Entomology is the study of _______.
Every year _______ species go extinct.
Observation of tool-making among chimpanzees was revolutionary primarily because scientists believed _______.
The best description of the greenhouse effect is that it _______.
What are the three pressures that lead to biodiversity according to E.O. Wilson’s theory of island biogeography?
According to E.O. Wilson’s theory of island biogeography, biodiversity in island environments is due to immigration, emigration and extinction events.
Explain the method scientists use to study how Earth’s atmosphere and climate have changed during the past million years.
Scientists drill and analyze ice cores from polar ice sheets and glaciers. The layers preserve trapped air bubbles and materials such as dust and pollen, while the gases and isotopes reveal the atmosphere and climate of the past million years.
Explain E.O. Wilson’s theory of Island Biogeography as it applies to environments other than islands physically surrounded by water.
Today, Wilson’s theory is applied to any ecosystem that is surrounded by unlike ecosystems. These ecologies are ‘islands’ because they are physically separated from related ecosystems. Tropical islands are separated by bodies of water but this theory also includes mountaintops, caves and other isolated ecosystems.
Explain how an oil spill devastates marine life when animals get covered by the toxic sludge.
Oil coats feathers, fur, and gills, destroying insulation and buoyancy and making it difficult for animals to swim, fly, breathe, or maintain body temperature. Animals may also ingest the oil while grooming, causing poisoning, organ damage, starvation, and death.
Why have wildlife experts only estimated the number of endangered species in the world?
Wildlife experts can only estimate the number because many species are difficult to find or identify, some habitats are inaccessible, and population sizes and extinction rates are not known for every species.
How did DDT nearly drive the Peregrine Falcon to extinction in the 1950s and 60s?
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