Envir 130 ch 10
22) It is more energetically efficient for us to eat more ________. A) plant-based foods B) herbivorous animals like cattle and chicken C) carnivorous animals like fish and alligator D) GM foods E) foods grown using IPM methods
Answer: A Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
23) Why did the Indonesian government support IPM for agriculture in 1986? A) Pesticides were costing money, causing pollution, and decreasing yields. B) Many people were dying of starvation. C) It wanted to encourage research into genetically modified crops. D) The country was in a recession. E) They were worried about tsunamis.
Answer: A Section: 10.5 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
9) Oaxaca, Mexico ________. A) is a world center of biodiversity for maize B) has more poverty than any other place in the world C) is known for successful organic farming D) is where the Green Revolution was launched E) is where the gene revolution was launched
Answer: A Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
16) Plants with showy flowers typically ________. A) are pollinated by wind B) are pollinated by animals C) are genetically modified by animals D) are preferentially eaten by herbivorous animals E) decrease biodiversity in an area
Answer: B Section: 10.4 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
5) If GM crops can decrease pesticide use, why are environmentalists still concerned about them? A) The FDA does not regulate them. B) Inserted genes can spread to nontarget species. C) The government funds most GM crop research. D) Trials involving biotech fruits and vegetables have increased dramatically in recent years. E) There is no public opposition to GM crops.
Answer: B Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
21) Seed banks are important for ________. A) agricultural investments in developing countries B) protecting monoculture productivity C) protecting genetic diversity D) loans to developing countries to promote organic agriculture E) providing farmers with the current year's GM crops
Answer: C Section: 10.3 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
27) Normal Borlaug, who passed away in 2009, pioneered the development of ________. A) organic agriculture B) IPM C) GM crops D) high-yield wheat E) monoculture farming
Answer: D Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
4) Managing crop competitors and pests has been challenging to agronomists for centuries. One approach, integrated pest management, ________. A) uses only synthetic chemical pesticides B) uses no pesticides of any kind C) uses only natural pesticides D) combines synthetic chemical pesticides with biocontrol techniques E) combines a variety of pesticides to combat the pest
Answer: D Section: 10.4 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
6) Presently, ________ have not supported the widespread marketing of GM crops. A) South American countries B) American corporations C) American regulatory agencies D) European countries E) Asian countries
Answer: D Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
1) Which of the following was a positive environmental aspect of the Flavr Savr tomato? A) could be shipped further B) better taste C) better appearance D) lower cost to the consumer E) less food waste because it is less likely to rot
Answer: E Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
3) Why do soybeans, corn, and canola dominate the GM crop market? A) They are inexpensive to produce. B) They are exempt from U.S. regulations. C) They are the only GMO crops approved since the Flavr Savr tomato. D) These crops help to feed and clothe the poor. E) They are ingredients in processed foods, so they are more easily accepted.
Answer: E Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
12) ________% of the food we consume comes from ________ crop species. A) 90; 15 B) 90; 100 C) 50; 20 D) 50; 50 E) 10; 100
Answer: A Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
1) Major pollinators of many flowering nongrain crop plants
I) bees Section: 10.4, 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
6) Source of generic plasmids for genetically modified organisms
A) Escherichia coli Section: 10.4, 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
3) Why is variety in crop plants important for "food security"? How is this threatened by GM food crops? What is the U.S. position on GM products? How does this differ from the position of other countries?
