Transcript Renewable resources - Living Environment @ GCHS

Human Ecology:
• deals with the relationship between
humans and their environment
Recall: The ecosystem
• ecological system
• any portion of the environment
• made up of living(biotic factors) and
nonliving things (abiotic factors)
Environmental Threats
Humans have greater impact on the
environment than other organisms by:
• altering the environment in pursuit of
natural resources, such as food, coal, and
wood
• generating wastes and pollution that affect
the environment
• upsetting the basic processes of the
ecosystems, such as generation of soils,
cycling of waters, flow of energy, and
recycling of nutrients
Two Types of Resources
• Renewable resources
- resources that can be replaced in a
relatively short period of time
- solar energy, air, water, soil, living
things, food supply
Renewable Resources
• Nonrenewable resources
- once used, can not be replaced
- those that are finite (fixed amount on
Earth)
- those that take a long time to be replaced
- fossil fuels, coal, oil, natural gas,
metals,minerals
Nonrenewable Resources
Preserving Our Resources
The 3 R’s
• REDUCE
• REUSE
• RECYCLE
How Individuals Can Preserve Resources
How much have you learned?
1. Which of the following is a renewable
resource?
A. wood
B. oil
C. iron
D. coal
2. The best way to ensure that there will
be enough aluminum for all future
needs is to
A. dig more mines and process more
aluminum
B. buy more aluminum from other
countries and save our own
C. recycle and reuse aluminum
D. increase space exploration and
search for new sources of
aluminum
3. Some ecologists are concerned that
the human population has outgrown the
capacity of many of Earth’s ecosystems.
The natural limiting factor that will more
likely prevent further human population
growth in many parts of the world is
A. habitat destruction
B. political intervention
C. food supply
D. social intervention
4. Today’s lifestyles have led to increased
demands for disposable products. The
packaging of these products has
caused environmental problems most
directly associated with
A. food web contamination
B. atmosphere depletion
C. solid waste disposal
D. the use of nuclear fuels
5. When humans use more ground water for
industry than is being replaced, the soil
above the ground water may collapse and
disrupt natural habitats. This human
activity is an example of
A. species exploitation
B. renewal of natural resources
C. a disposal problem
D. poor use of finite resources
6. In some areas, foresters plant one tree for
every tree they cut. This activity is an
example of
A. lack of management of nonrenewable
natural resources
B. a good conservation practice for
renewable natural resources
C. a good conservation practice for
nonrenewable natural resources
D. lack of concern for renewable
resources
Causes of Environmental
Damage
Thinking critically...
Human Population Growth
• most serious environmental problems
related to growth in human population
• 1850: 1 billion
• 1930: 2 billion
• mid 1970’s: 4 billion
• 1990: 5.1 billion
• 2000: 6.2 billion
Disruption of the Ecosystem
• Urbanization
- shift from rural (farming) areas to cities
- results in the destruction of farmlands
- destroyed or endangered other
ecosystems
Industrialization
• the development of an economy in which
machines produce many of the products
people use
• may add to quality of life, but can harm the
environment
• contributes to pollution of air and water
• increase demand for energy, water, and
other resources
Deforestation
• the destruction of forests resulting from
human activity
• can provide people with land for farming
and places to live
• causes widespread habitat destruction
Poor Farming Practices
• Overfarming and overgrazing
•Misuse of Pesticides
- indiscrimate use caused contamination of
the air and water
- disrupted food chains by killing
organisms that are not pests
Pollution
• adding anything to the environment or
affecting the environment in a way that
makes it less fit for living things
• processes or changes that are likely
detrimental or damaging to the
ecosystems
• a harmful change in the chemical makeup
of the soil, water, or air
Some Forms of Pollution
• Water Pollution
Sources of pollution:
1. organic wastes
2. inorganic chemicals
3. disease-causing microorganisms
4. changes in water temperature
5. oil spills
6. radioactive wastes
Water Pollution
• Air Pollution
Some air pollutants:
1. aerosols
- natural (smoke, dust)
- artificial ( hair spray, air
freshener)
2. gases (SO2, H2S, CO, NO, NO2)
Global Warming
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from 1750
Ozone Depletion
•Land Pollution
- caused by many tons of solid waste, or
refuse everyday
Two ways of disposing waste or refuse:
1. Sanitary landfills
2. Incineration (burning)
How much have you learned?
1. The grasshoppers, spiders, shrews,
and other organisms, along with the soil
minerals, amount of rainfall, and other
factors, constitute
A. an ecosystem
B. a species
C. a biosphere
D. a food web
2. Ladybugs were introduced as predators
into an agricultural area of the United
States to reduce the number of aphids
feeding on grain crops. This action is an
example of
A. preservation of endangered
species
B. conservation of natural resources
C. protection of watershed areas
D. use of a nonchemical means of
insect control
3. An example of a human activity that
has had a positive effect on the
environment is the
A. disruption of natural habitats
through deforestation
B. capture and sale of rare South
American birds
C. use of reforestation to control
erosion
D. hunting of endangered species of
animals
4. Which relationship can be correctly inferred from
the data present?
