Energy and Agriculture
Watt (what) is a watt?
work done by electricity in a second. Equation is volts*amps
Why are carryover stocks depleting?
More grain is going towards feeding livestock, People eat a lot of meat. Also people eat at high trophic levels which are unsustainable
Why did pesticide use decrease after the 1980s?
Movement toward Organic farming (no longer spread pesticides), Conventional farms shift to GMO crops (that don't need pesticides), Pesticides became too expensive in relation to their strength (eventually led to not working enough)
WHat is factory farming?
Started in the 1950s after WW2 creating a system of rearing livestock using intensive methods, by which poultry, pigs, or cattle are confined indoors under strictly controlled conditions. Led to increased production by 60% in chickens, 100% cattle, 240% in dairy, 2000% pigs
How is malnourishment different than starvation?
Starvation is not getting enough food, malnourishment is getting enough calories, but not enough variety of food (less vitamins and minerals).
Name three drawbacks of integrated pest management.
Still using pesticides and increasing competition among organisms, new predators may target non-target species, Requires a lot of knowledge to operate, Could lead to GMO usage, which many people think are unsafe
What is genetic engineering?
Take traits of one organism and put them into another (Put genes in other organism/enhance genes). Has many controversial issues like Safety (Whether consuming GMOs is a risk to human health), Moral Problems, and whether or not GMO should foods be labeled? (Usually choose to label that they aren't modified instead of that they are)
Can IPM farmers use GMOs?
The goal of those who work in agriculture should be to use the best available technologies to supply the general public with high quality, safe, nutritious and affordable food.
What is pesticide persistence?
the amount of time a pesticide stays in the environment
Explain the process of creating power via nuclear energy.
1. Fission occurs in the reactor vessel. Heat is produced 2. The heat is used to heat water to create steam 3. Steam is used to turn the turbine in a generator to produce electricity 4. The steam is cooled in the condenser to return to the liquid phase (first one) 5. Cycle repeats
Explain the Bhopal disaster.
40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas is released. 600,000 people were exposed. 2,500 die immediately (ACUTE) and 2,500 are killed over time (CHRONIC). 50,000 - 60,000 have serious health problems (CHRONIC)
What pesticides do we use?
50% are chlorine based 20% are conventional 16% Wood preservatives (treated wood) 7% Specialty biocides
How long should carryover stocks last for an entire population of a country?
70 dayzzzz
What percent of ocean pollution comes from land activities?
80% of global ocean pollution comes from human activities on land
Explain the parts of a nuclear reactor.
A device built to sustain a controlled nuclear fission chain reaction Main Components include a reactor vessel (Tubes of uranium, Control water), Control rods (control radioactivity, absorbs neutrons), and the Containment Structure (Contains the reaction in at least 3 feet of concrete (the whole shebang))
What are chlorinated hydrocarbons?
A group of chemicals composed of carbon, chlorine, and hydrogen, usually cheap and easy to apply. Ex - DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)
What is integrated pest management?
A pest control method which combines a variety of biological, cultivation, and pesticide controls tailored to the conditions and crops of an individual farm, campus, city, or greenhouse.
What is polyculture?
A type of intercropping in which several types of plants that mature at different rates are planted together (crops can be harvested throughout the year)
What is biomagnification?
Accumulation of more chemicals as someone goes up trophic levels. Cause top tier animals and organisms to have extremely high amounts of chemicals (Especially in DDT)
How are pesticides mobile in the environment?
Aerial spraying of pesticide and evaporation which allows the wind to carry it different places. Can leech into the ground and be absorbed into wells. This causes it to get into places that we didn't intend
What is energy density?
Amount of energy contained within the mass of a source (ex - calories per gram)
What is energy efficiency?
Amount of energy used for the work done over all energy available
What was the green revolution?
An increase in food production during the mid 1900s that resulted in cultivating high-yielding varieties of crops to produce more food per acre. Tractors and industrial agriculture are brought third world countries as wellll!
How is aquaculture good?
Aquaculture production of fin fish and shellfish = over 41.9 million tons, which let it account for 6% of all seafood consumed in the USA; $900 million a year industry. Also a more sustainable way to make a living (guaranteed to catch fish).
Why is population control the most fundamental solution to world food problems?
