowest pressure is found in this layer

The chemical formula for ozone is ____ and its function is to

___________________

2. Unequal Heating of Earth

Explain how each of the following factors creates unequal heating of

Earths surfaces:
a. Angle of sun to surface:
b. Solar rays per unit area:
c. Albedo:

How will the melting of polar ice from global warming alter Earths
albedo?

Generally speaking, the _________ regions of Earth receive the most

light/heat in a year and the _________ regions receive the least
light/heat in a year.

3. Atmospheric Convection Currents

Explain why warm air rises and cool air sinks.

Why is rising air associated with precipitation?

What types of atmospheric conditions are found where air sinks back
to the surface?

Draw each of the following on the diagram below:

Earths atmospheric convection cells, with direction of air
movement
The general level of precipitation found at each latitude belt:
0/30/60/90)

Why does the ITCZ move throughout the year in a regular pattern?

4. Earths Rotation and the Coriolis Effect

The Coriolis Effect deflects moving objects (such as wind) in a ________

direction in the northern hemisphere and a _____________ direction in
the southern hemisphere

Draw arrows indicating the general direction of wind movement

between latitudes :

5. Earths Tilt and Seasons

In Los Angeles, the longest day of the year occurs in the month of
_______ because
__________________________________________________________________

Why does the northern hemispheres summer come during the

southern hemispheres winter, and vice versa?

6. Ocean Currents

What are gyers, and how are they created?

Explain how oceanic gyers and atmospheric convection currents

redistribute heat around Earth.

Upwelling is a process in which _________________________ water is

brought to the surface along a coast. It is caused by
____________________________ and is important to humans because
_______________________________________________________.

Describe what thermohaline circulation is, and how it transports heat.

The ENSO is a disruption to _________________________________ in which

warm water and increased precipitation build up in the region of
_________________________ while drought and cold water occur in the
region of _______________________________

7. Rain Shadows

Summarize
climate:

What is the difference between the windward and the leeward sides of a
mountain range?

why

latitude

is

so

important

in

determining

Complete the following biome charts for terrestrial and aquatic

biomes:
Terrestrial
Biomes:
8. Tundra

General Global
Location

Annual Weather
Patterns

Soils

Distinguishing
species

9. Boreal
Forest
10.Temperat
e
Rainfores
t
11.Temperat
e
Seasonal
Forest
12.Shrublan
d
(Chaparr
al)
13.Temperat
e
Grasslan
d
14.Tropical
Rainfores
t
15.Tropical
Season
Forest
16.Subtropic
al Desert
*******************************************************************************************
Aquatic
Biomes:
17.Streams &
Rivers
18.Lakes &
Ponds

Defining characteristics

Ecological importance:

19.Freswater
Wetlands
20.Salt Marshes
21.Mangrove
Swamps
22.Intertidal
Zone
23.Coral Reefs
24.Open Ocean

Chapter 4 Vocabulary List

Climate
Troposphere
Stratosphere
Albedo
Saturation Point
Adiabatic Cooling
Adiabatic Heating
Latent Heat Release
Hadley Cell
Intertropical
Convergence Zone
Polar Cells
Coriolis Effect
Gyres
Upwelling
Thermohaline
Circulation
El Nino-Southern
Oscillation (ENSO)
Rain Shadow
Biomes
Tundra
Permafrost
Boreal Forest
Temperate
Rainforest
Temperate Seasonal
Forest
Shrubland
(Chaparral)
Temperate
Grassland/Cold
Desert
Tropical Rainforests

Tropical Seasonal
Forests & Savannahs
Subtropical Deserts
Littoral Zone
Limnetic Zone
Phytoplankton
Profundal Zone
Benthic Zone
Freshwater Wetlands
Salt Marsh
Mangrove Swamps
Intertidal Zone
Coral Reefs
Coral Bleaching
Photic Zone
Aphotic Zone
Chemosynthesis

Chapter 5 Reading Questions

1. How do each of the following types of biodiversity support healthy ecosystem
function:
a. Genetic diversity
b. Species diversity
c. Ecosystem diversity
2. What is the current estimate for the total number of species on Earth, and why is it
so hard to get an accurate count?
3. What is the difference between species richness and species eveness?
4. Explain how genetic diversity is created through evolution:

5. In artificial selection, humans induce evolution in a species over time through our
actions. What dictates changes in species in the process of natural selection?

6. List 5 organisms and describe the adaptations that increase their fitness in their
environment:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Complete the following chart regarding evolution through

random processes:
Random
Processes:
7. Mutations

Description:

Effects on genetic diversity?

8. Genetic drift
9. Bottleneck
Effect
10.Founder
Effect
11.Describe the process through which allopatric speciation can produce new species.

12.How can sympatric speciation occur if the individuals a population are not
geographically isolated?

13.Why is the rate of environmental change a critical factor in determining whether or

not a species can successfully adapt?

14.How do a populations size and genetic diversity influence its ability to adapt to
change?

15.How do a species range of tolerance for various conditions determine its

fundamental niche?

16.Why dont species always use their full fundamental niche?

17.What are some of the major differences between niche generalists and niche
specialists?

18.The average lifespan of a species is just 1-10 million years. Why do you think there
are such a high rates of speciation and extinction constantly occurring throughout
the history of life on Earth?

19.If extinctions are generally a result of changes in the environment that a species is
unable to adapt to, what do you think this indicates about the 5 previous mass
extinctions and the 6th one occurring now?