Answer: Varieties contain genes that, through conventional breeding, might confer resistance to disease, pests, inbreeding, and other pressures that challenge modern agriculture. Monocultures of industrial agriculture place all our eggs in one basket, so that any single catastrophe could potentially wipe out multiple crops. Wild relatives contain genetic diversity that may have ready- made solutions to unforeseen problems. The U.S. position is that GM foods are an acceptable food crop. Many nations refuse to purchase or accept food or seed crops that are GM. The European Union has been extremely outspoken against the use or trade of GM foods. Section: 10.1, 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
3) A successful case of biological control, introduced from Argentina to Australia in the 1920s to control invasive prickly pear cactus
C) Cactoblastis cactorum Section: 10.4, 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
4) Introduced for control of agricultural pests in Hawaii
G) wasps Section: 10.4, 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) Can protect crops from insect pest-related losses when applied periodically
H) Bacillus thuringiensis Section: 10.4, 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
24) In order for livestock to be considered organic, ________. A) hormones and antibiotics are permitted, but not vaccines B) animals must be fed 100% organic agricultural feed C) animals cannot be transferred from regular treatment to organic standards D) no vitamins and mineral supplements can be used E) animals must be reared under natural conditions in intact ecosystems
Answer: B Section: 10.5 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) The Flavr Savr tomato is no longer marketed because ________. A) Calgene failed to attain government approval to market it B) people were nervous about eating genetically modified tomatoes C) genetically modified crops presently are not approved for sale in the United States D) butterfly larvae that ate the tomato plants were poisoned E) they require too much water to grow
Answer: B Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
25) During the past half century, global food production has ________ world population growth. A) grown at a faster rate than B) fallen behind C) stayed about even with D) surpassed by several orders of magnitude E) fallen to critical levels compared to
Answer: A Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
4) Based on the information in the figure, you might decide to make changes in your diet to diminish your ecological footprint by ________. A) shifting your protein intake from beef and pork to eggs and dairy products B) shifting your protein intake from eggs and dairy products to beef and pork C) shifting to beef exclusively because of the large amount of meat from a single cow D) shifting your protein intake to young cows and pigs to reduce resource consumption E) eliminating all protein from your diet
Answer: A Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
18) Aquaculture ________. A) can bring economic benefits and food security to many developing regions B) has no real environmental disadvantages C) frequently results in unintended catch of nontarget species D) requires the flooding of fields to produce water-intensive crops such as cotton and rice E) produces less fish per unit area compared to ocean water harvesting
Answer: A Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
5) Raising which of the following requires the most land and water per kg protein produced? A) beef cattle B) dairy cattle C) chickens D) pigs E) goats
Answer: A Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
14) Which of the following best describes integrated pest management (IPM)? A) biocontrol measures, crop rotation, and habitat diversification B) major reliance on synthetic pesticides C) subsidies for pesticide use D) continuous monoculture cropping and harvesting E) transgenic crops
Answer: A Section: 10.4 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) In Queensland, Australia, cactus moths ________. A) effectively cleared non-native prickly pear cactus from rangeland B) are an invasive species C) are raised as a food source by native Aborigines D) are examples of species that have developed resistance to pesticides E) are a keystone species
Answer: A Section: 10.4 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
20) The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety ________. A) regulates the creation of GM foods B) outlines regulations on international trade of GM foods C) was signed by the United States D) regulates trading of endangered species E) prohibits irradiation of food crops
Answer: B Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
4) Why have most bioengineered crops been modified for "resistance" traits? A) These traits have the economic potential to save on production costs. B) No technology exists to engineer other traits successfully. C) These are the only traits proven safe for the environment. D) These are the only traits proven safe for the human health. E) Crops with these traits taste better.
Answer: A Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
7) Why is resistance to pesticides likely to occur over time when they are used in agriculture?
Answer: A small fraction of large pest populations may have genes that confer some degree of immunity to a given pesticide. If very few resistant pests survive, they may reproduce quickly and create a new population of genetically resistant pests because their population is no longer balanced by the susceptible individuals. The pesticide will not be effective against this new resistant pest population. Section: 10.4 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
15) People around the world have become more dependent on global markets for their food. As a result, recent U.S. government policies encouraging ________ have had a major negative effect on food availability. A) organic farming B) ethanol production C) permaculture techniques D) integrated pest management E) increased herbicide use
Answer: B Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
11) Green Revolution techniques ________. A) focus on organic farming B) have contributed to an increased diversity of foods in the human diet C) have increased crop yields but may not be sustainable D) focus on preserving biodiversity E) focus on sustainability
Answer: C Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
13) Agricultural productivity increased during the Green Revolution as a result of improvements in fertilizers, crop breeding, pest control, and ________. A) techniques to convert land for agriculture B) weather conditions C) irrigation D) organic farming techniques E) fossil fuel use
Answer: C Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
1) The figure demonstrates that it requires roughly ________ times more feed input to produce 1 kg of eggs than 1 kg of milk. A) 2 B) 3 C) 4 D) 7 E) 45
