What do the terms "toxicology" and "epidemiology" mean?

What do the terms "ppm" and "ppb" mean?

What are four sources of toxic substances? Give an example of each.

What is the cause of the disease called Schistosomiasis?

List three different water-borne illnesses or diseases.

What are two examples of common indoor air pollution gases?

What are some symptoms of mercury poisoning?

What are some of the symptoms of lead poisoning?

Why is asbestos considered dangerous to human health?

In what units is noise usually measured?

At about what level does noise begin to cause damage to the human ear?

Besides ear damage, what other problems are associated with exposure

to excessive noise?

What event is associated with the beginning of the modern environmental

movement? In what year did this event occur?

What are 4 main goals in Environmental Science?

What are some numbers that separate developed nations, developing

nations, and less-developed nations in terms of average yearly income,

life-expectancy, and infant mortality?

Approximately what percentage of the world's population live in

developed nations?

What is the Malthus Principle?

Environmental pollution can be separated into two main types -- what

are these two main types of environmental pollution?

Approximately how many different synthetic chemical substances

are being produced in large quantities in the U.S.A?

Why do many of these synthetic chemicals present a greater threat to the

environment than natural chemical substances?

List three ways in which resources can be depleted.

In what way has carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere changed

over the past 20 years? What environmental problems might occur as a

result of these changes in carbon dioxide concentrations?

What is meant by the concept, "Tragedy of the Commons"?

What is the definition of "ecology'?

What is the definition of a species?

What is the difference between a species and a population?

Approximately how many species have been identified and described?

Have most living species on earth been identified, or are most still unidentified?

What is the scientific name for the human species?

What is meant by term "niche"?

If there are no checks on population growth, what does type of curve does the population growth curve usually follow?

How does a growth curve differ from a survivorship curve?

What are some differences between type 1, type 2, and type 3 survivorship curves?

What type of survivorship curve is characteristic of prosperous human populations?

What type of survivorship curve is characteristic of puman populations in undeveloped nations?

What type of survivorship curve is characteristic of many fish populations?

What are some factors that can limit further growth of a population as it approaches its maximum size?

In what ways can predation or parasitism benefit a population?

What is the difference between commensalism and mutualism?

Are vitamin-producing bacteria that inhabit the human digestive system examples of mutualism or parasitism?

Does extinction occur naturally, or it always a result of man's actions?

Approximately how long ago did dinosaurs go extinct?

Approximately how long ago did the Passenger Pigeon go extinct?

What is thought to have caused the extinction of dinosaurs?

What caused the extinction of the passenger pigeon?

Over geological time spans, how has the rate of extinction compared with the rate of appearance of new species?

During this century, how does the rate of extinction compare with the rate of appearance of new species?

Which class of animals has the most species?

Name two main things that can cause a species to go extinct?

What is the primary cause of the extinctions that are occuring today?

Approximately how many different species are estimated to have been driven to extinction during the past decade?

What is the difference between an endangered species and a threatened species?

Approximately how many mammal and bird species are listed as endangered species?

What is the most important factor in the modern world which is leading to species extinction?

In what ecosystem is this factor most evident?

Why is the introduction of exotic species often harmful to an ecosystem?

Give an example of a species which has become endangered because introduction of foreign species into its habitat.

Give an example of a species that became endangered or threatened because of pollution.

Why are some species more prone to extinction than other species?

Give an example of a species which is endangered or threatened because it requires a very specialized food source.

Why have certain species evolved to have a very low reproductive rate?

Give an example of a species which has become endangered due to its extremely low reproduction rates.

How is the delicate balance between carbon dioxide and oxygen in the atmosphere maintained?

Approximately what percentage of our medicinal drugs are currently obtained from plants?

Of the known plant species, approximately what percentage have been studied thus far for their medicinal potential?

Where were the first cities built?

About how long ago were the first cities built?

Approximately what percentage of the world's population live in cities?

What are two main reasons why many people are attracted to cities?

List some problems associated with living in cities.

What is meant by the term "urban sprawl"? Is urban sprawl more likely to occur in cities in developed or undeveloped nations?

