APES unit 8

Question 1

Point Source

Answer 1

Pollutant that enters environment form an easily identified and confined place
You can “point” 👉 to it
- Animal waste runoff from a CAFO (ammonia (N), fecal coliform bacteria)
- Emissions from smokestack of a coal power plant (CO2, NOx, SO2, PM)
- BP Oil Spill (hydrocarbons, benzene)

Question 2

Nonpoint Source

Answer 2

Pollutants entering the environment from many places at once. Difficult to “point” to one individual source
- Urban runoff (motor oil, nitrate fertilizer, road salt, sediment)
- Pesticides sprayed on agricultural fields

Question 3

Indicator species

Answer 3

can be surveyed and used to determine conditions of an ecosystem (soil, water, etc.)
Ex: high whitemoss/filamentous algae pop. indicates pH < 6.0
High crustacean pop. indicates pH > 6.0

Question 4

Human impacts on Coral Reef

Answer 4

• Humans disrupt coral reef ecosystems via greenhouse gas emissions
  (warming ocean temp. & bleaching coral)
• Overfishing decreases fish populations in coral reef ecosystem & bottom trawling can break reef structure and stir up sediment
  Urban and agricultural runoff also damages coral reef ecosystems (sediment pollution, toxicant, nutrients)

Question 5

Oil Spill Effects

Answer 5

• Oil can wash ashore and decrease tourism revenue and kill fish, decreasing fishing industry revenue, hurt restaurants that serve fish
  Hydrocarbons in crude oil (petroleum) are toxic to many marine organisms and can kill them, especially if they ingest (eat) the oil or absorb through gills/skin
• Oil can settle deep in root structures of estuary habitats like mangroves or salt marshes
• Can be toxic to salt marsh grasses, killing them and loosening their root structure, leading to coastline erosion
• Can remove habitats used by fish & shellfish for breeding grounds

Question 6

Oil Spill Clean up

Answer 6

• Physical removal of oil from beach sand and rocks
• Chemical dispersants sprayed on oil slicks to break up and sink to the bottom
  (Clears up surface, but can smother bottom-dwellers
  Dispersant chemicals may be harmful)
• Burning oil off surface

Question 7

Endocrine Disruptors

Answer 7

Bind to cellular receptors meant for hormones, blocking the hormone from being received, or amplifying its effects
- atrazine, DDT,Phthalates, Lead, arsenic, mercury (heavy metals), Many human medications that enter sewage via human urine or flushed meds

Question 8

Mercury

Answer 8

Endocrine disruptor: inhibits estrogen & insulin (interferes with menstrual cycle & ovulation)
Teratogen: (chemical harmful to developing fetuses) can accumulate in fetus brain
- Pregnant women can reduce risk by eating less seafood
Mercury itself isn’t toxic, but bacteria in water sources convert it to methylmercury which is highly toxic to animals (neurotoxicant that damages central nervous system)

Question 9

Arsenic

Answer 9

naturally occurring element in rocks underground that can dissolve into drinking water; Natural release into groundwater can be worsened by mining
- Anthropogenic sources: formerly in pesticides applied to ag. Fields (can still linger in soil, wood treatment chemicals to prevent rot, coal combustion & ash
- Carcinogenic (lungs, bladder, kidneys) & endocrine disrupting
- Endocrine disruptor (specifically glucocorticoid system)
Can be removed with water filters

Question 10

Lead

Answer 10

found in old paint (in homes), old water pipes, and soils contaminated by PM from vehicle exhaust before lead was phased out of gas in 70s
- Also released in fly ash (PM) of coal combustion
- Neurotoxicant (damages central nervous system, especially in children)
- Endocrine disruptor
Can be removed with water filters

Question 11

Coal Ash

Answer 11

Coal ash can be a source of mercury, lead, and arsenic
- Can attach to fly ash (PM) from smokestack and be carried by wind, deposited in ecosystems far away

Question 12

Wetlands

Answer 12

An area with soil submerged/saturated in water for at least part of the year, but shallow enough for emergent plants
🦀🐟 Provisioning: habitat for animal & plant foods
🌡️ Regulating: groundwater recharge, absorb. of floodwater, CO2 sequestration
🚰🐝🕷️ Supporting: H2O filtration, pollinator habitats, nutrient cycling, pest control
🏕️🛶👩‍🔬 Cultural: tourism revenue, fishing license, camping fees, ed/med research