Answer: C Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
8) Which of the following requires the least land to produce 1 kg of protein? A) beef and pork B) milk C) chicken D) pork E) beef
Answer: C Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
6) Researchers in Switzerland have demonstrated that organic farming ________. A) is only sustainable with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers B) presently has no market in Europe C) decreased organic soil losses while giving yields almost as high as conventional farming D) increases the incidence of invasive species E) suppresses the biodiversity of pollinating insects, especially bees
Answer: C Section: 10.5 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
26) Recent investigations of the impact of GM crops on biodiversity in Great Britain indicate that ________. A) biodiversity increased in all GM crop sites B) GM crop sites had catastrophically reduced biodiversity C) some GM crops and sites showed increased biodiversity, while others showed decreases D) birds and insects cannot digest GM crops E) none of the GM crop sites showed changes in biodiversity
Answer: C Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
3) Recombinant DNA ________. A) is pollination of one plant by another of the same species B) is cross-pollination of one plant by a different species C) is the merging of DNA from unrelated organisms D) is assembled in the lab from mononucleotides E) was part of the Green Revolution of the 1960s
Answer: C Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
7) Bt crops ________. A) have not yet been approved by the FDA B) include strawberries that are resistant to frost damage C) have been given a bacterial gene that gives chemical protection against insect pests D) have seeds that will only germinate under laboratory conditions E) are widely grown in Europe but have been banned in the United States
Answer: C Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
28) In Japan, the presence of ducks and the aquatic fern Azolla in rice cultivation has shown that ________. A) invasive species diminish rice yields B) the ferns provide an excellent food for ducks C) restoring portions of the biodiversity of a natural ecosystem increases crop yields and profits D) ducks and other birds must be eliminated from rice fields E) GM crops such as rice cannot succeed without ferns to provide shade and ducks to provide pollination
Answer: C Section: 10.7 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
10) Which of the following is true? A) World hunger has increased significantly since 1970. B) Aquaculture has decreased significantly since 1985. C) World grain production has remained stable since 1985. D) More than one in three adults in the United States is obese. E) The main reason why people are undernourished is because they are not educated about proper nutrition.
Answer: D Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
3) Cows require a high quantity of feed because they ________. A) are genetically modified organisms B) can feed more people than pigs C) are raised on feedlots D) take time to grow and have a low energy conversion efficiency E) are the best source of high-quality protein
Answer: D Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
19) Organic farming ________. A) began in the 1960s B) has no national standards in the United States C) and organically grown produce have not been supported by the European Union D) has become more challenging because of contamination by GM crop varieties E) is presently limited to crops of fruits and vegetables
Answer: D Section: 10.5, 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
9) Briefly discuss some disadvantages of aquaculture.
Answer: Dense concentrations of farmed aquatic animals can increase the incidence of disease, which reduces food security, necessitates antibiotic treatment, and results in additional expense. Aquaculture can also produce high amounts of waste from the farmed organisms and from the large portion of feed that goes uneaten and decomposes in the water column. Farmed aquatic fish and other organisms are often fed grain or ocean-caught fish, affecting food supplies and wild fish populations. If farmed aquatic organisms escape where they are not native, they can cause unpredictable harm by spreading disease or outcompeting native organisms. Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
1) Monoculture ________. A) agricultural practices require no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides B) farming is illegal in most countries C) describes diets low in protein, such as vegetarianism D) involves the farming of crops that have not been genetically modified E) agricultural practices increase a crop's susceptibility to insect pests
Answer: E Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) The comparison shown in the figure is environmentally significant because it shows that ________. A) grain is a nonrenewable resource B) we cannot survive without eating the foods pictured C) the same grain used to feed chickens and cows could be fed to many humans instead D) cows are a keystone species E) production of beef and pork is resource-intensive
Answer: E Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
17) The European Union nations ________. A) have converted all farms to organic agriculture B) along with Canada, Brazil, and Argentina have developed and planted many GM crops C) have refused to allow synthetic pesticides to be used on nonexported crops D) produce so little food that they have to import most meats and vegetables E) do not support the growth or sale of GM crops
Answer: E Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
2) Explain the statement "the lower down in the food chain we eat, the greater percentage of solar energy we put to use, and the more people Earth can support" in terms of trophic levels and pyramids of energy.
Answer: Meat is farther from the sun in the food chain than plant material. Consuming meat decreases the amount of usable energy that is obtained directly from the sun because animals must first consume plants before they are eaten by humans. Every time energy moves from one trophic level to the next, as much as 90% of the useful energy present in the lower trophic level is lost. This is because the second law of energy states that entropy increases as one goes from one level to the next and energy is lost as heat or light at each transfer. For this reason, people who rely heavily on meat as a source of food energy are less energy efficient than ones that rely on fewer animal products or a vegetarian diet. The biomass pyramid echoes this, as each trophic level contains less biomass (energy) than the lower level. Section: 10.2 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
6) What are the dangers associated with pesticide use? How can biocontrol and use of crops with high genetic diversity help to decrease the amount of pesticides used?
