Ecology Chapter 1 Study Guide
Name: ______________________________________________________________________
1.Why is environmental science considered an interdisciplinary field?
2. Which statement accurately describes effective scientists?
a. They are willing to believe in ideas, even if there is no supporting evidence.
b. They prefer to deal with questions that involve opinions and personal preferences.
c. They usually accept what they hear from others.
d. They are open to results that change and may even refute a previously accepted
idea.
3. What has happened to resource consumption in the last several hundred years?
4. Results published in _________________________________________ are the most respected in
science because they have passed through a rigorous evaluation process involving feedback from
multiple sources.
5. Give an example of quantitative data?
6. In an experiment, a scientist adds fertilizer to one pond in order to compare the algae growth to a
pond that does not receive fertilizer. The amount of algae that grows would represent a(n)
7. A human-centered view of our relationship with the environment is known as
8. Give an example of a question that can be addressed by science is:
9. A set of moral principles or values held by a person or a society is called
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10. What happens after a scientist submits results for publication in a scientific journal?
11. A natural resource that is naturally formed much more slowly than we use it is called
12. Which steps are usually near the beginning of a scientific investigation?
13. ______________________________ gives value to all living things, both human and nonhuman?
14. Which of the following are considered part of the environment?
a. forests
b. buildings
c. people
d. all of these
15. Which statement about science is true?
a. It deals mostly with things in the synthetic or unnatural world.
b. It attempts to explain the mysteries of the supernatural world.
c. It assumes that the natural world works according to rules that do not change
unpredictably.
d. It asserts that although the boiling point of water is 100ºC today, it may be
different in the future.
16. Which statement about changes in scientific thought is correct?
a. Changes in scientific thought show that the general public cannot rely on science.
b. Changes in scientific thought demonstrate a key strength of science: the ability to
self-correct and improve.
c. Changes in scientific thought are usually rapid and drastic.
d. Scientific thought and interpretations can never change over time.
17. What is one of the key differences between scientific theories and hypotheses?
18. A person holding a sign during a protest against cutting down trees in a forest would be considered
a(n)
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19. Which of the following statements represents an issue that would be dealt with by the
environmental justice movement?
a. if Molina and Rowland’s ideas about CFCs are a theory or a hypothesis
b. the damage done to the ozone layer by CFCs
c. how the peer review process works in scientific journals
d. wealthy countries imposing their pollution on poorer countries
20. Scientists accept scientific ideas that are supported by interpretation. ____________________
21. Scientists work exclusively in the natural world. ____________________
22. In a controlled study, all variables are controlled except two. ____________________
Use the graph to answer the following questions.
23. The graph shows human population in billions of people. According to the graph, Earth's current
human population is about ____________________ people.
24. ____________________ variables are variables kept constant in a study.
25. The process in which several scientists read an article and provide feedback to the author is known
as ____________________.
26. Scientists record ____________________, or information, from their studies.
27. The variable a scientist manipulates is called the ____________________ variable.
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28. Identify two of the problems that some scientists predict could result from uncontrolled population
growth.
Use the illustration to answer the following questions.
29. What do the resources listed on the left side of the diagram have in common?
30. What do the resources listed on the right side of the diagram have in common?
31. What do the resources listed in the center of the diagram have in common?
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