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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. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






2. 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.






3. The area between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Here the temperature reverses from decreasing to increasing with altitude.






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






5. 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.






6. A partially enclosed part of the ocean with rivers or streams flowing into it.






7. 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






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






9. Any living thing on earth.






10. The process by which a new species is created. This process generally requires geographic isolation to prevent interbreeding between the newly emerging species and the parent species.






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






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






13. The combination of evaporation from the ocean - lakes - and other bodies of water and transpiration - the loss of water from plants.






14. Biomes with less than 10 inches of rain a year. Foliage is scarce in these areas - and remaining plants and animals work hard to conserve the little water they receive.






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






16. The decomposition of organic nitrogen into inorganic ammonium. This process is also called mineralization.






17. 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.






18. A variety of species living together.






19. Consumers which eat decomposing organic material.






20. Organisms with a nucleus.






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






22. Precipitation which does not reach the soil but is instead collected by plants.






23. 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.






24. The cycling and reusing of elements and molecules (such as water - nitrogen - and phosphorus) that are essential to life.






25. Plants taking in nitrates from the soil.






26. Growing only one crop at a time.






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






28. The loss of water vapor from leaves.






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






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






31. The infiltration of harmful chemicals - particles - or biological matter into the atmosphere which endanger living organisms. Pollutants include sulfur and nitrogen oxides - ammonia - and chlorofluorocarbons. Although there are natural sources for th






32. An extinct hominid species believed to have long - ape-like arms; have a brain capacity half that of modern men; and use primitive tools.






33. The process by which certain kinds of bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia - a form accessible to living creatures.






34. The middle atmospheric layer. Meteors burn up after entering this layer.






35. Surface run-off caused by melted snow.






36. All members of a species which live in the same area.






37. Exceptionally acidic (low pH) rain. This phenomenon is caused mainly by emissions of carbon dioxide - sulfur dioxide - and nitrogen oxide which react with water particles in the air.






38. A type of farming where the farmer will fell and burn down trees to grow crops. After a few years - he will move on and continue the process.






39. 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.






40. Consumers which eat only other animals.






41. A type of symbiosis where each species will benefit from interacting with the other.






42. Evolution in one organism due to change in a related organism.






43. Organisms which eat other organisms.






44. A greenhouse gas which also plays a key role in regulating ozone levels.






45. A form of management which attempts to satisfy both the needs of humans and those of wildlife in the best way possible for both parties.






46. An extinct hominid species believed to exhibit the first example of full-time bipedalism.






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






48. The position of an organism on the food chain.






49. The place of an organism in an ecosystem - such as what it eats and how it interacts with other organisms.






50. 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.