Apes Quiz Unit 5

Industrial agriculture

Mechanization and standardization applied to food production. The transition from hand working stuff to technological advancement.

Green Revolution

Shift to hands-on mechanization, fertilization, irrigation, improved crop varieties over last 100 years. Not “green” like environmentally friendly, the opposite

Mechanization Pros

Tractors for tilling, and combines for harvesting, results in more yield/profit which is money, techniques for planting, collecting, separating, etc become automated, machines make things easier and faster

Mechanization Cons

Machinery compacts soil, which dries it out, and increases erosion. Reliant on fossil fuels. Small farms cannot expend the up-front cost. average costs of production fall as output increases. Large upfront expenditure justified by profits from increased production

Synthetic Fertilizers Pros

Shift from organic fertilizer (manure) to synthetic. Faster way to introduce nutrients into soil, which means more yield/profit, and customizable

Synthetic Fertilizers Cons

typically overused. excess nutrients runoff into nearby water, causing eutrophication

Eutrophication

it rains, then water runs off, picks up the synthetic fertilizer and gets into a body of water, nutrients get too much in the water

the new nutrients get into algae, algae explodes, and floats to the top, blocking sunlight.

Then algae sinks to the bottom and die. Decomposers need oxygen, but the dead algae suck out the oxygen, and organisms will suffocate and die.

Irrigation pros

Drawing water from ground or nearby, and giving it to fields. Makes farming possible in drier areas

Irrigation Cons

Can run water supplies dry, and Increases salt content of soil, which is bad for plant growth

Pesticides Pros

Chemicals that kill organisms that damage crops. Increases yield/profit

Pesticides Cons

Can runoff into nearby water, affecting non-target species. Can give rise to pesticide resistance (artificial selection)

Monocropping pros

Large plantings of single species or variety, planting the same crop over and over again in your farm.

Very effective and productive, easy, lasts all year long

Monocropping cons

More soil erosion, degrades soil, Higher vulnerability to pests, Loss of genetic diversity, lack of enticement for predators

GMO (Genetically Modified Organism)

Traditional artificial selection for a long time, so we give a gene chemical trait to crops that pests hate, so then pests don’t eat them. Produce more food which means more money

But were not sure if its safe for human consumption, food allergies could be an issue.

Plowing/Tilling (Agricultural Practice) PROS

Using machinery to turn over topsoil. loosens soil for roots. makes planting easier

Plowing/Tilling (Agricultural Practice) CONS

increases soil erosion, easier to be blown and washed away, results in less organic material over time. increases particulate matter (PM) in air which humans and animals breathe

 Slash and Burn (Agricultural Practice) PROS

Cutting down vegetation to clear an area, then burning remains to return nutrients to soil, getting rid of trees and bushes, Efficient method of starting up farmland, fast.

 Slash and Burn (Agricultural Practice) CONS

Decreases habitat diversity, increases amount of  CO₂ in air. Decreases pollutant filtration, while adding pollutants to environment farm land has less albedo than forests

Monocropping (Agricultural Practice) PROS

Plant the same thing over and over again in your farm. Easy and efficient

Monocropping (Agricultural Practice) CONS

reduces biodiversity, which means more prone to pests/diseases. more soil erosion. And decreased habitat diversity means less predators and pollinators

Synthetic Fertilizers (Agricultural Practice) PROS

Gives ability to add necessary nutrients to the soil (N/P/K/etc) that it might be lacking

Synthetic Fertilizers (Agricultural Practice) CONS

But these nutrients don’t come housed in the organic matter that helps keep soil moist and helps house decomposers

Excess nutrients can runoff into nearby water, causing eutrophication

Feeds plants rather then feeding soil like with organic fertilizers, which do the same thing as this but slower.

