FINAL EXAM ENV. SYS. 2024 M

Front

What is exponential growth?

Back

Exponential growth is a rapid increase in a population where the growth rate is proportional to the current population size, leading to a J-shaped curve when graphed.

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What is logistic growth?

Back

Logistic growth is a population growth model that starts exponentially but slows as the population reaches the carrying capacity of the environment, resulting in an S-shaped curve.

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What happens to a population when the death rate rises and the birth rate lowers?

Back

The population decreases.

Front

What is a noticeable effect of global warming?

Back

Rise in sea levels due to melting ice caps and thermal expansion of water.

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What is eutrophication?

Back

Eutrophication is the process by which water bodies become overly enriched with nutrients, leading to excessive growth of algae and depletion of oxygen.

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What causes algae blooms?

Back

Algae blooms occur when there are too many nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, in the water, often from agricultural runoff.

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What is the carrying capacity of an environment?

Back

The carrying capacity is the maximum population size that an environment can sustain indefinitely without being degraded.

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What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?

Back

Biotic factors are living components of an ecosystem (e.g., plants, animals), while abiotic factors are non-living components (e.g., water, soil, climate).

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What role do decomposers play in an ecosystem?

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Decomposers break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Front

What is the greenhouse effect?

Back

The greenhouse effect is the warming of Earth's surface due to the trapping of heat by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.