As population increases exponentially, it becomes more difficult to produce food at the same speed as population growth. So if the population increases slowly or start to decline, the food industry is less stressed to keep up with the expansion.
What is subsistence agriculture?
Associated with 0 population growth, Only planting what you need, population stayed relatively steady until factory farming, Maintains population at a low rate
What is fission at a molecular level?
Breaking apart the nucleus converts mass to energy e=mc^2
Distinguish among carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.
Carbohydrates - sugars and starches that are easily metabolized in cellular respiration, energy is transformed into atp WHICH IS THEN USED TO CONTRACT MUSCLES, PRODUCE HEAT, REPAIR DAMAGED TISSUES, GROW, FIGHT OFF INFECTIONS, AND REPRODUCE. Proteins - large complex molecules composed of amino acids. Used to help form muscles, hair, and nails in the human body. Lipids - Fats and oils that help regulate the body with hormones and cell membranes (insulate and protect organs). Essential for brain and nervous system development.
What are organosphates?
Chemicals that kill insects by disrupting brains and nervous systems, Can also harm the brains and nervous systems of animals and humans. Ex- malthion
What age group in humans is usually most affected by undernutrition, malnutrition, and famine? Why?
Children are most affected because they are more likely to experience poor physical development, increased disease susceptibility, and affects cognitive development.
What is slash-and-burn agriculture?
Clearing small patches of tropical forest to plant crops, since tropical soils lose productivity quickly once cultivated, farmers must move to a different area of the forest around every three years.
Name three ways industrialized agriculture can be made more sustainable.
Closed loop (make and use your own fertilizer, eat own food, etc) -> emphasize total agricultural ecosystem, Increase biological diversity, Manage resources carefully, Improve soil fertility, Integrated pest management
What is enrichment?
Concentrating uranium fuel before you use it. Makes better, purer form of uranium for the nuclear reactor
WHat are second generation pesticides?
Created as organisms developed resistance and contained lower toxicity. Use synthetic botanicals that mimic compounds made by plants (like pyrethrin)
Why is aquaculture similar to agriculture?
Cultivating fish to grow in controlled environments instead of going to the wilderness and getting food.
What are first generation pesticides?
Developed by the Pentagon (as a first a tool of war), and Included inorganic compounds (like lead or mercury)
Name two benefits of pesticides.
Disease Control - Malaria (if you can control mosquitos, you can control malaria) Crop Production- Farmers save $3-5 in crops for every one $1 in pesticides, Increased crop yield
How can we manage pesticide resistance?
Domesticate pests similarly to how we domesticated dogs (evolved to great weakness) Create a refuge (no pesticide applied), so that individuals evolve other characteristics. Then, when pesticide resistant organisms breed with refuge, they get lower resistance Don't use the same pesticide repeatedly Not always selecting the same individuals
What is the First Law of thermodynamics?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed
What is more important, energy efficiency or energy density?
Energy efficiency!
What is the Second Law of Thermodynamics?
Energy is always creating more disorder (entropy) or the amount of usable energy is decreased
Name three drawbacks of organic farming.
Environment - Organic farms don't give large yields and in order to produce more food you need to have more land. This causes more ecosystems to be destroyed compared to GMO farming. Health - SHorter shelf life (less available healthy food/ more rotten food) Expensive
Name three benefits of organic farming.
Environment- crop rotation, green manure, compost, and biological pest control, less emissions from industrialized farming Health - less pesticides so there is less risk of health issues.
How does sustainable agriculture resemble a natural ecosystem?
Every part of the system is being used, so it is making the most of the resources available to the organisms.
How has farming become increasingly mechanized?
Farming becomes more reliant on fossil fuels, less reliant on people, mainly used to purchase fertilizers, seeds, waters, chemicals
What is unsustainable about most fishing?
Fish are getting captured quicker than they can reproduce. Cape Cod used to have a lot of cod, now it doesn't.
What is shifting cultivation?
Form of subsistence agriculture in which short periods of cultivation are followed by longer periods of fallow (leaving land uncultivated), where the land reverts back to a forest. Works for small pops.
What is intercropping?
Form of subsistence agriculture where a variety of plants are grown simultaneously on the same fields, helping them produce higher yields (different pests per crop, discourages buildup of pest species)
Why is uranium important to nuclear energy?
