APES Unit 5
How efficient is furrow irrigation?
66% efficient, 33% lost to runoff/evaporation
Which of the following is a direct economic consequence that would likely occur if an area of forest was clear-cut so that a housing development can be built?
A decrease in the number of game hunting licenses purchased
Which of the following is the best example of a tragedy of the commons?
Accumulation of plastics in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Which of the following statements best describes an unintended environmental consequence of aquaculture fish-farm enclosures located in estuaries?
Aquaculture enclosures can harbor parasites that can negatively affect wild populations that breed in estuaries.
What is a tree plantation?
Areas where the same tree species are repeatedly planted, grown and harvested
Which of the following would be considered an advantage of increased urban sprawl?
As individuals move out of urban areas to nearby suburbs, the population densities of cities will decrease, reducing the spread of infectious disease.
What is an example of industrial practice that contributes to the tragedy of commons?
Burning fossil fuels for energy production
Which of the following is a greenhouse gas that is produced by domestic livestock?
CH4
What are cons of irrigation?
Can deplete ground water sources, drown roots and cause soil salinization
What are causes of urban sprawl?
Cheaper homes, Cars make easy commute, domino effect, residents leave so businesses follow
Which of the following is a commercially used method for harvesting trees and is most likely to lead to a fragmented landscape with serious impacts on biodiversity?
Clear-cutting
Which of the following is an unintended environmental consequence of aquaculture?
Contamination of surrounding water by organic waste
What are perennial crops?
Crops that live year round and are harvested numerous times
What are the cons of monocropping?
Decrease of biodiversity and increase of soil erosion
Which of the following methods of agricultural irrigation results in the loss of the least amount of water by evaporation?
Drip irrigation
What form of irrigation is the most optimal?
Drip irrigation, most efficient but also costly, over 95% efficient
What approach is commonly used to combat overfishing?
Enforcing minimum-size requirements for the capture of some commercial species
What are the cons of using synthetic fertilizers?
Excess nitrate, phosphate goes into nearby bodies of water where they cause algae to bloom and requires fossil fuels for production
Which of the following is a negative consequence of aquaculture?
Excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus can leak from the location.
What are positive sides of tree plantations?
Filtering of air pollutants, removal and storage of CO2 and its a habitat for organisms
What is a valid reason for promoting fish farms?
Fish production is constant, and fish farming reduces pressure on wild stocks.
Farmers use various methods of irrigation on crops. Which of the following statements correctly pairs an irrigation method with an advantage or disadvantage?
Flood irrigation is often used in agricultural fields, however, it increases surface erosion and salinization of the soil.
Which of the following is a disadvantage associated with the genetic modification of crops?
Genetically modifications can decrease the genetic diversity of crop species.
Which of the following is an unintended consequence associated with waterlogging caused by flood irrigation?
Higher water tables
The development of dangerous strains of disease organisms represents a significant consequence of which of the following agricultural practices?
Incorporating antibiotics into the feeding regimens of densely concentrated livestock
What fishing technique could best reduce the harmful effects of overfishing if it were to be widely adopted by the fishing industry?
Increased use of large-mesh gill nets for harvesting salmon and trout
After intensive logging, most of the trees along a stream have been removed. Which of the following water quality changes would most likely occur downstream after logging?
Increased water temperature
What are pros of using synthetic fertilizers?
Increases yield and profit with more key nutrients needed for plant growth. (N, P, K) added to the soil
What is a pro of using pesticides?
Increases yield and profits with fewer plants lost to pests
What are tailings and slag in terms of mining?
Leftover waste material separated from the valuable metal or mineral, often stored in ponds
Why are the negative sides of tree plantations?
Lowers biodiversity
What is a pro of irrigation?
Makes agriculture possible in many parts of the world where it is naturally too dry
Which of the following is likely to minimize soil erosion?
No-till agriculture
What is saltwater intrusion?
Occurs when salt water mixes with ground water due to the aquifer being depleted too quickly.
What best exemplified how an action within the fishing industry could lead to a tragedy of the commons?
Overfishing of threatened fish species leading to the eventual depletion of the resource
What are examples of tragedy of the commons?
Overgrazing, overfishing, water and air pollution, overuse of ground water
Rapid runoff following a heavy rainfall may cause flooding downstream from urban areas. Which urban design strategy will most likely slow water runoff though an urban area and decrease the risk of downstream flooding?
Preserve open areas with intact vegetation
Which of the following is an example of an environmental benefit of aquaculture?
Raising fish using aquaculture and feeding human populations with the harvest reduces the number of fish caught from the ocean.
Which of the following would decrease with the manufacture, application, and use of synthetic fertilizers rather than organic fertilizers?
Recycling of organic matter
Which of the following practices would have the biggest impact on achieving global sustainability?
Reducing human population size
Which of the following would be the best way to mitigate deforestation?
Replant and protect trees in areas that have been previously cleared.
Which of the following strategies could be used to reduce soil erosion during surface mining of coal?
Replanting vegetation.
