EB 7-9 food, toxicology, climate, changw

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms and facts from Environmental Biology lecture notes on food, agriculture, health, toxicology, and climate change.

Global Food Production Growth Rate

The rate at which food production increases annually, which is currenty $2.2\%$, outpacing population growth.

Global Population Growth Rate

The annual rate of human population growth, noted as $1.7\%$ per year.

Daily Kilocalorie Threshold

The amount of food energy, over $2,200$ kilocalories per person per day, that most countries now provide.

Food Security

The ability of an individual or population to obtain sufficient and healthy food on a daily basis.

Causes of Famines

Usually the result of political instability and war rather than a simple lack of food supply.

Global Food Waste Percentage

Approximately $30\%$ of all food produced, totaling $1.3$ billion tons annually.

Hunger-Related Child Mortality

The statistic that $6$ million children under the age of $5$ die every year from hunger-related diseases.

Global Malnourishment Statistic

A condition affecting nearly $3$ billion people worldwide.

Kwashiorkor

A type of malnutrition in children caused specifically by a protein deficiency.

Marasmus

A form of severe malnutrition characterized by a lack of both protein and calories, leading to low resistance.

Goiter

A condition resulting from an iodine deficiency that causes a swollen thyroid gland.

Overweight/Obesity Trend

A nutritional problem that now affects more people globally than being underweight.

American Adult Overweight Percentage

The proportion of adults in the United States who are overweight, currently at $64\%$, with $1/3$ being obese.

Healthy Eating Recommendations

Dietary guidelines suggesting an increased intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy oils.

Foods to Limit

Dietary components to reduce, including red meat, processed foods, sugary drinks, and refined grains.

Biofuels Impact on Corn

The doubling of corn prices due to ethanol subsidies, causing competition between biofuel crops and food production.

Major U.S. Food Sources

The two crops that dominate U.S. food production are corn and soybeans.

Global Staple Grains

Wheat and rice, which are the most important crops for human consumption globally.

Meat Production Growth

Global meat production has doubled in the last $45$ years.

Grain Requirement for Bread

$1\,kg$ of grain is needed to produce $1\,kg$ of bread.

Grain Requirement for Fish

$1.5\,kg$ of grain is needed to produce $1\,kg$ of fish.

Grain Requirement for Chicken

$2\,kg$ of grain is required to produce $1\,kg$ of chicken.

Grain Requirement for Pork

$3\,kg$ of grain is required to produce $1\,kg$ of pork.

Grain Requirement for Beef

$8\,kg$ of grain is required to produce $1\,kg$ of beef.

CAFOs

Confined Animal Feeding Operations where animals are housed in giant enclosures and fed soy and corn for rapid growth.

CAFO Environmental Concerns

Waste pollution, antibiotic overuse, and increased disease risk.

Seafood as Protein

Provides $15\%$ of all animal protein eaten globally and is the main food for $1$ billion people.

Marine Fisheries Decline

The state where $13$ of the $17$ major marine fisheries have declined.

Aquaculture

Fish farming, which is a growing industry but still requires wild inputs.

Components of Soil

Sand/gravel, silts/clays, dead organic material, soil life, water, and air.

O Horizon

The top soil layer consisting of decomposing leaves and organic materials.

A Horizon

The topsoil layer containing organic matter, organisms, and roots where most food grows.

E Horizon

The washed-out layer of clays or minerals located between the A and B horizons.

B Horizon

The subsoil layer enriched with leached materials such as clay and iron.

Water Erosion Types

Sheet, rill, gully, and streambank erosion.

Desertification

The process of land degradation in dry areas, often caused by wind erosion.

Degraded Agricultural Land

Approximately $1,900$ million hectares of agricultural land have been degraded in the past $50$ years.

Topsoil Accumulation Rate

Topsoil accumulates naturally at a rate of only $1\,mm$ per year.

Agricultural Water Withdrawal

Agriculture accounts for $2/3$ of all fresh water withdrawn globally.

Irrigated Cropland Percentage

Currently, $15\%$ of global cropland is irrigated.

Drip Irrigation

A more efficient but expensive method of providing water to crops.

Major Fertilizer Elements

Nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.

Overfertilization Problems

Causes water pollution and nitrate contamination in water sources.

U.S. Food System Energy Use

Accounts for $16\%$ of the total energy used in the United States.

Corn Production Oil Equivalent

Each hectare of corn uses the equivalent of $800$ liters of oil for production.

Pesticide Benefits

Protects up to $50\%$ of crops from pests.

Pesticide Risks

Killing non-target species, creating new pests, and inducing genetic resistance.

Green Revolution

A period in the $20^{th}$ century where agricultural growth was driven by improved varieties and synthetic fertilizers.

