1 point
Name
IB Environmental Systems & Societies
Date
AP Environmental Science
Period
2015-2016 Test 1
PART I. Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer and fill in the corresponding circle on your Scantron card.
(20 questions, 2 points each, 40 total points)
1.
The term that describes a process that can continue indefinitely without depleting the material and
energy resources that keep it running is:
a. non-depleting
b. sustainable
c. low impact
d. trophic
e. efficient
2.
Which of the following statements help explain the
distribution of biomes in Australia?
a. Precipitation levels are generally higher along the east
coast of Australia than the west coast
b. Precipitation levels are higher in the northern
grasslands than in the Great Australian Desert.
c. There are no large areas of Australia with climate
conditions suitable for coniferous trees such as pine
and spruce.
d. all of the above
e. a and b only
3.
Why are legumes important?
a. they convert inorganic nitrogen (N2) to a biologically useable form (NO3)
b. they convert inorganic phosphorous (P) to a biologically useable form (PO 3)
c. they convert inorganic carbon (C) to a biologically useable form (CO2)
d. all of the above
e. a and c only
4.
Which of the following would be the best indirect measurement of low levels of DDT in an aquatic ecosystem?
a. taking a water sample and using a DDT test kit to measure the DDT concentration in the water
b. taking a water sample and using a DDT meter to measure the DDT concentration in the water
c. observing whether there are algae blooms in the aquatic ecosystem
d. analyzing blood samples from eagles feeding on fish from the aquatic ecosystem
e. a and b only
5.
Which of the following would be the best indirect measurements of elevated N and P in an aquatic ecosystem?
a. taking a water sample and using N and P tests kit to measure the N and P concentration in the water
b. taking a water sample and using N and P meters to measure the N and P concentration in the water
c. observing whether there are algae blooms in the aquatic ecosystem
d. analyzing blood samples from eagles feeding on fish from the aquatic ecosystem
e. a and b only
6.
An event regarded by some as the start of the environmental movement was :
a. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech in 1963
b. Rachel Carson’s publication of Silent Spring in 1962
c. the assassination of Paul Bunyan in the Redwood Forest in 1965
d. the Woodstock music festival in 1969
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7.
An important difference between the flow of matter and energy in the ecosystem is:
a. matter is recycled and energy is not
b. energy is recycled and matter is not
c. producers can survive without energy, but matter is required for all life on earth
d. energy can be converted into matter, but matter cannot be converted into energy
8.
The second law of thermodynamics states that:
a. whatever goes up, must come down
b. in terrestrial ecosystems, biomass always decreases at higher trophic levels
c. energy levels tend to decrease proportionally to latitude
d. all energy must come from the sun, and all matter must be recycled
e. in any transformation of energy, some quantity of usable energy is always lost
9.
According to the graph at right,
in NJ in 2014 there were
approximately:
a. 140 eagle young and 200 nests
b. 160 nests and 140 young
c. 140 nests and 200 young
d. 160 nests and 175 young
e. 200 young and 175 nests
10.
Phosphorous
a. is relatively abundant in guano
and manure
b. is obtained by consumers from
the atmosphere
c. is an abiotic resource used by
producers
d. all of the above
e. a and c only
11.
Farmer Bob grows 1,000 acres of beans and wants to fight world hunger. What would be his best course of
action if he wants to provide as much biomass as possible to the hungry people of the world?
a. feed the beans to the hungry people directly
b. feed the beans to chickens, then feed the hungry people the chickens because they taste better
c. not to do anything because it won't really matter
d. mix the beans with corn, use the mixture to feed cattle, then feed the beef to the hungry
e. convert the beans to abiotic nutrition
12.
Coal, oil and natural gas form as the result of:
a. disruptions in the earth’s nitrogen cycle
b. bacterial activity in the root nodules of leguminous plants
c. the accumulation of calcium carbonate from marine organisms
d. the accumulation of dead and decomposing organic matter
e. ancient volcanic activity
13.
Which of the following best describes the energy stored in a glucose molecule?
a. chemical potential energy that has been generated by the plant
b. chemical potential energy that has been converted from solar energy through photosynthesis
c. kinetic energy generated by a plant through respiration
d. kinetic energy generated by a plant through photosynthesis
e. kinetic energy stored in the molecule that can eventually be released through respiration
14.
Nitrogen fixation is crucial to living organisms because
a. nitrogen tends to bioaccumulate and harm secondary consumers if not fixed
b. living organisms are unable to utilize nitrogen directly from the atmosphere
c. denitrification converts huge amounts of nitrogen to oxygen
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
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15.
Which of the following best defines the term heterotroph?
a. an organism that obtains energy from abiotic sources
b. an organism that exists on more than one trophic level
c. an organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms
d. all of the above
e. a and c only
16.
