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Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 7/e

William P. Cunningham, University of Minnesota
Mary Ann Cunningham, Vassar College
Barbara Woodworth Saigo, St. Cloud State University

Biomes, Landscapes, Restoration, and Management

Essay Quiz


1		Identify the basic needs common to organisms, whether in aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems.



2		Identify the site-specific characteristics that influence the availability of these substances in aquatic systems.



3		Identify as many ecological services performed by wetlands as you can.



4		Why are shorelines and barrier islands so susceptible to damage by human developments?



5		Explain why grassland has been the most disturbed of the earth’s biomes.



6		Describe three different approaches being used to accomplish the goals of restoration ecology.



7		The grassland biome is present in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe. Why did this biome develop in such widely scattered places?



8		A state’s Department of Natural Resources recently moved to adopt an ecosystem management policy. The change was loudly criticized by both commercial interests and some environmentalists, but for different reasons. Summarize the positions likely taken by these two groups.



9		A large corporate landowner decides to put a 200-acre housing development in a rural, scenic, and hilly area in the Great Smoky Mountains. The project will require extensive disturbance of the land surface for roads and lots. The runoff from the site drains into a small river noted for its trout population and scenic beauty. The river has become a major attraction for visitors to the downriver town of Riverview. A group of Riverview citizens learns of the developer’s proposal and decides to oppose it. a. Upon hearing of the opposition, the developer is quoted as saying, “Why would anyone from Riverview oppose our plan? The river does not flow through my site. And what’s more, the project is five miles away from the town.” Assume you are an environmental planner employed by the county. A journalist calls you and asks, “Does the proposal pose a threat to the river? Can you give me some specifics?” What is your response? b. The developer is also quoted as saying, “I own the land. I have a right to do what I want with my property.” An opponent responds by saying, “The developer should have the right to do whatever she wants with her property as long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others.” In what way could the developer’s actions be considered an infringement on the rights of others? c. As the controversy widens, both sides agree to have you, the environmental planner, mediate the dispute. How would you resolve this issue between someone’s right to do something as opposed to another’s right to be free from the impact of another person’s action?



10		Since biome location is determined by temperature and precipitation patterns, climatic changes pose a threat to the continued existence of biomes in their current locations. It would not take great changes in climate to make it impossible for a given biome to continue to exist in its present location. Beset by such climate changes, a biome would seemingly face one of two fates: cease to exist or migrate to follow compatible climate conditions. a. What circumstances would allow the biome to successfully migrate? b. What circumstances would simply destroy the biome and its biological diversity?



11		When extensive sections of tropical forest are cleared, the land is typically unable to be repopulated by tropical forest. This characteristic is very unlike other forested biomes. Explain the reason for the difference. (The answer also explains why agricultural land obtained by clearing tropical forest cannot support ongoing crop production.)



12		Visit the Current Global Environmental Issues map on this Web site. Under Wildlife, select the piece Everglades restoration…. Ecosystem restoration may be easier said than done. What can we learn from this restoration effort?

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