What Is a Critical Load

question 15

Multiple Choice

What is a critical load?

• A) the amount of nutrient augmentation necessary to bring a depleted habitat back to its former level
• B) the level of a given toxin in an ecosystem that is lethal to 50% of the species present
• C) the maximum abundance level of a particular species, beyond which additional numbers will degrade a habitat
• D) the amount of added nutrient that can be absorbed by plants without damaging ecosystem integrity
• E) the number of predators an ecosystem can support that effectively culls prey populations to healthy levels

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Definitions:

Desired Behavior

A specific action or response that is targeted for increase or improvement in various settings, including psychological therapy and behavior modification programs.

Respondent Behavior

A type of behavior in psychology that is elicited by a stimulus, and is reflexive or involuntary.

Operant Behavior

Behavior that is controlled by consequences, including rewards and punishments, following the behavior.

Pavlov

A Russian physiologist best known for his discovery of classical conditioning, where an organism learns to associate a neutral stimulus with a reflexive response.