APES Unit 5: Land and Water Use vocab review

Green Revolution

Agricultural revolution that increased production through improved seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation; helped to support rising Asian populations.

Windbreaks

Belts of trees along field edges to reduce wind erosion

terracing

Carving small, flat plots of land from hillsides to use for farming

rotational grazing

Confining animals to a small area for a short time (often only a day or two) before shifting them to a new location

Desertification

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions like excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.

Overgrazing

Destruction of vegetation caused by too many grazing animals consuming the plants in a particular area so they cannot recover

intercropping

Growing two or more different crops at the same time on a plot.

advantages of aquaculture

High efficiency High yield in small volume of water Can reduce over harvesting of conventional fisheries Low fuel use High profits Profits not tied to price of oil

disadvantages of selective cutting

Losing the Fittest Regrowth difficult Harmful to other plant life

examples of tragedy of the commons

Overfishing, over extraction of ground water

selective cutting

Removes single trees or relatively small number of trees from among many in a forest

synthetic fertilizers

Same as inorganic fertilizer; Produced commercially. Nitrogen fertilizers are often made by combusting natural gas.

second-growth forest

Stands of trees resulting from secondary ecological succession.

crop rotation

The planting of different crops in a field each year to maintain the soil's fertility.

tilling

The turning-over of soil before planting.

free-range grazing

animals are allowed to feed on grass for their entire life

Tragedy of the Commons

common property and open-access renewable resources are degraded from overuse

green manure

consists of freshly cut or growing green vegetation that is plowed into the topsoil to increase the organic matter and humus available to the next crop.

perennial crops

crops that grow back year after year on their own

slash and burn

cut down trees, burn them and use the ash as topsoil

clear-cutting

cutting all the trees in an area down at once

Aquaculture

fish farming

economic services of forests

fuelwood, lumber, pulp to make paper, mining, livestock grazing, recreation, jobs

cons of no-till farming

increased use of herbicides and fertilizers

Salinization

occurs when the small amounts of salts in irrigation water become highly concentrated on the soil surface through evaporation

old-growth forest

one that has never been cut; these forests have not been seriously disturbed for several hundred years.

tree plantation

planted stands of a particular tree species

contour plowing

plowing fields along the curves of a slope to prevent soil loss

strip cutting

portions of the forest is harvested

Open-ocean aquaculture

raising large carnivorous fish in underwater pens

pros of no-till farming

reduced soil erosion, greater crop yields, enhanced soils

prescribed fires

• intentional small, contained surfaces fires created to remove flammable small trees and underbrush in the highest-risk forest areas

advantages of mechanical tilling

- Break up more soil at once - plant more seeds in smaller area - usually higher crop yield

consequences of overfishing

- Extreme scarcity of some fish species - Decreased biodiversity in aquatic systems - long-term nutritional and financial impacts on people who depend on fishing for food and commerce

advantages of green manure

- Increasing organic matter and soil humus. - Increased Nitrogen fixation. - Protection of the soil surface. - Prevention of erosion. - Maintaining or improving soil structure. - Reduced susceptibility to leaching. - Access to unavailable nutrients from lower soil profile. - Provide readily available nutrients to the next crop. - Weed Suppression - Habitat for Pollinators and Natural Predators - Interrupts Pest and Disease life-cycles - Supports Beneficial Microorganism in Soil

disadvantages of slash and burn

- Inefficient, nutrients used up in 1-2 years - Decreases biodiversity - Increased carbon emissions

disadvantages of crop rotation

- Involves risk - Improper implementation can cause much more harm than good - Requires More Knowledge and Skills

disadvantages of perennial crops

- Less flexibility since you don't replant each year. - Tend to take up more space per plant than annual and biennial plants.

