ecology human impact

The presence of wastes, such as plastic bags and motor oil, in lakes and streams miles away from developed areas suggests that

• ecosystems are interconnected and human action can alter ecosystem equilibrium.
• recycling programs have failed to conserve biotic resources.
• natural processes can alter ecosystem stability.
• direct harvesting practices have led to irreversible destruction of ecosystems.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS3-4

NGSS.HS-LS2-6

NGSS.HS-LS2-7

When fertilizers run off farmland into streams and ponds, the nitrogen content of the water increases. This can lead to rapid growth of algae in a process called eutrophication. How can this process affect other organisms in the water?

• Oxygen is used up as algae is decomposed, reducing the amount available to other organisms.
•  The water becomes better able to support aerobic organisms.
•  The algae provide food for fishes and other organisms, leading to decreased algae populations.
• The extra nitrogen provides additional food for the other organisms, increasing their population.

 If worldwide deforestation (removal of forests) is not regulated, what could most likely result?  

• Acid rain could lower the pH of rivers and lakes to dangerous levels for aquatic life
•   CO2 levels in the atmosphere could increase and contribute to global warming problems
• Plants and animals could become better adapted to living in desert conditions.
• Future generations of humans could have an excess of wood and paper products.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

The concentration of chemical food contaminants is higher in birds of prey than in many of the individual organisms that they eat. Which of the following statements best explains the reason for the higher concentration of food contaminants in birds of prey?

• Birds of prey store more of the food they eat
• Birds of prey catch animals with chemical contaminants more easily
• Only birds of prey store chemical contaminants
• Chemical contaminants are stored and magnified in organisms higher up the food chain

Which environmental concern is most associated with burning fossil fuels?

• global climate change
  
• pollution of ocean waters
  
• ozone layer destruction
  
• decrease in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide

Which of the following global concerns is indirectly responsible for all of the others?

• waste disposal
  
• resource depletion
  
• overpopulation
  
• poor sanitation

Which member of the following food chain is most likely to be affected by mercury, a pollutant? Algae - zooplankton - salmon – bear

• algae

• salmon

• zooplankton

• bear

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

By what process is carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere?

• combustion
  
• decomposition
  
• respiration
  
• photosynthesis

Pollution can cause harm to the ___________.  

• air
• land
• water
• all of the above

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-ESS3-3

Global warming has been linked to a decrease in 

• the size of the polar ice caps 
• the temperature of Earth 
• the rate of species extinction 
• the rate of carbon dioxide production

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-5