APES Unit 3 Quizlet Based on Resources
methods for remediating soil affected by acid desposition
- add crushed limestone: limestone is primarily made of CaCO3. CO3 is the conjugate baste to the acid H2CO3 and will therefore neutralize the soil. - lime - marble dust - bone meal - crushed egg shells or oyster shells
identify biotic and abiotic components of the A horizon in soil.
- biotic: humus, microorganisms, bacteria, earthworms, microinvertebrates, roots, fungi, beetles, decomposers, insects - abiotic: sand, silt, clay, water, air, nutrients (N, K, P compounds), decomposing parent material, minerals, rocks, pebbles
explain some ways that acid deposition could affect soil quality
- increased soil acidity could cause the death of plants - aluminum is released and can be toxic to plants - acid can diminish ability of soil to buffer, leading to poor plant growth - sulfur and nitrogen can build up to toxic levels to plants
ways that climate change causes soil degradation
- increased temps and lowered precipitation causes desertification - increased temperatures leads to evaporation of irrigation water, resulting in soil salinization
What is phytoremediation?
A biotechnology that uses plants and algae to eliminate contaminants from a site.
What describes the action of an endocrine disruptor?
An endocrine disruptor blocks the receptor protein binding site of a hormone so that the cell cannot receive a signal.
Which of the following is a direct economic advantage associated with aquaculture?
Aquaculture produces large amounts of seafood for human purchase and consumption year-round.
Analyze a dose response curve and describe LD50.
Does response curves are not always symmetrical, making it difficult to compare toxicity of unlike chemicals or different species of organisms. A convenient way to describe toxicity of a chemical is to determine the dose to which 50% of the test population is sensitive. In the case of a lethal dose (LD), this is called the LD50.
What is true about genetic biodiversity?
Genetic resistance to pests and diseases can be increased by crossing a crop plant with ancestral varieties.
Long-term intensive agriculture that does not add soil amendments such as manure or fertilizer has been shown to decrease soil organic matter content. Which of the following figures best shows this relationship?
Graph with curve going downwards. y axis: soil organic matter x axis: time
Mercury concentrations were measured in freshwater shrimp populations in two different ponds, one polluted with mercury and one unpolluted, with a similar food web in each pond. Which of the following best identifies the scientific question that would guide this investigation?
How much mercury accumulates in the tissues of freshwater shrimp living in a polluted pond?
An experiment was carried out to determine the lethal dose of ammonium sulfate on mung bean germination. True statements about the experimental design include which of the following? I. The control group has neither the seeds nor the ammonium sulfate. II. The independent variable is the concentration of the ammonium sulfate. III. The dependent variable is the number of seeds that failed to germinate.
II and III
Biological control methods for managing insect pests are effective for reasons that include which of the following? I. They promote genetic resistance in the target species, resulting in a population explosion of the target species. II. They generally focus on one target insect to ensure that the target insect population remains low. III. They can lead to a self-perpetuating population of a control species.
II and III
Describe the cycle of disease leading to antibiotic and pesticide use leading to more disease due to resistance.
Malaria is an example of the return of a disease that once was thought to be nearly vanquished. With modern medicines, malaria was wiped out in most places, but then it came roaring back because the disease became resistant to most drugs and the mosquitoes that transmit it develop resistance to insecticides. at least half of the 100 million antibiotic doses prescribed for humans every year in the US are unnecessary or are the wrong ones. In recent years, health workers have been increasingly alarmed at the rapid spread of antibiotic resistant diseases such as staphylococcus (MRSA)
An integrated pest-management approach to pest control emphasizes what?
Reduction of crop damage to an economically tolerable level
How do we assess risks and hazards?
Risk assessment is the scientifical process of estimating the threat that a particular hazard poses to human health. This process includes risk identification, dose response assessment, exposure appraisal, and risk characterization.
A farmer observes that increasingly higher concentrations of a particular pesticide have been required each year over the past ten years to achieve the same level of effectiveness on a specific insect pest. What helps explain the observation?
Some individual insects are more likely than others to survive and reproduce due to their inherited traits
Biological controls are frequently used to replace persistent chemical pesticides. What represents the greatest potential risk of using biological controls?
The control agent attacks not only its intended target but also beneficial species.
What describes a fundamental characteristic of the green revolution in food resources?
The development of new strains of crops with higher yields
How did the Green Revolution impact the food industry? Compare to the modern day GMO revolution.
