NEW
Font size
WorksheetsEnvironmental Science Fall Final Exam
Total questions: 65
Worksheet time: 33mins
Which of the following is NOT an ecosystem?
vacant lot
oak forest
coral reef
utility pole
The energy in most ecosystems comes from
green plants.
the sun.
wind.
all of the above.
The organism most likely to belong to the same species are
people at a football game.
bacteria inside a person's body.
birds in a forest.
organisms in a pond.
The community of a pond is made up of all the
abiotic factors in the water.
resources organisms need.
habitats in and around the water.
populations of fish, insects and other living organisms.
Which of the following describes soil and temperature in an ecosystem?
abiotic factors
biotic facotrs
unnecessary factors
selection factors
Which of the following describes a population?
members of the same species living in the same place at the same time.
all the red birds in an area
all types of organisms living in the same place
all members of the same species.
Which of the following is NOT a biotic factor in an ecosystem?
roots
insects
leaves
air
Which kind of organism obtain energy only from producers?
decomposers
herbivores
omnivores
all of the above
If an insect eats a plant and a bird eats the insect, about how much energy from the plants is stored in the insect for the bird to use?
90 percent
50 percent
10 percent
1 percent
Which of the following plants is likely to be a pioneer species?
lichen
grass
shrub
oak tree
Where would an ecologist be least likely to go to study primary succession?
a new island formed by a volcanic eruption
a gravel -filled valley that had been covered by a glacier until recently
a locked, abandoned asphalt parking lot in New York City
the Amazon Rain Forest
Consumers are organisms that
eat only other animals species.
get their energy by eating other organsims
are also know as self-feeders
occupy an ecosystem's lowest energy level
The energy consumed by organisms
can be stored in fat and sugar molecules.
remains constant at all trophic levels.
undergoes magnification in foods chains
is not partially lost during digestion.
Plants play a crucial role in the carbon cycle because they
do not release carbon dioxide during cellular respiration.
allow carbon to enter an ecosystem through photosynthesis.
have special bacteria that live in their root systems.
are chemically converted into fossil fuels when burned.
Succession is possible because
climates change over time.
it is a rapid and chaotic process that is very difficult to control.
existing plants reproduce quickly.
ecosystems are disrupted by natural or human-caused events..
Which of the following is an example of secondary succession?
breaking down of bare rock by fungi and mosses
pioneer plants begin to grow after glacial melting
growth of plants after a forest is destroyed by fire
appearance of weeds in cracks in a concrete surface
Which of the following is not a likely component of soil formed during primary succession?
cast-off parts of shrubs and trees
decayed lichens and bacteria
dust particles from the air
broken bits of stone and rock
Which organism is likely to be in the bottom trophic level of a food chain?
leopard seal
algae
krill
killer whale
What term is used to refer to the many feeding relationships that are possible in an ecosystem?
food web
food chain
energy pyramid
energy transfer
What type of vegetation would you expect to find on an abandoned farm that has remained undisturbed for 150 years?
short grasses
shrubs
young pine trees
tall, mature oak trees
What type of succession occurs after a natural process such as a flood?
primary succession
secondary succession
old-field succession
climax community
An example of a population is
all trees in a forest.
all maple trees in a forest.
all plants in a forest.
all animals in a forest.
The density of a population is
the number of individuals born every year.
the proportion of males and females.
the number of individuals living in cities.
the number of individuals per unit area.
Which of the following populations has a random dispersion?
flock of flamingoes
pine trees in a pine forest
herd of bison
solitary snakes in a desert
Which of the following would most likely cause a large number of density-independent deaths in a population?
winter storms
disease-carrying insects
predators
limited resources
Which of the following organisms has the highest reproductive potential?
dogs
elephants
bacteria
humans
The number of wild horses per square kilometer in a prairie is the horse populations
density.
dispersion.
size.
birthrate.
Which of the following has the greatest effect on reproductive potential?
producing more offspring at a time
reproducing more often
having a longer life span
reproducing earlier in life
Which of the following is NOT an example of exponential growth?
rabbit populations after being introduced to Australia
reindeer of the Pribilof Islands after eating most of the lichens
a bank account that earns interest
mold appearing on bread overnight
The carrying capacity of an environment for a particular species at a particular time is determined by the
number of individuals in the species.
distribution of the population.
reproductive potential of the species.
supply of the most limited resources.
Which of the following is one of the main properties used to describe a population?
number of individuals
color of individuals
number of species
kind of adaptations
Professionals who study and make predictions about human populations are called
stenographers.
demographers.
geologists.
populists.
Which factor contributed most to the exponential growth of the human population?
more food, better hygiene
higher birth rates
higher fertility rates
increased immigration
A population pyramid is created by
studying a group of people and noting when each member dies.
graphing the distribution of ages in a population at a specific time.
calculating the number of children a woman gives birth to in her lifetime.
estimating the demand for services within a community.
Educating women worldwide has lowered birthrates partly because
educated women need to bear many children to ensure that some will survive.
educated women may learn family-planning techniques.
educated women contribute less to their family income.