The molecules pictured in the diagrams at right are:
a. homozygous compounds
b. ionic
c. inorganic
d. organic
e. heterotrophic
17.
The photo at right shows Kenai Fjords National Park in southern
Alaska, including a marsh, tidal pond, pine forest and glacier.
The area shown in the picture would be considered a(n):
a. abiotic assemblage
b. biotic assemblage
c. landscape
d. biosphere
e. ecosystem
18.
Which of the following factors would be expected to affect the
rate and amount of primary production?
a. availability of moisture
b. availability of sunlight
c. availability of nutrients in soil
d. all of the above
e. b and c only
19.
Anteaters live only in certain grasslands and feed only on certain species of ants licked from nests or torn from
tunnels by the anteater with its claws. Based on this statement, which of the following is true?
a. anteaters have a generalized habitat and a generalized niche
b. anteaters have a generalized habitat but a specialized niche
c. anteaters have a specialized habitat but a generalized niche
d. anteaters have a specialized habitat and a specialized niche
20.
In coral reef ecosystems, the clownfish feeds on small invertebrates that otherwise have potential to harm the
sea anemone. The clownfish is protected from predators by the anemone's stinging cells, to which the
clownfish is immune. The relationship between the clownfish and the anemone is an example of:
a. symmetry
b. eutrophication
c. bioaccumulation
d. parasitism
e. mutualism
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Part II. Free Response: (59 pts)
A. Study Examines Mercury Exposure In Pregnant Women
www.news-medical.net February 18, 2012
A new study published by researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center's School of Public Health
assesses mercury levels in pregnant women. The research, which focuses on an urban immigrant community,
examined risk factors that may be associated with elevated mercury levels, measured through urine and blood
samples.
The study found that children and foreign-born immigrant women from the Caribbean are at higher risk for
elevated levels of mercury in the blood, predominantly from dietary sources.
The study team used a combination of methods to determine exposure levels. Urine and blood tests
revealed that 16% of samples exceeded recommended levels for mercury.
1. State the human activity that releases mercury into the environment. (3 pts)
2. Describe the likely dietary source causing Caribbean women to have high levels of Hg in their urine
and blood. (3 pts)
3. Explain why the dietary sources you described in the previous question contain high levels of Hg. (8 pts)
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B. Carbon Cycle
Peru Says To Crack Down On Palm Oil-Related Amazon Deforestation
By Hugh Bronstein | Reuters | September 27, 2015
Peru will confront the deforestation of its Amazon region by issuing a decree next month strengthening
regulations on palm oil plantations, Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal said on Sunday. With big areas of
Peru already stripped of natural vegetation, largely due to farming, Pulgar-Vidal said it was important to reduce
destruction of the tropical forest. Demand for palm oil, a cash crop widely used in food and cosmetics, has also fueled
deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia.
1. Assuming that Peru’s efforts to reduce deforestation are successful, explain how it would impact the
concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. (4 pts)
Notre Dame Says Plan To Stop Burning Coal Pays For Itself
By Tom Coyne - Associated Press - Monday, September 21, 2015
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Notre Dame officials said Monday that a plan to phase out coal-burning power plants
over the next five years will ultimately pay for itself through lower energy costs. The announcement comes ahead of
Pope Francis’ planned visit to the United States. During a news conference, the Rev. John Jenkins, the university
president, said the move is part of Francis’ plea for bold action to curb climate change.
The Sierra Club said Notre Dame was the 35th U.S. university since 2012 to adopt such a plan, leaving 27 that still
have coal-burning plants.
2. Assuming that Notre Dame and the rest of the universities in the U.S. successfully phase out burning
coal, describe the expected impact on the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere. (3 pts)
3. Explain why Notre Dame’s plan promotes the Pope’s efforts to reduce climate change. (4 pts)
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5,000
decomposers
C. For the food chain shown above:
NO CALCULATORS
1. Estimate the net secondary production. (2 pts)
2. Calculate the gross secondary production. (3 pts)
3. Calculate the net production of the decomposers. (3 pts)
rd
4. Estimate the net tertiary (3 level) production. (2 pts)
5. Estimate the amount of energy lost by the eagles to respiration (2 pts)
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D. Barnegat Bay
Table 1. Average DO readings for the month of
August, collected in Barnegat Bay at Location X.
Year
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
DO (mg/L)
8.1
8.0
8.1
8.0
4.2
1.6
X
1. State what BOD stands for. (3 pts)
2. Describe what BOD measures. (4 pts)
3. Deduce the trend of BOD in Barnegat Bay during the month of August from 1960 – 2010. (3 pts)
4. State two cultural reasons for the Table 1 data. (6 points)
Reason 1:
Reason 2:
5. Describe two types of harm to the human economy that would be associated with the Table 1 data. (6 pts)
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