The green revolution replace traditional crop varieties in growing methods throughout the developed world, nearly half of all farmers in the developing world were using green revolution seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides by the 1990s. Genetic engineering involves removing genetic material from one organism and splicing into the chromosomes of another. It's synthesizes artificial DNA sequences to create desired characteristics in GMO's. Genetically modified crops offer dramatic benefits, such as drought resistant's, frost resistance, and disease resistance. most GMO's have been engineered for past resistance or weed control.
How can we produce more food sustainably?
The potential of sustainable farming is highly debated. Organic food is grown without artificial pesticides and with only natural fertilizers, such as Minaur. Organic farming and sustainable farming use a multitude of practices to control pest, including crop rotation and mechanical coordination. Biological control such as predators or pathogen's can control many pests more cheaply and safely than broad spectrum synthetic materials. Integrated pest management is a flexible, ecologically-based strategy that does apply to specific times and aimed at specific crops and pests. It often uses mechanical cultivation and techniques such as vacuuming bugs off of crops. It uses minimal amount of chemicals. Consumers choices play in important role.
Need to see graph and explanation on google classroom. Answer is....
Use of Integrated Pest Management techniques is the most successful method because the sources for food, water, and shelter for pests are disrupted, leading to a reduced number of pests in the area.
What is soil composed of?
a mixture of living organisms and organic material, along with minerals and other abiotic components. Soils help sustain life and provide ecosystem functions.
What is phytoextraction?
a subprocess of phytoremediation in which plants remove dangerous elements or compounds from soil or water, most usually heavy metals, metals that have a high density and may be toxic to organisms even at relatively low concentrations.
What type of farm.... 1. Manure stored in lagoons until liquefied and sprayed on crops 2. Average days in stable in any 12-month period: 45 3. Antibiotic use routinely provided to prevent spread of disease
a traditional concentrated animal feedlot for cattle.
What are the different types of chemical hazards? What areas of the body do they impact? Examples?
allergens are substances that activate the immune system. Some act directly is antigens, and they are recognized as foreign by white blood cells and stimulate the production of specific antibodies, or proteins that recognize and bind to foreign cells or chemicals. Formaldehyde is a good example. Used in plastics, wood products, insulation, glue, and fabrics, from aldehyde concentrations in indoor air are high, which can cause "sick building syndrome." endocrine disruptor's are chemicals that disrupt normal hormone functions. Hormones are chemicals released into the bloodstream by cells in one part of the body to regulate development and function of tissues and organs elsewhere in the body. Neurotoxins or a special class of metabolic poisons that specifically attack nerve cells. And example is mercury. Mutagens are agents like chemicals and radiation that damage or altered genetic material in cells, which can lead to birth defects. Teratogens or chemicals or other factors that specifically cause Abnormalities during embryonic growth and development. And example is alcohol. Carcinogens are substances that cause cancer, invasive, out of control cell growth that results in malignant tumors.
Discuss how the global disease burden is changing being sure to include key infectious and emergent diseases.
although there are concerns about pollution, environmental toxins, emerging diseases, and other health threats, remarkable progress has been made over the past hundred years in controlling many diseases. Polio has been eliminated in most places, and smallpox is completely wiped out. Child survival indicates health gains worldwide, including increases in women's education. Lower respiratory infections, diarrheal diseases, and preterm birth complications have all gone down, well heart disease, stroke, and aids have gone up. Emergent diseases are those not previously known or that have been absent for at least 20 years. Examples are swine flu and a bola. Infectious and emergent disease is still kill millions of people.
identify agricultural practices that can increase nitrate levels in groundwater
application of fertilizer, improper sealing of feedlots, improper construction or maintenance of animal waste lagoons
Describe the different methods involved in converting hazardous waste to a safer form.
bioremediation taps the great capacity of micro organisms to absorb, accumulate, and a toxic via variety of toxic compounds. Chemical processing can transform material so they can become non-toxic. Incineration is a quick way to dispose of many kinds of hazardous waste. Physical treatments capture or isolate substances. Permanent storage is often needed.
Which soil would most likely have the highest water-holding capacity?
clay
What are some ways that farmers can work to conserve soils?
contour plowing, or plowing across the hill rather than up-and-down, is one of the main strategies for controlling soil loss and water runoff. It is often combined with strict farming, or planting different kinds of crops and alternating strips along the land contours. Terracing involve shaping the land to create level shelves of earth to hold water and soil. Cover crops, such as rye, alfalfa, or clover, can also be planted after harvest to hold and protect the soil.
