EVR 2001 EXAM 1 USF QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
What information made Rachel Carson concerned about chemical pollution? - Answers
:Birds dying because of the DDT poisoning. Spraying of DDT
What is the paradox of human population and well-being? - Answers :- it is declining
and flawed- Food population, a crucial ecosystem service that has been enhanced,
outweighs the effects of declines in other ecosystem services- There is a time lag
between ecosystem decline and human and well-being; the worst is yet to come
Cite four global trends that indicate that the health of planet Earth is suffering. - Answers
:- Pollination- Water purification- Natural Hazard Regulations- Erosions Regulations
Define environment, and describe the general development and successes of modern
environmentalism. - Answers :natural world, human societies, and the human built
world; domesticate landscapes and ecosystems, converting them into food producing
What are the concepts behind each of the three unifying themes—sound science,
sustainability, and stewardship? - Answers :- Vital ideas that can move societies toward
a sustainable future
Explain the role of assumptions, observation, experimentation, and theory formation in
the operation of scientific research and thinking. - Answers :- Assumption: to give our
understanding of the scientific reasearch- observation: to see what has become of the
experiment- experimentation: to test the theory given to you- theory information: your
ideas of what had happened to the experiment of your specific theory
Define sustainability and sustainable development. What is a sustainable society? -
Answers :- sustainability: able to keep up on it's own- sustainable development: a
development that can work on it's own and still have positive effects- sustainable
society: a society that can manage to do things on their own and have positive effects
List five transitions that are necessary for a future sustainable civilization. - Answers :-
increasing intensity, speed, extent, and impact of connectedness
What are the concerns of the environmental justice movement? - Answers :-
environmental racism
Cite some of the recent developments in the movement toward sustainability. - Answers
:- increasing goods and services
Distinguish between the biotic community and the abiotic environmental factors of an
ecosystem - Answers :Biotic community is the grouping of plants, animals, and
microbes. Abiotic factors are the humidity, the climate, salinity, or type of soil.
, Define and compare the terms species, population, and ecosystem. - Answers :Species:
different kinds of plants, animals, and microbes in the community.Population: a certain
number of individuals that make up the interbreeding, reproducing group.Association:
plant community with a definite composition, uniform habitat characteristics, and uniform
plant growth.Ecosystem: a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism
communities and the nonliving environment interacting as a functional unit within an
explicit space.
Compared with an ecosystem, what are an ecotone, a landscape, a biome, and a
biosphere? - Answers :Landscape: a group of interacting ecosystems.Biomes: Similar
ecosystems or landscapes grouped together Biosphere: all the ecosystems
How do the terms organic and inorganic relate to the biotic and abiotic components of
an ecosystem? - Answers :Organic refers to all those materials that make up the bodies
of living organisms. The key feature of organic materials and molecules is that they are
constructed in large part from bonded carbon and hydrogen atoms. Inorganic materials
are materials and chemicals in air, water, rocks, and minerals.
What are the six key elements in living organisms? - Answers :carbon, hydrogen,
nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, abbreviated as CHNOPS
What features distinguish between organic and inorganic molecules? - Answers
:Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, tend to be larger, have covalent
bonds, and are non-electrolytes. Inorganic molecules consist of any substance that can't
be classified as organic.
Define matter and energy, and demonstrate how they are related. - Answers :Matter is
anything that occupies space and has mass and energy is the ability to move matter.
Give four examples of potential energy. In each case, how can the potential energy be
converted into kinetic energy? - Answers :water being held by a dam is potential energy
- it's converted into kinetic energy when the dam is opened and the water falls
State the two energy laws. How do they relate to entropy? - Answers :The first law of
thermodynamics states that energy can be transferred and transformed, but cannot be
created or destroyed. The second law says that every energy transfer or transformation
increases the entropy of the universe.
