Human Populations
Define "immigration"
When people move into a country
Name one new technique or technology that arose during the green revolution
Synthetic Fertilizer
GMOs
Heavy machinery
Pesticides & Herbicides
Pump-driven irrigation systems
What is the "tragedy of the commons"?
The overuse of a publicly available resource due to competition and lack of regulation.
Give an example of an unsustainable human activity.
Monocropping
Bottom trawling
Overgrazing
Building with concrete and steel
Using synthetic fertilizer
Relying on fossil fuels
Using pesticides
Describe the life expectancy of a highly developed country
High life expectancy
Over time, pest populations can become resistant to pesticides through the process of natural selection.
Identify two problems associated with bottom trawling.
Excessive bycatch
Plastic pollution
Destruction of reefs
Increasing turbidity in the benthic zone
Define "maximum sustainable yield"
The fastest rate at which resources can be extracted from a reservoir without surpasses that reservoir's rate of replenishment.
Describe the age structure diagram of a Stage 2 country
Triangle-shaped
Name two air pollutants that are emitted from CAFOs
Methane (CH4)
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
Ammonia (NH3)
Particulates (Fecal matter)
Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)
Why do urban areas experience excessive runoff and what problem can this runoff cause?
Large areas covered in impermeable surface stop infiltration from occurring. This can lead either to flash floods or water pollution when runoff picks up contaminants from the urban area.
Describe one solution to the problem of urban runoff.
Permeable pavement
Rain garden
Green roofs
Alternative city design to counteract urban sprawl
Public transport
Calculate the population growth rate if the crude birth rate is 30 and the crude death rate is 20.
1%
Describe two environmental issues associated with modern irrigation techniques besides water reservoir depletion.
Waterlogging
Soil Salinization
Cone of Depression
Saltwater Intrusion
Define "ecological footprint"
The amount of land that is necessary to produce all of the food, water, goods, and energy necessary to sustain your lifestyle. Measured in hectares.
What makes a biocontrol a more sustainable method of pest control compared to pesticides?
Predators are self-sustaining, they don't produce pollution, and pests can't develop effective resistance to them.
Give three reasons why the death rate of a country begins to decline sharply in stage 2 of the demographic transition.
Advancements in medical care
Better sanitation
Less crime/war
Better protection from predators
More consistent food production
Better access to clean drinking water
Synthetic fertilizers being very water-soluble gives them what advantage and what disadvantage compared to organic fertilizers?
Increases plant uptake of nutrients
Increases rate of leaching
Describe the cause and effect of acid mine drainage.
When sulfur-containing minerals such as pyrite are exposed to air and water that has leached into mines, sulfuric acid forms and then leaks out of the mine, contaminating local waterways and harming wildlife or humans.
Identify one similarity and one difference between raising land-animals and aquaculture.
Similarities are that both are more sustainable sources of meat compared to hunting, both create waste problems, and both rely on giving the animals antibiotics.
Differences are that fish can become invasive if they escape their enclosure, fish convert feed to protein more efficiently, and fish produce fewer emissions.
Predict what the replacement-level fertility rate would be in a country with a high infant mortality rate and explain your reasoning.
You would expect a replacement-level TFR above 2 because extra children need to be born to replace the ones that die at a young age.
Explain what the "Bt" in Bt corn represents
Genes from Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium, were implanted in a corn plant which gives it the ability to manufacture "Bt crystals". These are proteins that are toxic to insects and functions as the plants own personal pesticide.
Why is the "slash and burn" deforesting technique very popular in developing countries in tropical regions.
This strategy is easy and cheap to accomplish, and it imbues the poor rainforest soil with nutrients from the ashes.
Identify four methods that a farmer can use to reduce soil erosion.
Contour plowing
Terracing
Intercropping
Perennial crops
No-till
Cover crops / green manure