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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 coexistence of two species using the same resource where the two will use the resource in different ways.






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






3. Species which react quickly to an environmental change and therefore can be used to diagnose a particular ecosystem.






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






5. Water found in estuaries. This water is a mixture of saltine ocean water and fresh water - usually from a river or stream.






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






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






8. The spraying of pesticides to keep produce from any injuries or damage.






9. 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






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






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






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






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






14. 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.






15. An act which called for the careful examination of new chemicals to ensure they are safe for their intended uses.






16. Excess water which cannot be infiltrated into the soil and instead flows along the ground.






17. 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.






18. An unstable form of oxygen which protects the earth from UV radiation. Although naturally occurring in the stratosphere (upper atmosphere) - in the lower atmosphere this gas acts as a pollutant.






19. A rainforest in the temperate zone which receives heavy rainfall.






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






21. 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.






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






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






24. An international convention which created the framework for protecting the ozone layer.






25. 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.






26. An influential book by Rachel Carson which helped begin the environmental movement.






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






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






29. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






30. Organisms which thrive in low nutrient environments and usually have slow growth rates.






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






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






33. A bloom of phytoplankton in a body of water caused by an abnormal increase in nutrients. This process depletes the water's oxygen level - killing off other aquatic organisms.






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






35. The process of surface water entering the soil. This ensures that plants have adequate access to water.






36. A greenhouse gas. Although it is a natural part of the carbon cycle - the atmospheric concentration of this gas has increased due to the burning of fossil fuels.






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






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






39. A group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.






40. An extinct hominid species with near the same brain capacity as modern man believed to use fire and stone tools - live a hunter/gatherer lifestyle - and speak a language.






41. The process of a substance passing directly from the solid phase to the gaseous phase - and vice versa.






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






43. Any living thing on earth.






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






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






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






47. A situation where a layer of warmer air traps lower - cooler air - causing pollution to collect near the ground.






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






49. The crust and upper mantle of the earth.






50. All of the ecosystems on earth.