Chapter 5 Vocabulary List

Ecosystem
Diversity
Species Diversity
Genetic Diversity
Species Richness
Species Eveness
Phylogenies
Evolution
Microevolution
Macroevolution
Genes
Genotype
Mutation
Recombination
Phenotype
Artificial
Selection

Natural Selection
Fitness
Adaptations
Genetic Drift
Bottleneck Effect
Founder Effect
Geographic
Isolation
Reproductive
Isolation
Allopatric
Speciation
Sympatric
Speciation
Genetic
Engineering
Genetically
Modified
Organisms
Range of
Tolerance
Fundamental
Niche
Realized Niche
Species
Distribution
Niche Generalists
Niche Specialists
Fossils
Mass Extinction
Sixth Mass
Extinction

Chapter 6 Reading Questions

1. Fill in 5 key events in the re-establishment of the New England forest in the Opening
Story:
1.
Farmers
begin
leaving

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.
Broadleaf
forest reestablishe
d

2. Distinguish between each level of analysis:

What does this level
consist of?

What do scientists study at this

level?

Individua
l
Populatio
n

All the individuals of a

single species living in a
given area at one time

Commun
ity
Ecosyste
m

Flows of energy and matter or a

large scale (ex: the cycling of
C/N/P/H2O in a lake)

Biospher
e
3. Which level
scenario?
i.
ii.
iii.

of analysis would be most appropriate for a scientist to use in each

Monitoring the Grey Wolves of Yosemite

Investigating the connections among organisms in a soil sample
Determining whether or not natural selection favors light or dark
coloration in mice
iv. Evaluating the status of the Florida Everglades

4. How does the Opening Story demonstrate the importance of community-level

analysis and interactions between species?
5. When considering a population as a system, what 2 processes are inputs that
increase population size and what 2 processes are outputs that decrease population
size?
Input 1:
Output 1:
Input 2:
Output 2:

6. Five major characteristics help us understand how populations change over time:
Why is this factor
important?

How could this factor apply to the

New England forest in the Opening
Story?

Population Size
Population Density
Population
Distribution
Population Sex Ratio

Population Age
Structure

Ecologists may study the

percentage of female Microrhopala
vittata beetles
Determines future
growth potential (via
individuals of
reproductive age)

7. Density-dependent factors & density-independent factors can affect population

sizes and growth rates:
a. True/false: Wildfires occurring in the Southern California chaparral (shrubland
biome) influence populations of local species in a density-dependent way.
b. What variable served as the limiting resource in Gauses paramecium
experiment? _________
c. Explain how the carrying capacity (k) of an environment is determined:
d. What are common limiting resources for terrestrial plants? 1.
3.
e. What are common limiting resources for animal populations? 1.
3.
f.

2.
2.

True or false: Density-independent factors deal with limiting resources

8. Predict what would happen to the population sizes of P. aurelia and P. caudatum if
Gause had continued his experiment by alternating between high-food and low-food
conditions each day:
9. The Exponential Growth Model
a. What does the intrinsic growth rate (r) for a species measure?

b. Chart the growth of the following population of mice at a growth rate of 10%
per year:
Year
:
Mic
e:

200
0
100

200
1

200
2

200
3

200
4

200
5

200
6

200
7

200
8

200
9

201
0

10.The Logistic Growth Model

a. Why is the exponential growth model usually insufficient to describe real
populations?
b. Why does population growth slow as it approaches the carrying capacity of its
environment?
c. What factors prevent the continued growth of populations beyond the
carrying capacity?
11.Variations on Logistic Growth
a. Why is population overshoot always followed by a die-off?
b. True/false: during population overshoot, the environments carrying capacity
increases.
12.Reproductive Strategies and Survivorship Curves
a. Characteristics of k-selected and r-selected species:
Characteri
stics
kselecte
d
species
rselecte
d
species

Reproduct
ion Speed

Likely to
overshoot
?

Example

Survivorsh
ip Curve
Type
Type I

Small, short
lives, many
offspring

b. Which type of species can evolve faster? Explain why.

c. True/false: Most organisms show strict k-selected or r-selected reproduction
strategies

d. Which type of species is at greater risk for extinction? Explain why.

Interspecies Interactions
13.Competition
a. Why did Gauses experiment growing 2 strains of paramecium in the same
environment produce a different outcome from when they he grew them
separately?
b. Why cant two species simultaneously share the same realized niche?
c. Why is resource partitioning advantageous for species that would otherwise
be competing?
d. Identify each of the following as an example of the competitive exclusion
principle, temporal resource partitioning, spatial resource partitioning or
morphological resource partitioning:
i. Several species of Warbler Birds hunt insects in the same types of
trees, but each feeds in a different part of the tree
ii. When wolves were absent from Yosemite, deer grazed many plant
species so heavily that other herbivore species were unable to
establish themselves
iii. Many different species of bats use a single watering hole, but each at
different times
iv. Different species of butterfly have tongues of varying lengths, each
specialized to the shape of the flowers produced by the plants it feeds
on
v. Invasive species that out-compete native species for key resources
often drive the native species to extinction
14.Predation
a. List 2 distinguishing characteristics of each type of predation:
Characteristic 1

Characteristic 2

True
predators
Herbivores
Parasites
Parasitoids
15.Mutualism
a. Under what conditions would natural selection favor mutualism between two
species?
b. True/false: In a mutualistic relationship, neither species evolves traits suited
to helping the other
c. Which of the following are mutualistic: (Lichens) (Viruses) (Coral) (Acacia
trees) (African lions)
16.Commensalism

a. True/false: In commensalism, both species benefit

17.Keystone Species
a. How could an ecologist identify a keystone species in any given ecosystem?
b. Why are sea stars and beavers considered to be keystone species in their
habitats?
18.Primary Succession
a. Which types of organisms transform bare rock in to young soil?
b. Where do the mineral and organic components of the new soil come from?
c. What role do mid-successional species such as grasses and wildflowers play
in transforming soil?
d. Why do mid-successional species eventually get displaced by late-succession
species?
e. True/false: the number of species present always increases as succession
proceeds.
19.Secondary Succession
a. How does secondary succession differ from primary succession?
b. How is the progression of species in secondary succession similar to that of
primary succession?
c. Why has the use of the term climax stage fallen out of favor among
scientists?
d. True/false: The Opening Story describes a sequence of primary succession
e. True/false: In the Opening Story, Goldenrods are late-successional spcies
20.Aquatic Succession
a. On which surfaces does succession occur in the rocky intertidal zone of the
Pacific Coast?
b. Describe how are lakes can become filled in during aquatic succession:
21.Species Richness, Latitude, Time, Theory of Island Biogeography
Influence of this factor on
species richness?
Latitude
Time

