Chapter 5: Land and Water Use (copy)

The Tragedy of the Commons

suggests that individuals will use shared resources in their own self-interest rather than in keeping with the common good, thereby depleting the resources

CAFOs

________ release several types of gas emissions- ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and particulate matter.

Clear-cutting

It occurs is when all of the trees in an area are cut at the same time; can be economically advantageous but leads to soil erosion, increased soil and stream temperatures, and flooding

Edge Effect

It refers to how the local environment changes along some type of boundary or edge

Tree canopies

It provide the ground below with shade and maintain a cooler and moister environment below

Deforestation

It is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas, which are then used for grain and grass fields mining, petroleum extraction, fuel wood cutting, commercial logging, tree plantations, or urban development

Agricultural productivity

It implies greater output with less input

Desertification

the degradation of low precipitation regions toward being increasingly arid until they become deserts

Overgrazing

A plant is considered overgrazed when it is re-grazed before the roots recover, which can reduce root growth by up to 90%

Fertilizers

It provide plants with the nutrients needed to grow healthy and strong

Inorganic Fertilizers

A fertilizer mined from mineral deposits or manufactured from synthetic compounds

Organic Fertilizers

Any Any fertilizer that originates from an organic source, such as bone meal, compost, fish extracts, manure, or seaweed

Genetically modified foods

These are foods produced from organisms both animal and plant) that have had changes introduced into their DNA

Genetic engineering techniques

These allow for the introduction of new traits as well as greater control over traits when compared to previous methods

Rangelands

These are native grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals

Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

It is a widely used method of growing food or clearing land in which wild or forested land is clear-cut and any remaining vegetation is burned

Soil Erosion

It is the movement of weathered rock or soil components from one place to another and is caused by flowing water, wind, and human activity

Soil degradation

It is the decline in soil condition caused by its improper use or poor management, usually for agricultural, industrial, or urban purposes

Salinization

Water that is not absorbed into the soil evaporates, leaving behind dissolved salts in topsoil

Waterlogging

Saturation of soil with water, resulting in a rise in the water table

Tillage

An agricultural method in which the surface is plowed and broken up to expose the soil, which is then smoothed and planted

Irrigation

The application of controlled amounts of water to plants at needed intervals and has been a necessary component of agriculture for over 5,000 years

Ditch

Dug and seedlings are planted in rows

Drip irrigation

Water is delivered at the root zone of a plant through small tubes that drip water at a measured rate;x the most efficient form, with only about 5% of water lost to evaporation and runoff; expensive and so is not often used

Flood irrigation

Water is pumped or brought to the fields and is allowed to flow along the ground among the crops; sees about 20% of the water lost to evaporation and runoff; can also lead to waterlogging of the soil

Furrow irrigation

Small parallel channels are dug along the field between crop rows and filling them with water; inexpensive, but about 1/3 of the water is lost to evaporation and runoff

Spray irrigation

Uses overhead sprinklers, sprays or guns to spray water onto crop; with only 1/4 or less of the water lost to evaporation or runoff; more expensive than other forms, and also requires energy to run

Pesticides

These can be used to control pests, but their use has drawbacks

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

a combination of methods used to effectively control pest species while minimizing the disruption to the environment, include biological, physical, and limited chemical methods such as biocontrol, intercropping, crop rotation, and natural predators of the pests

Biological Pesticides

Living organisms used to control pests

Carbamates

Also known as urethanes, affect the nervous system of pests, which results in the swelling of tissue in the pest

Fumigants

These are used to sterilize soil and prevent pest infestation of stored grain

Inorganic pesticides

These are broad-based pesticides that include arsenic, copper, lead, and mercury

Organic pesticides

These are natural poisons derived from plants such as tobacco or chrysanthemum

Organophosphates

These are extremely toxic but remain in the environment for only a brief time

Persistent organic pollutants (POPS)

These organic compounds can pass through and accumulate in living organisms' fatty tissues because they don't break down chemically or biologically

Pesticide resistance

It describes the decreased susceptibility of a pest population to a pesticide that was previously effective at controlling the pest

Pest species

They evolve pesticide resistance via natural selection

Pesticide Treadmill

Also known as pest traps; farmers are forced to use more and more toxic chemicals to control pesticide-resistant insects and weeds

Intercropping

A farming method that involves planting or growing more than one crop at the same time and on the same piece of land

Polyculture

The simultaneous cultivation or raising of several crops or types of animals

Genetic resistance

An inherited change in the genetic makeup of the pests that confers a selective survival advantage

Aquaculture

Mariculture or fish farming

Dredging

A method for mining below the water table and usually associated with gold mining

In situ

Small holes are drilled into the Earth and toxic chemical solvents are injected to extract the resource

Mountaintop removal

Removal of mountaintops to expose coal seams and disposing of associated mining overburden in adjacent "valley fills"

Open pit

Extracting rock or minerals from the Earth by their removal from an open pit when deposits of commercially useful ore or rocks are found near the surface

Strip mining

Exposes coal by removing the soil above each coal seam

Urbanization

It refers to the movement of people from rural areas to cities and the changes that accompany it

Urban Sprawl

Also known as suburban, describesthe expansion of human populations away from central urban areas into low-density and usually car-dependent communities

Adopting mixed-use planning

Combining residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, and/or industrial uses in a specific location

Urban runoff

It is surface runoff of rainwater created by urbanization

Ecological Footprint

A measure of human demand on Earths ecosystems and is a standardized measure of demand for natural capital that may be contrasted with the planets ecological capacity to regenerate

Sustainability

It refers to the capacity for the biosphere and human civilization to coexist through the balance of resources within their environment

Sustainable agriculture

It emphasizes profitable, environmentally friendly, energy-efficient production and food systems that improve farmers' and the public's quality of life

Contour plowing

Plowing along the contours of the land in order to minimize soil erosion

No-till agriculture

Soil is left undisturbed by tillage and the residue is left on the soil surface

Strip cropping

Cultivation in which different crops are sown in alternate strips to prevent soil erosion

Terracing

Make or form (sloping land) into a number of level flat areas resembling a series of steps

Windbreaks

Rows of trees that provide shelter or protection from the wind and erosion

Mining

Can involve underground mines, drilling, room-and-pillar mining, long-wall mining, open pit, dredging, contour strip mining, and mountaintop removal.

First Green Revolution

The introduction of inorganic fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, new irrigation methods, and disease-resistant, high-yielding crop seeds.

Second Agricultural Revolution

This revolution saw the development and spread of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)—animals, plants, and microorganisms—with genes that don't exist in nature.

Third Agricultural Revolution

Mechanization of agriculture and new scientific farming methods such as biotechnology, genetic engineering, and the use of pesticides are now beginning to focus on more sustainable methods.

First Agricultural Revolution

* People went from hunting and gathering to the domestication of plants and animals, which allowed people to settle in areas and create cities.
* Settled communities permitted people to observe and experiment with plants to learn how they grow and develop.

selective cutting

cutting down only some trees in a forest and leaving a mix of tree sizes and species behind

strip cutting

clear-cutting a strip of trees along the contour of land within a corridor narrow enough to allow natural regeneration

Maximum Sustainable Yeild

the amount of a renewable resource that can be taken without reducing the available supply

crop rotation

the system of growing a different crop in a field each year to preserve the fertility of the land

perennial crops

those which are alive year-round and are harvested multiple times before dying