Research Methods and Environmental Systems

Science Department Exam Research Methods and Environmental Systems

May 2020

SJA RMES Department Exam Spring 2020…page 1

Using the data provided to you in your reference packet please answer ​3 out of the 5 ​following questions 1. Some scientists suggest that we are entering the sixth mass extinction with large declines in

populations of insects, birds, amphibians, mammals, plants, reptiles and fish. These scientists suggest that humans are the primary cause of this increase in extinction rates. a. Choose and identify 2-3​ pieces of evidence from the reference packet​ ​that support the

following claim: “Humans are the primary cause of the increase in extinction rates”. (2 pts)

b. Describe ​the data you chose in part (a) and how it relates to the claim. (4 pts)

c. Human population growth alone is not responsible for the extinction crisis.​ List​ and

describe​ two human activities responsible for changes to two different earth systems. Explain​ how ​both​ the actions you listed above may add to the current acceleration of species extinctions. (4 pts)

2. Over the course of Earth’s history the climate has changed many times, both warming and

cooling, and there have been many meteor impacts. a. Choose and identify 2-3​ pieces of evidence from the reference packet​ ​that support the

following claim: “The environmental changes that cause mass extinctions (like the current one) are different from the normal fluctuations that do not cause mass extinctions.” (2 pts)

b. Describe ​the data you chose in part (a) and how it relates to the claim. (4 pts)

c. Table 1 shows many examples of how different earth systems interact. ​Name​ and

describe​ how the biosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere coevolved (changed together over time) during another time in Earth’s history. (4 pts)

SJA RMES Department Exam Spring 2020…page 2

3. Birds don’t just twit around pointlessly. They pollinate plants, spread seeds, control insects and protect environments from the effects of climate change; they are the glue that binds healthy ecosystems together. “Birds are critical,” [Marra] says. And outdoor cats are the leading human-influenced cause of dead birds.

-Rachel E. Gross, writing about the work of Pete Marra, head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

a. Choose 2-3​ pieces of evidence from the reference packet​ ​that support the following

claim: “The existence of outdoor cats negatively impacts the food web.” To fully answer this, think about what the food web looks like both with and without stray cats. (2pts)

b. Describe ​the data you chose in part (a) and how it relates to the claim. (4 pts)

c. Identify ​and​ explain​ the top-down impacts of outdoor cats on two organisms that they

are ​not​ directly killing? (4 pts) 4. The world has lost roughly half its coral reefs in the last 30 years. Scientists are now

scrambling to ensure that at least a fraction of these unique ecosystems survive beyond the next three decades. The biodiversity and health of Earth’s biosphere are directly linked to the health of reefs: Coral reefs support a quarter of all marine species, as well as half a billion people around the world.

“This isn't something that's going to happen 100 years from now. We're losing them right now,” said marine biologist Julia Baum of Canada's University of Victoria. “We're losing them really quickly, much more quickly than I think any of us ever could have imagined.”

Even if the world could halt global warming now, scientists still expect that more than 90 percent of corals will die by 2050. Without drastic intervention, we risk losing them all.

a. Choose and identify 2-3​ pieces of evidence from the reference packet​ ​that support the following claim: “Increased use of fossil fuels have led to the increased rate of coral bleaching.” (2pts)

b. Describe ​the data you chose in part (a) and how it relates to the claim. (4 pts)

c. Define ​ecosystem services and ​describe ​one ecosystem service that coral reefs

provide. (4pts)

SJA RMES Department Exam Spring 2020…page 3

5. Climate change skeptics argue that the climate has changed regularly throughout earth's history so we should not be concerned about the current change in the climate.

a. Choose 2-3​ pieces of evidence from the reference packet​ ​that support the following

claim: “The recent (past 100 years or so) change in Earth’s climate is different from the many other times in Earth’s history when the climate has changed.” (2pts)

b. Describe ​the data you chose in part (a) and how it relates to the claim. (4 pts)

c. Name​ 2 alternative energy sources that, if implemented worldwide, would help slow

climate change. ​For each​, ​identify one benefit ​(a “pro”) and ​one drawback​ (a “con”) of that energy source (4pts)

SJA RMES Department Exam Spring 2020…page 4