What is the chemical equation for photosynthesis? Examine the origin and destination
of each molecule referred to in the equation. Do the same for cellular respiration. -
Answers :Photosynthesis: 6 CO2 + 12 H2O -> C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O. Carbon
dioxide plus water plus sunlight gives glucose plus oxygen. Water originates from soil,
streams, and so forth in the hydrological cycle. The oxygen that is released is used in
combustion and in respiration. Cell respiration: C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O -> 6 CO2 +
12 H2O. Oxygen plus glucose gives carbon dioxide plus water plus energy. The oxygen
and glucose originate from photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is used in pants by
What information made Rachel Carson concerned about chemical pollution? - Answers
:Birds dying because of the DDT poisoning. Spraying of DDT
What is the paradox of human population and well-being? - Answers :- it is declining
and flawed- Food population, a crucial ecosystem service that has been enhanced,
outweighs the effects of declines in other ecosystem services- There is a time lag
between ecosystem decline and human and well-being; the worst is yet to come
Cite four global trends that indicate that the health of planet Earth is suffering. - Answers
:- Pollination- Water purification- Natural Hazard Regulations- Erosions Regulations
Define environment, and describe the general development and successes of modern
environmentalism. - Answers :natural world, human societies, and the human built
world; domesticate landscapes and ecosystems, converting them into food producing
What are the concepts behind each of the three unifying themes—sound science,
sustainability, and stewardship? - Answers :- Vital ideas that can move societies toward
a sustainable future
Explain the role of assumptions, observation, experimentation, and theory formation in
the operation of scientific research and thinking. - Answers :- Assumption: to give our
understanding of the scientific reasearch- observation: to see what has become of the
experiment- experimentation: to test the theory given to you- theory information: your
ideas of what had happened to the experiment of your specific theory
Define sustainability and sustainable development. What is a sustainable society? -
Answers :- sustainability: able to keep up on it's own- sustainable development: a
development that can work on it's own and still have positive effects- sustainable
society: a society that can manage to do things on their own and have positive effects
List five transitions that are necessary for a future sustainable civilization. - Answers :-
increasing intensity, speed, extent, and impact of connectedness
What are the concerns of the environmental justice movement? - Answers :-
environmental racism
Cite some of the recent developments in the movement toward sustainability. - Answers
:- increasing goods and services
Distinguish between the biotic community and the abiotic environmental factors of an
ecosystem - Answers :Biotic community is the grouping of plants, animals, and
microbes. Abiotic factors are the humidity, the climate, salinity, or type of soil.
, Define and compare the terms species, population, and ecosystem. - Answers :Species:
different kinds of plants, animals, and microbes in the community.Population: a certain
number of individuals that make up the interbreeding, reproducing group.Association:
plant community with a definite composition, uniform habitat characteristics, and uniform
plant growth.Ecosystem: a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and microorganism
communities and the nonliving environment interacting as a functional unit within an
explicit space.
Compared with an ecosystem, what are an ecotone, a landscape, a biome, and a
biosphere? - Answers :Landscape: a group of interacting ecosystems.Biomes: Similar
ecosystems or landscapes grouped together Biosphere: all the ecosystems
How do the terms organic and inorganic relate to the biotic and abiotic components of
an ecosystem? - Answers :Organic refers to all those materials that make up the bodies
of living organisms. The key feature of organic materials and molecules is that they are
constructed in large part from bonded carbon and hydrogen atoms. Inorganic materials
are materials and chemicals in air, water, rocks, and minerals.
What are the six key elements in living organisms? - Answers :carbon, hydrogen,
nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, abbreviated as CHNOPS
What features distinguish between organic and inorganic molecules? - Answers
:Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, tend to be larger, have covalent
bonds, and are non-electrolytes. Inorganic molecules consist of any substance that can't
be classified as organic.
Define matter and energy, and demonstrate how they are related. - Answers :Matter is
anything that occupies space and has mass and energy is the ability to move matter.
Give four examples of potential energy. In each case, how can the potential energy be
converted into kinetic energy? - Answers :water being held by a dam is potential energy
- it's converted into kinetic energy when the dam is opened and the water falls
State the two energy laws. How do they relate to entropy? - Answers :The first law of
thermodynamics states that energy can be transferred and transformed, but cannot be
created or destroyed. The second law says that every energy transfer or transformation
increases the entropy of the universe.
What is the chemical equation for photosynthesis? Examine the origin and destination
of each molecule referred to in the equation. Do the same for cellular respiration. -
Answers :Photosynthesis: 6 CO2 + 12 H2O -> C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O. Carbon
dioxide plus water plus sunlight gives glucose plus oxygen. Water originates from soil,
streams, and so forth in the hydrological cycle. The oxygen that is released is used in
combustion and in respiration. Cell respiration: C6H12O6 + 6 O2 + 6 H2O -> 6 CO2 +
12 H2O. Oxygen plus glucose gives carbon dioxide plus water plus energy. The oxygen
and glucose originate from photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is used in pants by
