Question 1

What were some of the problems with the concept of rotational grazing?

Accepted Answer

A)  It did not help to stop desertification. 
B)  Savory felt it focused too heavily on limiting the number of animals allowed to graze. 
C)  Savory felt it focused too heavily on the amount of time the animals were allowed to graze. 
D)  Both A and B are correct. 
E)  None of these answers are correct. 
A)  It did not help to stop desertification. 
B)  Savory felt it focused too heavily on limiting the number of animals allowed to graze. 
C)  Savory felt it focused too heavily on the amount of time the animals were allowed to graze. 
D)  Both A and B are correct. 
E)  None of these answers are correct.

Question 2

"Grassland systems are a rich source of one of the ecosystem's goods and services: genetic resources." Explain why this statement is true.

Accepted Answer

While grasslands are a rich source of fo

Question 3

Which statement is incorrect?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Great Plains are a type of temperate grassland. 
B)  The Great Plains lie between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. 
C)  The Great Plains are also known as a rangeland. 
D)  The Great Plains stretch from Texas to Canada. 
E)  None of these answers are incorrect. 
A)  The Great Plains are a type of temperate grassland. 
B)  The Great Plains lie between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. 
C)  The Great Plains are also known as a rangeland. 
D)  The Great Plains stretch from Texas to Canada. 
E)  None of these answers are incorrect.

Question 4

Soil erosion is often caused by _________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  overgrazing by livestock 
B)  soil compacting by large amounts of grazing herbivores 
C)  grasses being grazed down to the growth area 
D)  consumer demand for meat 
E)  all of these answers 
A)  overgrazing by livestock 
B)  soil compacting by large amounts of grazing herbivores 
C)  grasses being grazed down to the growth area 
D)  consumer demand for meat 
E)  all of these answers

Question 5

What factors lead to the maintenance of grassland ecosystems in a given area?

Accepted Answer

A)  the amount of precipitation 
B)  the presence of grazing animals 
C)  periodic wildfires 
D)  A, B, and C 
E)  none of these answers 
A)  the amount of precipitation 
B)  the presence of grazing animals 
C)  periodic wildfires 
D)  A, B, and C 
E)  none of these answers

Question 6

Live stock ranchers often reach legal agreements with governments that permit them to use an area of land in a defined manner. These agreements are known as _____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  reserves 
B)  shelter belts 
C)  rotational grazing permits 
D)  conservation easements 
E)  none of these answers 
A)  reserves 
B)  shelter belts 
C)  rotational grazing permits 
D)  conservation easements 
E)  none of these answers

Question 7

The most common cause of desertification of grasslands is_________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  climate change 
B)  plowing too often 
C)  depletion of aquifers 
D)  overgrazing 
E)  leaving them fallow 
A)  climate change 
B)  plowing too often 
C)  depletion of aquifers 
D)  overgrazing 
E)  leaving them fallow

Question 8

How does a prairie grass access water during a drought?

Accepted Answer

A)  It has many shallow roots covering a large area to reach nearby rivers or streams. 
B)  It has long deep roots allowing it to reach water supplies. 
C)  It has long deep roots to hold the soil in place, thus producing a more porous soil. 
D)  It stays shorter in a drought, thus not losing as much water through transpiration. 
E)  Grasses are not adapted to drought, so they usually die. 
A)  It has many shallow roots covering a large area to reach nearby rivers or streams. 
B)  It has long deep roots allowing it to reach water supplies. 
C)  It has long deep roots to hold the soil in place, thus producing a more porous soil. 
D)  It stays shorter in a drought, thus not losing as much water through transpiration. 
E)  Grasses are not adapted to drought, so they usually die.

Question 9

What is the main use of grasslands today by humans?

Accepted Answer

A)  for recreational use 
B)  growing food for humans 
C)  as a food source for large grazing animals 
D)  for energy production 
E)  for housing construction 
A)  for recreational use 
B)  growing food for humans 
C)  as a food source for large grazing animals 
D)  for energy production 
E)  for housing construction

Question 10

You have been employed by a seed company to genetically modify a high-yielding wheat variety so it is resistant to the most common types of wheat diseases. Why and how could grasslands be important in your research?

Accepted Answer

Most cereal crops, including wheat, were

Question 11

One modern farming technique is to give livestock antibiotics to prevent infection and promote growth. These antibiotics are excreted in the fecal matter of the animals and are still active. What is the consequence of this practice on soil?

Accepted Answer

Since the antibiotics are still active i

Question 12

As desertification of grasslands continues, smaller amounts of food will be available to feed humanity. What might be some of the consequences of the desertification of grasslands?

Accepted Answer

A)  increased starvation 
B)  movement of people from one area to another 
C)  social unrest 
D)  physical conflict between people of different cultures 
E)  all of these answers 
A)  increased starvation 
B)  movement of people from one area to another 
C)  social unrest 
D)  physical conflict between people of different cultures 
E)  all of these answers

Question 13

What is the purpose of the Conservation Reserve Program, and what are some of the controversies surrounding it?

Accepted Answer

The purpose is to set aside overgrazed r

Question 14

What is rotational grazing an example of?

Accepted Answer

A)  sustainable grazing 
B)  shelterbelts 
C)  a conservation reserve program 
D)  a conservation easement 
E)  none of these answers 
A)  sustainable grazing 
B)  shelterbelts 
C)  a conservation reserve program 
D)  a conservation easement 
E)  none of these answers

Question 15

Describe how overgrazing helped lead to the classic American tragedy of the commons called the "Dust Bowl."