Fuel used in nuclear power plants is an isotope of uranium because it has a large atomic mass (bigger mass gives bigger binding energy). Fission of U-235 splits nucleus in two pieces which releases neutrons for chain reaction -> Nuclear fission chain reaction releases the energy in the form of heat!
WHat is industrial agriculture?
High input in farming to maximize output. Leads to increased use of machinery
What are long term effects of pesticides.
Higher risk of cancer, Sterility, Miscarriage/ Birth defects, Higher risk for Parkinson's disease
What are carbamates?
Highly poisonous chemicals except (SEVIN) which is moderately poisonous, absorbed through skin especially through cuts and scratches and irritates eyes. Overtime can cause cancer, been shown to cause birth defects or reproduction problems
Name some problems with fishing.
How you catch, What you catch (Farmed salmon -> Takes fish to make more fish which makes it inefficient)
How is poverty related to chronic hunger?
Many people in poverty lack rural infrastructure, giving them less employment opportunities to improve their incomes. Without higher incomes, they are unable to afford more food.
Name two common malnourishment diseases.
Marasmus, Kwashiorkor
Explain the idea of the "Golden Arrow"
Maximized biomass production
Name three benefits of integrated pest management. "Boy it's better" - Chase Sharpe
Increased genetic diversity, lower pesticide usage, less chemicals ingested
Is integrated pest management more expensive?
Initially more expensive because you have to pay for a lot of the initial necessities (new plants, sterilizing males,
What happened with California Red Scale?
Introduced to California in 1868 and 1875 on an insect, which caused the disease to spread. Could originally be treated with DDT, but doesn't work as well due to increased resistance. This teaches us that accepting some loss will help us avoid companion problems (like increased pesticide resistance)
How have pesticides impacted the environment?
Leaching has increased due to better runoff control (water sits and leaches into the surface). Led to Environmental problems liken pollution, habitat destruction, and food web/chain disruption
Name two environmental problems with industrial agriculture.
Less genetic diversity -> pollution via pesticides -> land degradation -> habitat fragmentation
Name some imbalances in the ecosystem.
Losses to insects, diseases, and weeds have gone up as a result of increased resistance.
Name three characteristics of an ideal pesticide.
Narrow target (only kill the organisms that would be wanted to kill), Short life - breaks down quickly, doesn't persist in the environment,• Low Mobility (only goes where it is put), Effective (kills what we want), Cheap
Can IPM or GMO farmers us antibiotics.
Not routinely, as can be the case in other types of farming. Instead organic farmers try to use holistic methods wherever possible. However, if antibiotics are necessary, on the advice of a vet, to prevent or reduce an animal's suffering, or to return it to full health, they must be given.
Explain what happened with the Fukishima Nuclear Disaster.
Nuclear reactors cracked in half after tsunami, release a super whole lot of dangerous chemicals that have affected the health of residents of the area.
How does nuclear fission work?
Nucleus of atom is split into parts, produces free neutrons and energy. But it is not 100% safe and exposure can make bad things happen (burns, poison, death)
Can IPM or GMO farmers use pesticides?
Only a limited list of carefully selected pesticides are approved for use in organic farming, where there are no natural or system-based alternatives, and then as a last resort. Organic farmers do not use herbicides, instead they rely on crop rotation, well-timed cultivation, hand or mechanical weeding and carefully selecting crop varieties.
What is organic farming?
Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost, and biological pest control. It is an agricultural production system that does not use genetically modified seed, synthetic pesticides, or fertilizers.
Current research has not demonstrated conclusively that organic foods grown by conventional agriculture are better for the environment. If that is the case, then what is the benefit of organic farming? Is organic agriculture better for the environment? If so, how?
Organic farming is potentially healthier, but it is also unknown considering that GMOs have not been appropriately tested. If genetically modifying organisms is not bad for health, there is really no benefit of organic farming (because it produces less food (ish), and can be less resistant to pests/diseases)
Can Organic farmers use GMO's?
Organic farming is prohibited from using Genetically Modified organisms. This means that organic farmers cannot plant GMO seeds and Organic animals can't eat GMO alfalfa or corn.
What is bycatch?
Organisms that are not target species (if you fish for salmon and get a dolphin, the dolphin is bycatch). Sometimes used as dog and cat food or thrown back into the sea (but usually it's too late)
Explain the pesticide treadmill.
