Journal Questions
Abbi Rouse
1. Sustainable Living
People could achieve sustainable living by; thinking twice before shopping, change the kind of light bulbs in their homes, walk, bike, or carpool to places.
I think that I could reach sustainable living, but it will definitely take a lot of effort.
2. Fossil fuels vs. Renewable energy
3. Recycle
How long does it take for these to decompose?
a. Tin Can- around 50 years
b. Glass Bottle- 1 million years
c. Disposable Diaper- about 250 to 500 years
d. Wood- 10 to 20 years
e. Paper- 1 to 2 months
f. Plastic Grocery Bag- 1 million years or more
g. Styrofoam Cup- 1 million years or more
h. Aluminum Can- 200 to 500 years
i. Cotton T-shirt- 5 to 6 months
j. Apple Core- 3 to 4 weeks
k. Did any of these surprise me?No, they all seem reasonable.
4. What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? What can we do here in Iowa to help decrease it, is it even possible?
5. Define 2 Biomes of the world, define an ecosystem found in each and explain the Biotic and Abiotic factors involved.
grassland - the Savanna Grasslands and the Temperate Grasslands.
tundra - The Artic Tundra and the Alpine Tundra.
6. Choose any Biome; create a food chain defining the primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer, quaternary consumer, herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, scavenger, and decomposer.
7. What are Dead Zones in the Gulf of Mexico? What causes this situation? What can be done to help stop them?
8. Define Keystone Species, give 2 examples; one a top predator and one not a top predator. Explain how their absence would affect the ecosystem
9. Competitive Exclusion- define it and give 2 examples.
the inevitable elimination from a habitat of one of two different species with identical needs for resources.
10. Define the following terms
a. Coexistence- means to live with or close to another usually in peace.
b. Parasites- an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the host's expense.
c. Mimicry- the close external resemblance of an animal or plant (or part of one) to another animal, plant, or inanimate object.
d. Mutualism- symbiosis that is beneficial to both organisms involved.
e. Commensalism- an association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm.
11. Explain the Carbon Cycle and how do humans affect this cycle?
the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, chiefly involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels.
12. What is global dimming? Where does it usually affect and why is it a problem?
13. Explain the Greenhouse Effect. How do the carbon cycle and the greenhouse effect go together?
14. Define endangered species and give an example.
amazon river dolphin