The older a habitat, the greater its

species richness is likely to be;
younger habitats have lower

What do you think

causes this?

species richness
Habitat
Size

Distance
from other
habitats

Larger habitats present

more niches; smaller
habitats offer fewer
resources

Chapter 6 Vocabulary List

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1

Population Community Population ecology Population size Population density Population distribution Sex ratio Age structure Density-dependent factors Limiting resource -

0
1

Carrying capacity (k) -

1
1

Density-independent factors -

2
1

Growth rate -

3
1

Intrinsic growth rate (r) -

4
1

Exponential growth model -

5
1

Logistic growth model -

6
1

Overshoot -

7
1

Die-off -

8
1

k-selected species -

9
2

r-selected species -

0
2

Survivorship curves -

1
2

Corridors -

2
2

Metapopulations -

3
2

Community ecology -

4
2

Competition -

Competitive exclusion principle -

6
2

Resource partitioning -

7
2

Predation -

8
2

True predators -

9
3

Herbivores -

0
3

Parasites -

1
3

Parasitoids -

2
3

Mutualism -

3
3

Commensalism -

4
3

Symbiotic relationship -

5
3

Keystone species -

6
3

Predator-mediated competition -

7
3

Ecosystem engineers -

8
3

Ecological succession -

9
4

Primary succession -

0
4

Secondary succession -

1
4

Pioneer species -

2
4

Theory of island biogeography -

Chapter 7 Reading Questions

1. What was Malthus prediction about the carrying capacity of the Earth, and why was
he wrong?
2. What do you think the major constraining limits on human population growth are?
(In other words, what will be the critical limiting resources that determine Earths
carrying capacity for humans?)

Demographics
3. Provide the formula for calculating the change in population size over a given period
of time:

4. What does the TFR of a country measure, and why is it an important demographic
measurement?

5. How does Life Expectancy vary across the globe, and what are the major factors
that influence it?
6. What information do population pyramids show, and why are they important
demographic information?
7. What is underlying cause of the demographic transition that most countries go
through as they develop?
8. Complete the following chart regarding the demographic transition:
Stage I

Stage II

Stage III

Stage IV

What
happens?
Why?
Impact on
pop?
9. What major factors tend to reduce the number of children families have?

10.Based on the experiences of Thailand, Kenya and China in promoting family

planning, what do you think the key is to reducing population growth in developing
countries? Is this goal beneficial or harmful?

Development, Consumption, IPAT

11.How do the annual population growth rates of developed countries compare to
developing countries?
12.Where is most of the future growth in the human population expected to happen?
13.Why does calculating the per-capita ecological footprint for a country allow us to
approximate the affluence level of the society?
14.What are the 3 terms in the IPAT equation that affect a societys impact on its
environment? Give an example of how a change in each would cause a change in
the societys impact.
a.
b.
c.
15.How can the technology factor of the IPAT equation work to either increase OR
decrease the impact of a society on the environment?
16.As a country develops economically, its impact on the environment shifts from local
to global scales. Using your knowledge of the industrial revolution, explain why this
is.
17.Contrast the types of environmental problems which occur from local environmental
impacts (typically in developing countries) and global environmental impacts
(typically from developed countries).

18.How does the percentage of people living in urban areas in developed countries
compare to developing countries? How is this expected to change in the next 20
years?
19.We find that countries with very low GDPs per capita have little impact on the
environment, then the impact rises as GDP increases, until eventually the impact

begins to decrease. What causes this pattern (low impact rising impact falling
impact)?
20.Some environmental scientists have argued that increasing the GDP of developing
nations is the best way to decrease their impact on the environment. Explain why
this is, and whether or not you agree.

Chapter 7 Vocabulary List

Demography
Demographers
Immigration
Emigration
Crude Birth Rate (CBR)
Crude Death Rate (CDR)
Doubling time
Total Fertility Rate
Replacement-level
fertility
Developed countries
Developing countries
Life expectancy
Infant mortality
Child mortality
Age structure diagram
Population pyramid
Population momentum
Net migration rate

Demographic transition
Family planning
Affluence
IPAT Equation
Urban area (census
definition)
Gross domestic product
(GDP)

Chapter 8 Reading Questions

1. Even though electric and hybrid vehicles reduce fossil fuel consumption, they still
have a significant environmental impact. Explain why, and describe some of these
impacts.

2. What explains the distribution of heavy and light elements within Earths volume?
Where are each generally located, and how did they wind up there?

3. The inside of the Earth is characterized by vertical zonation. Briefly describe each of
Earths layers:
Crust
Mantle
Core
4. What is the connection between the heat at the Earths core and the movement of
its tectonic plates?

5. What evidence led Alfred Wegner to propose the theory of plate tectonics in 1912?

6. How do the properties of oceanic crust rock and continental crust rock differ?
Oceanic

Continental

7. Suppose a single continent is breaking apart due to divergent plate boundary. One
piece of the continent is moving north towards the polar regions and one piece of
the continent is moving south towards the tropics. What effect do you think this
process would have on biodiversity?
8. Why do the Hawaiian Islands form an arc, with the oldest islands at one end and
the youngest islands at the other end?
9. At a convergent plate boundary where oceanic crust is meeting continental crust,
what will happen?
10.What types of tectonic plate movements can cause earthquakes?
11.How much stronger is an earthquake that registers as an 8.0 on the Richter scale
than an earthquake measuring 4.0?
12.Why are seismic activity and volcanic activity often located in the same places?
13.What is the relationship between minerals, elements and rocks?
14.Does the rock cycle proceed in any particular order when transformations from one
type of rock to the next occur? Explain.
15.How are each of the 3 rock types formed?
1. Igneous
2. Metamorphic
3. Sedimentary
16.What is the difference between physical and chemical weathering?
17.What types of processes or forces usually cause erosion?
18.Why are weathering and erosion important to the rock cycle?
19.How is soil formed both from above and from below?
20.What effect does climate have on soil formation? How would you expect this to
create differences between Boreal Forests and Tropical Rain Forests?