Pesticide application -> kills most of the pests, resistant survive -> resistant pest increase and reproduce -> New genetically resistant populations -> Increase more pesticide application (cycle restarts). Cost of applying pesticides increases while effectiveness decreases.
What are botanicals?
Pesticides that come from plants. These can include nicotine (which is super toxic and powerful/highly effective, and was banned in 2001 but is once again legal) and pyrethrin (which is derived from chrysanthemums, help keep insects from eating crops, and often used with companion cropping)
What are alternatives to pesticides (INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT)?
Plant a mixture of plants, Strip Cutting, Planting, fertilizing, and irrigating at proper times, Crop rotation, introducing natural predators
How does nuclear power work?
Power plants use heat to produce electricity, Produces electricity from heat through a process called fission (Fission is breaking apart atoms), Nuclear power uses the heat produced by fission of certain atoms to provide energy
What is food irradiation?
Preventing insects and pests from damaging harvested food without using pesticides by harvesting them, and then exposing them to ionizing radiation, which kills many microorganisms, such as salmonella, this helps extend food shelf life. Not exposed to radiation when you eat food
How much nuclear power does the US produce, and how much does it consume?
Produces about 31% of world's nuclear power - consumes 22%
WHy is organic food more expensive?
Represents the true cost of farming food (more manual labor, cleaning, account for loss)
Why is malnutrition more common in urban areas than in rural areas?
Rural - hunting and farming most likely (people are able to find resources somewhat easier) Urban - high peep density, competition for resources, less available stuff
Name a selective and non-selective herbicide.
Selective herbicides- 2,4-D kills broad leaf plants Non-selective herbicides - Glyphosate, Round-Up kill everything
What is the worst Nuclear Disaster the USA has experienced?
Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania had a nuclear meltdown which led to the release of coolant to escape. Also took over a billion dollars to clean up.
Explain some modernized agriculture practices.
Tillage - Starting to be eliminated, plowing is less necessary, protects microorganisms and prevents erosion Fertilization- Limited through crop rotation Irrigation- Plant drought, climate resistant plants, Plant in the right time of year Weed and insect control- Plant fruits in places that work for their environment. Used plants as physical barriers
What certification exists for farmers who practice organic farming or integrated pest management? What groups oversee these certifications?
To be certified in organic farming you must meet USDA organic regulations. And to be certified in integrated pest management you must be green shield certified. Both of these are being overseen by USDA
What is the problem with open management of water?
Tragedy of da Commons -> Bodies of water can be overfished because many countries give citizens unrestricted access to fish the body of water.
Name environmental problems with growing stuff on hillsides, arid regions, and tropical regions.
Tropical Forests - Low nutrients which causes forests to be demolished at a quicker rate Hillsides - a lot of runoff pollution, erosion Arid Regions - reduces nutrients in already low nutrient areas - stuff don't grow
How can rich nations help make food more affordable for the poor?
Unlikely that someone hungry would prioritize the environment over their own hunger, so rich nations can help provide better resources and mobility for food relief efforts. Plus there are social benefits- poverty stricken countries are more likely for radicalization, so stability can increase in areas with turmoil by providing more food and resources.
What are biological controls?
Use naturally occurring diseases, parasites, or predators to control a pest. An example of this is pheromones and Hormones (Attract insects to traps, Synthetic induce abnormal development)
How does genetic diversity impact crop livability?
Used to have a lot of different kinds of corn, but then farmers selected a variety of corn that produces the most kernels, which led to a loss of genetic diversity due to domestication. But, Genetic diversity enhances long-term species survival so different varieties protect from catastrophes, but now there are less kinds. Low genetic diversity also leads to an increased probability of widespread disease outbreak.
Explain volts and amps.
Volts - strength of electricity Amps - amount of electricity being produced
What are environmental problems with factory farming?
Water- Increased BOD, decreased DO, increased turbidity, coliform contamination, increased nitrates, phosphates (result in algae blooms), bacterial contamination Solid Waste Disposal- Increased Manure, increased methane, carbon dioxide, erosion, land compaction, loss of fertility, loss of nutrients
What is directional selection?
When farmers kill the least resistant pests when farming, leaving them to end up with pests developing greater resistance and humans developing harsher pesticides