advantages of synthetic fertilizers

- Much higher crop yield - Becoming less expensive in developed countries

advantages of free-range grazing

- Organic waste acts as fertilizer for the grass - meat usually free from antibiotics and other chemicals present in feedlot meat

disadvantages of green manure

- Over-fixation of Nutrients - Expensive sometimes - Financial Loss during manure phase - Good planning of plantation needed

disadvantages of intercropping

- Poor Yields - Costly & Complicated

consequences of overgrazing

- Reduces grass cover - leads to erosion of soil by water and wind - soil becomes compacted - enhances invasion of inedible plant species

advantages of contour planning

- Reduces the erosion hazard in each furrow and permits you to irrigate efficiently land too steep for downhill furrows. - Provides more uniform distribution of irrigation water. - Saves water. - Reduces the time needed for irrigation. - Reduces irrigation labor costs. - Reduces power costs.

Advantages of selective cutting

- Removes trees that are low quality while they are young. - Removes some of the profitable mature growth. - Allows more light to penetrate the upper story of growth. - Allows trees that are shade intolerant to receive more light. - Encourages remaining trees to naturally seed open areas. - Saves some of the healthy mature trees for a future cutting. - Gives increased light to the forest floor preventing molds and fungus from thriving to the point where they harm healthy trees. - causes minimal disruption to the environment. - promotes new growth - allows the ground cover to thrive.

disadvantages of contour planning

- Requires equipment turns on the field. - Requires control of water in furrows

disadvantages of free-range grazing

- Requires large areas of land for grazing - higher cost at market value - tragedy of the commons - risk of desertification by overgrazing

advantages of perennial crops

- Requires little watering once established. - Provides harvests year after year without replanting. - Once established can provide large harvests. - Require much less work than annual and biennial plants. - Can attract beneficial insects and help build soil.

disadvantages of synthetic fertilizers

- Requires lots of water to apply - Runoff causes eutrophication in watersheds - Contaminate groundwater - time and money to apply - machines to apply fertilizer increase carbon emissions

disadvantages of strip cutting

- When the trees are cut, the seed source is lost. - Bare strips still allow for soil erosion and soil thinning. - Still destroys large sections of the ecosystem. - Not as efficient as clear-cutting - more expensive.

advantages of windbreaks

- decrease heating and cooling costs. - prevent soil erosion that encompasses an area of 10 to 20 times their height. - increase crop production by reducing water use, increasing soil and air temperature, and reducing chemical drift. - windbreaks can provide food, cover and travel corridors for wildlife. - Windbreaks provide permanent visual screens in the landscape.

advantages of clear cutting

- higher timber yields - maximum profits in shortest time - can reforest with fast growing trees - good for tree species needing full or moderate sunlight

disadvantages of mechanical tilling

- increase fossil fuel use - increase risk of soil erosion - increase risk of soil desertification

Advantages of strip cutting

- leaves behind more habitats than clear-cutting. - It allows for quicker forest regrowth. - Allows natural regeneration within a few years because it reseeds on its own. - The forest looks much healthier. - Allows a more sustainable harvest without widespread destruction

Advantages of Crop Rotation

- pest management - improve soil properties - distribute labor inputs - Increases Crop Yield - Reduces Soil Erosion - Reduces the Stress of Weeds - Reduces Pollution - Diversification and Reduced Cost of Production

advantages of terracing

- protect the terraced area's soil from overly rapid erosion. - trap and hold rainwater.

Advantages of slash and burn

- quick and cheap - usually higher crop yield than rainforest soil alone

disadvantages of terracing

- rainwater saturation - requires huge inputs of labor to construct and maintain - reduce soil quality - Unmaintained terraces can lead to mudslides, the creation of deep gullies and increased soil erosion,

disadvantages of clear cutting

- reduces biodiversity - destroys and fragments wildlife habitats - increases water pollution - flooding and erosion on steep slopes - eliminates most recreational value

disadvantages of aquaculture

-large inputs of land, feed, and water -large waste output -loss of mangrove forests and estuaries -dense populations vulnerable to disease