All of the above
Human population growth was most rapid during which period of human history?
Ice Ages
Stone Ages
Bronze and Iron Ages
Modern Age
Which of the following makes it difficult to reduce population growth?
High literacy rates result in women wanting to have more children.
Population sizes will not decline until some people start having to do without food and other necessities of life.
Many people live in cities, where large families are an advantage.
Many people have low literacy and limited access to healthcare.
Which of the following is NOT a strategy that could slow population growth?
public advertising
economic incentives
legal punishments
limiting education for women
Between 1880 and 1930 human population doubled due to
the Industrial revolution.
a combination of high birth rates and low death rates.
improvements in societal infrastructure and services.
All of the above
Which of the following is a reason that wood is considered a limited resource in many developing countries?
Wood is used in place of money to buy food.
Fuelwood allows people to purify their water by boiling it.
Excess wood is used to construct shantytowns.
People cut down trees faster than they can grow.
Scientists predict population sizes by using
survivorship, migration, life expectancy, and replacement structure.
age structure, fertility rate, and migration.
replacement rate, fertility rate, age rates, and survivorship.
age structure, survivorship, fertility rate, and migration.
Which of the following would NOT cause population to decrease in a region?
increased immigration
increased emigration
decreased fertility rates
decreased survivorship
Which of the following is NOT described by the model of demographic transition?
life expectancy
education of women
immigration
industrialization
Less-developed countries suffer more from rapid population growth because they are less likely to have the _____ to support the population.
fertility rates
cultural values
infrastructure
family-planning methods
An endangered species is
a species in danger of extinction.
a species growing on public land.
an organism brought to a place where it has not lived before.
a species that has disappeared entirely.
In what part of the world are the greatest number of extinctions occurring?
in tropical rain forests
in deserts
in the Arctic
in Europe and the United States
According to biologists, what percentage of species have become or are expected to become extinct between 1900 and 2100?
1 percent
10 percent
25 percent
60 percent
The current rate of species extinction is
slower than at any other time in this century.
attributable to the actions of humans.
the result of natural environmental processes.
of little consequence to Earth’s long-term survival.
The type of hunting that threatens species survival the most is
sanctioned by industrialized nations.
legal hunting done by sports enthusiasts.
ignored by global conservation groups.
especially a problem in less developed nations.
The level of biodiversity that involves a variety of habits and communities is
ecosystem diversity.
genetic diversity.
population diversity.
species diversity.
Reasons for preserving biodiversity include all of the following except
isolating unique genetic material so it can be incorporated into existing crops.
increasing the chances of discovering organisms with medicinal value.
preventing natural evolution.
finding new plants that can supplement the world’s food supply.
Because of the Endangered Species Act, the sale of protected animals or plants is
punishable by a substantial fine.
subject to approval by a Species Review Board.
limited to quotas set for each species.
allowed for threatened but not endangered species.
What level of biodiversity is most commonly equated with the overall concept of biodiversity?
genetic diversity
species diversity
ecosystem diversity
All of the above
What groups of organisms are most in danger of extinction?
those with small populations
those that migrate or need special habitats
those with large populations that breed quickly
Both (a) and (b)
Why is biodiversity important to ecosystems?
It allows animals to feed permanently from one type of plant.
It increases at each level of the food chain.
It helps populations adapt to ecological changes.
It reduces the number of insects in a given ecosystem.
The major human causes of extinction today are
hunting and destroying habitats.
polluting and introducing non-native species.
Both (a) and (b)
Neither (a) nor (b)
Where are many critical biodiversity hotspots located?
cities and developed areas of the world
islands, tropical rain forests, and coastal areas
desert and polar environments
All of the above
Climate in a region is
the long-term, prevailing atmospheric conditions.
determined only by seasonal daylight hours.
the atmospheric conditions on a given day.
never affected by ocean currents.
Latitude strongly influences climate because _____ solar energy falls on areas that are closer to the equator than to the poles.
less
the same amount of
more
sometimes less
How long will it take for chlorofluorocarbons released from Earth’s surface today to reach the stratosphere?
about six months
one to two years
three to five years
10 to 20 years
Which of the following gases is MOST responsible for the greenhouse effect?
nitrous oxide
methane
oxygen
water vapor
A true statement about greenhouse gases is that they
convert sunlight into energy in the form of heat that warms Earth.
are concentrated in the stratosphere.
reradiate infrared radiation back to Earth.
are not affected by human activity.
Which of the following statements related to global warming is NOT accurate?
Carbon dioxide levels have risen over the last 30 years.
Only fossil fuels, not living plants, release carbon dioxide when burned.
Global temperature and carbon dioxide concentration are related.
By itself, reforestation is not sufficient to slow global warming.
The difference between global warming and climate changes is that
climate change only occurs along the equator.
previous changes in climate were dramatic but very short-lived.
human-made chemicals such as CFCs do not influence global warming.
global warming is a consequence of climate changes.
Ultraviolet radiation is particularly dangerous because
it can damage genetic material in cells.
little has been done to save the ozone layer.
it always leads to the rapid death of organisms.
All of the above
