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Unit 5 Flashcards

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1
Q

Tragedy of the commons

A

the theory that individuals will use shared resources in their own self-interest, therefor degrading them.
ex. overgrazing, overfishing, overuse of ground water

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2
Q

Externalities

A

negative costs associated with human actions. (side effects due to tragedy of the commons)

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3
Q

Effects of Clear Cutting

A

Soil erosion
Increased soil and stream temperature
flooding and landslides

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4
Q

why does stream temp. increase as an effect of clear cutting?

A

loss of shade from trees increases the temperature of rivers and streams

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5
Q

Effects of tree plantations

A

lower biodiversity-mature, diverse forests are replaced by all the same species.
All trees are the same age-All trees are planted at the same time so there are no old dead trees for woodpeckers, insects or decomposers.

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6
Q

Consequences of Deforestation

A

-Reduces air filtering and carbon storing services
-releases CO2 into the atmosphere

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7
Q

Slash and Burn

A

a method of clearing land for agriculture by cutting trees and burning them (releases GHG into the atmosphere, but returns nutrients to the soil)
-Increases particulate matter in air which leads to respiratory issues

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8
Q

Green Revolution

A

a shift in agriculture away from small family farms to large industrial agriculture
-increased mechanization
-increased efficiency of land (high yeild)

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9
Q

Benefits and downsides of mechanization

A

benefit: increased yield and profit
Drawback: increased reliance on fossil fuels (released GHG) and heavy machinery compacts soil

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10
Q

High Yield Variety Crops

A

genetically modified crops that increased yield and food stability in regions where there was famine.

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11
Q

GMOs benefits and drawbacks

A

Benefits: have genes that allow them to grow faster, survive drought, or be tolerant to pests
Drawbacks: crops are all genetically identical. So genetic diversity is decreased, and crops are more receptable to disease.

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12
Q

Monocroping

A

growing one single species of crop
-very effective for harvest, but decreased biodiversity and increases soil erosion

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13
Q

Tilling

A

Mixing and breaking up soil to make planting easier
Drawbacks: increases erosion by loosening topsoil, loss of organic matter in topsoil over time, increased particulate matter in the air and turbidity in nearby streams

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14
Q

What are the drawbacks of synthetic fertilizers

A

-the do not increase the H2O holding capacity of the soil
-Nutrients may be leached and contaminate groundwater
-Fossil Fuels are used to produce synthetic fertilizers

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15
Q

Leaching

A

when water carries excess nutrients into groundwater or nearby surface water.

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16
Q

Furrow Irrigation

A

trenches dug along crops and filled with water (easy and inexpensive)
-66% efficiency

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17
Q

Flood Irrigation

A

entire field is flooded (easier, but may be disruptive to plants)
-80% efficiency

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18
Q

Drip Irrigation

A

Hoses are put on the ground and distribute water directly to plants roots.
-very efficient (95%), but very costly

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19
Q

Spray Irrigation

A

nozzles spray water onto crops
-very efficient, but very costly

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20
Q

Waterlogging

A

overwaters so the soil is fully saturated, and all of the pore space is filled with water so there is no air flow.
-can stunt growth or kill crops

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21
Q

Soil Salinization

A

when salt builds up in the soil overtime due to using ground water for irrigation (groundwater contains small amounts of salt that build up over time)

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22
Q

Why does soil salinization harm plants?

A

excess salt in the soil can dehydrate the plants roots and prevent them from absorbing enough water.

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23
Q

Soulutions to soil salinization

A

drip irrigation
soil aeriation
flushing with fresh water

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24
Q

How is water used by humans? (%)?

A

19% is used for industrial purposes
11% is used for Municipal purposes.
70% is used for agricultural purposes

