SLO Review Guide: Ecology Combined
1. Define the following terms:
Biosphere:
Ecosystem:
Community:
Population:
Organism:
2. Define and give 3 examples of biotic factors.
3. Define and give 3 examples of abiotic factors.
4. Distinguish between habitat and ecological niche.
5. What do both food chains and food webs model within ecosystems?
6. Draw a terrestrial and an aquatic food chain. Have 4 trophic levels in each and use the following labels at the appropriate places: primary consumer, tertiary consumer, producers, secondary consumer, carnivore, herbivore, and omnivore.
7. How much energy is lost from one trophic level to the next? Why can’t food chains be more than 4 or 5 trophic levels long?
8. What is the advantage of a food web over a food chain? Draw the food web found in your book.
9. What happens to the amount of biomass (matter) as you go up a food chain?
10. What is succession?
11. What is primary succession?
12. What is secondary succession?
13. What are pioneer species? Give examples and describe what they do.
14. What organisms come after the pioneer species?
15. What is a climax community?
16. If a wildfire consumes 100 acres of forest, describe the changes that you would expect over the next 100 years.
16. Describe the causes and the effects of the following manmade ecological problems:
Acid Rain
Climate Change
Hole in the Ozone
Polluted Water
17. Describe the following types of Symbioses and how the organisms would co-evolve.
Parasitism
Commensalism
Mutualism
Predatory/Prey
Plants/Herbivore
18. What problems do invasive (exotic) species cause in native ecosystems?
19. What is the biggest cause of extinction on Earth?
20. What happens to most animals involved with the illegal pet trade? Why?
21. Discuss (in complete sentences) what is causing the deforestation of the tropical rain forests and why deforestation is a problem.
22. Discuss the moral and ethical problems associated with endangered species throughout the world. (ex. Tigers)
23. Discuss the importance of predator and prey relationships and the consequences of human disruption to the relationships.
24. Define ecological footprint and compare the ecological footprint of a developed nation to that of a developing nation. Be sure to provide one example of each.
25. Compare a closed car on a hot summer day with Earth in terms of the Greenhouse effect.
26. Explain why human population growth is difficult to control. Be sure to incorporate culture in your answer.
27. Draw and label an exponential growth curve for a population of animals.
28. What is the major reason that the world is considered to be in the midst of another mass extinction?
29. Explain why there are fewer numbers of animals at the top of the food chain?
SEV 4 Energy Resources
1. If fossils fuels come from the remains of dead organisms, why are they not considered renewable resources?
2. Explain the difference between energy efficiency and energy conservation. Give an example of each?
3. What are two ways that hydrogen could be used as a fuel source in the future?
4. What factors predict the future availability of fossil fuels?
5. Describe the difference between solar heating and passive solar heating.
6. List six forms of renewable energy.
7. What are the four major ways energy is consumed in the United States is used for?
8. Describe the difference between fission and fusion in nuclear energy?
9. What are the main two reasons we are not using more nuclear energy?
10. Discuss why nuclear energy is used more widely in countries that have meager energy supplies. Explain the connection?
11. Identify three ways that people can conserve energy in their daily lives?
12. Describe three alternative energy technologies?
13. Describe one form of nonrenewable energy, and its advantage and disadvantage.
14. What is geothermal energy?
SEV5. Students will recognize that human beings are part of the global ecosystem and will evaluate the effects of human activities and technology on ecosystems.
1. Explain how technology has negatively impacted ecosystems.
2. Explain how new technologies are being used to minimize the impact on ecosystems.
3. Explain the factors that affect the population growth of organisms.
4. Describe carrying capacity and explain how it determines population growth patterns.
5. Compare developing and developed nations with respect to population growth.
6. Why is there a difference in population growth between developed and developing nations?
7. Discuss cultures around the world where large families are commonplace.
8. What countries are among the most populated in the world?
9. Describe why emergent diseases spread faster in developing nations.
10. How did humans alter global sustainability in the following time periods?
- Hunter and gatherer:
- Agricultural:
- Industrial Revolution:
11. Why are so many people worldwide going hungry?
12. Explain the effects of habitat destruction on organisms and humans.
13. Explain how human activities contribute to erosion and explain what we can do to reduce erosion.
14. How do humans contribute to the depletion of soil fertility?
15. The continued burning of fossil fuels releases CO2 into the atmosphere. How are CO2 and global warming related?
16. How do humans dispose of solid waste? What are the implications of our traditional waste disposal?
17. How is urban sprawl leading to resource depletion and pollution?
18. When a large soft drink corporation built a plant in a developing nation, the water table dropped and caused local wells to run dry. The government of the developing nation gave approval for the company to operate the plant on the promise of economic development. Discuss the impact of the plant operations on local and global ecosystems from each of the following standpoints.
- Political
- Legal
- Social
- Economic
SLO Review
Introduction to science
1.) What is meant by a controlled experiment? Why is it important to only test one variable at a time?
2.) What is the best graph to use in representing measured data? Categorical data? Percentage data?
3.) Be able to interpret information from line graphs, bar graphs, pie charts, and data tables.
4.) Explain the difference between a scientific theory and a hypothesis.
5.) What is the control in an experiment?
6.) Explain what to do if an experiment gives an unexpected result.
7.) What are the metric units on a meter stick? A ruler? A graduated cylinder? A balance?
8.) Explain the difference between quantitative and qualitative research.
9.) Why are observations critical to the scientific process?
10.) How do scientists test hypotheses?
11.) Explain why scientific theories may be altered or replaced.
12.) Distinguish between independent and dependent variables.
13.) What are the first and last things to do before entering and leaving the lab area?
14.) When is it necessary to use correlations?
15.) What is meant by a controlled experiment?
16.) Why is it important to only test one variable at a time?
17.) What is the best graph to use in representing measured data? Categorical data? Percentage data?
18.) Be able to interpret information from line graphs, bar graphs, pie charts, and data tables.
19.) Explain the difference between a scientific theory and a hypothesis.
20.) What is the control in an experiment?
21.) Explain what to do if an experiment gives an unexpected result.
22.) What are the metric units on a meter stick? A ruler? A graduated cylinder? A balance?
23.) Explain the difference between quantitative and qualitative research.
24.) Why are observations critical to the scientific process?
25.) How do scientists test hypotheses?
26.) Explain why scientific theories may be altered or replaced.
27.) Distinguish between independent and dependent variables.
28.) What are the first and last things to do before entering and leaving the lab area?
29.) When is it necessary to use correlations?