Clearcutting

a method of clearing trees (whether for agriculture, lumber, or whatever else)

Clearcutting Cons

Causes Soil Erosion and water runoff due to no root structure

Increased temperature of water and soil because of no reflection of sunlight, nothing absorbs water, and because of no albedo, Loss of air filtration, sequestration of CO₂, habitat diversity, and ecosystem services, because organisms die

Turbidity

cloudiness of water because of soil particles that block light

Tree Plantations

planting trees, but these trees and cheap, but also provide the same benefit of a real tree, mostly happens by mono cropping. While the use of tree plantations can help slow deforestation, they ultimately maintain low species and habitat diversity.

Irrigation percentages

~3% of all water on Earth is freshwater. ~70% of all freshwater is used for irrigation. Most of Earth water isn’t freshwater

Irrigation pros

technique for watering our plants. Most of our water is used for this. We can rely on this instead of waiting for it to rain and make agriculture everywhere, feeds the population

Waterlogging (irrigation cons)

dumping too much water into the soil, soil gets flooded with water; roots cannot get enough oxygen and can drown in it

Salinization (irrigation cons)

Even when you’re talking about freshwater, there are small amounts of salts and other minerals in it; when it evaporates and this continues over time, salt builds up in the soil. Too much salt left behind through evaporation or saltwater intrusion, which Is toxic for plant growth

Furrow Irrigation (Irrigation techniques)

What it is: build trenches and fill them up with water.

Efficiency: 65% of water that reaches the plant roots and is not lost to evaporation or runoff

Money: cheap, low effort

Cons: causes more salinization and rises of Waterlogging

Flood Irrigation (Irrigation techniques)

What it is: dump a bunch of water everywhere and flood every crop.

Efficiency: 70-80% of water that reaches the plant roots

Money: cheap, and easy, low effort

Cons: causes more salinization and a bunch of Waterlogging

Spray irrigation (Irrigation techniques)

What it is: install sprinklers around crops, schedule them when and how to release water.

Efficiency: 75-95%, very efficient

Money: more money, expensive and more electricity

Cons: too much work to handle, too expensive

Drip irrigation (Irrigation techniques)

What it is: Hoses throughout the farm, hoses drip a small amount of water consistently

Efficiency: 95%. Most efficiency; reduces weed growth (keeps surface soil dry); especially useful in perennials

Money: super expensive, so much money, expensive and more electricity

Cons: too much work to handle, super duper expensive, and might need to remove each time youplow

Aquifers

A layer of rock that contains water with the ability to flow. The only way for this to recharge is by surface water seeping into it.  This process takes time.  When there is a large amount of paving on the land surface, water runs off quickly to nearby lakes and streams, but is not able to seep into the deeper layers of rock.

Confined Aquifers

Sandwiched between two layers of impermeable rock or clay. Very slow; water can only enter at distant surface openings where the confining layer is absent.

Unconfined Aquifers

Located near the Earth's surface and capped only by permeable soil and rock. The upper boundary is the water table. Easily and quickly replenished directly by precipitation and surface water seeping down through the soil.

Tragedy of The Commons

an economic and environmental concept where individuals with open access to a shared resource (a "commons") act in their own short-term self-interest and, in doing so, ultimately deplete or ruin the resource for everyone

Tragedy of the commons negative cost

The negative impact (depletion, pollution, or degradation) is divided among all users (a negative externality). Because every person follows the exact same logic, the cumulative effect exceeds the resource's carrying capacity and collapses the system

Examples of Tragedy of the Commons

Pastures / Rangelands: Herders add extra sheep/cattle to a shared common field; individual profit goes up, but overgrazing destroys the grass for all.

 Ocean Fisheries: Unregulated commercial fishing leads to stock collapse (e.g., Atlantic Cod) because catching more fish helps an individual boat today, while fish stock depletion hurts everyone. 

Groundwater / Aquifers: Multiple farmers or cities pump water from a shared underground aquifer faster than it recharges. 

Air & Water Pollution: Factories or cars emit carbon, smog, or waste into the air/water because the atmosphere acts as a common dumping ground.