IBESS Unit 5 Study Guide

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5.1 Introduction to Soil Systems | 5.2 Terrestrial Food Production Systems and Food Choices | 5.3 Soil Degradation and Conservation

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55 Terms

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soil

mixture of minerals, organic matter, water & air

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4 primary functions of soil

  1. medium for plant growth with water and nutrients

  2. major water storage/purification system

  3. habitat for ¼ soil-modifying species

  4. modify atmosphere via respiration/roots

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“sphere classifications”

  • soil → pedosphere

  • water → hydrosphere

  • rock → lithosphere

  • air → atmosphere

  • living → biosphere

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parent material

soil origin materials

  • turn into soil via weathering

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weathering

process of rocks changing into soil

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soil differentiation factors

  • climate - changes in precip/evap/temp

    • water freezing/thawing has higher

  • relief/topography - less slanted/slop → better soil

    • flat land → stationary rocks → good agricultural soil

  • organisms - primary succession on rocks → rock breakdown

  • time - soil is a non-renewable resource due to the fact recovery time > human lifespan

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reasons why soil is an ecosystem

living organisms classify soil as ecosystem

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reasons why soil is a system

  • 6 critical components

    • water - for weather/soil texture

    • organic matter - DOM and basic elements

    • organisms. - add nutrients

    • minerals - parent material

    • air - weather and the porosity/permeability of soil

    • nutrients. - found in OM

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3 categories of soil

  • clay (finest)

  • silt

  • sand (coarsest)

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loam

best agricultural soil; best combo of sand, silt & clay

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clay effects on soil

  • increase in turbidity → no water absorbed

  • mineral/nutrient storage

    • negative clay attracts positive particles (metals ions: calcium/potassium)

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humus

decomposing organic matter found in soil layers

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soil profile/horizons

  • O-horizon - top layer with loam

  • A-horizon - lot of topsoil and loam

  • E-horizon - leached layer

  • B-horizon - subsoil without humus

  • C-horizon - accumulation zone

    • where metals/nutrients from previous leeching lay

  • R-horizon - parent material

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erosion

movement of soil from one place to another via wind or water

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wind erosion

wind picking up soil particles & carrying them away

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water erosion

  • detachment - raindrops hit soil → freed soil particles

  • transport - water flow carries particles

  • deposition - water slows → particles deposited

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sheet erosion

fairly thin layer of soil removed by run-off

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gully erosion

water erosion creating deep channels

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chemical degradation

  • salinization - leftover salts from water evap → saline soil

    • common with high temps and high irrigation

  • acidification - high hydrogen ions concen → lowered pH

    • caused by acid deposition, leeching, or nutrient removal

  • nutrient depletion - loss of nutrients via over-exploitation

  • chemical depletion - accumulation of toxic metals within soils from pesticides

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physical degradation

  • compacted soil due to heavy machinery/animals

  • water infiltrating rock and freezing → cracked rock

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Wangari Maathai

Kenyan black female who won 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for planting trees

  • way of replenishing the wood lost of deforestation

  • worked with gov’t to cancel school to plant trees

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arable farms

farms with crops (ie. corn)

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pastoral farms

farms that rear animals

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mixed farms

farms with crops and animals

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intensive comerical farming

intensive farming with high labor and high yield

  • usually uses GMOs, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, and mechanical technologies

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battery farming

term to describe animals kept in close quarters

  • higher risk of spreading diseases (ie. bird flue)

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subsistence farming

farming based on providing enough for family and leftover for selling

  • areas without supermarkets rely on this (parts of Asia)

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monoculture farming

farming with one crop at a time

  • ie. coffee plants in tropicals

  • usually cash crops: crops used as financial outlets; usually sold in local shops

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crop rotation

shift/schedule of crops to stop nutrient depletion

  • not available to LEDC/subsistence farmers

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cover crop

crops used to cover open soil

ie. sweet clover used to fixate nitrogen to soil; also used as humus

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nomadic farming

movement with animals in search of suitable grazing areas

ie. Maasai in Africa herd cattle for meat, milk, and blood

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shifting agriculture

method of farming with clearing land and farming for some years then moving and repeating

  • usually in tropical rainforests with slash-and-burn method

  • sustainable for low pops, high pops → low crop yields, high soil damage

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organic farming

farming with prohibited use of growth hormones/GMOs (genetically-modified organisms), synthetic fertilizers (MiracleGro), synthetic pesticides (neonicotinoids, DDTs)

  • high priced crops with low yields limits availability by socioeconomic class

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food waste breakdown by HDI

  • HEDCs have high food waste at consumption

  • LEDCs have high food waste at packaging/storage

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demand for meat reasons

  • population growth

  • affluence equal to addorability

  • urbanization

  • cultural value

  • cheap meat value

  • proteins in meat

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processes/causes of soil degradation

  • urbanization

  • grazing livestock

  • deforestation

  • farming methods

  • salinization

  • clear cutting

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furrows

little dips within ground so you can walk/have irrigation

  • can cause water run-off if not flat

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tillage

ploughing land and clearing debris

  • leads to bare and erosion-vulnerable soil

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tilled land

tilling of land which causes cloudy air from soil kickup

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no-till

untilled land allowing for crop protection against natural events

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GHGs in Farming

  • Methane (MH4)

    • rice flooding → anaerobic decomp

    • compacted/waterlogged compost → decreased oxygen

    • cow anaerobic consumption → flagellate

    • less oxygen with fires

  • Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

    • any fires

  • Nitrous Oxide (N2O)

    • fertilizers overpowering soil

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biochar

black carbon created by humans converting wood C to charcoal C

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anaerobic digestors

storage area for farmers to put cow manure

  • creates methane which is converted into electrical energy for farm

  • decreases amount of manure in rivers, waters, etc.

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silt fences

barriers of silt and sand

  • allows clay and water with fences’ pores

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terraces

flat areas separated by walls

  • walls prevent moving soil/water

  • labor expensive

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contour farming

circleline of crop soil on same elevation

  • can be intensive with tech requirement

  • basically circular furrows

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strip cropping

alternating crops planted

  • helps with nutrient depletion (crop rotation’s sister)

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conservation tillage

when farmers leave crop reside on top as seeds are planted

  • new crops grow via DOMs

  • can act as mulch - residue left to conserve water and stop weeds

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shelterbelts

line of trees/shrubs to prevent high wind velocities

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agroforestry

crops alternating with trees to provide shade

  • must use plants with low sunlight requirement

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calcium carbonate (CaCO3)

limestone aka “lime” that neutralized carbonic acid (H2CO3) and stops pH drops

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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

payment by consumer in advance of planting/harvesting season

-risk of farming assumed by consumer

can be risky due to crop seasonality

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Land Use, Land Use, Change and Forestry (LULUCF)

changing of ecosystem → agricultural land

  • 75% of deforestation due to agriculture

  • Palm Oil agriculture is 11-15% of GHGs

    • used for cheapness/preservation

    • found in oreos, nutella, etc

    • endangers habitats (orangutans)

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selective/artificial breeding

breeding of the “best” crops to feed the world

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Norman Borlaug

person who bred wheat, rice and corn to save billions of lives from 30s-50s

  • focused on monoculture w/ similar gene pool = high disease risk (ie. Bird Flu)