A. As sewage waste increases, the oxygen
content decreases
B. As sewage waste increases, the oxygen
content increases
C. As oxygen content decreases, the carp
population decreases
D. As oxygen content decreases, the trout
population increases
5. The trees in forest aid in reducing flood
damage chiefly because their
A. branches store water in the form
of sap
B. leaves absorb moisture from the
air
C. root systems hold the soil in place
D. stems serve to store food
6. A method of agriculture presently used in
many regions of the world where one crop is
grown on many acres of land has created
serious insect problems. This is primarily
because this method
A. increase soil erosion
B. provides concentrated areas of one
kind of food for insects
C. increases the effectiveness of
insecticides used over long periods of
time
D. involves the growing of crops in former
desert areas
7. Modern methods of agriculture have
contributed to the problem of soil depletion
because many of these methods
A. require smaller amounts of mineral
and fertilizer application
B. interfere with the natural cycling of
elements
C. use many varieties of cloned plants
D. depend on the practice of planting
and harvesting
8. Refer to the chart below, which illustrates some
methods of pest control.
One likely effect of using these methods of
pest control will be to
A. prevent the extinction of endangered species
B. increase water pollution
C. reduce pesticide contamination of the
environment
D. Harm the atmosphere
9. A desired outcome derived from an
understanding of the principles of ecology
would be
A. the elimination of most predatory
species
B. an increase in world human
population
C. a decrease in disruption of
existing wildlife habitats
D. an increase in the amount of
industrialization
10. Which action that humans take in
attempting to solve ecological problem has
had the most negative effect?
A. seeking better means of birth control in
the human population
B. applying scientific farming techniques
C. producing stronger and more effective
pesticides
D. developing new techniques for the
disposal of sewage and industrial
chemical wastes
11. DDT is an insecticide that accumulates in
the fatty tissues of animals and is transferred
through food chains. Its concentration
increases at each link of a food chain. Which
organism in a food chain is most likely to
accumulate the highest concentration of
DDT?
A. rabbit (a herbivore)
B. corn (a producer)
C. field mouse (a consumer)
D. owl (a predator)
12. Which of these human activities is quite
often responsible for the other three
human activities?
A. increasing demand on limited food
production
B. rapid increase of loss of farmland due
to soil erosion
C. rapid increase of human population
D. increasing levels of air pollution
13. The least ecologically damaging method
for controlling the mosquitoes that spread
the disease malaria is by
A. draining the swamps where mosquitoes
breed
B. spraying swamps with chemical
pesticides
C. spreading oil over swamps
D. introducing local fish species to the
swamps where mosquitoes breed
14. Which human activity would most likely
result in the addition of an organism to the
endangered species list?
A. the use of cover crops to prevent soil
erosion
B. the use of pollution controls by industry
C. the use of erosion prevention measures
by road construction crew
D. habitat destruction by shopping mall
developers
15. Humans are responsible for some of the
negative changes that occur in nature because
they
A. have controlled the use of many
pesticides and other environmentally
damaging chemicals
B. have passed laws to preserve the
environment
C. are able to preserve scarce resources
D. are able to modify their physical
environment to provide for human needs
16. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
A. keep Earth warm
B. are related mostly from greenhouses
C. are valuable fuels
D. reduce holes in the ozone shield
17. Some modern agricultural methods have
created serious insect problems, primarily
because these methods
A. increase soil loss
B. provide concentrated areas of food for
insects
C. aid in the absorption of water
D. grow crops in areas where formerly
only insects could live
18. Plants help maintain the quality of the
atmosphere by
A. storing carbon dioxide
B. opening holes in the ozone shield
C. causing global warming
D. storing oxygen
19. The number of industries along New York
State’s rivers is increasing. What is the most
likely consequence of increased
industrialization?
A. a decrease in the amount of water
needed by industry
B. a decrease in the amount of water
pollution
C. an increase in the destruction of natural
ecosystems
D. an increase in the amount of water available
for recreational use
20. Which human activity has probably
contributed MOST to lake acidification in
the Adirondack region of New York State?
