APES 5.6-5.14

Pesticides

Chemicals that are toxic to pests

result of pesticide

pest resistance; genetic diversity gives some pests resistant traits, pesticide artificially selects pests with resistance

pesticide treadmill

A cycle of pesticide development, followed by pest resistance, followed by new pesticide development

GMOs

Gene for pest resistant trait is added to the plant through genetic modification

Roundup Ready

crops that are genetically modified to be resistant to broad herbicide, allowing herbicide to kill weeds but not crops

GMO and pesticide use

Some crops have increased pesticide use (Roundup Ready), some crops have decreased use (bt corn)

GMOs and genetic diversity

GM crops are genetically identical; if there is dsiease or pest, all are vulnerable and there's no chance of genetic mutation

CAFOs

Concentrated animal feeding operations- large structures where animals are being raised in high density numbers

benefits of CAFOs

maximizes land use and profit, minimizes cost of meat for consumers

drawbacks of CAFOs

given antibiotics and hormones to prevent disease and speed meat production, produce large amounts of waste that contaminate water, produce large amounts of CO2, methane, and N2O

manure lagoons

human-made ponds lined with rubber built to handle large quantities of manure produced by livestock

drawbacks of manure lagoons

heavy rain causes flooding, denitrification of ammonia produces N2O

chemicals released by manure lagoons

e. Coli (toxic to humans), ammonia (eutrophication), antibiotics and growth hormones (alter endocrine system)

benefits of free range grazing

no need for antibiotics with dispersed population, doesn't require corn to feed, waste is dispersed naturally

drawbacks of free range grazing

requires more total land use, more expensive to consumer, overgrazing

result of overgrazing

desertification

solutions to overgrazing

rotational grazing

energy needed for meat production

energy needed to bring water, house, slaughter and package, produce feed for cows

land use of meat

all of the energy needed to grow plants to feed animals PLUS room the animals take up

water use of meat

all of the water for crops that animals eat PLUS the water the animals drink

fisheries

populations of fish used for commercial fishing

fishery collapse

the decline of a fish population by 90% or more

why populations may not recover from fishery collapse

decreased biodiversity, inability to find mates, inbreeding depression

environmental consequences of fishery collapse

lowers genetic diversity of fish populations, species diversity

economic consequences of fishery collapse

lost income for fishermen, lost tourism dollars for communities

bottom trawling

Especially harmful fishing method that involves dragging a large net along ocean floor

drawbacks of bottom trawling

bycatch, turbidity, damages reef structure, decreases biodiversity by killing non-target species and removing habitat

mining reserve

Known quantity of resource available for extraction

overburden

soil and rock overlying a useful mineral deposit

tailings and slag

leftover waste material separated from the valuable metal or mineral within ore

surface mining

removal of overburden to access ore neat surface; open pit, strip, mountaintop removal, placer

drawbacks of surface mining

removal of vegetation and soil leads to increased erosion, habitat loss, stream turbidity, particulate matter

subsurface mining

vertical shaft drilled into ground, increasingly used as surface coal deposits are depleted, more expensive due to higher insurance and healthcare costs

environmental impacts of mining

acid mine drainage, methane release, particulate matter release, topsoil erosion, habitat loss, increased stream turbidity

acid mine drainage

rainwater leaks into abandoned mine tunnels & mixes with pyrite, forming sulfuric acid, runoff/infiltrates, lowers pH of water, makes toxic metals more soluble

mine reclamation

the process of restoring land that has been mined to a natural or economically usable state

steps to mine reclamation

fill empty mine, restore contours of land, return topsoil with acids, metals, and tailings removed, replant native plants

urbanization

Removing of vegetation to convert natural landscape to city (urban)

drawbacks of urbanization

CO2 emissions, impervious surfaces, prevents groundwater recharge

drawbacks of urbanization in coastal cities

saltwater intrusion due to sea level rise and excessive groundwater withdrawal

urban sprawl

The process of urban areas expanding outwards, usually in the form of suburbs, and developing over fertile agricultural land.

urban sprawl causes

expanded highway system and use of automobiles

solutions to urban sprawl

urban growth boundaries, mixed land use, public transport and walkable cities

ecological footprint

measure of how much a person/group consumes, expressed in area of land

factors of ecological footprint

food production, raw materials, housing, electricity production, and disposing waste produced

carbon footprint

the total carbon dioxide emissions produced by an individual, group, or location

increase footprint

fossil fuel usage, meat consumption, affluence increases consumption,

decrease footprint

renewable energy, public transportation, plant diet, less consumption

sustainability

Consuming a resource or using a space in a way that does not deplete or degrade it for future generations

maximum sustainable yield

the maximum rate at which a renewable resource can be exploited without impairing its ability to be renewed or replenished

where max sustainable yield is

1/2 carrying capacity (maximizes yield and regeneration of population)

environmental indicators of sustainability

biological diversity, food production, average global surface temperatures, CO2 concentrations, human population, and resource depletion

biodiversity as a measure of sustainability

higher biodiversity, healthier ecosystems. Declining biodiversity can indicate pollution, habitat destruction, climate change

food production as a measure of sustainability

Indicates ability of earth's soil, water, and climate to support ag. Major threats: climate change, soil degredation

atmospheric temp and CO2 as a measure of sustainability

increasing CO2 = unsustainable; life on earth depends on narrow temperature range

human population as a measure of sustainability

as human population grows, resource depletion grows

environmental consequences of urban runoff

decreased infiltration, runoff pollutants into storm drains and local surface water

urban runoff pollutants

salt (plant/insect death), sediment (turbidity), fertilizer (eutrophication), pesticides (kill non target species), oil and gas (suffocate fish)

solution to urban runoff

permeable pavement, rain garden, public transit, building up not out