Chapter 8: .Agriculture, Food, and Biotechnology Flashcards

(27 cards)

1
Q

Define: Cropland, Rangeland

A

land used to grow plants for human use, land used for grazing livestock

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2
Q

Around how long ago did agriculture first begin on earth?

A

About 10,000 yrs ago

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3
Q

Define: subsistence agriculture

A

when a family only grows enough food for themselves

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4
Q

Monoculture

A

vast fields of a single type of crop

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5
Q

What was the Green Revolution?

A

The increase in agricultural productivity during the mid- to late twentieth century

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6
Q

What is extensification?

A

Increasing resource productivity by bringing more land into production

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7
Q

What is intensification?

A

Increasing productivity per each unit of land

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8
Q

What were the positive effects of the Green Revolution? negative effects?

A

positive: prevent deforestation and habitat conversion
negative: pollution, salinization, erosion, desertification

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9
Q

What are drip irrigation systems?

A

These systems target water directly to plants, allowing more control over where water is aimed, and waste far less water than typical irrigation systems

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10
Q

Name the pros and cons of monoculture

A

Pros: more efficient, large expanse of single crop
Cons: devastates biodiversity, vulnerable to disease and pests

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11
Q

Define: Pesticides

A

poisons that target pest organisms

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12
Q

What is the Evolutionary Arms Race?

A

When chemists increase the chemical toxicity of pesticides to compete with resistant pests

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13
Q

What is Biocontrol?

A

Battling of pests with organisms that eat/infect them

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14
Q

Why is biocontrol not always a preferred method to pesticides?

A

The introduced organism may become a pest itself, removing a biocontrol organism is harder than stopping pesticide use

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15
Q

What is integrated pest management?

A

The usage of multiple techniques to suppress pests.

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16
Q

What is pollination?

A

The process by which male sex cells of a plant fertilize female sex cells of a plant.

17
Q

What are the current main threats to pollinating insects?

A

landscape change in agricultural settings(loss of food source for bees)
growing use of pesticides
introduction of invasive plant species
pathogens and parasites
climate change(affects the range of pollinator species)

18
Q

What is genetic engineering and recombinant DNA?

A

lab manipulation of genetic material,

DNA patched together from the DNA of multiple organisms

19
Q

What is a GMO?

A

When the extra genes from the DNA of one organism are artificially transferred into the DNA of another

20
Q

What is an organism that contains DNA from another species called

21
Q

What is biotechnology?

A

The application of bio science to create products derived from organisms (ex. transgenic organisms, GMOs)

22
Q

How is genetic engineering like traditional agricultural breeding? How is it different?

A

Same: both apply to plants and animals, alter gene pool
Different: traditional uses genes from same species, in traditional, genes come together on their own

23
Q

What are the potential impacts of GMOs?

A

Impact to human health
resistance of pesticides
escaping transgenes can pollute ecosystems

24
Q

What defines sustainable agriculture?

A

does not deplete soil, pollute water, or decrease genetic diversity

25
What is no till agriculture?
uses smaller amounts of pesticide, fertilizers, growth hormones, water, and fossil fuel energy than industrial agriculture
26
What is organic agriculture
Uses no synthetic fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides.. uses biological methods such as biocontrol
27
What is community supported agriculture?
When consumers pay farmers in advance for a share of their crop yields