Advanced Placement Environmental Science Unit 5 Vocabulary and Definitions

sustainability

The use of Earth's resources in ways that do not constrain resource use in the future.

Maximum sustainable yield

The maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of that resource.

Ecosystem services

the processes by which life-supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops are produced

Environmental indicator

an indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system (ex. extinction rate)

old-growth forest

Uncut or regenerated forest that has not been seriously disturbed by human activities or natural disasters for at least several hundred years

Snag Trees

dead or dying trees that many wildlife use for food and nesting habitat

second-growth forest

Stands of trees resulting from secondary ecological succession.

tree plantation

a large area typically planted with a single rapidly growing tree species for the purpose of harvesting (economic profits)

selective cutting

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

clear-cutting

The process of cutting down all the trees in an area at once

strip cutting

Tree harvesting technique where loggers cut down trees in narrow strips that are left to reseed

habitat fragmentation

Splitting of ecosystems into small fragments (prevents species migration and decreases the gene pool/biodiversity)

Tragedy of the Commons

the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain

Commons

land or resources belonging to or affecting the whole of a community

Externality

the unintended impact (cost or benefit) of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of that good/service.

Undernutrition

The condition in which not enough calories are ingested to maintain health

malnutrition

Having a diet that lacks the correct balance of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

Overnutrition

Too much food energy or excess nutrients; a form of malnutrition

Food insecurity

limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods

energy subsidy

the energy input per calorie of food produced

highest energy subsidy

Far-offshore Fishing

Green Revolution

A shift in agricultural practices in the twentieth century that resulted in increased food output

Mechanization

In agriculture, the replacement of human labor with technology or machines.

Advantages of Mechanization

It decreases labor demands and is efficient for large-scale production

Disadvantages of Mechanization

It includes increased carbon emissions from fossil fuel use and soil compaction.

Monocropping

An agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety

Advantages of Monocropping

It improves the productivity because farmers can use the same planting and harvesting equipment, fertilizer, and pesticide

Disadvantages of Monocropping

There is no biodiversity and farms are more vulnerable to pests because there is a huge food supply for the species that eats that crop.

crop rotation

The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.

irrigation

A way of supplying water to an area of land

Advantages of Irrigation

It allows crops to be planted in areas that normally would not get enough rain to grow them. There is also higher food production on land that was previously unusable.

disadvantages of irrigation

It depletes groundwater can cause salinization and waterlogging

Salinization

Accumulation of salts in soil that can eventually make the soil unable to support plant growth.

drip irrigation

the most efficient irrigation practice using small pipes that slowly drip water just above ground to conserve water to use for crops

Flood irrigation

water is distributed over the soil surface by gravity; the most common form of irrigation and most inefficient; loses 40% - 50% of water

Spray irrigation

water is pumped from a well into an apparatus that contains a series of spray nozzles that spray water across the field

Furrow irrigation

This irrigation practice involves digging trenches and filling them with water

Cone of depression

an area lacking in groundwater due to rapid withdrawal by a well or aquifer

advantages of fertilizer use

They help plants grow faster and larger due to being highly concentrated with N, P, & K.

disadvantages of fertilizer use

They are easily washed away by runoff causes algae blooms. They also provide no organic matter to soil

pesticide treadmill

A cycle of pesticide development, followed by pest resistance, followed by new pesticide development

biological pest control

the use of living organisms to control pests. "natural enemies"

Integrated Pest Management

An agricultural practice that uses a variety of techniques designed to minimize pesticide inputs

Free range

animals, especially poultry, that range freely for food, rather than being confined in an enclosure

CAFO

A large indoor or outdoor structure designed for maximum output. Animals are confined and concentrated into small spaces.

Overgrazing

Destruction of vegetation caused by too many grazing animals consuming the plants in a particular area so they cannot recover

fishery

a commercially harvestable population of fish within a particular ecological region

fishery collapse

the decline of a fish population by 90% or more

Bycatch

The unintentional catch of nontarget species while fishing

Aquaculture

Raising marine and freshwater fish in ponds and underwater cages

GMOs

crops that carry new traits that have been inserted through advanced genetic engineering methods

Advantages of GMOs

Higher yields per acre, low tillage agriculture, lower fertilizer requirement, insect resistant, drought resistant, disease resistant, salinity resistant

Disadvantages of GMOs

Impacts beneficial insects, loss of natural landscape, human health, soil depletion, low genetic diversity

urban sprawl

The process of urban areas expanding outwards, usually in the form of suburbs, and developing over fertile agricultural land.

smart growth

A set of principles for community planning that focuses on strategies to encourage the development of sustainable, healthy communities.

Exurb

an area similar to a suburb, but unconnected to any central city or densely populated area