Test your basic knowledge |

DSST Environment And Humanity

Subjects : dsst, science
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Organisms which thrive in low nutrient environments and usually have slow growth rates.






2. Organisms which consume autotrophs for food.






3. Organisms which thrive in high nutrient environments - especially those with plenty of carbon.






4. A philosophy that extends ethics to non-humans. Under this system - animals - plants - and other aspects of the environment are seen as being deserving of justice and consideration.






5. The second atmospheric layer. The ozone layer is found here - increasing the temperature with altitude.






6. A community of similar living organisms largely affected by the area's climate.






7. Species which serve key roles in an ecosystem. The absence of these important organisms is detrimental to the surrounding area.






8. The process by which pollutants are carried by flowing water - such as a river.






9. The crust and upper mantle of the earth.






10. The amount of variation among organisms living in a particular ecosystem. The loss of this key characteristic leads to a reduction in ecosystem efficiency and the ability of species to adapt to new situations.






11. The loss of water vapor from leaves.






12. A community of species interacting with their nonliving (abiotic) environment.






13. The first atmospheric layer. Most weather and pollution occurs here - and the temperature decreases with altitude.






14. Growing only one crop at a time.






15. A forest near the equator with heavy rainfall and a great diversity of plant and animal life. Although a mere 2% of the earth is covered with these forests - they contain 50-80% of earth's land species.






16. The biggest atmospheric layer. Without ozone - UV radiation causes ionization and the auroras in this layer.






17. An act which protects certain lands as national parks.






18. A principle that states that two species competing for a single resource cannot coexist. One species will inevitably gain an advantage over the other - causing the looser either to migrate or to become extinct.






19. The oxification of ammonia by certain bacterium into nitrite and later into nitrates - which can then be used by plants.






20. The cloudiness of a liquid due to small suspended particles.






21. Areas with only enough rainfall for grasses to grow. As a result - most animals are grazers - such as buffalo.






22. Populations characterized by small size - short lifespan - and lots of offspring.






23. Also called that water cycle - this process describes the cycling of water throughout the environment. The stages of this cycle are evaporation - condensation - transportation - precipitation - infiltration and percolation - and run off.






24. A variety of species living together.






25. A type of symbiosis where one species will benefit while the other will be neither benefit or be harmed.






26. A group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.






27. All of the water found on earth.






28. An agency created to establish regulations concerning pollutants to protect humans and the environment.






29. Different species living in close contact with each other.






30. Organisms which eat other organisms.






31. A type of symbiosis where one species benefit at the expense of the other.






32. An American environmentalist who is famous for promoting the ideas of environmental ethics and wildlife management.






33. An international organization designed to promote free trade between countries.






34. The spraying of pesticides to prevent a pest problem before it happens.






35. The process of a gas transforming into a liquid.






36. The southern-most continent - of which 98% is ice. This continent includes 70% of the world's fresh water - and 90% of the world's ice. Although the average temperature is -49






37. Political organizations not affiliated with the government which try to bring about social change.






38. A forest characterized by clearly differentiated seasons - such as the trees loosing leaves in the fall and heavy snowfall in the winter.






39. The process of planting trees in between other crops.






40. Organisms which create their own food out of inorganic (abiotic) substances.






41. An international protocol designed to stabilize global warming.






42. Surface run-off caused by melted snow.






43. Consumers which eat both plants and animals.






44. Average expected birth rate for 1 -000 women.






45. A forest found in temperate regions with warm summers - cool winters - and plenty of rainfall. These kinds of forests are characterized by evergreens and deciduous trees.






46. A theory that our current ecological problems are a product of deeper social problems.






47. Consumers which eat decomposing organic material.






48. A shubland found primarily in the South-Western United States and Mexico. Fire plays a predominant role in the life-cycle of the plants in this area - the seeds of which will sprout only after a fire.






49. An extinct hominid species believed to be the last common ancestor between man and apes.






50. Biomes far north in North America - Europe - and Asia which - due to very low temperatures - cannot support tree growth.