21.What role do organisms play in soil formation and development?

22.Why do soils develop different horizons? What separates one horizon from another?
23.Soils contain different blends of sand, silt and clay. Why is a balance needed
between all 3 to promote ideal plant growth? (What would be bad about a sandheavy or clay-heavy soil?)

24.What type of soil particles would be best to line a pit that is to be filled with
hazardous chemicals?

25.What occurs during adsorption in a soil?

26.Can soils have both high CEC and high porosity? Explain why or why not.

27.How are the CEC of a soil and its base saturation related?

28.What types of organisms dominate the biological component of soil?

29.Why is compaction bad for soil?

30.What is the difference between an ore vein and a disseminated deposit? Which ones
are easier to mine?

31.What are the 3 techniques used for surface mining, and what are the environmental
dangers of each?
1.
2.
3.
32.In general, why does the impact of extracting deposits of a certain mineral resource
increase over time?

33.What legal requirements did the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of
1977 introduce?

Chapter 8 Vocabulary List

Core
Mantle
Asthenosphere
Lithosphere
Crust
Hot spots
Tectonic plates
Subduction
Divergent boundary
Convergent boundary
Transform boundary
Fault zones
Earthquake
Richter scale
Minerals
Igneous rocks
Sedimentary rocks
Metamorphic rocks
Physical weathering
Chemical weathering
Erosion
Deposition
Soil
Parent material
Topography
O horizon
A horizon
E horizon
B horizon
C horizon
Soil texture
CEC of a soil
Base saturation
Soil degradation

Ores
Metals
Known reserves
Strip mining
Tailings
Open-pit mining
Subsurface mining
SMRCA law

Chapter 9 Reading Questions

1. What caused the drop in Salmon populations in the Klamath River?

2. Who are the major interest groups competing over the Klamath River, and what
does each one want?

3. How was the conflict over Salmon and water in the Klamath River resolved?

4. How does the amount of water found in oceans compare to the total amount of
water on Earth?

5. What is the major source of freshwater that is accessible for human use?

6. What characteristic distinguishes an artesian well?

7. Why do unconfined and confined aquifers recharge at different rates? Which is more
likely to be contaminated?

8. What causes saltwater intrusion in to coastal aquifers?

9. What are the major types of processes which can form lakes?

10.What characteristic distinguishes oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic lakes

from each other?

11.What role does atmospheric water play in supporting humanity?

12.How can human activities contribute to droughts?

13.How can draughts actually wind up creating floods in some cases?

14.Why do humans construct levees, and how would their use vary between
agricultural and industrial regions?

15.What are the drawbacks of building levees?

16.How are dikes different from levees?

17.What are the primary purposes for building dams?

18.What are the benefits and drawbacks of constructing dams on rivers?

19.How does the City of Los Angeles get its daily water?

20.Why are conflicts over water ownership/use intensified by dams and aqueducts?

21.What are the 2 most common technologies used for desalination, and how does
each work?

22.Draw a pie chart depicting the approximate percentages of worldwide water use for
agriculture, industry and household use.

23.How is water use connected to the amount of meat that people in a given country
consume?

24.Why does agriculture represent the greatest opportunity for water conservation
improvements?

25.What are the 4 major irrigation techniques, and why do you think certain techniques
are more efficient than others?

26.How does hydroponic agriculture works? What are its benefits and drawbacks?
27.What are the major industrial uses for water?

28.What 3 household activities have the biggest impact on water consumption in the
US?

29.What prevents access to clean water in many poor countries, and what effects does
it have on the populations of those countries?

30.Why is it harder to determine ownership of water than for many other resources?
How can we resolve these conflicts?

31.What types of adaptations have wealthier, developed countries made to conserve

water?

32.How do recent trends in global water consumption compare with recent trends in US
water consumption? Given these trends, what do you think will happen to global
water use in the near future?

Chapter 9 Vocabulary List

Aquifer
Unconfined aquifer
Confined aquifer
Water table
Groundwater
recharge
Floodplain
Oligotrophic lake
Mesotrophic lake
Eutrophic lake
Impermeable
surfaces
Levee
Dike
Dam
Fish ladder
Aqueduct
Distillation
Reverse osmosis
Furrow irrigation
Flood irrigation
Spray irrigation
Drip irrigation
Hydroponics
Gray water

Chapter 10 Reading Questions

1. What change in Maxxams policies triggered Julia Hills decision to stage the treesit in protest?
2. Maxxam legally owned the land which it was cutting and on which Julia staged her
protest. Her actions broke the law and cost the company millions of dollars. Was she
justified in her actions? Explain.
3. In the tragedy of the commons, why do self-interested farmers ultimately wind up
taking actions which lead to their own ruin?
4. How can government regulation of resources solve the tragedy of the commons?

5. How can private ownership of resources solve the tragedy of the commons without
government?

6. How can we calculate the Maximum Sustainable Yield of a resource such as a

fishery or a forest?

7. Approximately how much of Earths land is legally protected for environmental

reasons?

