APES UNIT 8

  1. Explain the causes and effects of eutrophication.

    1. Increases in nitrates and phosphates on land (fertilizers) that are transported into lakes, rivers, estuaries, etc. This causes hypoxia (low oxygen conditions) in large bodies of water.

 

  1. Identify the sources of the following pollutants and describe their effects on humans and/or the environment:

a.  Wastewater- agriculture and wastewater treatment; exposure to fecal coliform bacteria like E.coli

b. Oil- natural seeps, major oil spills, sources from land (cooking oil, motor oil); habitat destruction along coastal ecosystems

c.  Heavy metals- combustion of coal and mining; neurotoxins which affect brain and nervous system development and function

d. Thermal- leftover cooling water emitted from a power plant; warm water leads to lower dissolved oxygen

e.  Noise- SONAR, wind turbines, and electrical transmission lines; additional stress put on animals

f.  Sediment- agricultural runoff and construction; decreases photosynthesis, decreases dissolved oxygen, increases temperature, eutrophication, clogs the gills of fish

g. Pesticides- agricultural runoff; decreases biodiversity because they are broad spectrum

h. Perchlorates- industrial chemicals; carcinogens

i.   PCBs- industrial chemicals; carcinogens

j.   Pesticides- agriculture; carcinogens

k. Inorganic nutrients (N & P)- agricultural runoff and suburban runoff (fertilizers); eutrophication

 

  1. Describe bioaccumulation

    1. Buildup of toxins in an individual overtime

  

  1. Compare point sources and nonpoint sources

    1. Point source- smokestack, tailpipes, effluent pipes

    2. Non point source- over a large area, like a farm

 

  1. Describe how BOD changes as the result of organic wastes in a stream

    1. As waste is introduced, BOD increases because bacteria take up much of the dissolved oxygen

 


  1. Explain primary, secondary, and tertiary sewage treatment

    1. Primary- removes large solids with screens and gravity

    2. Secondary- removes small solids with decomposing bacteria (oxygen required)

    3. Tertiary- removing N and P (filter)

Disinfectant - disinfection using UV, ozone, or chlorine

  


  1. Identify and explain the laws that protect water in the USA

    1. Clean water act- focuses on surface water health for fish and other organisms

    2. Safe drinking water act- sets safety standards for groundwater

 

  1. What are the characteristics and functions of a wetland

    1. Buffer from coastal flooding, filters pollutants from the land, and habitat for many organisms


  1. Compare bioaccumulation to biomagnification and identify 2 toxins that can bioaccumulate

    1. Bioaccumulation- toxin builds up in an individual

    2. Biomagnification- toxin moves up & magnifies in the food chain

    3. Examples: Mercury and DDT


  1. Describe estrogen mimics effect on organisms and identify a toxin that acts as an estrogen mimic

    1. Feminization of male fish or amphibians who are exposed to pharmaceutical drugs that people dispose of improperly

  1. Describe compost and identify the materials that can be composted

    1. Organic household waste that decomposes into a fertilizer (grass clippings, leaves, eggshells, carrot tops, banana peels)

  1. Explain why plastics are harmful to the environment

    1. Contribute to solid waste pollution on land and in the ocean. Some organisms will eat plastics mistaking them for food. Can destroy coastal habitats.

  1. Describe MSW and identify the materials that make up the largest percentage of MSW in the USA

  1. MSW includes your household garbage and consists mostly of paper and plastic products

  1. Discuss the effect of climate change on the incidence of infectious disease around the world

  1. As temperatures increase, the habitat of disease vectors like mosquitoes also increases

  1. Explain the how the dose-response curve allows scientists to compare the toxicity of various chemicals (LD-50, threshold, etc)

  1. Dose response curve measures the effect different concentrations of a chemical has on a test population. LD50 is used to compare toxicity between chemicals, with a lower LD50 indicating a greater toxicity and higher LD50 indicating a lower toxicity. 

  1. Describe the environmental consequences of landfills

  1. Habitat destruction, water pollution, climate change

  1. Describe the components of a sanitary landfill

  1. Bottom liner and top cap both include impermeable materials like clay and rubber that will prevent anything contaminates from escaping the landfill

  1. Describe the environmental effects of trash incineration

  1. Climate change, air pollution

      19. Identify the symptoms and transmission pathways of various infectious diseases:


Name

Cause

Spread

Symptoms

Tuberculosis

Bacterial infection of the lungs

Inhaling droplets from people who cough or sneeze

Coughing, fever, chills

Zika

Virus 

Mosquito bites

Mild fever, can cause reproductive problems including children being born with smaller heads

Malaria

Protist

Mosquito bites

Very high fever and chills

Cholera

Bacteria

Contaminated drinking water

Diarrhea, dehydration

SARS

Virus

Respiratory droplets

High fever

West Nile

Virus

Mosquito bites

Fever, headaches

Plague

Bacteria

Fleas, rats, mice

Fever, black lesions