AP Environmental Science: Agricultural Practices, Soil Conservation, and Aquatic Resources

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Green Revolution, agricultural soil degradation, soil conservation methods, marine overfishing, aquaculture impacts, pesticide resistance, GMOs, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

The Green Revolution

A shift to new agricultural strategies and practices in order to increase food production, incorporating mechanization, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), fertilization, irrigation, and the use of pesticides.

Mechanization (Farming)

The use of machinery in agriculture that increases farm efficiency and profits, but increases reliance on fossil fuels and generates greenhouse gas emissions.

High-Yield Variety (HYV) Crops

Hybrid and crossbred crops developed to maximize yield per unit of land, often requiring higher inputs of synthetic fertilizer and irrigation.

Synthetic Fertilizer

Inorganic fertilizer supplying nitrates and phosphates for immediate crop uptake, which can run off to cause aquatic eutrophication and release $N_2O$, a potent greenhouse gas.

Irrigation

The controlled application of water to agricultural land to make crop growth possible in dry regions, which can deplete groundwater aquifers and cause soil salinization.

Monocropping

The agricultural practice of cultivating a single crop species across a large area, which decreases biodiversity and makes fields more vulnerable to pests and soil erosion.

Tilling

The agricultural practice of digging and overturning soil to prepare a seedbed, which damages soil structure, depletes organic matter, and leaves topsoil vulnerable to erosion.

Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

A method of cutting down natural vegetation and burning it to clear agricultural land and return nutrients to the soil, resulting in habitat loss and releases of $CO_2$, $CO$, and $N_2O$.

Eutrophication

An ecological process where nutrient runoff stimulates rapid algal blooms that block sunlight, followed by algal death and bacterial decomposition that depletes dissolved oxygen and suffocates fish.

Soil Conservation

A collection of agricultural methods designed to prevent soil erosion, retain nutrients, and preserve soil moisture and structure.

Contour Plowing

Plowing and planting across a slope along its natural elevation lines to slow water runoff and reduce soil erosion.

Terracing

Carving broad, flat, step-like platforms into steep hillsides to catch runoff, retain water, and prevent topsoil loss.

Perennial Crops

Crops that live for multiple seasons without annual replanting, whose deep, persistent root networks hold topsoil firmly in place.

Windbreaks

Rows of trees or shrubs planted along field perimeters to reduce wind speed across soil surfaces and curb wind-driven topsoil erosion.

No-Till Agriculture

A farming practice where seeds are drilled directly into undisturbed soil beneath previous crop residues, anchoring soil and conserving moisture.

Strip Cropping

Planting alternating rows of erosion-prone row crops and soil-covering cover crops along land contours to filter and slow water runoff.

Crop Rotation

The seasonal alternation of different crop types in a field to avoid depleting specific nutrients, interrupt pest life cycles, and replenish soil fertility.

Green Manure

Uprooted, cut, or grown cover crop biomass left to decompose on or within the soil to enrich organic matter and soil nutrients.

Agricultural Limestone

Calcium carbonate ($CaCO_3$) added to fields to neutralize acidic soils and supply plants with essential calcium and magnesium.

Rotational Grazing

The regular movement of livestock between pastures to allow plant regrowth, prevent soil compaction, and avoid overgrazing.

Overfishing

The unsustainable harvesting of fish populations faster than they can replenish, causing severe scarcity, reduced marine biodiversity, and economic damage to fishing communities.

Bottom Trawling

An industrial fishing technique of dragging weighted, heavy nets across the seafloor, which destroys benthic habitats and captures high quantities of bycatch.

Fishing Down the Food Web

The progressive depletion of top predator fish species that drives fleets to target smaller species at lower trophic levels, triggering widespread trophic cascades.

Aquaculture

The commercial rearing and farming of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions, requiring small water footprints and minimal fuel compared to wild capture.

Environmental Drawbacks of Aquaculture

Negative effects of high-density fish farming, including wastewater contamination, accelerated transmission of diseases and parasites, and genetic contamination or competition from escaped fish.

Pesticide Resistance

The evolutionary adaptation in pest populations where repeated chemical exposure artificially selects for resistant individuals, rendering pesticides ineffective over time.

Bt Corn

A genetically modified crop containing an inserted gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis that produces an insecticidal crystal protein, reducing the need for chemical insecticide sprays.

Roundup Ready Crops

Genetically engineered crops resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, enabling farmers to spray broad-spectrum herbicide over fields without damaging the crop.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

An ecologically based combination of biological, physical, and limited chemical methods to control pest populations while minimizing environmental and human health risks.

Biocontrol

An IPM strategy that introduces or conserves natural predators, parasitoids, or pathogens to regulate and suppress pest populations.

Intercropping

Growing two or more different crop species in close proximity to confuse pests, provide habitat for natural enemies, and reduce pesticide requirements.