What does the term "megalopolis" mean?

Approximately how much land per person is required for roads, parking lots, shopping centers, etc. in cities?

What does the term "over-urbanized" refer to?

Is Mexico City an example of an "over-urbanized" or "under-urbanized" city?

List 6 major problems facing Mexico City.

Is unemployment a problem in Mexico City? Approximately what percentage of Mexico City's workforce is unemployed?

What atmospheric gas is a potential health hazard for people living in Mexico City?

On what type of habitat was Mexico City originally built?

Is Mexico City expected to increase rapidly or decrease rapidly in size in the next few years?

What are 6 factors that need to be considered in terms of "external costs" when a natural ecosystem is being used for various human developments?

During heavy rainfall, does water tend to drain off from natural ecosystems more rapidly than it does from developed areas?

Does soil erosion tend to help or hurt fish populations in rivers and streams?

What does the term "evapotranspiration" refer to?

What does the term "albedo" refer to?

Which had the highest albedo -- a forest or land that has been cleared for human developments?

True or false: a true cost/benefit analysis almost always shows that land that has been developed for human use such as agriculture or industry becomes more valuable than when left in its natural state.

What natural ecosystem is sometimes nicknamed "the Earth's lungs"?

What method of logging maximizes short-term profits for the logging industry?

What method of logging helps to preserve the natural forest?

Is the land presently occupied by tropical rain forests highly suitable for agriculture, or only marginally suitable for agriculture?

What are three reasons why tropical rain-forests are being destroyed today?

What are estuaries?

Why are estuaries valuable in their natural state?

What are some reason why freshwater wetlands have value in their natural state.

Approximately what percentage of the freshwater wetlands in the U.S. has been filled in and developed for other purposes over the past 2000 years?

Approximately what percentage of the worlds human population lives in the U. S.?

Approximately what percentage of world's total energy consumption is consumed in the U. S.?

At current levels of consumption, approximately how many years do environmental scientists think we have before we begin to run out of crude oil?

Besides fuel and oil, what are some other uses for crude oil?

Natural gas is primarily composed of what compound?

At the present rates of consumption, which non-renewable energy source is expected to last the longest?

What is meant by the term "synfuel" and what are synfuels produced from?

Which non-renewable fossil energy source tends to be the most harmful to the environment?

What is meant by the term "thermal pollution"?

Which is increasing more rapidly in the U. S. -- the population, or the demand for energy?

What are some advantages of hydroelectric power?

What are some disadvantages of hydroelectric power?

Which is more expensive for the consumer-- hydroelectric power or power produced by burning coal?

What are some disadvantages of harnessing tides to produce electric power?

How does the large experimental facility called Solar One produce electricity?

What U. S. nuclear power plant experienced a near melt-down accident in 1979?

What nuclear power plant experienced a melt-down in 1986 that resulted in 1000s of deaths, and it what country was it located?

What isotope is used for fuel in standard nuclear power plants?

What particularly deadly nuclear waste product is produced by nuclear power plants?

What are three major problems associated with nuclear power plants?

What is the half-life of plutonium?

Approximately how much does it cost to decommission a nuclear poser plant after it has outlived its usefulness?

What is the difference between nuclear fission and nuclear fusion?

What type of nuclear process is involved in standard nuclear power plants -- fission or fusion?

What type of nuclear process produces most of the sun's energy?

What temperature is usually required to initiate nuclear fusion processes?

When were x-rays first discovered?

What were some of the early uses for x-rays?

When important biological molecules, such as DNA, are damaged by radiation,, is that considered to be a direct or indirect effects of radiation?

When water molecules in an organism are fragmented into highly reactive particles, is the resultant damage to the organism considered to be a direct or indirect effect of radiation?

What is the difference between somatic and genetic effects?

What is a RAD?

A dose of approximately how many RAD is required to bring about the death of 50% of the individuals exposed?

Approximately how many RAD does the average person receive each year as a result of natural background radiation?

Approximately how many RAD does a chest x-ray involve?

What radioactive substance from nuclear fallout is stored in bones of people who are exposed to it?