Test #1 Study Guide

1. Be prepared to explain and apply these key concepts:

Adaptation
Extinction
Assisted migration
Food web
Biodiversity
General revelation
Climate change models
Genetic diversity
Common ancestor
Global climate change
Community
Greenhouse gases
Consumer
Habitat destruction
Decomposer
Habitat fragmentation
Ecological threshold
Introduced species
Ecosystem
Keystone species
Ecosystem diversity
Mass extinction
Ecosystem resilience
Microevolution
Ecosystem resistance
Natural selection
Ecosystem services
Net primary productivity
Endemic species
Overexploitation
Evolution
Phenology
Evolutionism
Pleistocene rewilding

Pollution
Population
Population growth
Preponderance of
evidence
Primary producer
Range shifts
Special revelation
Speciation
(macroevolution)
Species diversity
Sustainability
Theory
Trait variation
Trophic level
Wildlife corridors

2. Identify and explain key insights from these assigned readings, references, and
videos as they pertain to this unit (refer to your study notes and reading
reflections):
Planet Earth
Wikipedia: biodiversity
A dose of diversity
Wikipedia: evolution
Speaking of evolution
Wikipedia: conservation biology
The good of a flourishing creation
Barnosky Chs 1-2

Barnosky Chs 3-4

Barnosky Ch 6
Barnosky Chs 10-11
Climate care
Six Degrees Could Change the
World
Barnosky Chs 13-14

3. Explain key features, species, and risks to the health of these nature preserves:
Calvin College Ecosystem Preserve
Lamberton Lake Fen Nature Preserve
Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve
Rocky Mountain National Park
4. Biodiversity
a. What is biodiversity? Explain three different aspects (types).
b. What makes certain regions biodiversity hotspots?
c. Identify and explain at least five current threats to biodiversity. What is
the evidence that humans are a leading cause of Earths sixth mass
extinction event?
d. Why does biodiversity matter?
e. What are some means of protecting biodiversity and how does GCC
challenge these efforts?
5. Scientific claims and evidence
a. What is the difference between a scientific theory and a hypothesis?
b. Explain the relationship between scientific claims and scientific evidence.
What is meant by a preponderance of evidence?
c. What distinguishes a scientific synthesis report and a scientific model?
What determines our degree of confidence in these?
6. Global climate change (GCC)
a. What drives GCC? Explain how natural cycles and human activities
contribute to GCC?
b. What are the sources of human-derived greenhouse gases (GHGs)?
c. If we stopped emitting GHGs today, would GCC still occur? Why or why
not?
d. Explain some examples from Barnoskys book of the kinds of biological
effects that occur when climates change.
e. Explain and evaluate the positions of key groups in the GCC controversy.
Propose a means to resolve the GCC controversy.
f. How does GCC affect biodiversity? Why does Barnosky include it in his
Gang of Four?
g. What do the IPCCs synthesis reports really claim about GCC? What are
the areas of highest confidence and what are some areas where
uncertainty exists?
7. Evolution
a. How would you describe biological evolution as a theory i.e. is it
supported by a preponderance of evidence? How would you describe it as
a scientific paradigm?
b. Why and how does evolution by natural selection occur?
c. Why do we say that populations evolve, but not individuals?
d. What is the difference between microevolution and
macroevolution/speciation?
e. What are the connections between GCC, biodiversity, and evolution?
8. Faith integration

a. What is the difference between evolution and evolutionism?

b. How does the two books analogy help us relate evolutionary theory to
our faith perspectives concerning creation?
c. Why should Christians care about biodiversity and GCC? How should we
respond?
d. What are the implications of promoting the flourishing of Gods creation?
9. Systems thinking
a. How important is systems thinking in this unit? List some specific systems
interactions and behaviors that affect (and are affected by) biodiversity,
ecosystem health, and GCC.
b. In what ways does ecological literacy relate to systems thinking?
Mostly multiple choice
Straight forward
Focus on powerpoints/ reflections
General ideas of readings
Some short answer (3-4?)
Team question- related to what weve learned