Semidwarf Wheat and Rice

Improved crop varieties developed during the Green Revolution specifically for tropical climates.

GMOs

Genetically Modified Organisms created by splicing genes from one organism into another.

Herbicide Tolerance (HT)

A common genetic engineering trait, such as Roundup-Ready crops, that allows crops to survive weed-killing chemicals.

Insecticide Production (Bt)

A genetic engineering trait where crops produce their own insecticide to kill pests.

Bt Cotton Adoption Rate

The adoption of Bt cotton increased from $17\%$ in 1996 to $82\%$ in 2016.

HT Soybeans Adoption Rate

The adoption of herbicide-tolerant soybeans grew from $8\%$ in 1996 to $94\%$ in 2016.

Contour Plowing

A soil conservation method involving plowing across hills to reduce water runoff.

Strip-farming

Alternating different types of crops along the contours of a hill.

Terracing

Creating level shelves on slopes to prevent soil erosion and retain water.

Cover Crops

Plants like rye, alfalfa, or clover grown specifically to protect soil from erosion.

No-till Planting

The practice of leaving plant debris in rows to protect the soil instead of plowing it under.

Regenerative Farming

Farming practices, like those of the Minar family, that avoid synthetic chemicals and use rotational grazing.

Locavore

A person who prioritizes eating locally produced food to support local economies and reduce environmental impact.

Health

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.

Disease

An abnormal change in the body's condition that impairs physical or psychological functions.

Morbidity

A term referring to illness or the state of being diseased.

Mortality

A term referring to death.

Environmental Health

The study of external factors that cause disease in our surroundings.

DALYs

Disability-Adjusted Life Years; a measure used to evaluate the total impact of health problems on a population.

Epidemiological Transition

The global shift where chronic conditions now outweigh infectious diseases as the leading causes of death.

Chronic Conditions

Long-term illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and kidney disease.

Traditional Killers

Health issues like infections, maternal/birth complications, and nutritional deficiencies.

Pathogens

Disease-causing agents including viruses, bacteria, protozoans, and parasitic worms.

1918 Influenza Pandemic

The greatest single-year loss of human life in recorded history.

Emergent Diseases

Diseases that are new or have been absent for at least $20$ years, such as Ebola or Zika.

2014 Ebola Outbreak

An outbreak in West Africa that spread rapidly through contact with bodily fluids.

Malaria

A disease causing $500$ million new cases and about $1$ million deaths per year.

Ecological Diseases

Epidemics that affect wildlife, such as the disease currently impacting frogs and toads.

Conservation Medicine

A field studying how environmental changes affect both human and ecosystem health.

Antibiotic Resistance

The development of 'super bugs' like MRSA due to the overuse of antibiotics.

Conjugation

The process by which resistance is transferred directly between bacteria.

Toxicology

The study of the adverse effects of external factors like chemicals, drugs, and diet on living organisms.

Environmental Toxicology

The study of toxins and their effects on individuals, populations, and ecosystems within the biosphere.

Allergens

Substances that activate the immune system.

Antigens

Foreign substances recognized by white blood cells that trigger an immune response.

Antibodies

Proteins produced by the body that bind to foreign cells or chemicals.

Neurotoxins

Toxins that specifically attack and damage nerve cells.

Mutagens

Agents that cause damage to DNA and genetic material.

Teratogens

Substances, such as alcohol, that cause abnormalities during embryonic development.

Carcinogens

Substances that cause cancer, resulting in approximately half a million deaths a year.

Endocrine Disrupters

Chemicals that interfere with hormone function, sometimes called environmental estrogens or androgens.

Sick Building Syndrome

A condition resulting from poorly ventilated indoor air containing toxins like formaldehyde, leading to headaches and fatigue.

Toxin Solubility

Water-soluble compounds move rapidly through the environment; fat-soluble compounds need carriers to move.

Common Exposure Routes

Air (most common), food, water, and skin contact.

Lead Toxicity in Children

Lead is identified as the most common toxin specifically impacting children.

Bioaccumulation

The process by which organisms selectively absorb and store toxins in their tissues.

Biomagnification

The process where the toxic burden of many organisms at lower trophic levels is concentrated by a predator at a higher level.

DDT Biomagnification Example

DDT levels increase from $0.014\,ppm$ in bottom mud to $99\,ppm$ in gulls.

Persistence

The characteristic of materials like heavy metals or PVC plastics to last for years or centuries without degrading.

Antagonistic Interaction

A chemical interaction where substances interfere with each other and help break down chemicals.

Additive Interaction

A chemical interaction where the effects of multiple substances combine.

Synergism

A chemical interaction where one substance exacerbates the effects of another.