Ecological Impacts Review

Both primary and secondary succession begin with pioneer species that

• change the area and make it safer from predatory organisms
• invade the area so that new organisms cannot be established
• modify the area and allow larger and more complex organisms to appear
• use up all of the existing resources and prevent establishment of non-native organisms

Some students take care of a vegetable garden. When it is time to plant in the spring, the students leave part of the garden empty in order to observe ecological succession. Which of these will most likely occur first? 

• development of topsoil
• growth of weeds and grasses
• growth of trees and shrubs
• development of a stream

How does the agricultural activity most likely affect the surface water of the area? 

• Excess crop fertilizer is carried by runoff into the river, causing excess growth of water plants.
• Excess crop material accumulates on the riverbanks, slowing the movement of the river water.
• Crops reduce erosion, increasing the amount of soil entering the river.
• Crops absorb pure water from soil, causing the remaining water to contain more salt.

A person changing the oil of their car dumps the old oil on the ground. How might this affect the environment? 

• The oil will not affect the environment.
• The oil may evaporate and cause air pollution.
• The oil may enter the groundwater and pollute it.
• The oil may act as a fertilizer to invasive plant species

A watershed collects water that has moved from a higher elevation to a lower elevation. The runoff collected in the watershed contained industrial waste and the water soaked into the ground. What will the condition of the groundwater be? 

• clean
• salty
• acidic
• polluted

Many uses of land, including logging, mining, and farming, expose the soil, which can lead to ______ 

• erosion
• development
• crop rotation
• overgrazing

Farms pollute water through the use of _________     

• pesticides and fertilizers
• hospital waste
• chloroflurocarbons
• all of the above

Water pollutants include ____________ 

• sediment
• fertilizers
• pesiticides
• all of the above

What is a watershed? 

• An area of land that catches precipitation and drains it into surface or groundwater.
• A river that connects with lakes, marshes, or streams and carries the water from tributaries downstream
• A body of water that stores some of its water above ground and some of its water underground.
• A tank or storage container that holds drinking water.

What might be the most serious effect of placing a factory in the location shown below? 

• Groundwater might be used up too quickly.
• Pollution from the factory could seep into groundwater.
• Groundwater could become salt water.
• Groundwater could seep into the factory