Sustainability Study Guide

Question 1

Potential disadvantages of planting and managing timber forests, especially in less-developed countries, as a solution to address global climate change.

Answer 1

(1) Area used for timber forests could be used for agriculture. Using the land for forests could decrease food security.
(2) Harvesting timber from forests requires large machinery which uses fossil fuels and contributes to global climate change

Question 2

Biological pest control approaches that are part of IPM

Answer 2

(1) introduce, attract, or create habitat for the predators of pests
(2) introduce sterile males into pest populations to decrease their reproductive success

Question 3

Chemical pest control approaches that are part of IPM

Answer 3

Use pheromones to attract pests to traps

Question 4

Health benefits of using IPM

Answer 4

Reduces bioaccumulation and biomagnification of pesticides in food chain

Question 5

Physical pest control approaches that are part of IPM

Answer 5

(1) Vacuum pests from crops
(2) Spray crops with hot water to scald pests

Question 6

Environmental benefits of using IPM

Answer 6

(1) reduces incidental killing of non-target organisms such as bees
(2) Reduces genetic resistance to pesticides

Question 7

Agricultural practices that increase crop yields

Answer 7

Plant high yielding genetically modified varieties of crops

Question 8

Describe one benefit to human health that can result from pesticide use

Answer 8

Control disease vectors, such as, mosquitoes, ticks, rats, mice, that can spread disease to humans

Question 9

Identify one way chemical pesticides can enter the human body

Answer 9

(1) Drinking water contaminated by runoff from farms
(2) Consumption of food with pesticide residue on it

Question 10

Describe one environmental problem that can be caused by irrigation

Answer 10

Aquifers can be severely depleted if the water is overused for agriculture eg the Ogallala Aquifer in central USA

Question 11

Describe one sustainable agriculture strategy that can be used to increase soil fertility

Answer 11

Use crop rotation to cycle various crops with different nutrient needs in the same area so the soil is not depleted of nutrients.

Question 12

Propose a sustainable solution to reduce the amount of soil erosion from agricultural practices

Answer 12

(1) practice no-till agriculture
(2) plant windbreaks

Question 13

Describe environmental advantaged of using GM crops

Answer 13

Higher yields per acre and hence less acreage needed for agriculture

Question 14

Describe environmental disadvantaged of using GM crops

Answer 14

Native plant diversity may be impacted by the spread of genes to non-engineered crops

Question 15

Describe economic advantaged of using GM crops

Answer 15

Increased profits due to use of GM crops that have higher yields per acre

Question 16

Describe economic disadvantaged of using GM crops

Answer 16

Increased costs for farmers due to the use of GM crops that have patented seeds which commit the farmer to annual purchase of seeds that are often too expensive for poor farmers

Question 17

Describe agricultural practices that farmers can use to maintain or improve soil quality

Answer 17

Mulching applies organic matter to the surface of the soil. This lowers water loss and increases nutrient availability.

Question 18

Identify international regulations that apply to the harvesting of marine food resources and explain how that regulation helps to manage marine species

Answer 18

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) prevents trade of threatened or endangered marine species

Question 19

Identify US federal laws that apply to the harvesting of marine food resources and explain how that law helps to manage marine species

Answer 19

(1) Marine Mammal Protection Act protects and conserves marine mammals
(2) Endangered Species Act prohibits the harm or harvesting of endangered species

Question 20

Explain how acid deposition onto soil can affect plant health

Answer 20

Acid can leach cations/metal ions/nutrients from soil, making them less available to plants, and thus decreasing plant growth

Question 21

Explain a solution for remediating soil affected by acid deposition

Answer 21

Adding crushed limestone / marble dust / bone meal / crushed egg shells / oysters shells to neutralize acid

Question 22

Chemical soil tests

Answer 22

(1) pH - measures the acidity or alkalinity or soils
(2) Salinity - measures the salt content of soil

Question 23

Physical soil tests

Answer 23

(1) Soil texture - the percent/proportion of sand, silt, and clay-size particulates in soil
(2) Water holding capacity or Porosity - the amount of water soil can hold due to the amount of pore or air space

Question 24

Propose a solution to address the concerns of reduced land on which to grow food

Answer 24

(1) Plant rooftop gardens in urban areas
(2) Use vertical farming techniques

Question 25

Most wild fish populations belong to the public and not to individuals or individual countries. Explain how regulations can be used to reduce the impact of the environmental problems that result from public ownership of fisheries.

Answer 25

By establishing quotas or size restrictions on catching fish, populations can be maintained at sufficient size and with sufficient reproductive potential to maintain a health population

Question 26

Disadvantages of using aquaculture

Answer 26

(1) Fish that escape from facilities compete or breed with wild fish (2) Overuse of antibiotics in farmed fish can create antibiotic resistant bacteria that can be harmful to humans

Question 27

Explain the best irrigation method for arid or semi-arid regions

Answer 27

Drip irrigation is the most efficient technique with less water lost to evaporation

Question 28

Describe how Bt corn is used, other than to create food for human consumption

Answer 28

(1) Corn can be used for food production for animals in meat production / CAFOs (2) Corn can be used to produce ethanol that can be used as fuel

Question 29

Make a claim about the relative soil nutrient levels in sandy soils compared to clay soils

Answer 29

Soils with high percentages of clay tend to hold more water and nutrients than sandy soils so sandy soils would have lower nutrient levels than clay soils

Question 30

Make a claim about the relative soil nutrient levels in clay loam compared to loamy sand soils

Answer 30

Clay loam soils contain more clay and less sand than loamy sand soils. As a result they have more ability to hold water, so nutrients are less likely to leach, leading to higher nutrient levels in clay loam soils