Question 13

Eutrophication
Process

Answer 13

B/c they’re limiting nutrients in aq. ecosystems, extra input of Nutrient pollution (N/P) lead to eutrophication (excess nutrients) which fuels algae growth
- Algae bloom covers surface of water, blocking sunlight & killing plants below surface
- Algae eventually die-off; bacteria that break down dead algae use up O2 in the water (b/c decomp. = aerobic process)
- Lower O2 levels (dissolved oxygen) in water kills aquatic animals, especially fish
- Bacteria use up even more O2 to decompose dead aq. animals
- Creates pos. feedback loop: less O2 → more dead org. → more bacterial decomposition → less O2

Question 14

Cultural Eutrophication

Answer 14

Algae bloom due to increase of N/P → decreased sunlight → plants below surface die → bacteria use up O2 for decomp. → hypoxia (low O2) & dead zones
⛰️ Major N/P sources:
- Discharge from sewage treatment plants (N/P in human waste & phosphates in soaps/detergents)
- Animal waste from CAFOS
- Synthetic fertilizer from ag. fields & lawns

Question 15

Oligotrophic Waterways

Answer 15

⛰️Waterways with low nutrient (N/P) levels, stable algae pop, and high dissolved oxygen
- Can be due to lack of nutrient pollution, or age of the body of water
- Aquatic ecosystems naturally undergo succession
Sediment buildup on bottom (benthic zone) leads to higher nutrient levels
Overtime, ponds naturally shift from oligotrophic, to mesotrophic, to eutrophic

Question 16

Solubility of Oxygen & Temperature

Answer 16

Inverse relationship between water temp & oxygen solubility
As water temp. ⬆️ DO (dissolved oxygen) ⬇️

Question 17

Thermal pollution

Answer 17

when heat released into water has negative effects on organisms living in the water
- Heat increases respiration rate of aquatic organisms (thermal shock)
- Hot water also has less O2
This can lead to suffocation without enough O2 to support respiration
SOURCES: power plants, steel mills, paper mills, & other manufacturing plants, urban stormwater runoff
☢️Nuclear power plants require especially large amounts of cool water to cool steam back into water & to cool the reactor core

Question 18

POPs

Answer 18

Persistent (long-lasting) Organic (carbon-based) Pollutants
- Synthetic compounds that do not easily breakdown in the environment; accumulate and buildup in water & soil
⛰️ Fat-soluble, meaning they also accumulate and persist in animals’ fat tissue instead of passing through the body (don’t easily dissolve into blood/urine)
* Can slowly be released from fatty tissue into blood stream and impact brain & other organs over time (esp. reproductive system)
Ex: Pesticides (DDT), medications, dioxins (byproducts of fertilizer production)

Question 19

Bioaccumulation

Answer 19

⛰️ Absorption and concentration of compounds (especially fat-soluble ones like POPs) in the cells & fat tissues of organisms
B/c fat-soluble compounds like POPs and methylmercury don’t dissolve easily in water, they don’t enter blood easily & don’t leave body in urine easily
- Instead they build up in fat tissue
- This leads to them building up to reach higher and higher concentrations in the organism over time

Question 20

Biomagnification

Answer 20

⛰️ Increasing concentrations of fat-soluble compounds (ex: methylmercury, DDT) and POPs in each level up the trophic pyramid or food web/chain
- begins with POPs or methylmercury in sediments or plants in an ecosystem (phytoplankton, grass)
- Primary consumers take in POPs by eating producers, causing bioaccumulation of POPs in their tissues
- Secondary consumers eat primary consumers and take in the POPs in their tissues
- Large predators like salmon, dolphins, and whales have highest POP/methylmercury levels

Question 21

Waste reduction

Answer 21

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
⛰️ Reducing consumption is the most sustainable because it decreases natural resources harvesting and the energy inputs to creating, packaging, and shipping goods
Recycling - Least sustainable of the three Rs due to the amount of energy it requires to process and convert waste materials

