APES Review

1. APES Review 2013-2014

2. Matter is anything that • A. Has mass and takes up space • B. Gives off energy • C. Is a solid at room temperature • D. Cannot be chemically changed

3. Most plastics are classified as _________________ pollutants • A. Degradable • B. Biodegradable • C. Nonpersistant • D. Nondegradable • E. Slowly degradable

4. A nuclear change in which two isotopes form a heavier nucleus is known as • A. Nuclear fission • B. Nuclear reaction • C. Radioactive decay • D. Nuclear fusion • E. Critical mass

5. Natural capital consists of: • A. Goods and services produced by natural means • B. Goods and services produced by nature • C. Goods and services produced using only natural ingredients

6. The economic theory that claims that the best way to alleviate poverty and to grow the economy is known as • A. Trickle-down theory • B. Narrowing the wealth gap • C. Capitalism • D. Social engineering

7. If the statute of limitations is cited as a basis for the dismissal of an environmental lawsuit, that means that: • A. The law upon which the case was filed is no longer in effect. • B. The plaintiff was asking for more money than the law allows. • C. The defendant has gone out of business. • D. The problem that was the basis of the lawsuit has been solved. • E. The plaintiff waited too long to file the lawsuit.

8. Cradle-to-grave is the concept that companies can and should be held responsible for the harmful consequences of their products from manufacture to final disposal are covered under what environmental law? • A. Clean Air Act • B. Superfund • C. Toxic Substances Control Act • D. Resource Conservation & Recovery Act • E. Hazardous and Solid Wastes Act

9. Under the provisions of the Clean Air Act, priority pollutants are: • A. Pollutants that do the most harm to the air quality. • B. Air pollutants that are most commonly generated • C. The most toxic air pollutants • D. Air pollutants from factories and hazardous waste sites • E. Air pollutants from non-point sources

10. Nitrate is converted to nitrogen gas through the process of • A. denitrification. • B. nitrification. • C. leaching. • D. nitrogen fixation. • E. assimilation.

11. Inorganic nitrogen-containing ions are converted into organic molecules through • A. assimilation. • B. leaching. • C. nitrification. • D. nitrogen fixation. • E. denitrification.

12. Net primary productivity • A. is usually reported as the energy output of an area of producers over a given time. • B. is the rate at which producers manufacture chemical energy through photosynthesis. • C. is the rate at which producers use chemical energy through respiration. • D. is the energy input of an area of producers over a given time. • E. is the rate of photosynthesis plus the rate of respiration.

13. Life on earth depends on interaction of gravity, the cycling of matter and • A. the destruction of matter. • B. the consumption of matter. • C. one-way flow of energy. • D. cycling of energy. • E. one-way flow of matter.

14. The pyramid which best explains why there are typically only four to five links in a food chain is the pyramid of • A. energy. • B. biomass. • C. productivity. • D. matter. • E. numbers.

15. The two ways in which humans have most interfered with the carbon cycle are • A. removal of forests and aerobic respiration. • B. burning fossil fuels and removal of forests and brush. • C. respiration and removal of forests. • D. respiration and photosynthesis. • E. aerobic respiration and burning fossil fuels.

16. Humus is • A. indicative of poor soils. • B. poisonous to soil microorganisms. • C. partially decomposed organic matter. • D. freshly, fallen leaves. • E. light colored or nearly white.

17. You read the data records of a field ecologist who reports the following varieties of species: beetles, spiders, grasshoppers, many insects and invertebrates, earthworms, prairie dogs, rabbits, squirrels, meadowlarks, coyotes, foxes, and hawks. You conclude that the field ecologist is located in a • A. arctic tundra. • B. desert. • C. taiga. • D. tropical grassland. • E. temperate grassland

18. Which of the following is true with respect to oligotrophic lakes and eutrophic lakes? • A. Oligotrophic lakes are more subject to oxygen depletion. • B. Rates of photosynthesis are lower in eutrophic lakes. • C. Eutrophic lake water contains lower concentrations of nutrients. • D. Eutrophic lakes are richer in nutrients. • E. Sediments in oligotrophic lakes contain larger amounts of decomposable organic matter.

19. Which of the following is characteristic of most terrestrial biomes? • A. annual average rainfall in excess of 250 cm • B. a distribution predicted almost entirely by rock and soil patterns • C. clear boundaries between adjacent biomes • D. vegetation demonstrating stratification • E. cold winter months

20. The term upwelling refers to the movement of • A. cool water from the Arctic toward the equator. • B. cool nutrient-rich water from the bottom to the surface. • C. warm nutrient-rich water from the bottom to the surface. • D. warm water replacing cool water. • E. warm surface water.

21. The rain shadow effect refers to • A. wetter conditions on the leeward side of mountain ranges. • B. drier conditions on the windward side of mountain ranges. • C. more light on the leeward side of mountain ranges. • D. more light on the windward side of mountain ranges. • E. drier conditions on the leeward side of mountain ranges.

22. The main reason Polar Regions are cooler than the equator is because • A. there is more ice at the poles. • B. sunlight strikes the poles at a lower angle. • C. the poles are farther from the sun. • D. the poles have a thicker atmosphere. • E. the poles are permanently tilted away from the sun.

23. Which of the following ecosystems has the highest average net primary productivity? • A. open ocean • B. agricultural land • C. swamps and marshes • D. lakes and streams • E. temperate forest

24. Nitrogen gas is converted to ammonia through • A. nitrogen fixation. • B. leaching. • C. nitrification. • D. denitrification. • E. assimilation.