Think globally about food security, hunger, malnutrition, famine. Now think about "overnutrition" in America.
despite lots of production, 870 million people in the world today or tragically chronically under nourished. Poverty friends food security, or the ability to obtain sufficient food on a day-to-day basis. Famines are characterized by large scale food shortages, massive starvation, social disruption, and economic chaos. In the United States, and an increasingly developing countries, highly processed foods rich in sugars and fats have become a large part of diets. About 1/3 of Americans are obese. This increases risk of hypertension, respiratory problems, and cancer. This represents a disbalance in poverty and food security.
How are the world's key food sources produced? What has led to the success of modern food production?
dramatic increases in corn and soy production have led to rising meat consumption worldwide. The number of technological and breeding innovations have made this increased production possible. One of the most important is the confined animal feeding operation, or CAFO, where animals are housed in fed mainly on soil and corn for rapid growth. Animals are housed in giant enclosures. Constant use of antibiotics which are mixed in feed is necessary for growing animals in such high densities. seafood is also the key protein source, feeding about 1.5 billion people in developing countries. Aquaculture provides about half of the seafood we eat. however, wild fish populations are threatened. Aquaculture in land based ponds or warehouses can illuminate this problem. Intensive food production can have profound environmental effects. Converting land to soy and corn fields for feed causes soil erosion.
What type of farm.... 1. Compost manure reused on site for fertilizer 2. Average days in stable in any 12-month period: 0 3. antibiotic uses for only animals that are ill
grass-fed pasture for beef production
What is hazardous waste and how can we deal with it? Discuss the impact of RCRA and CERCLA (Superfund).
hazardous waste is any discarded material, liquid or solid, that contain substance is known to be fatal to humans or laboratory animals in low doses, toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, corrosive, explosive, and more. Hazardous waste must be recycled, contain, or detoxified. Federal legislation requires waste management. The resource conservation and recovery act, or RCRA, Is a comprehensive program that requires rigorous testing and management of toxic and hazardous substances. The comprehensive environmental response, compensation and liability act, also known as CERCLA or super fun to act, is aimed at rapid containment, clean up, or remediation of abandoned toxic waste sites.
how does precipitation and humidity affect the rate of soil formation
high precipitation and humidity increases biological activity and weathering, increasing the rate of soil formation. also increases erosion/runoff which decreases the rate of soil formation. low temperature and humidity decreases biological activity and weathering and decreases the rate of soil formation.
how does temperature affect the rate of soil formation
high temperatures increase the rates of biological activity (decomposition) and chemical activity- increases the rate of soil formation. low temperatures decrease the rate of biological activity (decomposition)- decreases rate of soil formation. It increases the rate of weathering (frozen water expands, breaking rock)- increases the rate of soil formation
what are the advantages of bioremediation
inexpensive, low energy use, Littleton no air pollution, and easy to build
What is solid waste and how do we deal with it? Compare and contrast methods of disposal.
municipal waste is a combination of household and commercial waste. Industrial waste, other than mining and mineral production, is often toxic. Open dumps pollute air and water. Most developed countries now forbid open dumping. We often export e-waste and toxic ways to countries ill-equipped to handle it. Sanitary landfills receive most of our waste. Solid waste is contained more effectively there. It is compacted and covered with a layer of dirt to decrease smells in the litter. Mass burn is an approach to dump nearly everything into a giant furnace. Residual ash and unburnable residues are usually taken to a landfill. Well run incinerators can be clean.
How do we protect our food from pests? How should we protect our food from pests?
pesticides driveaway or kill pests. Some pest control compounds kill a wide range of living things and are called biocides. Herbicides are chemicals that kill plants, and insecticide to kill insects. Fungicides kill fungi. Organophosphates are organic compounds containing phosphate that are among the most heavily used synthetic pesticides. chlorinated hydrocarbons are persistent and highly toxic to sensitive organisms. An example is DDT. Neonicotinoid pesticides are now the most widely used group of insecticides. Fumigants are small molecules that can be delivered in the form of a gas so that they readily penetrate soil and other materials. In organic pesticides include compounds of toxic elements. Natural organic pesticides generally are extracted from plants. Microbial agents and biological controls are living organisms or toxins derived from them that are used in place of pesticides. Pesticides have profound environmental effects. Pest resurgence, or the rebound of resistant populations, is an important problem in the overuse of pesticides. There is an ever increasing need for newer, better pesticides. This is called the pesticide treadmill. Pesticides often impair human health.
