apes unit 5 definations
ere’s a brief definition for each term:
1. Tragedy of the Commons: Overexploitation of shared resources by individuals prioritizing personal gain, leading to resource depletion.
2. Clearcutting: The complete removal of all trees in an area for timber or land use.
3. Green Revolution: A period of agricultural innovation involving high-yield crops, chemical fertilizers, and mechanization.
4. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Organisms whose genetic material has been altered for specific traits like pest resistance.
5. Tilling: The process of turning over soil to prepare it for planting, often causing erosion and nutrient loss.
6. Slash-and-burn farming: Cutting and burning vegetation to clear land for agriculture, causing deforestation and soil degradation.
7. Drip irrigation: A highly efficient system delivering water directly to plant roots via tubes or emitters.
8. Flood irrigation: Involves flooding fields with water, leading to inefficient use and potential waterlogging.
9. Furrow irrigation: Water is directed into furrows between crop rows, less efficient than drip irrigation.
10. Spray irrigation: Sprinklers distribute water evenly across fields, often leading to water loss through evaporation.
11. Waterlogging: Saturation of soil with water, reducing oxygen availability for roots.
12. Salinization: Accumulation of salts in soil due to improper irrigation practices, reducing fertility.
13. Aquifer: Underground layers of water-bearing rock or sediment that store groundwater.
14. Sustainability: Meeting present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet theirs.
15. Infiltration: The process of water soaking into the ground, replenishing aquifers.
16. Soil conservation methods: Practices like crop rotation, contour plowing, and cover cropping to prevent soil erosion.
17. Prescribed burn: Controlled fires to manage forest health, reduce undergrowth, and prevent wildfires.
18. Overgrazing: Excessive grazing by livestock, leading to vegetation loss and soil erosion.
19. Selective cutting: Harvesting only specific trees, preserving forest ecosystem health.
20. Desertification: Degradation of fertile land into desert due to overuse, deforestation, and climate change.
21. Subsidence: Sinking of the ground caused by activities like aquifer depletion or mining.
22. Overfishing: Excessive fishing that depletes fish populations and disrupts ecosystems.
23. SMCRA (Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act): U.S. law regulating surface mining and land restoration.
24. Monoculture: The cultivation of a single crop, reducing biodiversity and increasing vulnerability to pests.
25. Energy subsidy: External energy input (e.g., fossil fuels) required for agricultural production.
26. Surface mining: Extracting resources by removing soil and rock layers above deposits.
27. Resistance: The ability of pests or weeds to withstand pesticides or herbicides.
28. Resurgence: The recovery of pest populations after pesticide application, often due to resistance.
29. Drift-netting: Large nets used for fishing, often catching unintended species (by-catch).
30. Bottom trawling: Dragging nets along the seafloor, damaging habitats and catching by-catch.
31. Tailings: Mining waste left after extracting valuable minerals.
32. Long-lining: Fishing method using lines with baited hooks, often catching by-catch.
33. By-catch: Non-target species caught during fishing activities.
34. Subsurface mining: Extraction of minerals from underground, involving tunnels and shafts.
35. Urbanization: The growth of cities and their impact on the environment.
36. MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield): The largest harvestable population level that allows resource regeneration.
37. Suburb: Residential area on the outskirts of a city.
38. Urban blight: Decline in urban areas due to neglect, leading to poor living conditions.
39. Impervious structures: Surfaces like asphalt or concrete that prevent water infiltration.
40. Suburban sprawl: Unplanned, low-density expansion of suburban areas.
41. Ecological footprints: Measurement of human impact on Earth’s ecosystems based on resource use.
42. Herbicides: Chemicals used to kill unwanted plants or weeds.
43. Fungicides: Chemicals targeting fungi that harm crops.
44. Rodenticides: Poisons designed to kill rodents.
45. Insecticides: Chemicals used to kill insects.
46. Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO): High-density livestock farming for meat production.
47. Ores: Naturally occurring minerals containing valuable metals.
48. Slag: Waste byproduct from smelting ores.
49. Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Pest control using a combination of biological, mechanical, and chemical methods.
50. Aquaculture: Farming of aquatic organisms like fish and shellfish for food.