8. Fill the in the table below:

Typically used for

Examples

National Parks
Managed
Resource
Protected
Areas

9. Which 3 human activities each use 20% or more of the United States total land?

10.Which US Government agency would be in charge of protecting lands that are home
to sensitive populations of fish, birds, amphibians, bears, etc?
11.What traits define a rangeland, and what are they commonly used for?
12.Why are rangelands so fragile? Why do we continue to use them if they are so
fragile?
13.What criteria does the BLM use to asses rangeland health?
14.How have the Taylor Act and BLM regulation failed to consistently protect
rangelands?
15.What types of policies would you recommend the BLM follow in order to manage
rangeland use more sustainably?

16.What are the three primary techniques that are used to harvest timber from a
forest, and what practices define each?
17.What are the main problems with tree plantations?
18.What is the natural role of fires in many ecosystems?
19.How do human policies aimed at preventing fires actually make fires worse?
20.What type of fire-management policies are now favored instead of fire-suppression?
21.Why were natural parks established, and what principles does the National Park
Service follow when managing them?
22.What characterizes lands designated as national wildlife refuges and national
wilderness areas?
23.What is an Environmental Impact Study, and why do developers need to conduct
them?
24.What changes have occurred in residential patterns over the last 50 years in
America?

25.What characterizes lands caught up in urban sprawl?

26.Summarize how each of the following cause urban sprawl:

Contribution to suburban sprawl
Automobiles &
highways
Living costs
Urban blight
Government
policies
27.List the 10 basic principles of Smart Growth, and the essential point of each
principle:
Principle

What it means/importance

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Chapter 10 Vocabulary List

Tragedy of the
commons
Externality
Maximum
sustainable yield
National Parks

Managed Resources
Protected Areas
Habitat/Species
Management Areas
Strict Nature
Reserves and
Wilderness Areas
Protected
Landscapes and
Seascapes
National Monuments
Resource
conservation ethic
Multiple-use lands
Bureau of Land
Management
US Forest Service
National Parks
Service
Fish and Wildlife
Service
Rangelands
Overgrazing
Clear-cutting
Selective cutting
Sustainable forestry

Tree plantation
Reforestation
Fire management
Prescribed burn
National Parks
Wildlife Refuge and
Wilderness Areas
NEPA

Environmental
Impact Study
Suburban lands
Exurban lands
Urban Sprawl
Urban blight
Induced demand
Zoning regulations
Transit-oriented
development
Infill
Urban growth
boundaries
Eminent Domain

Chapter 11 Reading Questions

1. Why have farmer Joel Salatins farming practices attracted attention from across the
nation?
2. What principles does Salatin follow when running his farm?
3. What is the significance of farms producing foods they way that Salatins does?
4. What has been the recent trend in world hunger in recent decades?
5. How much food does the average adult require, and what are the effects of
undernutrition?
6. What is the distinction between undernutrition and malnourishment?
7. What is overnutrition, and what are its effects on individuals and societies?
8. Which type of food dominates human energy intake, accounting for 60% of our raw
calories?
9. Even though the world produces enough food to feed every human, why do
undernutrition and malnutrition persist?
10.Experts disagree on why worldwide per capita grain production has flattened off.
What factors may be to blame?
11.What impact did the invention of agriculture have on human population growth?
12.What major changes took place in farming practices during the 20 th century?
13.How can we calculate the energy subsidy of a food?
14.Using Figure 11.4 on p.287, what types of agricultural practices require the greatest
energy subsidies? What types of activities require the least energy subsidy?
15.What role do fossil fuels play in modern agriculture?

16.What changes did the Green Revolution bring, and what were its positive and
negative effects?

17.Complete the chart below with information about modern agricultural practices
Role in Modern
Agriculture?

Benefits?

Drawbacks?

Mechaniza
tion
Irrigation
Fertilizers
Monocrop
ping
Pesticides
18.Why has production shifted from small-scale farms to large-scale farms in modern
agriculture?
19.How do salinization and waterlogging of soil occur?
20.How is modern genetic engineering of foods different from the artificial selection
humans have been performing on crops and animals for thousands of years?
21.Complete the following chart with information about benefits and drawbacks of GMO
foods:
Benefits of Genetically Modified
Drawbacks/risks of Genetically
foods
Modified foods
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
22.Why is small-scale farming still common in many developing countries, despite the
advantages the Green Revolution brought to large-scale farms?

23.Where is shifting agriculture most likely to be practiced, and what techniques

characterize it?

24.What happens during desertification, what causes it and where is it most likely to
occur?

25.What are the goals of sustainable agriculture?

26.Complete the following chart with information about common sustainable

agricultural practices:
What is it?
Define/Explain

Intercropping
Crop Rotation
Agroforestry
Countour
Plowing
No-Till
Ariculture
Integrated Pest
Mgmt
Organic
Agriculture

How can it be used to

improve sustainability?
What problems does it
attempt to solve?

27.Why has high-density animal farming in CAFOs become a major way in which meat
is raised?
28.What practices at CAFOs can have negative environmental impacts?

29.What are the advantages and disadvantages of free-range meat (as opposed to
CAFO meat?)

30.What are fisheries, and why are they particularly difficult to protect from the effects
of the tragedy of the commons?

31.What factors have driven many fisheries in to decline or collapse?

32.Which commercial fishing practices have the largest negative environmental

impacts?

33.What types of policies and practices can make commercial fishing more
sustainable?

34.What is aquaculture, and to what extent is it a sustainable solution to world demand

for fish?

35.(Working Towards Sustainability) What would be the advantage of switching to

perennial crops?