Accepted Answer

The economy in the 1930s was in a depres

Question 16

Which types of grasslands are characterized by ultra thin layers of soil and very short growing seasons?

Accepted Answer

A)  cold 
B)  temperate 
C)  savanna 
D)  prairie 
E)  rangeland 
A)  cold 
B)  temperate 
C)  savanna 
D)  prairie 
E)  rangeland

Question 17

The R horizon ___________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  is solid, unbroken rock 
B)  contains decaying and organic material 
C)  is less fertile but higher in mineral content 
D)  contains mostly surface litter 
E)  is the rock that is in the process of being weathered or broken up 
A)  is solid, unbroken rock 
B)  contains decaying and organic material 
C)  is less fertile but higher in mineral content 
D)  contains mostly surface litter 
E)  is the rock that is in the process of being weathered or broken up

Question 18

Which of the following processes contribute to the process of desertification?

Accepted Answer

A)  overgrazing by livestock 
B)  global warming 
C)  soil erosion 
D)  A, B, and C 
E)  none of these answers 
A)  overgrazing by livestock 
B)  global warming 
C)  soil erosion 
D)  A, B, and C 
E)  none of these answers

Question 19

What are some of the natural and human threats that grasslands currently face?

Accepted Answer

Grasslands are being threatene

Question 20

Human activity has caused the degradation of grasslands. How has grassland degradation in turn affected humans?

Accepted Answer

Grassland degradation has resulted in a

Exam 27: Learned After the Fact

What were some of the problems with the concept of rotational grazing?

"Grassland systems are a rich source of one of the ecosystem's goods and services: genetic resources." Explain why this statement is true.

Which statement is incorrect?

Soil erosion is often caused by _________________.

What factors lead to the maintenance of grassland ecosystems in a given area?

Live stock ranchers often reach legal agreements with governments that permit them to use an area of land in a defined manner. These agreements are known as _____________________.

The most common cause of desertification of grasslands is_________________.

How does a prairie grass access water during a drought?

What is the main use of grasslands today by humans?

You have been employed by a seed company to genetically modify a high-yielding wheat variety so it is resistant to the most common types of wheat diseases. Why and how could grasslands be important in your research?

One modern farming technique is to give livestock antibiotics to prevent infection and promote growth. These antibiotics are excreted in the fecal matter of the animals and are still active. What is the consequence of this practice on soil?

As desertification of grasslands continues, smaller amounts of food will be available to feed humanity. What might be some of the consequences of the desertification of grasslands?

What is the purpose of the Conservation Reserve Program, and what are some of the controversies surrounding it?

What is rotational grazing an example of?

Describe how overgrazing helped lead to the classic American tragedy of the commons called the "Dust Bowl."

Which types of grasslands are characterized by ultra thin layers of soil and very short growing seasons?

The R horizon ___________________.

Which of the following processes contribute to the process of desertification?

What are some of the natural and human threats that grasslands currently face?

Human activity has caused the degradation of grasslands. How has grassland degradation in turn affected humans?

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Science Literacy and the Process of Science- Science and the Sky: Solving the Mystery of the Disappearing Ozone

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Human Populations- One Child China Grows Up: a Country Faces the Outcomes of Radical Population Control

Environmental Health- Eradicating a Parasitic Nightmare: Human Health Is Intricately Linked to the Environment- Consumption and the Environmental Footprint

Ecological Economics and Consumption- Wall to Wall, Cradle to Cradle: a Leading Carpet Company Takes a Chance on Going Green

Managing Solid Waste- a Plastic Surf: Are the Oceans Teeming With Trash- Ecology

Ecosystems and Nutrient Cycling- Engineering Earth: an Ambitious Attempt to Replicate Earths Life Support Systems Goes Awry

Population Ecology- the Wolf Watchers: Endangered Gray Wolves Return to the American West

Community Ecology- What the Stork Says: a Bird Species in the Everglades Reveals the Intricacies of a Threatened Ecosystem- Biodiversity and Evolution

Evolution- a Tropical Murder Mystery: Finding the Missing Birds of Guam

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Reserving Biodiversity- a Forest Without Elephants: Can We Save One of Earths Iconic Species- Water Resources

Freshwater Resources- Toilet to Tap: a California County Is Employing a Controversial Method to - Supply Drinking Water

Water Pollution- Into the Gulf: the Makings of a Dead Zone, Far Upstream- Food Resources

Feeding the World - a Gene Revolution: Can Genetically Engineered Food Help End Hunger

Agriculture- Farming Like an Ecosystem: Creative Solutions to Feeding the World- Conventional Energy: Fossil Fuels

Coal- Bringing Down the Mountain: in the Rubble, the True Costs of Coal

Oil and Natural Gas- the Bakken Oil Boom: Is Our Next Big Fuel Source Our Dirtiest- Air Pollution: Consequences of Using Fossil Fuels

Air Pollution- the Youngest Scientists: Kids on the Frontlines of Asthma Research

Climate Change- When the Trees Leave: Scientists Grapple With a Shifting Climate- Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

Nuclear Power - the Future of Fukushima: Can Nuclear Energy Overcome Its Bad Rep

Sustainable Energy for Stationary Sources- Fueled by the Sun: a Small Island Makes Big Strides in Renewable Energy- Sustainable Living in Community

Urbanization- the Ghetto Goes Green: in the Bronx, Building a Better Backyard

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Technologies-But They Come With a Slew of Problems- Soil and Grassland Resources

Restoring the Range: the Key to Recovering the Worlds Grasslands May Be a Surprising One

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