SO245 Lessons 4 & 5 Exam

The current rate of species extinction is conservatively estimated at _______ times greater than the background rate.

Of the four modes of species interaction, trophic interactions are associated with

Where would you find a cold desert biome?

Which atmospheric layer enables radio transmissions?

About _______ percent of current carbon dioxide emissions are being absorbed into the planet’s oceans.

When ecologists study the way energy is distributed over a food chain or the rate at which nutrients are recycled, they’re engaged in _______ in an effort to understand how the whole system works.

Which side effect of urban sprawl is correlated to the time spent commuting from the suburbs to urban workplaces?

Ecologists who study the way species interact with each other in a specified area are focused on

When carbon dioxide is dissolved in water, it produces _______ acid.

According to the EPA, the second most significant factor in human-caused global warming and climate change is

The foremost emitters of methane are

According to the course, which of these has not been linked to damage caused by UVB radiation?

Two students are discussing causes of desertification in semi-arid locales. Allen maintains that overcultivation depletes soil of vital nutrients. Audrey argues that overgrazing strips vegetation and leads to soil erosion and deforestation. Which student is correct?

Where can the largest tropical forest on the planet be found?

Where did humans first domesticate horses?

Which global region produces the most waste per capita?

_______ is/are our planet’s thermostat and the world’s chief greenhouse gas.

Paul Ehrlich updated his early projections because his original ideas underestimated

The discussion in the course regarding the experience of China during Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward from 1959 to 1960 was meant to illustrate that

In developed countries, a fertility rate of 2.1 live births per 1000 births per year is called _______ fertility.

According to the course, all of the following factors are likely to be sources of social problems related to population density except

Ehrlich’s dire projections differed from those of Malthus in that he applied the principle of geometric progression to

In the modern world, how many countries are believed to be in Stage 1 of demographic transition?

In _______, death rates have declined markedly even as infant mortality rates continue as the highest in the world.

Demographically speaking, in the United States the rate of natural increase is currently below

What is the standard symbol for carrying capacity?

Which type of historical information about a population would not be found in an age pyramid?

Infant mortality is defined as the percentage of infants who die within _______ months after birth in a given population per 1,000 live births per year.

Which stage of transition theory is usually quite brief?

The _______ ratio compares the number of economically productive people within a specific population to the number of people younger than 15 and older than 64.

Malthus was incorrect on a key assumption. It turns out that as a population’s standard of living increases, birth rates

In transition theory, the main factor in the reduction of death rates is

In the four-stage model of transition theory, declining death rates and continuing high birth rates are characteristic of Stage

In modern times, the greatest threat of famine is associated with

Which statement best characterizes the temperate grassland biome?

Which planet is in the so-called “Goldilocks zone”?

Which of these is a biotic factor in an ecological system?

The ozone layer contains about _______ percent of atmospheric ozone.

According to the course, _______ scientific experts believe there is still time to address environmental problems and change our course toward a sustainable future.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have largely replaced chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in an effort to reduce ozone layer depletion. What is a drawback to this strategy?

Taiga includes the largest contiguous forests on the planet and make up about _______ percent of all of Earth’s forests.

Disruption of the _______ cycle will have an unpredictable impact on humans due to this cycle’s vital role in regulating global climate patterns.

The Keeling curve shows that carbon dioxide concentration in Earth’s atmosphere reached _______ ppm in 2013.

Most of our weather takes place in Earth’s

Plankton and phytoplankton represent the base of the oceanic food chain and produce about _______ percent of our planet’s atmospheric oxygen.

Thomas Malthus proposed a list of preventive and positive measures to control population growth. Which of these would Malthus call a positive check?

Demographers have added a fifth stage to the classic four-stage transition theory. Namely, when birth rates fall below replacement and death rates exceed birth rates, a country can be said to have entered Stage 5. As mentioned in the course, all of these countries are now considered to be at Stage 5 except

_______ is the global area with the highest rate of population growth.

_______ decimated the population of Europe in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

The proportion of males to females in a given population is referred to as the _______ ratio.

In a growing population, the rate of natural increase equals the birth rate minus the death rate plus net

Two students are discussing population density. Chu maintains that no direct correlation exists between population density and poverty. Mason claims that population density is normally associated with poverty and political instability. Which student is correct?

Which statement is true regarding global population growth trends?

Biological demographers have determined that under ideal conditions, the human lifespan could average _______ years.

From the perspective of Marx and Engels, the political and economic theories of
Adam Smith, John Locke, and others are mainly a(n) _______ of the capitalist system.

In the decades following World War II, the United States experienced an enormous increase in the birth rate. This is an example of _______ effects, which impact population growth.

_______ death rate equals total deaths per year divided by the midyear population. This figure is normally expressed as the number of deaths per 1,000 people per year.

A(n) _______ is the natural space inhabited by a particular plant or animal.

Which of these statements regarding gender difference in the death rate is true?

