Earth News Issue 001 Science, Ecology, Geography Written By Sarah Connor and Master Overlord _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Well, In our first issue, before anything else, we are going to give you a ECO-WISE Quiz that was made up by some friends and we decided to put it all into a text file, to see if you know your sciences and your earth. This is a multiple choice quiz and we will give you the answers after we give the quiz. This is very important that you know most or ALL of these things, and how it is affecting life, studies, education, and other materials needed for living. 1. Which of these is a permanent feature of the earth's surface? A. The Mississippi River B. The Rocky Mountains C. The Atlantic Ocean D. None of these 2. Of all the species that ever walked, crawled, flew or just plain lived on the earth, how many still exist? A. Most-more than 95% B. About two-thirds C. About one-third D. Very few-Less than 1% 3. Which of these statements about extinction is FALSE? A. When one species dies out, other species usually appear to fill the empty ecological niche. B. Humans had little effect on how many species go extinct every year. C. Most of the animal species going extinct as a result of the Amazon Rain Forest destruction are insects. 4. What is the original source of nearly all the energy used by living things on Earth? A. Energy stored in fossil fuels, such as oil and coal B. The sun C. Heat inside the earth D. Heat stored in oceans 5. Which statement is NOT true for every ecosystem? A. Some kind of energy always flows into the system B. The elements of life, such as carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, must always cycle within the system C. The ecosystem must have energy-producing life D. There must be always predators 6. Which animal doesn't belong on the same feeding level as the others? A. Killer Whale B. Baleen Whale C. Spotted owl D. Lion 7. Some people say we need to save every species on earth. Which statement is NOT a good argument for this? A. Every species fills a vital role in its ecosystem B. Every species has unique genes C. Every species could give us as-yet-undiscovered chemicals for medicines and other uses. D. A species, once extinct, can never come back. 8. After an oil spill, what happens to the dangerous complex carbon compounds that make up most of the oil? A. Carbon atoms turn into hydrogen and oxygen B. Complex carbon compounds slowly break down into sompler ones, to be eaten by bacteria and other life-forms. C. The carbon compounds stay on the beaches and in the ocean forever unless we physically remove them. 9. Why is destroying large areas of Amazon rain forest harmful to the global environment? A. Creatures living in the forest may go extinct B. Deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect C. Deforestation leads to severe soil erosion and then to river pollution. D. all of the above 10. Which of the following facts causes scientists to worry about the greenhouse effect? A. Many human-made gases contribute to the greenhouse effect B. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rose dramatically in the past century. C. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of burning fossil fuels-our main energy source. D. All of the above ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok..now for the answers 1. D - The earth's surface changes constantly. No ocean, mountain range or river is permanent. 2. D - Scientists who study fossils believe that the vast majority of Species that once lived on earth are now extinct. 3. B - Humans, by overhunting and altering environments everywherem have Caused a real increase in the rate of extinction. Scientists think human actions could kill off 20% of all species in the next decade. 4. B - The original source of energy for life on Earth is nuclear reactions in the sun. Hydrogen "burns" in the sun to yield radiant energy (such as sunlight.) Through photosynthesis, plants convert that energy to the chemical energy we eat as food. The energy stored in fossil fuels also came from the sun. 5. D - In every ecosystem, energy flows and matter cycles. Energy producing life-forms, usually plants, are essential. But predators, which eat the animals that eat plants, are not found in all ecosystems. 6. B - In every ecosystem, photosynthetic plants are energy producers on the bottom level of the food chain. Animals like baleen whales, which eat plants, are on the next highest level. Killer whales, spotted owls and lions are all predators. They are on the top feeding level. 7. A - Not every species is vital to the survival of an ecosystem. (The loss of a single species, though, can upset greatly the ecosystem's balance.) 8. B - Carbon compounds in crude oil eventually break down to become food for microorganisms. In this way, nature can gradually return carbon to the biosphere. 9. D - Deforestation has many consequences. As people burn trees, unique habitats are lost, and carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere. Oxygen-producing trees are lost, and fewer trees means more soil erosion. The mud and silt pollute rivers, and destroy delicate river ecosystems. 10. D- All scientists agre that carbon dioxide and other gases Contribute to the greenhouse effect. Human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels, have added a lot of these gases to the atmosphere. I hope you've learned something, or just reviewed what you know. -sc