Environmental Science

Study Guide Exam No. 2

Chapter 5
Learning Objectives
1. What are nine major terrestrial biomes, and what environmental conditions control their
distribution?
2. How does vertical stratication differentiate life zones in oceans?
3. Why are coral reefs, mangroves, estuaries, and wetlands biologically important?
4. What do we mean by biodiversity? List several regions of high biodiversity.
5. What are the major benets of biodiversity?
6. What are the major human-caused threats to biodiversity?
7. How can we reduce these threats to biodiversity?

Section 5.1
Read and understand Section 5.1. You should be able to identify the terrestrial biomes in
gure 5.3 and understand the relationship between temperature, moisture and the type of
biome.
Understand the relationship between biodiviersity and productivity in these biomes. Which
are most productive? which have the greatest biodiviersity? Why?
Understand and be able to locate the major biomes of North America (like you did in the
coloring assignment)
Understand Figure 5.16 and know the terms.
Understand Figure 5.19 and know the terms.
Understand the importance elf wetlands. How are wetlands dened? Remember that
wetlands do not have to be wet all the time!

Section 5.4
Understand the concept of biodiversity.
Where are the biodiviersity hot spots. Why are they located in the areas identied in gure
5.22

Section 5.5
What are the benets of Biodiversity? Be able to list and/or identify some of these benets.

Section 5.6
What are the threats to biodiversity?
Understand that we use the acronym HIPPO to help remember the human inuence on
biodiversity. The acronym HIPPO, stands for Habitat destruction, Invasive species,
Pollution, Population of humans, and Over-harvesting. You should be able to understand
that habitat destruction is the most striking way that humans impact biodiversity.
Understand each of the effects.




Chapter 6
Learning Objectives

1. What portion of the world's original forests remain?
2. What activities threaten global forests? What steps can be taken to preserve them?
3. Why is road construction a challenge to forest conservation?
4. Where are the world's most extensive grasslands?
5. How are the world's grasslands distributed, and what activities degrade grasslands?
6. What are the original purposes of parks and nature preserves in North America?
7. What are some steps to help restore natural areas?

Section 6.1
What is the denition of a forest? What percent of the land has to covered by trees to be
considered a forest?
Which forests are most abundant?
What regions are undergoing the greatest loss of forests? See gure 6.4.
Be able to dene an old growth forest.
What are the problems with monoculture forestry?
What countries have the highest rates of deforestation?
What are the causes of deforestation?
Be able to dene the risks to temperate forests.
Understand and explain the difference in forest harvesting methods. What are the problems
associated with clear-cutting?
Understand and explain the role of re in managing ecosystems

Section 6.2
What are grasslands often converted to human use?
Be able to explain desertication. What is the role of overgrazing in desertication?


Chapter 7
Learning Objectives

1. How many people are chronically hungry, and why does hunger persist in a world of
surpluses?
2. What are some health risks of undernourishment, poor diet, and overeating?
3. What are our primary food crops?
4. Describe six components of soil.
5. What was the green revolution?
6. What are GMOs, and what traits are most commonly introduced with GMOs?
7. Describe some environmental costs of farming, and ways we can minimize these costs.

Section 7.1
Understand the general trends in global food and hunger
What is food security?
Understand Figure 7.2
What parts of the world are most affected by hunger and famine? Examine Figure 7.3.
What are the root causes of severe food insecurity.

Section 7.2
Understand common diseases associated with nutrient deciencies
Review the Harvard food pyramid (Figure 7.7)
What is the cause of obesity in he developed world (and increasingly in the developing world)
What are the two main causes of global hunger over the past 10 years.
What are the issues with converting uncultivated land to farmland.

Section 7.3
What are the dominant crops in the US (see Figure 7.9)
Why is meat an indicator of wealth?
Explain CAFOs and their environmental effects.


Section 7.4
Know the six components of soil.
What soil horizon is where most food is grown?
What is the leading source of soil erosion?

Section 7.5
What inputs are required to maintain our current agricultural system,? Water, fertilizer, oil,
pesticides.
Be able to explain how petroleum is critical to modern agricultural.


Section 7.6
Dene the Green Revolution
Based on Figure 7.26 what are some of the issues with technical basis of the green
revolution.
Be able to dene a GMO.
What are the two most common genetic modications? (see Figure 7.28)

Section 7.7
Be able to name two sustainable farming strategies.
What is the advantages and environmental disadvantages of sun-grown vs. shade grown
coffee? See the What do you think section on page 168 (or so)



Chapter 8
Learning Objectives

1. What is environmental health?
2. What health risks should worry us most?
3. Emergent diseases seem to be more frequent now. What human factors may be involved in
this trend?
4. Are there connections between ecology and our health?
5. When Paracelsus said, The dose makes the poison, what did he mean?
6. What makes some chemicals dangerous and others harmless?
7. How much risk is acceptable, and to whom?

Case Study (page 181)
In what products is BPA used?
What are the potential health consequences of BPA?
What is the difference between the Federal governments guidelines versus some animal
studies?

Section 8.1
Explain the epidemiological transition that is taking place in the world ( see page 182)
Be able to dene an emergent disease.
What are some factors that explain why these diseases are emerging now?
What is conservation medicine? Be able to list at least one disease that is threatening wildlife
and the species (or at least the animal) that is affected.
What is the role of climate change in this?
Explain antibiotic resistance and know what MRSA is.


Section 8.2
Be able to distinguish between mutagen, carcinogen, teratogens and neurotoxin
What is an endocrine disruptor?
Know the issues related to lead exposure.


Section 8.3
What are the main ways that people (or any animal) is exposed to toxic substances and
organisms (See Figure 8.11)
Know the issues surrounding lead including its health effects, population affected, and the
products that it is in.
Explain bioaccululation and biomagnication
What does persistence mean in terms of environmental toxicology


Section 8.4
How does the body detoxify and eliminate toxins



Section 8.5
How do we test the toxic effects of chemicals?
What is a LD50?
Be able to calculate a LD50 given weight and toxicity data.
Differentiate between acute and chronic effects