Answer: Pesticides are toxins that are general biocides that kill many nontarget useful species, such as pollinators and predators, and also can harm humans. Pesticide use has increased to lower crop loss due to pests and increase yield. Increased use results in resistance developing in pest populations. When this occurs, the type of pesticide used has to be altered so that pests can be controlled. Increasing the toxicity of pesticides is often the solution. Biological control can decrease pest density by introducing enemies of the pests to the field. This decreases pest numbers without chemicals. Increasing the genetic diversity of the crop can also decrease pest numbers because pests may not be able to consume all genetic varieties in the crop. Different species also "host" predators of pests and balance nutrient use. This will result in higher yields through healthier plants and reduction of pest populations. Section: 10.4 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
1) What are the arguments for and against genetically modified crops? Discuss the scientific,economic, and political issues.
Answer: Proponents of GM crops stress continuity with the agricultural past, arguing that there is little reason to expect that today's GM food is any less safe than the selectively bred food of the past. They also argue that conferring pest resistance to crops can decrease use of chemical pesticides. Critics point out that the new techniques differ from traditional breeding techniques because they mix species, create species in the lab, not the field, and deal with novel gene combinations not possible in nature. They worry about allergic reactions in people and the "spread" of inserted genes into the soil and other organisms in the ecosystem. There is also the question of maintaining the genetic diversity and integrity of the many varieties of indigenous crops such as corn. Many of these varieties have been cultivated for centuries by the indigenous farmers of Mexico and many other nations. Corn is wind pollinated, and patented GM corn has been forming transgenic hybrids with a variety of indigenous strains. Unfortunately, there is little to prevent many GM crops from spreading to non-GM crops in adjacent fields. Controversy has arisen as the corporate agribusiness developers of GM crops have been suing farmers for patent infringement because of this unintentional and often unrecognized contamination. Since organic foods cannot contain GM crop genes, the issue of contamination by nearby GM crops is of particular concern to organic farmers. The political debate involves labeling and an individual's right to know what is in the food they consume. Industry has a large financial stake in seeing the continued use of GM foods. Critics argue that we should adopt the precautionary principle with GM foods. Section: 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
8) What is the basic concept of sustainable agriculture?
Answer: Sustainable agriculture is agriculture that does not deplete soils faster than they form and does not destroy the biodiversity of the area. Sustainable farming and ranching do not reduce the amount of healthy soil, clean water, genetic diversity of crop plants and animals, such that agriculture can be practiced in the same way in the same place far into the future. Maintaining as much ecological biodiversity as possible in the agro-ecosystem is essential to long-term crop and livestock production. After all, our concept of sustainability is based on the functioning of intact ecosystems, and agro-ecosystems are modified ecosystems which are governed by the same rules of stability and interdependence as their natural counterparts. Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
5) What was the Green Revolution, and what impact did it have on developing countries? Discuss the impact of the Green Revolution on the environment.
Answer: The need for higher quantity and better quality of food for the growing human population led in the mid- and late 20th century to the Green Revolution, wherein scientists in the developed world created methods and technology to increase crop output per unit area of existing cultivated land. In developing countries, this greatly increased agricultural production. The Green Revolution has enabled India to stop importing grain and to maintain extra grain reserves as a buffer against food shortages. But it depends heavily upon chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which can be expensive and lead to pesticide resistance. Environmentally, in the short term, this was positive because it decreased the need for new areas for cultivation and reduced rates of deforestation. Unfortunately, it also increased the use of water, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and fossil fuels, increasing pollution, salinization, desertification, and the chance of crops developing pesticide resistance and thus may not be sustainable. Section: 10.1 Bloom's Taxonomy: Application/Analysis
4) Describe the use of biological control for battling pests.
Answer: This strategy uses predators, pathogens, and parasitoids of crop pests rather than chemicals to control pest densities. An organism that eats a crop pest is released into a crop; it kills the crop pest, decreasing the density of the crop pest without chemicals. The fact that many biocontrol agents are functioning parts of the ecosystem's food web greatly reduces the chances of pests becoming resistant to a predator or disease vector. It goes without saying that biological control of this type precludes using chemical sprays at the same time. Section: 10.4 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
5) Honeybees are vanishing at an alarming rate because of it
J) colony collapse disorder Section: 10.4, 10.6 Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge/Comprehension