__________ is both our planet’s thermostat and the world’s chief greenhouse gas.

Discussing causes of desertification in semi-arid locales, Allen maintains that overcultivation of soils depletes them of vital nutrients. Audrey argues that stripping away vegetation through overgrazing leads to soil erosion and deforestation. Who is correct?

As the Arctic permafrost melts, the proportion of __________ to all the other greenhouse gases is rising. That’s significant since, among all greenhouse gases, that gas is eight times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Phytoplankton, aside from being the base of the oceanic food chain, produce __________ percent of our planet’s atmospheric oxygen.

Which of these atmospheric layers enables radio transmissions?

Which of these global regions produces the highest level of waste per capita?

Which of these side effects of urban sprawl is mainly related to driving time spent commuting from the “burbs” to urban workplaces?

Extinctions are not rare. Over an extended period of time, based for example on fossil evidence, a certain number of species will become extinct each year. Thus, experts can estimate a background rate of species extinction. Using that estimate, researchers can compare it to the current extinction rate over, for example, the last two decades. What they have found is startling. According to cautious estimates, the current extinction rate is __________ times greater than the background rate.

The __________ harbors the largest tropical forest on the planet.

In which of these semi-arid grasslands did people first domesticate horses?

The actual location of some natural space inhabited by particular flora and fauna is called a/an:

__________ experts maintain that there is still time to address environmental problems and change our course toward a sustainable future.

The foremost emitters of methane, a greenhouse gas, are:

Ecologists who study the way many species interact with each other in a specified area are focused on:

Which of the following is a biotic as opposed to an abiotic factor in an ecological system?

Which of the following statements characterizes temperate grasslands?

When ecologists are examining, for example, the ways that energy is distributed over a food chain or the rate at which nutrients are recycled, they are engaged in __________ in order to understand how the whole system works.

The standard symbol for carrying capacity is:

Today, the greatest threat of famine is associated with:

In the context of transition theory, the main factor in the reduction of death rates is:

In the context of evaluating Malthus’ theory, it turns out that as the standard of living increases:

Our brief discussion of China during Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward in 1959 to 1960 was meant to illustrate the:

Biological demographers have determined that, under ideal conditions, life span can average __________ years.

In the four-stage model of transition theory, where do we find declining death rates and continuing high birth rates?

Infant mortality is defined as the percentage of infants who die within __________ after birth in a given population per 1,000 live births per year.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, Europe’s population was decimated by:

Which of the new five stages of transition theory are usually quite brief?

In the United States, demographically speaking, the rate of natural increase is currently below replacement but the population is growing due to:

According to your reading, factors bearing on population dynamics that may be at the root of social problems include all of the following EXCEPT:

Thomas Malthus proposed a list of preventive and positive measures in order to control population growth. Which of the following would Malthus call a positive check?

As a demographer, within a specific population I compare the number of economically productive people between the ages of 15 and 64 with the number of people younger than 15 and older than 64 who, in general, rely on the productive people for sustenance. The measure I’m calculating is normally referred to as the:

Paul Ehrlich has had to modify his prognostications due to underestimating human resilience. However, all of the following have drifted toward basic agreement with neo-Malthusian conclusions EXCEPT:

An age pyramid provides historical information about a population. That information includes all of the following EXCEPT:

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the main culprit in the depletion of atmospheric ozone, are being replaced with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), thus greatly reducing ozone layer depletion. What is the only drawback to this strategy?

All of the following have been linked to damage caused by UVB radiation EXCEPT:

The ozone layer contains about __________ percent of atmospheric ozone.

As demonstrated by the Keeling curve, carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere was expected to reach __________ ppm by 2010. But, in fact, carbon concentration exceeded that level in 2013 and is still rising.

Disruption of the __________ cycle will lead to unpredictable impacts on human well-being because of this cycle’s vital role in regulating global climate patterns.

The taiga ecoregions make up the largest contiguous forests on the planet and constitute __________ percent of all of Earth’s forests.

When carbon dioxide is dissolved in water it produces __________ acid.

Among the types of desert biomes, where would you find a cold desert?

Most of our weather takes place in the:

In developed countries, if we find a fertility rate of 2.1 live births per 1000 births per year, we are witnessing __________ fertility.

In the United States, in the decades following World War II, birth rates increased enormously. This is an example of __________ effects that may impact population growth.

Females tend to live longer than males. According to your reading, the discrepancy seems to be related to all of the following EXCEPT:

Regarding global population growth trends, which statement is TRUE?

The global region or country with the highest population growth rate is:

Today, respecting transition theory, how many countries are considered to be in Stage 1?

In a growing population, the rate of natural increase equals the birth rate minus the death rate in addition to net:

Marge maintains that there is no direct correlation between population density and poverty. Mason argues that population density is normally associated with poverty and political instability. Who is correct?

When carbon dioxide is dissolved in water, it produces _______ acid.

Plankton and phytoplankton represent the base of the oceanic food chain and produce about _______ As the Arctic permafrost melts, it releases _______ into the atmosphere.

Which of these statements regarding gender difference in the death rate is false?