Chapter 11 Vocabulary List

Undernutrition
Malnutrition
Food security
Famine
Anemia
Overnutrition
Industrial agriculture
Energy subsidy
Green revolution
Mechanization
Irrigation
Waterlogging
Soil salinization
Synthetic fertilizer
Monocropping
Pesticide persistence
Bioaccumulation
Pesticide treadmill
Conventional agriculture
Slash-and-burn
agriculture
Desertification
Sustainable agriculture
Intercropping
Crop rotation
Agroforestry
Contour plowing
No-till agriculture
Integrated Pest
management
Organic agriculture
CAFO
Free-range meat
Fishery
Bycatch
Individual Transferable
Quotas
Aquaculture
Fishery collapse

Chapter 12 Reading Questions

1. What types of energy resources provide most of the worlds power? Why do you
think this is?

2. How does energy use vary across the world?

3. Which factors contribute to increasing the amount of energy used by a countrys

population?

4. How has the mixture of energy sources the US depends on changed over time?

5. What is meant by energy quality, and why is it important when examining energy
resources?

6. What does the EROEI of an energy source tell us? Why is it important?

7. Why is energy use generally a very inefficient process under current world
practices?

8. Electricity can be generated from many different sources. Explain how an electricity
generator works to convert energy from source in to electricity.

9. What does a power plants capacity measure?

10.Complete the following chart with information regarding fossil fuels:

How is it formed?
Which countries
produce the most?

Advantages/Uses

Disadvantages/Enviro
nmental Impacts

Coa
l:

Oil:

Gas
:

Nuclear Energy
11.What is the source of heat that generates steam in a nuclear power plant?
12.Explain how fission occurs in a self-sustaining chain reaction.

13.What is the difference between fuel rods and control rods in a nuclear reactor?
14.What happens during a meltdown in a nuclear reactor?

15.Why is so much mining required to produce even small amounts of usable

235

U fuel?

16.What factors led to a slowdown in the construction of new nuclear plants in the US?

17.How does the amount of CO2 released during the mining of Uranium and generation
of electricity in a nuclear plant compared with the mining & use of coal in a power
plant?

18.Describe what led to each of the two major accidents at nuclear plants, Three Mile
Island and Chernobyl.

19.What have been the primary health impacts of the meltdowns at Three Mile Island
and Chernobyl?

20.What are the 3 main types of radioactive waste, where do they each come from,
and which one is most likely to cause negative environmental impacts?

21.Under current regulations, how are spent nuclear fuel rods disposed of?

22.What are the major precautions that must be undertaken in order to safely store
radioactive waste?

23.In comparing the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy with fossil-fuelbased electricity generation plants, do you think nuclear energy represents a
preferable option? Explain why or why not.
24.Explain how fusion power works:

Chapter 12 Vocabulary List

Nonrenewable fuels
Fossil fuels
Commercial energy
sources
Subsistence energy
sources
Energy efficiency
EROEI
Electricity
Turbine
Electrical grid
Combined cycle gas plant
Power plant capacity
Capacity factor
Cogeneration
Coal
Peat
Lignite
Anthracite
Petroleum
Crude oil
Source rock
Exxon Valdez
Alaska National Wildlife
Refuge
Natural gas
Liquefied petroleum gas
Oil sands
Bitumen
Coal-Liquified-Fuel
Energy intensity
Hubbert curve
Peak oil
Nuclear fission
Fuel rods
Control rods
Uranium enrichment
Reactor meltdown
Radioactive waste
Nuclear fusion

Chapter 13 Reading Questions

1. What is the difference between potentially renewable resources and nondepletable
resources?

2. What source of renewable energy makes up the vast majority of global renewable
energy resource use?

3. Why are energy efficiency and conservation just as important as the source of
energy in transitioning to a sustainable energy use strategy?

4. How can a tiered rate system alter peoples energy use patterns?

5. When does peak demand generally occur, and what problems does it present?

6. Describe the major principles of sustainable design,

7. What improvements must be made to the electrical grid to improve efficiency?

8. What are fuel cells and how do they work?

9. Complete the chart below regarding renewable energy sources:

How does it work?

Advantages

Disadvantages

Different types?

Biomass

Hydroelect
ric

Geotherma
l

Solar

Wind

10.In your opinion, which renewable energy source(s) hold the most promise for future
use? Explain why.

11.In your opinion, which renewable energy source(s) hold the least promise for future
use? Explain why.

Chapter 13 Vocabulary list

Potentially renewable
resource
Nondepletable
resource
Energy conservation
Tiered rate system
Peak demand
Sustainable design
Passive solar design
Thermal inertia
Liquid biofuels
Solid biomass
Ethanol
Biodiesel
Hydroelectricity
Water impoundment
Tidal energy system
Siltation
Passive solar heating
Solar water heating
Photovoltaic solar cells
Concentrated Solar
Thermal
Geothermal energy
Ground source heat
pump
Wind turbine
Wind farm
Fuel cell
Smart electrical grid

Chapter 14 Reading Questions

1. What is the difference between a point source and a nonpoint source of pollution?

2.

What are the 3 main negative effects of contaminating water with human
wastewater?

3.

How does measuring the biochemical oxygen demand of a lake inform us about the
potential presence of wastewater contamination?

4.

Put the following statements describing the process of eutrophication in the correct
order:
__ Microbes digest the dead organisms, depleting O 2 dissolved in the water
__ Nutrients such as N & P are released
__ Fish and other marine organisms die in large numbers
__Large dead zones are created
__ Wastewater enters a natural body of water
__Rapid population blooms of algae & other producers occur, followed by mass dieoffs

5. Identify 4 specific diseases or health threats which can come from human
wastewater contamination.

6. Explain how a septic tank system works (you may draw a diagram)

7. Explain how a sewage treatment plant works (you may draw a diagram)

8. What are manure lagoons, and why do they pose major water-pollution concerns?
9. Complete the following chart for heavy metal pollutants found in water:

Metal

How does it enter water

supply?

Risks to human health?

Lead

Arsenic

Mercury

10.What are the primary causes of acid deposition in to water?

