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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. 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.






2. Populations characterized by large size - long lifespan - and few offspring.






3. 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.






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






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






6. Condensed water vapor which falls to earth. This comes in many forms - such as rain - snow - ice - and hail.






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






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






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






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






11. A layer of gasses surrounding the earth.






12. Growing more than one crop at a time.






13. 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.






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






16. The uppermost atmospheric layer. Here satellites orbit the earth.






17. 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.






18. Surface run-off caused by melted snow.






19. The flow of water in the water table.






20. The crust and upper mantle of the earth.






21. An act requiring federal agencies to detail the impact of proposed environmental policies.






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






23. A variety of species living together.






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






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






26. The loss of water vapor from leaves.






27. 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.






28. 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






29. 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.






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






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






32. All of the water found on earth.






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






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






35. An act which established and enforced acceptable levels of air pollution.






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






37. Single-celled organisms which lack a nucleus.






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






39. Modern man.






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






41. The rate at which producers create organic material.






42. 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.






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






44. The conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.






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






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






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






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






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






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