Which of the following is most likely to increase both the nutrient levels and the bacterial content of lake water?
Runoff from a nearby hog farm
The excessive pumping of groundwater from wells can influence the water levels below ground. Which of the following is more likely to occur in aquifers in coastal areas than in aquifers in other regions?
Saltwater intrusion into the aquifers
What are cons of the green revolution?
Soil erosion, biodiversity loss, ground/surface water contamination, increase of machines leading to more CO2
This type of irrigation uses a large system of sprinklers that must be manually moved from field to field and has very large evaporative losses.
Spray irrigation
Which of the following best describes the concept of the tragedy of the commons?
The aim of large logging operations in tropical rain forests is economic gain, rather than sustainability. Therefore, the shared resources in the forest could become depleted.
Which of the following is the most likely unintended consequence of using pesticides in agriculture?
The continual use of pesticides can cause organisms to build a resistance through genetic mutation that then requires more or stronger pesticides.
Which of the following is the best example of an economic approach to reduce overfishing for a fish species with a declining population?
The federal government sets a catch limit (per person or per boat) for the species and imposes a tax on any extra fish that are caught.
The green revolution has improved global agricultural output. Which of the following best describes the author's perspective on the beginning of the green revolution in the 1970s and 1980s?
The green revolution was successful because of selective breeding, which improved nutritional value and crop yield to increase food production.
Which of the following describes an unintended consequence that results from large-scale agricultural use of water from an aquifer?
The rate of water use likely exceeds the rate of recharge, leading to lowering the water table.
What is the green revolution?
The shift in agriculture away from small, family operated farms to large, industrial scale agribusiness
Which of the following best describes environmental damage caused by slash-and-burn farming in tropical rain forests?
The soil loses fertility after a short period of time and will be ineffective for farming use.
Which of the following best describes the process known as "mountaintop removal"?
The use of heavy equipment to move overburden downhill during the strip mining of coal
Which of the following environmental effects would most likely result from the clear-cutting of boreal forests by industrial logging operations?
There will be an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, which will contribute to climate change.
Which of the following is true of farm-raised salmon?
They are often infected with parasites and sea lice.
What are cons of pesticides?
They can wash off and runoff into local soil/water harming organisms nearby
Which of the following best describes the advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation?
This method most efficiently delivers water directly to plant roots compared with other methods, and wastes less water, but it may be too costly for farmers in developing countries to use.
Which of the following agricultural practices results in soil degradation and most contributes to erosion?
Tilling
One example of the tragedy of the commons occurs when trees are harvested from tropical rain forests without any regulations. Which of the following best describes why this is an example of the tragedy of the commons?
Timber producers remove as much timber as possible as cheaply as possible.
What is an aquifer?
Usable ground water deposits for humans
Which of the following statements identifies a concern associated with the increased proportion of GM crops being grown?
Use of GM seeds can lead to loss of genetic diversity in crops.
Which of the following solutions would help decrease flood frequencies and flood sizes that are caused by urbanization?
Using new, more permeable materials for roads and sidewalks
What is acid mine drainage?
When rainwater leaks into an abandoned mine and mixes with pyrite forming sulfuric acid
What is furrow irrigation?
a trench that is flooded with water
What are CAFO?
also called feedlots, densely crowded method where animals are fed grain to raise them as quickly as possible
Many communities experience the tragedy of the commons. One way a local community might regulate a shared and limited resource and reduce the tragedy of the commons is to
divide the resources into parcels and assign them to individuals
Why is waterlogging bad?
doesnt allow O2 to reach roots and can stunt or kill crops
What is eutrophication?
excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.
What is monocropping?
growing one single species of crop
What are high yield variety crops?
hybrid or genetically modified crops that produce a higher yield per unit of area
What are the cons of tilling?
increase of erosion and loss of organic matter
What are pros of the green revolution?
increases efficiency of lands, short term profitability and food supply
Why is sulfuric acid harmful?
lowers pH of water and makes toxic metals like mercury/aluminum more soluble killing aquatic organisms
Vegetarianism is often cited as a partial solution to the growing problem of deforestation and other types of habitat destruction as the human population continues to grow. The reason for this is
more people can be fed using less agricultural land because vegetarians eat at a lower trophic level
What is a solution to urban runoff?
permeable pavement, rain gardens, public transit and building up not out
What organism is at the bottom of the trophic cascade of ocean creatures?
phytoplankton
What is contour plowing?
plowing along the contours of the land in order to minimize soil erosion, forms mini terraces that catch runoff
What are direct effects of clearcutting?
soil erosion, increased soil and stream temperature, flooding and landslides
What is bottom trawling?
super harmful fishing method that involves dragging a large net along the ocean floor
What is overburden in mining terms?
the soil, vegetation and rocks that are removed to get desired material from a deposit
What is the tragedy of the commons?
the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain
What is biocontrol?
the use of one microbe/organism to control the growth of another
A sustainable society would emphasize
using energy efficiently and reusing and recycling matter
