Human Impact on the Environment

Several factors can lead to soil erosion. Which of these human activities is most likely to contribute to soil erosion?

• Clearing land for farming

• Planting trees and vegetation

• Preserving land as a wildlife habitat

• Reducing the amount of livestock in an area

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

Which of the following is one way to preserve land resources?

• Reduce urban sprawl

• Clear cutting trees to increase land for farming

• Only build one park per city

• Only build recycling factories in the biggest cities

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Reforestation is the planting of trees that have been cut down by loggers and builders. One benefit of reforestation is restoring lost trees, which future generations can use for their wood. Which claim could be made about how reforestation could benefit a community?

• It limits the space available for building homes and business

• It decreases the chances of a forest fire spreading near people’s homes because of new tree growth

• It decreases the land available for growing crops and raising livestock

• It rebuilds forests, which provide shelter to animals, plants and other resources

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How can ground pollutants affect the local fresh water supply?

• The chemicals evaporate underground and come back in the rain water, filling lakes and rivers with toxic chemicals.

• Erosion of soil causes those chemicals to leak into the ground water supply and end up in lakes and rivers

• The chemicals absorb down their concentration gradient and eventually move to lakes and rivers

• When plants are harvested the soil and excess plant parts are dumped into the water supply

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Which of the following would be most effective method to slow down destruction of certain species of birds and small mammals from over hunting?

• increase the demand for meat and pelts from these animals

• Prevent nature documentaries from being made about these animals

• Decrease the size of their habitat.

• Regulate the number of animals that can be hunted in a certain area at certain times

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Which of the following is most likely to cause desertification?

• Cows digesting plants and releasing methane to break down ozone

• Lack of vegetation causing increased soil erosion, which displaces water from a region

• greater human population in a region causing flooding

• More traffic in a soil rich region would kick up dust clouds which cause lightning storms

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NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

In the 1800s rabbits were introduced for the first time into Australia. Here they had no natural predators and a plentiful food supply. What happened several years after the rabbit was introduced into Australia?

• The rabbits began to overpopulate greatly.

• Populations of animals competing with rabbits grew.

• The rabbit population declined sharply.

• New rabbit predators evolved.

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A toxin that breaks down slowly is introduced into the environment through the spraying of insecticides. The toxin is very lethal when an organism receives high levels of it. Which organism in the food web is in the most danger?

• Grass

• Rabbit

• Fox

• Fish

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Poisons such as DDT build up in lakes and streams due to runoff. Then they enter the food chain. Once in living organisms, the poisons are not broken down and their concentrations increase as they are passed along the food chain.

Which term best describes this ecological phenomenon?

• global warming

• loss of biodiversity

• biological magnification

• loss of genetic diversity

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Which of the following best describes the term biological magnification?

• The buildup of non-biodegradable chemicals in consumers as they are passed up the food chain

• When members of a crowded population are at odds for food, water, space, and other resources

• Using the earth's resources more carefully, and preserving and restoring natural habitats

• When food, water, and space are limited, causing carrying capacity to be reached