Question 1

Tradegy of the Commons

Accepted Answer

- The idea that where there is no clear ownership of rights to a natural resource and the users of the resource are likely to overexploit it

Question 2

examples of tragedy of the commons

Accepted Answer

- the atmosphere, ocean, shared forests, and rangeland

Question 3

selective breeding

Accepted Answer

- The process of selecting a few organisms with desired traits to serve as parents of the next generation

Question 4

Who ran the idea of the Green Revolution?

Accepted Answer

- Norman Borlaug

Question 5

Green Revolution

Accepted Answer

- The agricultural revolution that increased production through improved seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation (farms heavily relied on fossil fuels)

Question 6

processed foods

Accepted Answer

- foods with lots of chemicals and additives

Question 7

dust bowl

Accepted Answer

- a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the US and Canadian prairies during the 1930s

Question 8

traditional agriculture

Accepted Answer

- several different crops grown on one farm, no over-grazing since animals roam free, pesticides, antibiotics and herbicides used less

Question 9

industrial agriculture

Accepted Answer

- monoculture, animals raised on CAFO, large scale of pesticide, herbicides and antibiotics

Question 10

triple bottom line

Accepted Answer

- recognition of the need for organizations to improve the state of people, the planet, and profit simultaneously if they are to achieve sustainable, long-term growth

Question 11

Externalities

Accepted Answer

- economic side effects or by-products that affect an uninvolved third party; can be negative or positive

Question 12

point source pollution

Accepted Answer

- Pollutants discharged from a single identifiable location (e.g., pipes, ditches, channels, sewers, tunnels, containers of various types).

Question 13

nonpoint source pollution

Accepted Answer

- pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single, specific site (usually runoff)

Question 14

Sustainibility

Accepted Answer

- the ability to meet humanities current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

Question 15

sustainable yield

Accepted Answer

- Highest rate at which a potentially renewable resource can be used indefinitely without reducing its available supply.

Question 16

Anthroposcene

Accepted Answer

- the current historical era in which human activity is reshaping the planet in permanent ways

Question 17

How did human agriculture and selective breeding contribute to the development and organization of communities?

Accepted Answer

- People settled down into communities and began farming; created the need for more children--> increase in population

Question 18

benefits of GMO

Accepted Answer

- less pesticide use, higher crop yield, can survive harsher weather conditions, grow faster & larger, can hold speak nutrients or medication

Question 19

risks of GMO

Accepted Answer

- less genetic variety to make food, allergens, requires new seeds every year (Monsanto), cross pollination can release GMOs into ecosystem, encourage herbicide use

Question 20

What is the relationship between anthroposcene and economics?

Accepted Answer

- Price of recovery after environmental disasters is increasing

Question 21

drip irrigation

Accepted Answer

- the practice of using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops; causes increased salinization; most expense; most efficient

Question 22

flood irrigation

Accepted Answer

- water is poured through canals and waterways so that it flows through fields; increased soil erosion and waterlogging; least waterloss

Question 23

furrow irrigation

Accepted Answer

- involves digging trenches and filling them with water; 1/3 of water is lost from evaporation and runoff

Question 24

spray irrigation

Accepted Answer

- most common in developed countries; more expensive compared to flood and furrow

Question 25

water logging

Accepted Answer

- saturation of soil with irrigation water or excessive precipitation so that the water table rises close to the surface

Question 26

Salinization

Accepted Answer

- Accumulation of salt on topsoil, eventually making the soil unable to support plant growth.

Question 27

pesticide treadmill

Accepted Answer

- a need for constantly increasing doses or new pesticides to prevent pest resurgence

Question 28

CAFO

Accepted Answer

- more food, lower food prices, less land for pasture, lots of clear land available for crops, animals live in unsanitary conditions, creates huge waste

Question 29

pasture

Accepted Answer

- a field of growing grass where animals can eat; a meadow

Question 30

free range grazing

Accepted Answer

- meat less like to have disease and antibiotics, more humane, less meat available, more expensive food, clearing of more land, overgrazing--> desertification

Question 31

integrated pest management

Accepted Answer

- An agricultural practice that uses a variety of techniques designed to minimize pesticide inputs

Question 32

Biocontrol

Accepted Answer

- using a predator of pest to control the pest population (invasive species)

Question 33

Pesticide drift

Accepted Answer

- toxicants from pesticides move with water or atmosphere; the longer the persistence, the more dangerous it is

Question 34

Banned in organic food

Accepted Answer

- pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge fertilizer, GMO, irradiation, antibiotics, growth hormones

Question 35

Used in organic foods

Accepted Answer

- manure, phosphates from rocks, natural ammonia, pheromones, animal welfare standards, organic feed, selective breeding

Question 36

What does "eating at a lower trophic level" mean?

