HW: Due Wednesday! (20 pts) Test Thursday!

Assignments for Review Cycles of Matter Carbon Cycle & Climate Change Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources pH Puzzler Biodiversity

1. What is biodiversity and why is it important to preserve? Biodiversity = variety of living things. More variety of living things = more sources of food, shelter for animals. More food, industrial products, medicines for people. Biodiversity means if one species of tree dies from disease, there are other species to provide food, shelter for animals.

2. What are three ways that human activity reduces biodiversity? Destroying, changing habitat Habitat = homes for animals Introducing invasive species that take over ecosystems. Pollution that kills animals, plants.

3. What is photosynthesis and why is it important to all life on Earth? Photosynthesis = the way plants use light energy to make food (sugar). Plants at beginning of almost all food chains. Without it, food chains would collapse. X X X X X

4. Why is nitrogen important to living things? Used to make proteins. Proteins make up muscle and other living tissues.

5. Why is nitrogen fixation important to plants and animals? Name one plant that can fix nitrogen. It’s how nitrogen in air is changed into form plants and animals can use to make proteins. Red alder, peanuts. Peanuts and other legume plants are high in protein because their roots contain bacteria that can “fix” nitrogen for making protein. 78%

6. Why is carbon important to living things? Key ingredient in all living tissue. “backbone” of all molecules used by living things Carbon atom Glucose molecule: the sugar plants make in photosynthesis

7. Describe the roles of photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and burning of fossil fuels in the cycling of carbon in nature. a.photosynthesis – b.respiration – c.decomposition – d.Burning fossil fuels– Plants take in carbon dioxide from air Animals breathe out carbon dioxide Carbon goes into ground when organisms die Puts carbon dioxide into air.

8. Give 3 examples of fossil fuels and explain how they are believed to be contributing to global climate change. Coal, oil, natural gas. Burning fossil fuels adds carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to atmosphere. CO 2 acts like a blanket, trapping heat in atmosphere, causing climate to change.

9. Give 3 different examples of evidence that global climate patterns are changing. 1.Glaciers, ice caps melting. 2.Sea levels rising. 3.Atmosphere temperatures rising. 4.Ocean temperatures rising. 5.Stronger hurricanes and other tropical storms.

10. Give three examples of ways people can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we are adding to the atmosphere. 1.Turn off lights; electricity burns fossil fuels. 2.Drive less; burns less gas. 3.Recycle and re-use, saves energy. 4.Decrease dependence on fossil fuels, support solar, wind power. 5.Vote for politicians who will do something about it.

House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

13. What is ocean acidification and how is it linked to human activity? Why should we care? Oceans becoming more acidic. Burning fossil fuels adds CO 2 to atmosphere. When CO 2 dissolves in oceans, it forms carbonic acid. Increased acidity can hurt plankton, which are at base of ocean food chains. Rest of food chains could collapse.

HW: Due today! (20 pts) Test tomorrow!

Team up with the person sitting next to you, and…. 1.Get one computer to share and go to class website. 2.Go to “Links”, “Ecology Review”

11. How are renewable resources different from non-renewable ones? Give examples of each. Renewable ones are unlimited in supply, non-renewable ones are limited. Renewable: solar power, wind power, trees. Non-renewable: fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas)

12. Use the pH scale to explain how acids are different from bases. How much more acidic is a substance with pH 4 than one with pH 6? Acids have pH 0-6, bases pH Each pH is 10x more acidic than number to right. pH 4 is 100 times more acidic than pH 6.

14. What is sustainable development and why is it important? Give an example. Way of using natural resources so they don’t run out. More solar power, less fossil fuels. When cutting forests, leave enough for animals. Replant trees.

15. What are invasive species and how do they disturb the equilibrium (balance) of an ecosystem? Animals/plants that came from somewhere else. They compete with native species. This throws food webs out of balance. What would happen to the food web if all the flowers were crowded out by blackberry bushes? X X X X X X X X X

16. Unintended consequences are bad things that happen that were not intended by something we did. What was an unintended consequence of introducing Himalayan blackberry to the Pacific Northwest? They grew out of control, crowded out other plants. Blackberry covering trees in Naturescape Himalayan blackberry was brought here by English settlers to grow in their gardens.

Questions…?