All flashcards
Flashcard 1: Which forestry strategy best maintains biodiversity while allowing harvest?
Answer: Selective logging with sustainable yield management. Removes only some trees while maintaining forest structure and biodiversity.
Flashcard 2: Which metric best indicates improved water quality after reducing organic pollution?
Answer: Higher dissolved oxygen (DO). Higher oxygen levels indicate reduced organic pollution and healthier aquatic ecosystems.
Flashcard 3: What is the main conservation advantage of protecting an ecosystem "hotspot"?
Answer: High species endemism and high threat make protection highly efficient. Protects maximum biodiversity per conservation dollar by focusing on threatened areas.
Flashcard 4: What is the definition of an ecosystem service in environmental biology?
Answer: Benefits humans obtain from ecosystems (provisioning, regulating, cultural, supporting). These are the four main categories of benefits ecosystems provide to humans.
Flashcard 5: Which land-use approach concentrates development to protect surrounding habitat?
Answer: Smart growth (compact, higher-density development). Reduces urban sprawl and preserves natural areas around developed zones.
Flashcard 6: What is the main ecological purpose of a marine protected area (MPA)?
Answer: Limit extraction to allow populations and habitats to recover. Provides safe areas where species can reproduce without fishing pressure.
Flashcard 7: Which solution best reduces bycatch in commercial fishing?
Answer: Selective gear (for example, turtle excluder devices). Allows target species to be caught while non-target species escape.
Flashcard 8: Which option best reduces CO2 emissions: improving energy efficiency or increasing coal use?
Answer: Improving energy efficiency. Efficiency reduces energy demand while coal increases emissions.
Flashcard 9: What is the main purpose of an environmental impact assessment (EIA)?
Answer: Predict and mitigate environmental harm before a project proceeds. Identifies potential problems early so they can be avoided or minimized.
Flashcard 10: Which choice best reduces habitat fragmentation from a new road: wildlife overpasses or more lanes?
Answer: Wildlife overpasses (or underpasses). Allows animals to cross roads safely, reconnecting fragmented habitats.
Flashcard 11: Identify the better solution for overfishing: catch limits or increasing fishing fleet size.
Answer: Catch limits. Limits prevent depletion while fleet expansion worsens overfishing.
Flashcard 12: Which option best reduces soil loss: planting cover crops or leaving soil bare after harvest?
Answer: Planting cover crops. Cover crops protect soil from erosion between main crop seasons.
Flashcard 13: Which option is the best solution to reduce eutrophication from farms: more fertilizer or buffer strips?
Answer: Buffer strips. Buffer strips filter nutrients before they reach water bodies.
Flashcard 14: Which solution most directly prevents introduction of aquatic invasive species by ships?
Answer: Treat or exchange ballast water before discharge. Ballast water carries organisms between ports, spreading invasive species globally.
Flashcard 15: What is the primary goal of biological control for invasive species?
Answer: Use natural enemies to reduce invasive populations with minimal chemicals. Uses predators, parasites, or diseases specific to the invasive species.
Flashcard 16: Which approach best reduces negative impacts of mining after extraction ends?
Answer: Land reclamation (recontouring, replacing soil, replanting natives). Restores disturbed land to productive use and prevents ongoing environmental damage.
Flashcard 17: What is the main environmental drawback of relying heavily on landfills?
Answer: Methane production and leachate that can contaminate groundwater. Organic waste decomposes anaerobically, producing greenhouse gases and toxic leachate.
Flashcard 18: What is integrated pest management (IPM)?
Answer: Using monitoring and multiple controls to minimize pesticide use. Combines biological, cultural, and chemical methods to reduce pesticide dependence.
Flashcard 19: Which agricultural practice most directly improves soil structure and reduces erosion?
Answer: No-till or reduced-till farming. Maintains soil structure and organic matter while reducing disturbance.
Flashcard 20: Which farming practice most directly reduces soil erosion on slopes?
Answer: Contour plowing. Following natural slope contours slows water flow and reduces soil loss.
Flashcard 21: Which strategy best reduces runoff and flooding in urban areas?
Answer: Green infrastructure (permeable pavement, rain gardens, green roofs). Mimics natural water cycle by allowing infiltration instead of surface runoff.
Flashcard 22: What is the most direct ecological advantage of wetlands for water quality?
Answer: Filter pollutants and trap sediments and excess nutrients. Natural filtration system that improves water quality through biological processes.
Flashcard 23: Which water-treatment approach most directly reduces nutrient pollution from sewage?
Answer: Tertiary treatment that removes nitrates and phosphates. Advanced treatment specifically targets nutrients that cause eutrophication.
Flashcard 24: What is the primary ecological benefit of riparian buffer strips along streams?
Answer: Reduce runoff, erosion, and nutrient loading into waterways. Vegetation along streams filters pollutants and stabilizes banks against erosion.
Flashcard 25: What is the most direct ecological meaning of sustainability?
Answer: Meeting needs without reducing future ecosystem function and resources. Ensures resources remain available for future generations while protecting ecosystem health.
Flashcard 26: What is biodiversity (in a way relevant to evaluating ecosystem solutions)?
Answer: Variety of genes, species, and ecosystems in an area. Includes genetic diversity within species, species diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
Flashcard 27: What is the definition of an ecosystem service in environmental biology?
Answer: Benefits humans obtain from ecosystems (provisioning, regulating, cultural, supporting). These are the four main categories of benefits ecosystems provide to humans.
Flashcard 28: Identify the best method to reduce nonpoint pollution: riparian buffers or taller smokestacks.
Answer: Riparian buffers. Buffers filter diffuse pollution while smokestacks don't address nonpoint sources.
Flashcard 29: Which solution best protects biodiversity long-term: creating connected reserves or isolated small parks?
Answer: Creating connected reserves. Connectivity allows gene flow and migration; isolation leads to local extinctions.
Flashcard 30: Which option best addresses biomagnifying toxins: banning persistent pollutants or adding more pesticides?
Answer: Banning persistent pollutants. Bans prevent accumulation while more pesticides worsen biomagnification.