Environmental Science Principles Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What does environmental ethics primarily focus on?

  • The historical development of environmental laws
  • The study of value and quality in relation to the environment (correct)
  • The technological advancements in environmental science
  • The economic impact of environmental decisions

    • Which of the following correctly describes biotic factors?

  • Factors that arise from human activities
  • Elements that have no effect on ecosystems
  • Living factors that affect an organism (correct)
  • Non-living components of the environment

    • What is the main perspective of anthropocentrism?

  • All forms of life deserve equal treatment
  • Nature should be preserved regardless of human needs
  • Human beings are the central and most important species (correct)
  • Humans are the least impactful species

    • How does biocentrism view all living organisms?

    <p>As having inherent value regardless of their utility to humans</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following principles suggests that humans should adapt to natural processes?

    <p>Nature knows best</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key characteristic of environmental science?

    <p>An interdisciplinary study of interactions in the environment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following statements describes abiotic factors?

    <p>They include non-living elements that impact ecosystems</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which ethical view focuses on the needs and rights of humans?

    <p>Anthropocentrism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does eco-centrism emphasize in relation to nature?

    <p>The interconnection of all forms of life</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which approach to environmentalism is described as the most anthropocentric?

    <p>Developmental Approach</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What principle reflects the idea that 'everything must go somewhere'?

    <p>Finite resources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term is used for individuals concerned with the preservation of the environment and biodiversity?

    <p>Environmentalists</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which approach is most focused on preserving natural areas uncontaminated by human activity?

    <p>Preservationist Approach</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do conservationists view the use of natural areas and wildlife?

    <p>It should benefit both humans and other life forms</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What perspective does eco-centrism take toward the beauty of nature?

    <p>Nature has inherent moral worth</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect is emphasized by the term 'ecological hierarchy'?

    <p>The structured interactions among organisms</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What leads to interspecific competition among organisms?

    <p>Different species fighting for the same resources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of mimicry involves a harmless species imitating a harmful one?

    <p>Batesian mimicry</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary role of decomposers in an ecosystem?

    <p>They recycle nutrients by breaking down waste and dead organisms</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes predation?

    <p>An interaction between two organisms where one is eaten</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Intraspecific competition primarily occurs over which of the following?

    <p>Mates and territory</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do generalists and specialists differ in when it comes to their diet?

    <p>Generalists eat many different types of food, specialists focus on one specific type</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a potential outcome of interspecific competition?

    <p>Extinction of one or both competing species</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which term describes when organisms strive for the same essential resources?

    <p>Competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of competition occurs when one species directly affects another's ability to consume resources?

    <p>Interference competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of predation involves predators killing and eating their prey?

    <p>Carnivory</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term describes a relationship where both species benefit from their interaction?

    <p>Mutualism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following describes the term 'population' in ecology?

    <p>A group of individuals of the same species in a given area</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is NOT considered a type of predation?

    <p>Commensalism</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does 'dispersion' refer to in population ecology?

    <p>The distribution of individuals throughout their range</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which mechanism of competition prevents exploitation of resources by making them unavailable?

    <p>Exploitative competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is an example of mechanical defense against predation?

    <p>Thorns on a plant</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What describes Exponential Growth in a population?

    <p>Population that amplifies without any limitations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which method involves capturing, marking, and releasing animals?

    <p>Mark and Recapture</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does Population Density measure?

    <p>How crowded the population is</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens during Logistic Growth as population size increases?

    <p>Growth rate slows down due to resource depletion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does a Life Table summarize?

    <p>Longevity and life expectancy of the population</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do Density-independent factors refer to?

    <p>Growth unaffected by population size</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the Push factor in migration?

    <p>Natural disasters causing individuals to leave</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is included in Demographic Data?

    <p>Age-sex structure and population parameters</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Environment

    • Surrounds an organism and includes the social and cultural conditions that may affect them
    • Includes both biotic and abiotic factors
      • Biotic - Living factors
      • Abiotic - Non-living factors
    • Everything affecting an organism throughout its lifetime

    Environmental Science

    • Systematized body of knowledge on a subject
    • Chronologically arranged, rationalized in order
    • Systematic study of our environment and our place in it
    • Explains how species interact with one another
    • An interdisciplinary field relating one branch of knowledge to another.
    • Includes both scientific and social aspects of human impact on the world

    7 Environmental Principles

    • Nature Knows Best - Humans need to appreciate and recognize the importance of nature and follow its rules
    • All forms of life are important - Each organism plays a vital role in nature
    • Everything is connected to everything else. - Food Chain
    • Everything Changes
      • Linear
      • Random
      • Cyclical
    • Everything must go somewhere
    • Ours is a finite earth
    • Nature is beautiful, and we are stewards of God’s creation

    Philosophical Approaches to Environmental Ethics

    • Anthropocentrism (Human-centered Ethics)
      • Human beings are the central, most important species in the universe.
      • The world focuses on people and their needs
    • Biocentrism (Life-centered Ethics)
      • All life has a standpoint, regardless of its value to humans
      • Some people believe that all living organisms have the right to exist.
      • All life is interdependent.
    • Eco-centrism
      • The essence of the system, rather than individuals, or species, holds moral weight.
        1. All forms of life are important.
      • The environment itself has moral worth.

