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Ecology and The Biosphere

1. Write the equations for photosynthesis and respiration. Where do plants receive their energy? Where to animals receive their energy?

2. Is 100% of the solar energy captured in plants transferred to the animals that eat them? Why or why not?

3. What percentage of incoming solar energy is captured by plants? What happens to the rest?

4. What elements are central to all living organisms? Give 5 examples of elements and their use in living organisms.

5. What is the definition of a species? A population? An ecosystem?

6. What is primary production?

7. Give an example of a 4 level food chain, beginning with an example of primary producers and ending with detritivores

8. On average, how much energy is passed up each step of a food chain? What happens to the rest? Give an example.

9. Diagram the carbon cycle with arrows, using the proper carbon compounds in each of these reservoirs: rock, atmosphere, coal, plants, oil, oceans, soils, deforestation (fire)

10. Diagram the nitrogen cycle with arrows, using the proper nitrogen compounds in each of these reservoirs: soils, plants, atmosphere, groundwater, root nodules, nitrite and nitrate bacteria, decay bacteria, ocean

11. What is "fixed" nitrogen? Why does it need to be fixed and who fixes it?

12. Diagram the phosphorus cycle with arrows, using the proper phosphorus compounds in each of these reservoirs: rock, atmosphere, oceans, plants, animals

13. What is pH? What pH is considered neutral? Acidic?

14. What is a "tolerance limit"? Do all species have the same tolerance limits? Why or why not? Give an example.

15. What is natural selection? Explain, in detail, using diagrams or examples.

16. How do species originate? Give two examples of factors that can cause speciation.

17. What is an ecological niche? Why do species seem to occupy different niches?

18. What is a keystone species? Give an example.

19. What is ecological competition? Explain the relationship between competition, resource partitioning, natural selection, and speciation. What is the competitive exclusion principle?

20. What is symbiosis? Are symbioses always positive for all parties? Give three examples of symbioses, and explain what each partner receives from the other.

21. What is succession? Primary vs. secondary? Give an example of each.

22. What are "invasive species"? Give an example.

Field trip to Aiken Canyon

1. What are two species of coniferous trees that are native to the foothill region of Colorado? What is one characteristic of each that allows them to successfully survive and reproduce in this ecosystem?

2. What is one species of deciduous tree that is native to the foothill region of Colorado? What is one characteristic of each that allows them to successfully survive and reproduce in this ecosystem?

3. What types of rocks occur in this region? Soils in this region are developed from both types of rocks. How might these soils differ and how will these different soils affect plant growth?

4. What is the difference between species diversity and functional diversity? Why is this differentiation important?

5. What types of animals occur in Aiken Canyon? What types of signs might we see in the ecosystem to alert us to the presence of these animals?

6. What is organic matter? Where does it come from? What are its effects on soils and plant growth?

7. Why did the Nature Conservancy buy this piece of land?

8. Why did the trail sign suggest that visitors stay on designated trails?

Geology and the Atmosphere

1. Explain the origin of earthquakes in California and the absence of earthquakes in Colorado.

2. What is the source of all nitrogen in the biosphere? Phosphorus? Carbon? Other biologically essential elements such as potassium, calcium, and iron?

3. What is the definition of a rock? What is the difference between sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rock? Give an example of two of these rock types in the Colorado Springs area. What is the origin of the different colors in some of the Colorado Springs rocks?

4. What types of metals are used in your daily life? Give three examples.

5. In absolute percentage, what gases are the most important in the atmosphere?

6. In terms of function, what gases are the most important in the atmosphere? Why?

7. Diagram the greenhouse effect in detail. Explain.

8. What is the troposphere? Stratosphere? How do they differ?

9. What is the ultimate cause of atmospheric circulation on earth? Explain the origin of the NE trade winds and the Westerlies, using diagrams to supplement your explanation.

10. What is albedo? What is the albedo of the earth? What happens to the rest of the incoming solar energy?

11. Explain the physics of an atmospheric convection cell (current). Why does this happen?

12. What are El Nino-La Nina events? Why are these significant to life on earth? Give an example.

13. Why does snow fall on the western slope of the Rocky mountains? Explain, using diagrams.

14. What is the origin of monsoon (seasonal) winds?

Population Dynamics and Regulation

1. What is the difference between exponential and arithmetic growth? Diagram, making sure to label your axes, and give an example of each.

2. What is doubling time? How do you calculate this?

3. What are some possible trajectories of population growth in nature? What are each of these patterns called? Give examples of organisms with each type of population growth. Give an example of how human populations can and have followed t

4. What factors cause the rate of population increase to decline over time (i.e. logistic growth)?

5. What is "carrying capacity"? What is the carrying capacity of the Earth?

6. What are the different features of populations of "fast-growing" and "slow growing" organisms?

7. What are some factors that cause an increase in population? Decrease? Give examples of each.

8. What does the age structure of a expanding population look like? A stable population? Give examples of each.

9. What is the history of population on Easter Island? Why did this happen?

10. Does population growth cause environmental decline in natural systems? In human systems? Why or why not?

11. Has the human population on earth always grown at the same rate over time? Why or why not? Diagram the trajectory of human population growth from 8000 BC to 2000 AD. Be sure to label your axes.

12. What do you think the population of humans will follow, a J or S curve? Why?

13. Who is Thomas Malthus, what did he say that was so important, and when did he say it? Explain.

14. Who opposed the views of Thomas Malthus, and what did he have to say in opposition? Which do you agree with and why?

15. What percentage of the world's population lives in developed countries? Where will the majority of the population growth occur in this century?

16. What are the three most populous nations on Earth, and what are their populations? Give an example of a country with increasing population growth and one with decreasing population growth.

17. What is zero population growth? How might this name be misleading?

18. How many children in developing countries can an average woman have and achieve zero population growth? If each woman has this many children, does this mean that the population will not grow? What is this phenomenon called?

19. What is the average fertility rate of women in developed countries? Developing countries? Give examples.

20. What is the primary cause of population growth in the last 300 years, declining mortality or increasing fertility?

21. What is one probable cause of increased life expectancy? How then does poverty relate to population?

22. What is the relationship between fertility rates in women and education or socioeconomic status? Why?

23. What is the relationship between birth rates, death rates, and economic development? Where do developing countries fall on this curve? Developed countries? What several different views?

24. What is family planning? What is the relationship between family planning and population growth?

Consequences of Agriculture on Human Health and Ecosystem Function

1. Where does the shrimp you eat likely come from? What are some ecological consequences of shrimp farming and production? List and explain two.

2. How has food production fared with increased population growth over the last several decades? If so, why are there so many undernourished people in developing countries? How are we able to alter total food production globally? Explain.

3. What is the state of malnutrition in the world? Give a few examples and facts (ones that you will remember!) What are some of the vitamins, minerals, or nutrients that many people are lacking in the world? Give some examples.

4. What are some causes of famines worldwide? Are all causes ecological?

5. What are the three most important crops for food production worldwide? What percentage of total food production do these three plants species make up?

6. What is the status of milk, meat, and seafood consumption worldwide? Give two facts that you will remember.

7. What is soil? How is it formed? List four components of soil.

8. What are three ecological consequences of intensive agriculture?

9. What are GMO's? What are their positive and negative characteristics?

10. What was/is the Green Revolution? What are some positive and negative consequences of the Green Revolution?

11. What are three agricultural consequences related to land degradation, energy, and water use that you remember?

More to come on ..... Pesticides, Sustainable Agriculture, and Energy Production and Consumption