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25
Unconfined aquifers
Aquifers closer to the surface that are able to be replenished quicker
26
Confined aquifers
Aquifers with a layer of impermeable rock above them. They replenish much slower but are usually cleaner.
27
Bt Corn
Corn with a bacteria gene that produces its own pesticides. -decreases insecticide use
28
Round Up Ready crops
crops that are genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide round up -increases herbicide use
29
GM crops are all genetically ____________.
Identical
30
CAFOs
densely packed feedlots with animals that are fed grain to raise them as quickly as possible. Benefit: maximized land use and profit. Drawback: animals produce large volume of waste which can contaminate water
31
Free Range Grazing
Animals graze on grass and grow at a natural rate Benefit: no need for antibiotics and growth hormones, no corn production needed to feed the animals Drawbacks: requires more total land, more expensive
32
Overgrazing
too many animals grazing in an area of land, removing vegetation, which can lead to erosion and desertification.
33
desertification
plants are killed by overgrazing and soil is compacted so much that it can no longer hold enough water.
34
Rotational Grazing
moving animals periodically to prevent overgrazing. -can increase growth of grass by distributing manure more evenly
35
Is production of meat more or less efficient than production of plants?
Production of meat is LESS efficient. It requires more total land, energy, and water.
36
Fisheries
a population of fish used for commercial fishing.
37
Fishery collapse
when overfishing causes 90% population decline in fisheries
38
Bottom trawling
a especially harmful fishing method that involves dragging large nets along the ocean floor Drawbacks: bycatch, coral reef destruction, sediment is stirred up
39
Bycatch
unintended species caught in nets during fishing
40
Ore
commercially valuable deposited of concentrated minerals
41
Reserve
the known amount of a resource that is left to be mined
42
Overburden
soil, vegetation and rocks that are removed to get to an ore deposit
43
Tailings and Slag
leftover waste material separated from valuable metals or minerals (often stored in ponds)
44
Different types of Surface mining
open pit, strip, mountain top, placer
45
Why is surface mining so harmful
It can cause: -erosion of topsoil -habitat loss -increased stream turbidity -increased particulate matter in the air
46
Is subsurface mining more or less expensive than surface mining?
MORE, high insurance and healthcare cost for workers due to poor ventilation and mine collapse.
47
Acid Mine Drainage
rainwater leaks into abandoned mine tunnels and mixes with minerals to form Sulfuric Acid
48
Mine reclamation
restoring land back to its original state after mining has finished
49
Saltwater Intrusion
excessive groundwater withdrawal near the coast, lowering the water table and allowing saltwater to seep into ground water. -sea level rise may also lead to saltwater intrusion
50
Urban Sprawl
movement out of dense urban centers into less dense suburban areas
51
What causes Urban Sprawl
-cheaper property in suburbs -Cars have made it easier to commute into the city for work -domino effect
52
Solutions to Urban Sprawl
-Urban Growth boundary: zoning laws set by cities preventing development beyond a certain boundaries -Public Transport -Mixed land use-residential, business, and entertainment in the same area
53
Ecological footprint
measure of how much a person consumed expressed in an area of land.
54
Carbon footprint
how much carbon an individual produces through their activities expressed in tones per year.
55
Sustainability
consuming a resource in a way that does not deplete or degrade it for future generations.
56
Maximum Sustainable Yeild
the maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without depleting the resource for future use. -about 1/2 of carrying capacity
57
4 Indicators of sustainability
Biodiversity: higher biodiversity=healthier ecosystem Food Production: indicates the ability of earths soil, water, and climate to support agriculture. Atmospheric Temp- life on earth depends on a very narrow temperature range Human Pop. and resource depletion: how much of resources are we harvesting and how large are we
58
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
using a variety of pest control methods that minimize the environmental disruptions and pesticide use.
59
Biocontrol
Introducing a natural predator to control pest population
60
Crop roation
planting different crops each season to prevent pest from becoming established and prevent soil from being depleted of specific nutrients
61
Perennial crops
crops that will live year-round and are harvested multiple times.
62
Wind Breaks
using trees or other plants to block the force of wind from eroding topsoil
63
Strip Cropping
alternating rows o dense crops with rows of less dense crops
64
Green Manure
leftover plant matter from a covercrop
65
Cover Crop
a crop planted in the off season to stabilize the soil
66
limestone
neutralizes acidic soil and makes toxic metals less soluble in soil
67
Aquaculture Benefits
-requires only a small amount of water -reduces risk of fishery collapse
68
Aquaculture Drawbacks
-high waste concentration is produced -disease risk is increased by the close proximity -may introduce non-native species to an area -fish are fed antibiotics which can contaminate water via waste
69
Selective Cutting or Strip cutting
only cutting some of the trees in an area to preserve habitat diversity and topsoil.
70
Perscribed Burns
Small, controlled fires to burn dead biomass preventing larger forest fires later.

APES (5 decks)

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