BIOLOGY STUDY GUIDE—CHAPTERS 4 AND 6

HONORS BIOLOGY STUDY GUIDE—CHAPTERS 3 AND 5

Define the following terms:

1. Weather—

2. Climate—

3. Greenhouse effect—

10. Ecological succession—

11. Competitive exclusion—

12. Sustainable development—

13. Desertification—

14. Soil erosion—

15. Biodiversity—

16. Endangered species—

17. Cacti—

18. Pioneer species—

19. Tolerance—

20. Estuary—

21. Conservation biology—

22. Habitat fragmentation—

23. Give examples of abiotic factors in the environment.

24. Give examples of biotic factors in the environment.

25. What is a biotic factor that affects the size of a population in a specific ecosystem?

26. If two species share the same habitat, what can reduce their competition?

27. When does primary succession occur?

28. What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?

29. What are the characteristics of a climax community?

30. What can cause secondary succession?

31. Describe each of the following biomes:

Desert—

Temperate forest—

Tundra—

Tropical rain forest—

Grasslands—

Taiga—

32. Which two biomes have the least amount of precipitation?

33. Which two biomes have a thin layer of nutrient-poor topsoil that can support only shallow-rooted plants?

34. In which biome does decomposition occur too quickly for humus to form?

35. Describe each of the following and give examples.

Flowing water ecosystems—

Wetlands—

Standing-water ecosystems—

Estuaries—

36. What are abiotic factors that would affect organisms in a lake?

37. At what latitude are temperatures the coldest?

38. At what latitude does the Earth receive the most direct sunlight?

39. Why is the tundra colder than the tropical rain forest?

40. What has become the most important source of environmental change on Earth?

41. What does land provide for us as a resource?

42. What is the difference between a renewable and a nonrenewable resource?

43. List some nonrenewable resources.

44. List some renewable resources.

45. Why are fossil fuels considered nonrenewable?

46. Give examples of sustainable-development practice.

47. Why is biodiversity important to human society?

48. How is human well-being tied to biodiversity?

49. What is the difference between these terms?

Ecosystem diversity--

Genetic diversity--

Species diversity--

Biodiversity—

50. What are threats to the biodiversity on Earth?

51. What is probably the greatest threat to biodiversity today?

52. What was DDT used for?

53. What makes DDT hazardous to the environment?

54. What happens to DDT as it moves up the trophic levels in food chains or food webs?

55. What is an ecological “hot spot”?

56. What are the goals of conservation biology?

57. What happens as a result of overexposure to UV radiation?

58. What is the difference between the greenhouse effect and global warming?

59. What are possible causes of global warming?

60. What are possible results to the environment from global warming?

61. What activities release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

62. What is the major cause of ozone depletion?

63. What causes a species to be considered endangered?

64. What is species preservation?

65. Is the use of fertilizers considered sustainable development? Why or why not?

66. Is the use of automobiles and factories, which produce large amounts of CO2, considered sustainable development? Why or why not?

67. How does fragmentation of habitats affect conservation biology?

68. Draw a graph of three species of organisms interacting in an ecosystem.

Species 1 goes extinct.

Species 2, that eats species 1, then decreases in numbers.

Species 3, that replaces species 1 in its niche, then increases in numbers.