Accepted Answer

- Being vegetarian uses less land water; eating meat takes land for the animal and land for its food source

Question 37

How does being vegetarian support the 2nd law of thermodynamics?

Accepted Answer

- Vegetarians eat producers so there is no energy loss in the transfer to consumer such as animals

Question 38

forestry

Accepted Answer

- the science of planting and taking care of trees and forests; cutting small groups of medium- and large- sized trees in uneven-aged forests

Question 39

clear-cutting

Accepted Answer

- all trees cut at once; cheapest & easiest option

Question 40

shelterwood cutting

Accepted Answer

- 70% of trees are removed but some are left to allow for natural regeneration of the forests

Question 41

selective cutting

Accepted Answer

- only trees in a forest are cut at any

Question 42

How does overfishing lead to ecological damage and fishery collapse?

Accepted Answer

- Removes larger & fully mature fish faster than they are replaced by population, causes decline in size and quality, fishing techniques destroy certain marine ecosystems

Question 43

Bycatch

Accepted Answer

- The unintentional catch of nontarget species while fishing

Question 44

drift-studying

Accepted Answer

- catches and kills marine ammals and turtles that died from exposure to air on ships' decks

Question 45

longline fishing

Accepted Answer

- hooks unwanted species as well as those desired, catching and killing marine birds

Question 46

positive of aquaculture

Accepted Answer

- helps lower food prices, protects wild fish species' population

Question 47

negatives of aquaculture

Accepted Answer

- wastewater can contaminate bodies of water, fish can live unclean areas and become ill (often fed with antibiotics), can escape and breed with wild species

Question 48

Why do virgin forests contain more biodiversity than secondary forests?

Accepted Answer

- Increased biodiversity in virgin forests is due to the diversity of the habitat and food sources in the forests compared to secondary forests

Question 49

major causes of deforestations

Accepted Answer

- demand for woof products and altered land use

Question 50

how does changing a forested area into an impervious surface affect the water cycle?

Accepted Answer

- deforestation increases runoff and decreases infiltration recharge and transpiration

Question 51

Where is deforestation most severe today?

Accepted Answer

- Deforestation is most severe in developing countries and especially the tropical rainforests of Central America and Africa

Question 52

What is dissolved oxygen?

Accepted Answer

- The amount of oxygen avaliable in the water for aerobic organisms

Question 53

What can we learn from dissolved oxygen levels?

Accepted Answer

- If the dissolved oxygen is low, eutrophication may have occurred

Question 54

Eutrophication

Accepted Answer

- A process by which nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, become highly concentrated in a body of water, leading to increased growth of organisms such as algae or cyanobacteria.

Question 55

What is the impact of mercury in waterways?

Accepted Answer

- Mercury transfers across the trophic food web, accumulating the higher up you go in the food web; most commonly found in raw fish

Question 56

surface fires

Accepted Answer

- Only burn undergrowth and leaf litter, kill seedlings but mature trees and animals can live

Question 57

crown fires

Accepted Answer

- (most severe) a fire that moves through the upper portions of trees; these are very difficult to extinguish

Question 58

prescribed burns

Accepted Answer

- a fire is deliberately set under controlled conditions

Question 59

Are forest fires a bad thing?

Accepted Answer

- Forest fires are not inherently bad and in fact are a natural occrrence in most of the world's forests. They aid in removing excess litter, breaks down nutrients, and are required for tree seed germination

Question 60

brownfield

Accepted Answer

- an abandoned industrial site

Question 61

ore

Accepted Answer

- a rock that contains a large enough concentration of a mineral making it profitable to mine

Question 62

how is water used in a placer mining?

Accepted Answer

- Placer mining uses running water to separate lightweight mud and gravel from heavier minerals of value

Question 63

how is water used in solution mining?

Accepted Answer

- used when a deposit is especially deep and the resource can be dissolved in a liquid

Question 64

surface mining

Accepted Answer

- layers of surface soil and rock, are removed from large areas to expose the resource

Unit 5