11.How does a coal scrubber work to reduce acid deposition?
12.What risks does acid deposition pose to ecosystems and/or humans?
13.Complete the following chart regarding synthetic organic compound pollution.
Compound
category

Source/cause/examples

Effects on humans and/or

ecosystems

Pesticides & inert

ingredients

Pharmaceuticals &
hormones

Military compounds

Industrial
compounds

14.What are the major causes of oil pollution in water bodies?

15.Describe the 3 major approaches to remediating oil spills.

16.What are the major components of solid waste pollution in water bodies, and how
can it affect ecosystems?

17.What causes sediment pollution, and what negative effects does it have?

18.How can thermal pollution negatively affect an ecosystem?

19.What is the objective of the Clean Water Act, and why was it important?

20.The Safe Drinking Water Act established maximum contaminant levels for various
substances. Explain what that means and why it is important in protecting water
quality.

21.Generally speaking, what is the relationship between a countrys level of economic

development and its legislation addressing water pollution? What do you think
explains this relationship?

Chapter 14 Vocabulary List

Point sources
Nonpoint sources
Wastewater
Biochemical oxygen
demand
Dead zones
Eutrophication
Septic tank
Leach field
Primary treatment
Secondary treatment
Tertiary treatment
Disinfection
(Chlorine/UV)
Manure lagoon
Acid mine drainage

Chapter 15 Reading Questions

1. Complete the following chart regarding the major air pollutants:
Pollutant

What do you think are the 3 most important facts about

this air pollutant?

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)

Nitrogen Oxides
(NOX)

Carbon Oxides
(COX)

Particulate Matter
(PM)

Ground-level Ozone

Lead & Mercury

Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOC)

2. Which of the above pollutants can be harmful to human respiratory systems (list all
that apply)?

3. Which of the above pollutants result from fossil fuel combustion (list all that apply)?

4. Which of the above pollutants are associated with the formation of smog (list all
that apply)?

5.

What are the 2 sizes of Particulate Matter that the EPA classifies? Which is more
dangerous, and why?

6.

What are some natural sources of NOX emissions?

7.

What negative effects on human health does Ozone have?

8. What is the main threat that high levels of VOC pose, even if many are not directly
harmful?

9. What are the main air pollutants generated as a result of industrial agriculture?

10.Which air pollutants are key ingredients in forming photochemical smog? Include
chemical reactions.

11.What are the 6 criteria pollutants monitored by the EPA?

12. Which two gases are largely responsible for acid rain, and what are its main
negative effects?
13.What technology is used to reduce NOX emissions from cars?
14.What is one specific technology that can reduce Sulfur emissions from coal-fired
power plants?
15.What is one specific technology that can reduce PM emissions from coal-fired power
plants?
16.What is the primary cause for the thinning of the ozone layer (and creation of the
ozone hole)?
17.What are the main risks of indoor air pollution in developing countries?

18.What are the main dangers of indoor air pollution in developed countries?

Chapter 15 Vocabulary List

Sulfur dioxide
Nitrogen oxides
Carbon oxides
Particulate matter
Tropospheric ozone
Haze
Photochemical smog
Gray smog
Volatile Organic
Compounds
Primary air pollutant
Secondary air pollutant
NAAQS
Clean Air Act
Thermal inversion
Acid deposition
Fluidized bed
combustion
Catalytic converter
Smokestack scrubber
Electrostatic
precipitator
Pollution permits
Chlorofluorocarbons
Ozone layer hole
Asbestos
Radon
Sick building syndrome
Chapter 16 Reading Questions
1. What is municipal solid waste, and why has human society produced increasing
amounts of it over time?

2. What does the term Throwaway Society mean? Why is relevant to waste
generation/management?

3. What are the main sources of waste generation in developed countries such as the
United States?

4. When broken down by composition, what type of product makes up the largest
fraction of MSW?

5. What types of waste can be composted? What do these products have in common
that allows this?

6. What are the major challenges that E-Waste poses, and how has it been dealt with
so far?

7. Why is waste reduction generally considered to be the most important & effective of
the 3 Rs?

8. Which is preferable: reuse or recycling? Explain your reasoning.

9. How does the amount of MSW recycled in the US today compare with the amount
recycled in 1980?

10.Describe how composting works (you may draw a diagram):

11.Complete the following charts regarding landfills and incinerators:

LANDFILLS
Draw a diagram or explain
how a landfill handles solid
waste.

What are the advantages

of using landfills to handle
local waste?

What are the

disadvantages of using
landfills to handle waste?

12.Why is leachate from landfills of concern?

13.What types of waste should not be handled by landfills?

INCINERATORS
Draw a diagram or explain
how an incinerator works

What are the advantages

of using incinerators to
handle local waste?

What are the

disadvantages of using
incinerators to handle
waste?

14.What are bottom ash and fly ash, and why are they problematic?

15.In addition to ash, what other problematic emissions can come from incinerators?

16.

What are the major sources for hazardous waste production?

17.
What was the main goal of the RCRA, and how does it
attempt to accomplish it?

18.

What is the Superfund?

19.
How are abandoned non-operating sites of hazardous
pollution handled when it is not possible to identify or locate a
responsible party?

20.

What are brownfields, and how are they typically addressed?

21.
What are the principles of life-cycle analysis, and how does it
help address the problem of waste generation?

22.
Describe the principals of Integrated Waste Management,
and how it might be applied to improve waste management in a
city.

Chapter 16 Vocabulary List

Waste
Throw-away society
MSW
Waste stream
E-Waste
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Closed-loop recycling
Open-loop recycling
Composting
Leachate
Sanitary landfills
Tipping fee
Landfill siting
Incineration
Bottom ash
Fly ash
Waste-to-energy
system
Hazardous waste
RCRA
CERCLA
National Priorities
List
Brownfield
Life-cycle analysis
Chapter 17 Reading Questions
1. What are the 3 leading causes of death in the world?
2. What are the main pathogens which transmit infectious diseases worldwide?
3. Explain the difference between a chronic disease and an acute disease.
4. Complete the following chart regarding major infectious diseases:
Disease

Description/Symptom
s?

