2015 Environmental Systems Final Exam Review
~ You may use journal notes, Texas ecoregion notes, & quail notes during exam ~
Texas Ecoregions
1. What does biotic mean? Give examples of abiotic factors in the environment.
2. What does abiotic mean? Give examples of abiotic factors in the environment.
3. How much land in Texas is privately owned?
4. What is the main threat to all Texas wildlife? What are other threats to wildlife & their habitats?
5. What is the difference between flora & fauna of an area?
6. How does the climate change as you move across Texas - north to south & east to west?
7. Explain what an endemic species is.
8. What is a playa lake and where are they found in Texas?
9. What is the fastest land animal in Texas, & where is it found?
10. Explain why fire is an important for wildlife habitat management.
11. Know the state fish of Texas & which region it’s found in.
12. What ecoregion does most of Navarro County belong to?
13. What Texas eco-region is home to carnivorous plants?
14. The Chihuahuan Desert is found in which ecoregion?
15. What animal is over-populated in central Texas & adds to habitat degradation?
16. Where can you find caves that are homes to millions of bats in Texas?
17. Where in Texas today can you find buffalo living in their native habitat?
18. The locations of each Texas eco-region on a Texas map. (map in journal)
Gulf Oil Spill
1. What company owned the drilling rig that exploded in the spring of 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico?
What was the rig’s name?
Ecological Interactions
1. Define the ecological interaction of competition & give an example.
2. Explain the difference between intraspecific vs. interspecific competition.
3. How can competition among organisms be reduced?
4. Contrast spatial & temporal resource partitioning.
5. Define the ecological interaction of predation & give an example.
6. Define the symbiotic relationship of mutualism & give an example.
7. Define the symbiotic relationship of commensalism & give an example.
8. Define the symbiotic relationship of parasitism & give an example.
9. Explain what nest parasitism is. What local bird is involved in this type of parasitism?
Population Dynamics
1. What is a population? What do all members of a population have in common?
2. Understand the difference between population density, distribution, & dispersion.
3. Explain the 3 types of population dispersion. Be able to recognize each pattern.
4. Contrast natality & mortality.
5. Recognize exponential & logistic growth patterns & characteristics.
6. Explain what a limiting factor is.
7. Compare & contrast density-dependent vs. density-independent limiting factors.
8. Define carrying capacity.
9. Understand what a dynamic equilibrium is.
10. Be able to calculate population growth using natality, mortality, immigration, & emigration.
Northern Bobwhite Quail Ecology & Anatomy
1. What does eye position tell you about a quail?
2. What are a quail’s 2 stomachs?
3. What is the key to good quail habitat?
4. Why are leg muscles considered “dark meat” & breast muscles “white meat”?
5. Explain why having only 1 ovary is an adaptation for female quail.
6. How does the way in which coveys roost aid in quail survival?
7. Compare & contrast the diets of juvenile & adult quail.