Environmental Systems Fall 2023 Final Exam

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What is the greenhouse effect?

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The greenhouse effect is the process by which gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap heat, preventing it from escaping back into space, thus warming the planet.

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What is a renewable resource?

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A renewable resource is a natural resource that can be replenished quickly, such as solar energy, wind energy, and biomass.

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What is a secondary consumer?

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A secondary consumer is an organism that eats primary consumers (herbivores) in a food web, such as a lizard that eats mice.

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How do animals obtain nitrogen?

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Animals obtain nitrogen by consuming plants that have absorbed nitrogen from the soil or through bacteria that convert nitrogen into a usable form.

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What is commensalism?

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Commensalism is a type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed, such as a feeder fish following a shark.

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What are the main components of an ecosystem?

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The main components of an ecosystem include producers (plants), consumers (animals), and decomposers (fungi and bacteria).

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What is the role of producers in an ecosystem?

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Producers, such as plants, convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food web.

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Define biodiversity.

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Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, including the number of different species and genetic diversity.

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What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

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A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass, while a food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains.

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What is the significance of decomposers in an ecosystem?

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Decomposers break down dead organic matter, recycling nutrients back into the soil, which supports plant growth.