5.11 - 5.17 AP Environmental Science Unit 5

ecological footprint

measure of how much a person/group consumes, expressed in area of land (food production, raw materials, housing, electricity production, disposing waste produced)

carbon footprint

measured in tonnes of co2 produced per year

increases footprint

affluence (wealth), meat consumption, fossil fuel usage

decreases footprint

renewable energy use, public transportation, plant based diet, less consumption, less energy use

earthshare

fair earthshare is amount of land that each person is entitled to if all the biologically productive land on earth is divided equally.

sustainability

consuming a resource in a way that does not deplete it for future generations

maximum sustainable yield

maximum amount of renewable resource that can be harvested without reducing the resource for future use

env. indicators of sustainability

biodiversity, food production, atmospheric temp & co2, human population and resource depletion

biodiversity

genetic, species, and ecosystem. higher biodiv. = healthier ecosystems

food production

indicates ability of soil, water, and climate to support agriculture

atmospheric temp & co2

life on earth depends on very narrow temp range. increasing co2 = unsustainable

human population and resource depletion

as human pop grows, resource depletion grows

integrated pest management

using a variety of pest control methods that minimize env. disruption and pesticide use

cultural control for pests

crop rotation, intercropping, pest-resistant crop varieties

biological control for pests

natural predators

mechanical control for pests

traps, barriers, hand-picking pests

chemical controls for pests

limited pesticide use as a last resort

crop rotation

many pests prefer one specific crop so rotating crops can prevent pests from becoming established and also disrupts weed growth

biocontrol for pests

introducing a natural predator, parasite, or competitor to control pest population

intercropping

push-pull system: push plants emit chemicals that naturally repel pests and pull plants emit chemicals that attract moths to lay eggs in them instead of crops

benefits of ipm

reduces death and mutation of non-target species from synthetic pesticides and reduces effects on humans, contamination

drawbacks of ipm

more time consuming and costly

soil conservation

agricultural techniques that minimize erosion

contour plowing

plowing parallel to natural slopes of land to prevent water runoff and soil erosion

terracing

cutting flat platforms of soil into slopes to prevent runoff and eroding soil

perennial crops

crops that live year round and are harvested numerous times with established roots and less tillage

agroforestry

using trees or other plants to block the wind from eroding topsoil

no till

leaving leftover crop remains in soil instead of tilling under that prevents erosion from loosened soil

strip cropping

type of intercropping; alternating rows of dense crops to prevent runoff

crop rotation

replanting same crops continuously depletes soil of the same nutrients so crop rotation allow soil to recover

green manure

leftover plant matter from a cover crop between harvest and replanting of main crop

limestone

releases calcium carbonate which neutralizes acidic soil (tendencies to charge nutrients from soil)

rotational grazing

regular rotation of livestock to different pastures to prevent overgrazing

organic agriculture

production in crops that sustains the soil without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers

aquaculture

raising fish or other species in enclosures underwater

benefits of aquaculture

reduces pressure on overfished wild stocks, creates coastal jobs, and offers resource-efficient, low-carbon protein source

drawbacks of aquaculture

high density, uses antibiotics, risk of non-native species

ecologically sustainable forestry

using trees for lumber that minimizes damage to the ecosystem (selective cutting, using human labor, replanting same species)

sustainable forestry practices

recycled wood, reforestation, selectively removing diseased trees

fire suppression

stopping natural fires, leads to more biomass buildup, monitoring instead

prescribed burns

dead biomass builds up, small controlled fires burn it, promotes nutrient recycling