What is phytodegradation?
plants break down complex pollutant molecules
An advantage of recycling aluminum rather than disposing of it in landfills is that aluminum can be...
produced from recycled metal using much less energy than is required for its production from aluminum ore
What are some methods that reduce the waste stream? How should we prioritize these methods?
recycling is the re-processing of discarded materials into new, useful products. Recycling has multiple benefits, like saving money, energy, raw materials, and landfill space, while also reducing pollution. Recycling plastic is difficult. Composting is often considered a type of recycling. D manufacturing is the disassembly and recycling of obsolete products, such as TVs, computers, and other electronics. Reuse is more efficient than recycling. Reducing waste is the best option. Photo degradable plastics breakdown when exposed to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. Biodegradable plastics incorporate material such as corn starch that can be decomposed by micro organisms.
correctly order the methods of solid-waste management (reduce, reuse, recycle) in terms of energy required from least energy to most energy
reduce, reuse, recycle
what are the disadvantages of bioremediation
slow, affective only as far as roots will reach, plants could be toxic and would still need to be disposed of properly
Discuss the many factors that cause soil loss.
soil erosion is a primary concern. When water washes away a thin layer of soil, we call it sheet erosion. When little rivulets of running water gather together and cut small channels in the soil, it is known as rill erosion. this is responsible for most soil loss on agricultural land. Temperatures can also cause erosion by causing desertification. The amount of water can also cause this by waterlogging. Salinization, in which salt accumulate in the soil, occurs mainly when soil's in dry climates are irrigated with salt light and water.
Describe how and why soil is much more than just dirt...
soils are complex ecosystems. It is a combination of weathered rocks, plant debris, living fungi, and bacteria. In general it has six components: sand and gravel, silt and Clay, dead organic material, soil fauna and Flora (living organisms), water, and air. soil is in layers. It begins with the O horizon, Which contains most of the living organisms. Then there is a layer of mixed organic and mineral soil material, the a horizon. These layers are known as topsoil. Then comes the bee horizon, or subsoil, which tends to be richer in clays then topsoil. It is more sticky and cohesive. Sometimes an E layer lies between the A and B horizons. It would be loose and light colored because most of its clays and organic material have been washed down to the B horizon. The C horizon, below the subsoil, is mainly decomposed rock fragments. Parent materials underlie the C layer. our food comes mostly from the a horizon.
How do toxins move through the environment and what factors affect the harm caused by a substance?
solubility and mobility determine where and when chemicals move. Exposure and susceptibility determine how we respond. Bioaccumulation is the selective absorption and storage of a great variety of molecules. This allows cells to accumulate nutrients and minerals, but toxins can also be absorbed. biomagnification occurs when the toxic burden of a large number of organisms at a lower trophic level is the cannulated and concentrated by a printer at a higher trophic level. For example, Seigels eating fish that absorb DDT have high levels of DDT in their systems. Persistence makes some materials a greater threat. Lead was one of the first persistent pollutants recognized by toxicologists.
List climate factors that affect the rate of soil formation
temperature, precipitation/humidity, and wind
What is phytostabilization?
the reduction of the mobility of heavy metals in soil. Immobilization of metals can be accomplished by decreasing wind-blown dust, minimizing soil erosion, and reducing contaminant solubility or bioavailability to the food chain.
An insect population in an agricultural field is affected by monthly applications of a pesticide, as shown in the graph above. A likely cause of the overall increase in the insect population over time is.....
the survival of increasing numbers of resistant insects
What is bioremediation?
the use of living organisms, such as prokaryotes, fungi, or plants, to detoxify a polluted area
how does nitrate get into the ground?
they infiltrate/percolate/seep into ground water or enter surface waters that recharge aquifers
how does wind affect the rate of soil formation
wind can carry in particles, increasing the rate of accumulation. It can also hasten rates of soil erosion, decreasing the rate of accumulation
What is the best candidate for incineration because it is easily combustible and has less harmful air pollutants than other materials.
wood because it is easily combustible and has less harmful air pollutants than other materials.