    Environmental Attitudes

    • Developmental Approach
      • Tends to be the most anthropocentric.
      • Assumes humanity is above all.
      • Assumes that the human race is and should be the master of nature
      • Supports industrialization and modernization.
    • Conservationists Approach
      • Concerned with using natural areas and wildlife to benefit present and future generations of human races and other forms of life.
    • Preservationist Approach
      • Tends to be the most eco-centric towards the environment.
      • Concerned with the preservation of natural areas.

    Ecology

    • Study of the ways organisms interact with each other and with their non-living surroundings
    • Yields to industrialization and modernization

    Ecological Hierarchy

    • Community Interactions
      • Three types of interactions:
        • Competition
        • Predation
        • Symbiosis

    Organisms Interaction

    • Obtaining food and energy

      • Producers - Make their own food
      • Consumers - Obtain food by eating other organisms
      • Decomposers - Unable to make their own food and decompose waste products and dead organisms.
      • Scavengers - Feed on the soft tissues of dead animals.

    • Generalist vs. Specialist

      • Generalist - Eat many different types of foods
      • Specialist - Consume only a specific type of food.

    • Competition

      • Arises when more than one organism struggles to obtain the same essential resources in the same habitat.

    Types of Competition

    • Interspecific Competition

      • Happens between members of two or more different species over resources.
      • Often leads to extinction.

    • Intraspecific Competition

      • Arises between members of the same species
      • Individuals may compete over mates, water, sunlight, territory, or food energy sources.

    • Mimicry

      • Organism resembles other species.
      • Batesian Mimicry - A harmless species imitates a harmful one.
      • Mullerian Mimicry - Various species share warning coloration but have their own defenses and resemble each other.

    • Predation

      • Flow of energy between two organisms, predator and prey.
      • Latin word "praedari" - meaning 'to plunder'.

    Types of Predation

    • Carnivory - Predator kills and eats their prey.

    • Herbivory - Predation involves consumption of autotrophs, such as plants or photosynthetic algae.

    • Symbiosis

      • Close and long-term relationship between two or more different organisms
      • Mutualism - Both species benefit
      • Commensalism - One benefits, other is unaffected
      • Parasitism - One benefits, other is harmed.

    Population Ecology

    • Population - Group of individuals of the same species inhabiting the same area.
    • Total numbers of individuals and the space they occupy per unit area.

    Properties of a Population

    • Population Size

      • Precise number of individuals in an area.
      • Sampling method - Used to make inferences about the population as a whole.
        • Quadrat - Square structure placed at random locations within the habitat
        • Mark and recapture - Animals are captured, marked, and released back into the environment to mix with the rest of the population.

    • Population Density

      • Indicates how crowded the population is.

    • Dispersion

      • Distribution of individuals throughout their range in an area.
      • Clumped - Aggregate in patches (like a wolf pack attacking prey)
      • Uniform - Evenly distributed (seen in territorial animal species)
      • Random - Unique pattern where each individual's position is independent of others

    Population Growth

    • Exponential Growth
      • Population increases in numbers without any limits to their resources or encounters some other limitation.
    • Logistic Growth
      • As population size increases, resources will be depleted, and the growth rate will slow down due to limited resources.

    Mortality Rate

    • Measure of the number of deaths.
    • Depending on various factors, like age and gender distribution.

    Life Table

    • Statistical tool summarizing the number of deaths of the population.
    • Longevity and life expectancy (age of survival).

    Migration/Immigration

    • Movement of people from one place to another.
    • Push - Where people leave the area due to problems.
    • Pull - Where people go to a certain area for their own good/interest

    Density-independent factors

    • Growth is not dependent on the density of the population.
    • Population increases at a rate determined by its biotic potential.

    Density-dependent factors

    • Growth influenced by the density of the population.

    Demographic Data

    • Important data sources
      • PSA and Census
    • Age-sex structure - Population parameter that refers to the age and sex distribution of a population.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge on the core principles of Environmental Science. This quiz covers the relationships between biotic and abiotic factors, as well as fundamental concepts that emphasize the importance of nature and interconnectedness. Explore how various species interact and the implications of human impact on the environment.

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