Apes project 3 exam

Estuaries

Estuaries

mouth of river opens up to ocean (high diversity because of sediments and nutrients deposited)

Reservoirs

things that temporarily store matter

sources

processes that move matter around between reservoirs

sinks

reservoirs that store more matter than they give off

Carbon cycle

-carbon sources return carbon to the atmosphere while sinks remove carbon from the atmosphere

-photosynthesis removes carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in plant life(glucose/starch)

-respiration returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere as plants and animals break down glucose to use for energy

-extraction and combustion returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

Nitrogen cycle

• nitrogen is cycling far more quickly through its reservoirs

• the major nitrogen reservoir is the atmosphere

Nitrogen fixation

converts biologically unavailable nitrogen gas into biologically available forms like ammonia and nitrate.

• done by bacteria or by lightning strike or by the combustion of fossil fuels

Assimilation

plants or animals taking nitrogen and converting it into body tissues

Phosphorus cycle

• does not have an atmosphere

• cycling much slower than the other cycles

• stuck in rocks

• rocks have to undergo weathering to release phosphate ions

• phosphorus is a limiting nutirent

Water cycle

• driven by the energy by the sun

• evaporation (sun gave the water the energy)

• rains

• infiltration (precipitation seeping into ground water)

• Transpiration- water evaporating from the leaves of plants

• ocean is the major water reservoir

Green revolution

• industrial scale agribusiness

• increased use of mechanization, GMOs, irrigation, fertilizers, and pesticides

• greatly increases efficiency of lands, short term profitability, and food supply

• decreased world hunger and increased earth’s carrying capacity for humans

• soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, ground and surface water contamination)

monocropping

• plant one crop bc easier to harvest

• decreases biodiversity

• increases soil erosion

• decreases habitat diversity for species living in the area

Tilling

• mixed and breaking up soil to make planting easier

• increases erosion

• loss of organic matter

• increases PM in the air and sediments in nearby water

Furrow irrigation

• least efficient

• 33% of water evaporates or runs off

• digging trenches along crops and filling them with water

• easy and inexpensive, water seeps into soil slowly

Flood irrigation

• flood entire field; easier but more disruptive to plants

• can waterlog the soil and drown plants (good for rice and cranberries)

• 80% efficient- 20% runoff/evaporation

Drip irrigation

• Most efficient, but also most costly

• over 95% efficient

• holes in hose allow water to slowly drip out

• avoids waterlogging and conserves waters

Spray irrigation

• ground or surface water pumped into spray nozzles

• more efficient (less water loss) than flood or furrow

• more expensive (requires energy for pumps and movement of sprinklers)

waterlogging

• overwatering can saturate the soil, filling all soil pore space with water

• doesn’t allow air into pores, so roots can’t take in O2

• can stunt growth or kill crops

soil salinization

• salt building up in a soil overtime

• groundwater used for irrigation naturally has small amounts of salt

• water evaporates, and salt is left behind in soil. Over time, it can reach toxic levels, dehydrating plant roots and preventing growth

Groundwater

H2O stored in pore space of permeable rock and sediment layers

Aquifers

Usable ground water deposits for humans (replenished by groundwater recharge rain water percolating down into soil)

CAFOs

• also called feed lots- densely crowded method where animals are fed grain (corn) to raise them as quickly as possible

• maximizes land use and profit (most meat production per/unit of area)

• minimizes cost of meat for consumers

• given antibiotics and growth hormones to prevent disease and outbreak and speed meat production

• animals produce large volume of waste which can contaminate nearby surface or groundwater

• produces large amounts of CO2, CH4 (methane), and N2O (greenhouse gases)

Manure lagoons

• large open storage pits for animal waste

• waste contains ammonia, hormones, antibiotics, fecal coliform bacteria

• heavy rain can flood lagoons and contaminate nearby surface and groundwater with runoff

• dentrification of ammonia in manure produces N2O

• Can be emptied and buried in landfills, or turned into fertilizer pellets

free range grazing

• animals graze on grass and grow at a natural rate without growth hormones