How Does it Spread?

Where in the world is

How can it be fought?

How successful have

Chronic or Acute?

it a problem?

we been?

Plague

Malaria

Tuberculo
sis

HIV/AIDS

Ebola
Fever

Mad Cow

Bird Flu

West Nile
Virus

5. Complete the following chart regarding the major types of harmful chemicals to
humans:
Description
Neurotoxins

Carcinogens

Sources

Effects

Teratogens

Allergens

Endocrine
disruptors

6. What does a dose-response study try to determine?

7. What does the LD50 indicate for a given substance?

8. Explain the difference between an acute study and a chronic study.

9. What is the difference between a retrospective study and a prospective study?

10.What are the main routes of exposure to harmful chemicals that humans face?

11.Explain how biomagnifications occurs when a harmful chemical is present in low

concentrations in ambient conditions.

12.Rank the following in order of how great the risk of death is (figure 17.23):
a. Fire or smoke inhalation
b. Airplane accident
c. Cancer
d. Firearm assault (shooting victim)
e. Earthquake

f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

Falling
Heart Disease
Drowning
Struck by a vehicle while walking
Car crash

13.What is the difference between qualitative risk assessment and quantitative risk
assessment?

14.Why is risk acceptance a necessary step in evaluating the risks posed by

environmental hazards?

15.In addition to the scientific data on the level of risk an activity or substance poses,
what other concerns must be balanced against that information, and why?

16.Complete the following chart regarding the two main approaches to risk
management (figure 17.25):
Definition

Benefits

Drawbacks

Innocent-untilproven-guilty
principle

Precautionary
principle

17.What occurred at the Stockholm Convention, and why was it important?

Chapter 17 Vocabulary List

Disease
Infectious disease
Chronic disease
Acute disease
Epidemic

Plague
Malaria
Tuberculosis
HIV/AIDS
Ebola
Mad Cow Disease
Bird Flu
West Nile Virus
Emergent infectious
disease
Toxicology
Neurotoxin
Carcinogen
Mutagen
Teratogen
Allergen
Endocrine disruptor
Dose-response study
Acute study
LD50
ED50
Chronic study
Retrospective study
Prospective study
Synergistic interaction
Biomagnification
Persistence
Risk assessment
Risk acceptance
Risk management
Precautionary principle
Stockholm convention

Chapter 18 Reading Questions

1. How do we know that we are in the middle of a 6 th mass extinction?

2. Why would global declines in the genetic diversity of wild organisms be

problematic?

3. What do you think is driving a global decline in the diversity of crops and livestock,
even as the volumes of crops and meat produced increase?

4. What does it mean for a species to be endangered? Which types of species do you
think are most vulnerable?

5. Complete the following chart regarding the major causes of biodiversity loss:
How does it
threaten
biodiversity?

Underlying
causes?

Solutions

Habitat Loss
Invasive Species
Overharvesting
Pollution
Climate Change

6. What are the major pieces of conservation legislation when it comes to the singlespecies approach, and what does each of those laws protect?

7. What are the advantages to biodiversity conservation through an ecosystem-based

approach instead of a species-based approach?

8. What are the most important characteristics of an effective biosphere reserve?

Chapter 18 Vocabulary List

Extinction
Sixth mass
extinction
Inbreeding
depression
Endangered
species
Habitat Loss
Alien species
Invasive species
Overharvesting
CITES
IUCN Red List
Endangered
Species Act
Marine Mammal
Protection Act
Convention on
Biological
Diversity
Lacey Act
Biosphere
reserve
Habitat corridor

Chapter 19 Reading Questions

1. What specifically does the term global warming refer to?

2. Explain how the greenhouse effect works (you may draw a diagram):

3. Do all greenhouse gases have the same warming effect on the Earth system?
Explain.

4. Complete the following chart regarding the natural and anthropogenic sources of
greenhouse gases:
Natural Sources

Methane

Water
Vapor

Nitrous
Oxide

Carbon

Anthropogenic Sources

Dioxide

5. Complete the following chart regarding the contribution of various events/processes

to global warming:
Which GHG(s) Produced, and
how?

Overall contribution to
warming?

Volcanic
Eruptions

Decomposition

Use of Fossil
Fuels

Agricultural
Practices

Deforestation

Landfills

Industrial
Processes

6. Approximately how much have global average surface temperatures risen since
1880?
7. How can scientists use foraminifera to gain insight in to past climate conditions?

8. Explain the process of ice coring and how it can be used to gather information on
climate history.

9. What is the range of estimates among the most common models for expected
global average surface temperature increase by the year 2100? How does this
compare with the change since 1880?
10.As global warming continues, which regions of Earth will experience the greatest
rise in temperatures?

11.Why are warming oceans expected to produce more frequent and more intense
storms?

12.Why are disease-carrying vectors such as mosquitoes and parasites expected to

increase their ranges as a result of global warming?

13.What is the significance of the melting permafrost in the Arctic/Canada/Alaska?

14.Which areas of the world are most likely to be severely impacted by rising seas
levels?

15.Why are ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica melting faster than originally
anticipated?

16.Approximately what percentage of the total gases in the atmosphere are GHGs?

17.The following chart shows CO2 levels by year. What explains the annual cycle of
rising GHGs during fall/winter and falling GHGs during spring/summer?

18.What did the Kyoto Protocol attempt to achieve, and why has it not been very
successful?

19.Explain how carbon capture/sequestration works to reduce global warming.

Chapter 19 Vocabulary List

Global change

Global climate
change

Global warming

Solar radiation

Greenhouse
effect
Greenhouse
warming
potential

Foraminifera

Ice coring

Climate
feedbacks

Kyoto Protocol
Carbon
capture/sequestr
ation