25. If something is biodegradable, it • A. cannot be broken down by any living processes. • B. can be broken down by decomposers. • C. can be broken down by heterotrophs. • D. can be broken down by autotrophs. • E. cannot be broken down by omnivores.

26. When organisms die, their nitrogenous organic compounds are converted to simpler inorganic compounds such as ammonia through • A. nitrification. • B. ammonification. • C. denitrification. • D. nitrogen fixation. • E. leaching.

27. The hydrologic cycle is driven primarily by • A. solar energy and gravity. • B. solar energy and the moon. • C. solar energy and mechanical energy. • D. chemical energy from the moon. • E. mechanical and chemical energy.

28. Which of the following ecosystems has the lowest level of kilocalories per square meter per year? • A. lakes and streams • B. agricultural land • C. temperate forest • D. tropical rain forest • E. open ocean

29. Ammonium ions are converted to nitrite ions and nitrate ions through the process of • A. nitrification. • B. leaching. • C. denitrification. • D. assimilation. • E. nitrogen fixation.

30. Photosynthesis • A. yields glucose and carbon dioxide gas as products. • B. produces carbon dioxide and oxygen gas. • C. yields glucose and oxygen gas as products. • D. requires the combustion of carbon. • E. converts glucose into energy and water.

31. Plants of the arctic tundra are adapted to • A. freezing temperatures, lack of sunlight, and constant high winds. • B. freezing temperatures, lack of water, and lack of sunlight. • C. moderate temperatures, lack of sunlight, and constant high winds. • D. freezing temperatures, lack of water, and bright sunlight. • E. freezing temperatures, lack of water, and variable winds.

32. Most of the wetlands that are lost are used for • A. mining. • B. recreation. • C. forestry. • D. urban development. • E. agriculture.

33. In lakes, the nutrient-rich water near the shore is part of the • A. limnetic zone. • B. benthiczone. • C. profundal zone. • D. abyssalzone. • E. littoralzone.

34. Estuariesexhibit • A. constant temperature. • B. variable temperature and constant salinity. • C. constant temperature and salinity. • D. variable temperature and salinity. • E. constant temperature and variable salinity.

35. During an El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), • A. surface water along the South and North American coasts becomes cooler. • B. upwellings of cold, nutrient-rich water are suppressed. • C. prevailing easterly winds weaken. • D. upwellings of cold, nutrient-rich water are increased. • E. upwellings of warm, nutrient-poor water are suppressed.

36. Deserts typically occur in a band at 30 degrees north and south latitude because • A. descending air masses tend to be cool and dry. • B. trade winds have a little moisture. • C. water is heavier than air and is not carried far over land. • D. ascending air tends to be moist. • E. these locations get the most intense solar radiation of any location on Earth.

37. Climate is the general pattern of weather over a period of at least • A. 30 years. • B. 20 years. • C. 50 years. • D. 10 years. • E. 40 years.

38. An ecologist would expect a temperate lake to demonstrate overturns in • A. fall and winter. • B. fall and summer. • C. spring and summer. • D. spring and fall. • E. spring and winter.

39. Plants and trees can be cut down and replanted. These resources are therefore considered to be • A. Renewable resources • B. Nonrenewable resources • C. Perpetual • D. Exhaustible resources • E. Sustainable

40. An ecological footprint is defined as • A. The impact an individual may have on a given area of land • B. The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to sustain an individual within a population • C. The carrying capacity of the earth for a given population • D. The amount of land and water that has been converted to nonproductive use within a given geographical region

41. Point pollution sources • A. Can usually be identified within a given area • B. Can never be located • C. Are dispersed and difficult to identify • D. Are much more expensive to control than nonpoint sources • E. Cannot be controlled

42. A __________________ feedback loop causes a system to change further in the same direction. • A. Negative • B. Corrective • C. Nominal • D. Positive • E. Polarized

43. Changes in the gene pools of symbiotic species over time is known as • A. Mutation • B. Hybridization • C. Coevolution • D. Natural selection • E. Genetic shift

44. The realized niche of a species is ______________ its fundamental niche. • A. The same as • B. Larger than • C. Not effected by • D. Smaller than • E. Independent from

45. Broad niches are characteristic of • A. Generalist species • B. Extinct species • C. Natural species • D. Competitive species • E. Specialist species

46. The alteration of an organism’s genetic material through adding, deleting, or changing segments of DNA is known as • A. Genetic engineering • B. Cloning • C. Transgenic organisms • D. Bioengineering • E. Artificial selection

47. Which habitat has the highest number of species? • A. Tropical rainforest • B. Temperate forest • C. Short-grass prairie • D. Savannah • E. Boreal forest

48. Habitat fragmentation that increases the edge area around a community can • A. Make species less vulnerable to fi • B. Allow species to increase their genetic variation • C. Increase the propagule pressure of a community • D. Make species less vulnerable to predators • E. Create barriers that prevent species from colonizing new areas

49. Species richness is defined as • A. The abundance of individuals within a species • B. The number of different species within a community • C. The amount of food types a species consumes • D. The number of niches a species occupies • E. The diversity of species within a community

50. A species that plays a major role in shaping communities by creating and enhancing habitat is a • A. Keystone species • B. Invasive species • C. Charismatic species • D. Indicator species • E. Foundation species