Question 22

Water Treatment Process

Answer 22

PRIMARY TREATMENT
- Physical removal of large debris (TP, leaves, plastic, sediment) with a screen or grate
SECONDARY TREATMENT
- Biological breakdown of organic matter (feces) by bacteria; aerobic process that requires O2
TERTIARY TREATMENT
- Ecological or chemical treatments to reduce pollutants left after primary & secondary (N, P, bacteria)
DISINFECTANT
- UV light, ozone, or chlorine is used to kill bacteria or other pathogens, such as e. Coli (considered part of 3)

Question 23

Dose Response Studies & LD50

Answer 23

⛰️ Studies that expose an organism to different doses of concentrations of a chemical in order to measure the response (effect) of the organism
- LD50 refers to the dose or concentration of the chemical that kills 50% of the population being studied (ex: arsenic LD50 in mice = 13 mg/kg)

Question 24

Independent variable

Answer 24

concentration of the chemical (added to food, water, or air)

Question 25

Dependent variable

Answer 25

response measured in org. (usually death or impairment)

Question 26

Acute vs. Chronic studies

Answer 26

Most dose-response studies are considered acute, since they usually only measure effects over a short period of time; they’re also isolated to a lab, so they don’t measure ecological effects of organisms dying (trophic cascades)
- Chronic studies are longer-term and follow developmental impacts
Ex: study of fish from hatchlings to adults to study sexual maturation

Question 27

Synergism

Answer 27

The interaction of two or more substances to cause an effect greater than each of them individually
Ex: Asthma caused by PM from coal PPs and COVID-19 damaging lungs
- Carcinogenic effect of asbestos combined with lung damage from smoking
- Synergisms make it especially hard to pinpoint the exact effects of one specific pollutant on humans

Question 28

Dysentery

Answer 28

⛰️Bacterial infection caused by food or water being contaminated with feces (often from sewage release into rivers & streams used for drinking water)
- Causes intestinal swelling and can result in blood in feces
- Results in severe dehydration due to diarrhea (fluid loss)
Kills 1.1 million people annually, mostly in developing countries with poor sanitation and limited access to water filtration
💊🚰 Can be treated with antibiotics that kill the bacteria causing the infection and access to treated/filtered water that can rehydrate

Question 28

Dysentery

Answer 28

⛰️Bacterial infection caused by food or water being contaminated with feces (often from sewage release into rivers & streams used for drinking water)
- Causes intestinal swelling and can result in blood in feces
- Results in severe dehydration due to diarrhea (fluid loss)
Kills 1.1 million people annually, mostly in developing countries with poor sanitation and limited access to water filtration
💊🚰 Can be treated with antibiotics that kill the bacteria causing the infection and access to treated/filtered water that can rehydrate

Question 29

Mesothelioma (asbestos)

Answer 29

⛰️ A type of cancerous tumor caused by exposure to asbestos, primarily affecting the lining (epithelium) of the respiratory tract, heart, or abdominal cavity
- comes primarily from old insulation materials used in attics, ceiling and flooring boards; when the insulation becomes physically disturbed, asbestos particles are released into the air & inhaled

Question 30

Tropospheric Ozone (O3)

Answer 30

⛰️ Worsens respiratory conditions like asthma, emphysema, bronchitis, COPD
- Limits overall lung function
- Irritates muscles or resp. tract causing constriction of airways & shortness of breath
-Irritates eyes
Sources: photochemical breakdown of NO2 (car exhaust, coal & NG combustion) 🚗💭 🏭 ⚡
ONLY HARMFUL IN TROPOSPHERE (beneficial in stratosphere)

Question 31

Vectors

Answer 31

A living organism (rat, mosquito) that carry and transmit infectious pathogens to other organisms
- Warmer temperatures allow pathogens and their vectors (mosquitos) to spread north & south to parts of the world previously too cold
- Many pathogenic bacteria and viruses survive and replicate better in warmer weather

Question 32

Pathogen

Answer 32

A living organism (virus, bacteria, fungus, protist, worm) that causes an infectious disease
Ex:
Plague - bacterial (transmitted by fleas)
Tuberculosis - bacterial (Transmitted by breathing bacteria from body fluids)
Malaria - parasitic protist (caused by bite from infected mosquitoes)
West Nile - Virus (caused by a bite from infected mosquitoes)
Zika Virus - Virus (caused by bite from infected mosquitoes & sexual contact)
SARS - coronavirus (caused by respiratory droplets from infected person)
MERS - pathogen (transmitted from animals to humans)
Cholera - bacterial (caused by drinking infected water)