Exam 18: An Introduction to Ecology and the Biosphere

Scenario CO₂ is not the only greenhouse gas (GHG)that impacts global climate change. Other GHGs may be equally or more effective than CO₂ at trapping heat on Earth. Climate scientists determine how much a GHG may impact global warming based on two factors: the efficiency with which a GHG absorbs energy (i.e., traps heat on Earth)and the length of time (in years)that the gas remains in the atmosphere. A unit of measurement called the Global Warming Potential (GWP)is used to describe how much energy a GHG absorbs over a specific period of time (100 years is a standard time frame). All GWP values of GHGs are compared to the GWP of CO₂, which is given a value of 1. -Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)are greenhouse gases that, for a specific amount of mass, trap significantly more heat than CO₂. How can you classify CFCs?

Which environmental factor is abiotic?

What is a population?

If you study how two species of finches compete for food, you are trying to answer a question about ________.

________ is a critical abiotic factor that contributes to plant growth in savanna ecosystems.

With regard to the environment as a whole, when is the worst time to apply pesticide to your lawn?

What fraction of Earth's surface has been altered by human use?

Which is a behavioral response to environmental variability?

What question would be investigated by someone who studies organismal ecology?

Ecology is the study of ________.

What are estuaries?

What name is given to the open ocean?

Scientists have documented that spring seasons starting earlier due to climate change have resulted in some caterpillar species beginning their maturation stage earlier than normal. There are bird species that need the caterpillars to feed their chicks. However, since the caterpillars are maturing before the chicks hatch (and therefore cannot be used for chick food), the birds are experiencing a drop in their lifetime reproductive success. Interestingly, scientists have also documented that the individual birds that are successful in altering their egg-laying patterns to align with earlier spring seasons have the greatest lifetime reproductive success. These phenomena are examples of ________.

Which action would increase your carbon footprint?

Which biome is characterized by permafrost?

What term applies to the physical and physiological changes experienced by astronauts who spend months in space?

Which nutrients often limit the distribution and abundance of photosynthetic organisms?

What question would be investigated by someone who studies ecosystem ecology?

What level of ecology is concerned with groups of individuals of the same species?

Temperature increases due to global warming have been greatest ________.