Water and Agriculture

Question 1

Earth’s surface is mostly

Answer 1

Water

Question 2

Residence time

Answer 2

How long a given molecule of water will reside in a compartment — based on volume and rates of flux

Question 3

Hydrologic cycle:

Answer 3

Evaporation 
Transportation (soil->stem->leaves)
Evapotranspiration (soil->atmosphere)
Condensation & Precipitation 
Infiltration & run off

Question 4

Watershed

Answer 4

The entire area of land in which rain water falls will eventually flow to a body of water

Question 5

Watershed management

Answer 5

Accounts for and manages potential sources of pollution within the watershed to protect that body of water

Question 6

Aquifer

Un/confined

Answer 6

Underground reservoir of water

• unconfined: impermeable layer below it
• confined: impermeable layer above and below it —> has a narrow recharge zone

Question 7

Water scarcity/stress

Answer 7

Not enough water to meet basic human needs

Withdrawals exceed inflow/replenishment

Question 8

Water quality

Answer 8

Is defined based on the intended use of the water

• non-point sources: run off water picking up pollutants
• point sources: end of pipe, water being directly polluted

Question 9

Stormwater management

Answer 9

How communities deal with heavy rain events

Question 10

The more humans change the landscapes…

Answer 10

The less the rainwater infiltrates and instead more becomes surface runoff
-leads to flooding and more likely to contribute to pollution

Question 11

Hydrologic inflows

Answer 11

Precipitation, watershed, rivers, aquifers

Question 12

Hydrologic outflows

Answer 12

Rivers, evaporation

Question 13

Overdrawing aquifers and surface bodies

Answer 13

Decrease in water quality because of higher concentration of pollutants

Question 14

Major causes of impairment & sources

Answer 14

Pathogens: manure/livestock runoff, septic tanks leaking, sewage overflow
Nutrients: fertilizers runoff from agri.
Metals: mining creating runoff and coal combustion
Sediment: erosion

Question 15

Eutrophication

Answer 15

Excess nutrients in water —> bloom —> toxic red tide —>decomposition of algae —> bacteria consume O2 —> water is anoxic (dead zone)

Question 16

Synthetic compounds/materials

Answer 16

Human made materials are less likely to have natural decomposition

Question 17

Micro plastics

Answer 17

Can move through waste water treatment plants and get dumped directly into bodies of water

Question 18

Infiltration

Answer 18

Process naturally filters/cleans water

Question 19

Characteristics of plants selected for cultivation

Answer 19

Easy to cultivate, can withstand weather, able to store, grown quickly, large energy

Question 20

Characteristics of animals ideal for domestication

Answer 20

Low maintenance, multiples functions, docile, social, wide range of tolerance, use for travel/labor, grow quickly

Question 21

Green revolution

Answer 21

Move towards mass production of food and application of science and tech to food production and agriculture
Genetic engineering, chemical engineering, industrial scale production
Significantly advanced production yields

Question 22

Organic farming

Answer 22

Pushback from green revolution to have food be
Non GMO
No artificial flavoring/coloring
No synthetic pesticides/fertilizers

Question 23

Agroecosystems lack

Answer 23

Biodiversity —> therefore less stable than natural ecosystems

Question 24

Monoculture

Answer 24

Growing a single crop species over a large area of land

• lacks species richness, genetic diversity (that allows species to adapt/resist disease), dense collection means disease can easily move between them, using up all same resources
• specialization = higher yields, easier/simplified production/harvest, mass productions

Question 25

Agroecosystems depends on

Answer 25

Pesticides —> but conventional pest management strategies are unsustainable

Question 26

Pesticide treadmill

Answer 26

Applying a chemical solution to a biological problem - pest can adapt to resist - we respond by using more/stronger

Question 27

Bioaccumulate

Answer 27

When a material accumulated within the tissues/body of one organism

Question 28

Biomagnification

Answer 28

As you move up trophies levels the concentration of pollutant in organisms increases —> so higher levels are more at risk

Question 29

Alternate pesticide strategies: Integrated pest management Biological pest management

Answer 29

IPM: uses understanding of ecology/pest life cycles for targeted time and doses BPM: using natural predators

Question 30

Soil texture

Answer 30

Can influence how much water is held in the soil Clay, sandy, silty, or loam -loam is ideal Clay is smallest, then silt, then sand

Question 31

Hygroscopic water

Answer 31

Clay particles can hold onto water

Question 32

Capillary water

Answer 32

Loam soil that holds water in its soil spore space that is available for plant uptake

Question 33

Organic rich soil

Answer 33

Is dark/black color also indicate rich in nutrients

Question 34

Nitrogen Cycle

Answer 34

Most N is stored in atmosphere | N2–>nitrogen fixation—>ammonia—>nitrification—>nitrate—>denitrification—N2

Question 35

Biological fixation

Answer 35

Making inusable form of an element available for many other living organism

Question 36

Nitrogen fixation

Answer 36

Carried out by soil bacteria

Question 37

Human disruptions of the N cycle

Answer 37

- N fertilizers —> accurate of fixation - fossil fuel - inc pop of legume (soil bacterial)

Question 38

Phosphorous biogeochemical cycle

Answer 38

Most P is stored in lithosphere via weathering

Question 39

Human disruptions of the P cycle

Answer 39

- mining —> for use in fertilizers and in detergents - accurate of P introduced into ecosystems - P is limited & no -renewable

Question 40

Erosion control

Answer 40

Help protect soil resources and protect water resources - better crop cycling - drip irrigation - buffer between crops and water - contour farming - no till/low till practices - perennial crops

Question 41

Erosion Rill Wind

Answer 41

Top layers of soils lost from a given area Erosion from run off Erosion from wind