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Which of the following is not a reason that plants transpire?
Transpiration invovles the opening of the stomata pores on the surface of the plant's leaves. When the pores are open, water is able to evaporate and be released from the plant. The result is a negative pressure differential that helps pull water upwards via capillary action through the xylem. Water is lost during transpiration, not conserved.
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Approximately what percent of fresh water is readily available in bodies of above-ground water?
Fresh, above-ground water (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, etc.) compose roughly 0.5% of all fresh water on earth.
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What percent of the world's fresh water is available in underground water tables?
Below-ground water tables consist of roughly 22% of all fresh water on Earth.
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Which of the following best describes a confined aquifer?
A confined aquifer is a naturally occurring phenomenon where the water table is sealed by impermeable bedrock or clay. This geological phenomenon makes it impossible for the water table to recharge by precipitation or from above-ground water percolating through porous rock.
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Which of the following is a serious drawback of pumping water from an unconfined aquifer compared to a confined aquifer?
Unconfined aquifers are not as deep below ground as confined water tables and are usually surrounded by porous soil and bedrock. This results in a heightened potential for pathogens and pollutants (particularly from agricultural leeching) to make their way into the ground water.
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Which of the following water bodies would be most likely to be oligotrophic?
Oligotrophy occurs when there are insufficient nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus) for the development of aquatic vegetation. This phenomenon is common with newly-formed lakes where primary succession has not yet fixed enough nitrogen for larger plant communities. This is especially true for glacial lakes, where the receding of ice sheets uncover land often devoid of nutrients.
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Which two factors contributed mostly to the 1930s Dust Bowl?
Dried-out topsoil that has no root system or ground cover is at the highest risk of being lost to wind erosion. The Dust Bowl was mainly a result of a decrease in annual precipitation and farming methods that relied heavily on tilling, effectively destroying the root systems and organic cover from the native prairie grasses.
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Which of the following is not a type of freshwater body?
Lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, and glaciers are all examples of freshwater bodies. An estuary, on the other hand, is formed where freshwater and saltwater bodies mix.
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Karl is a stream ecologists that researches riparian ecosystems. His research focuses on how runoff, sediments, and dissolved materials makes their way into a stream. This land area is referred to as a(n) __________.
The correct response is drainage basin. This term refers to the entire landscape and how water and sediment moves from the terrestrial into the riparian zone.
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