A. passage of environmental protection
laws
B. reforestation projects in lumbered areas
C. production of chemical air pollutants by
industry
D. use of biological insect controls to
eliminate pests
Natural Processes in the
Ecosystem
Soil Formation
• weathering which breaks down rocks
• accumulation of organic materials from
decaying (dead) plants and animals
The Water Cycle
• almost entirely a physical process
• consists of the following processes:
- evaporation from the surface of land
and water
- transpiration from the leaves of plants
- condensation
- precipitation
The Water Cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle
• atmosphere composed of almost 80%
nitrogen gas(N2)
• cannot be used by organisms as N2
• important component of amino acids,
which form proteins, and nucleotides,
which form nucleic acids
• plants use nitrogen in two inorganic
forms: ammonia (NH3) and nitrate(NO3-)
The Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria in
root nodules
of a legume
The Carbon and Oxygen Cycles
Carbon dioxide(CO2):
• makes up 0.03% of the atmosphere
• also found dissolved in the waters of the
earth
• incorporated into organic compounds
during photosynthesis
• released when remains of dead plants
and animals decompose
Oxygen (O2):
• makes up about 20% of the earth’s
atmosphere
• formed from the splitting of water into
hydrogen and oxygen during
photosynthesis
• used by animals and plants in cellular
respiration
The Carbon and Oxygen Cycle
Waste Removal and the
Recycling of Nutrients
• nutrients transported from one organism
to another through the food chains
• those not released in the atmosphere
are contained in the dead bodies and
wastes of organisms
• nutrients restored through break down
of wastes and dead bodies of
organisms by decomposers
Population Growth
• Most species in new environments can
have a period of rapid population growth.
• The population increase levels off as it
approaches the ecosystem’s carrying
capacity.
carrying capacity – the number of
individuals the environment can
support
Human Activities and the Loss of
Diversity
Direct Harvesting
• the destruction or removal of species
from their habitats
• can lead to the extinction of a species
Land Use
As human population grows…
• More space for places to live
• More land needed to grow food
• More land to build roads and factories
• More land to provide parks and
recreational areas
• Use of land decreases the space and
resources available for other species
Habitat Destruction
• Occurs when people take over land for
their own use
• An important way that species can
become endangered – they simple have
nowhere to live
• Whole ecosystems can be damaged and
entire species may become extinct
Loss Biodiversity
• Occurs when species are lost
• Can affect the health of whole ecosystems
and food webs
• Can affect the proportion of gases in the
atmosphere
• Can be caused by habitat destruction
Imported Species
• Import and release of species from one
environment to another reduce biodiversity
• Imported species may become a pest
creating a serious problem
• Many states and countries have laws to
restrict the transport of fruits or vegetables
How much have you learned?
1. The creation of wildlife refuges and the
enforcement of game laws are
conservation measures that promote
increased
A. use of chemicals to control pests
B. preservation of species
C. use of natural controls to limit pest
populations
D. exploitation of wildlife species
2. Which of the following human activities
would be most likely to prevent certain
species from becoming extinct?
A. pass laws to place all endangered
species in zoos
B. increase the hunting of predators
C. increase wildlife management and
habitat protection
D. mate organisms from different species
to create new and stronger organisms
3. Japanese beetles, a major insect pest in
the United States, do relatively little
damage in Japan because they
A. are kept in check by natural enemies
B. are kept in check by effective pesticides
C. hibernate during the winter months
D. have gradually adapted to the
environment
4. Gypsy moths were accidentally introduced into
North America. The most probable reason these
insects have become serious pests in North
America is that they
A. were bred by research scientists and
are resistant to all pesticides
B. are protected by environmental laws
and feed on other insects
C. have few natural enemies and
reproduce successfully
D. are affected by natural controls and feed on
plants
5. What is the most likely cause of the change in
the expectancy shown in the graph?
A. poor land-use management
that has affected the
quality of the topsoil
B. technological oversights
that have had an impact
on air quality
C. a decrease in natural checks, such as
diseases, on the population
D. widespread use of pesticides, such as DDT,
in water supplies
6. Base your answer on the diagram, which
represents the growth rate of a mouse
population introduced into an abandoned field
ecosystem.
At what point is food most likely a limiting
factor in the rate of
population growth?
a. A and B
b. B and C
c. C and D
d. B and D
7. Base your answer on the diagram, which
represents the growth rate of a mouse
population introduced into an abandoned field
ecosystem.
At what point is the
rate of population growth
the greatest?
A
B
C
D
8. Base your answer on the diagram, which
represents the growth rate of a mouse
population introduced into an abandoned field
ecosystem.
At what point would
the mouse population
be the greatest in the
ecosystem?
A
B
C
D
9. The screw-worm fly is a destructive parasite of livestock.
The graph shows the results of an experiment in which
one population of screw-worm flies was treated with
pesticides and another group of equal size was treated
with ionizing radiation, which made the male flies sterile.
At what point
after treatment will
the group treated with
pesticide probably
reach its pretreatment
population?
A. 1st generation
B. 7th generation
C. 3rd generation
D. 8th generation
10. The screw-worm fly s a destructive parasite of
livestock. The graph shows the results of an experiment
in which one population of screw-worm flies was treated
with pesticides and another group of equal size was
treated with ionizing radiation, which made the male flies
sterile.
At what point after
treatment will the
sterility method be more
successful against
screw-worm flies than
the pesticide method?
A. immediately
B. 2nd generation
C. 3rd generation
D. 6th generation