Ecosystem Dynamics
Why does low biodiversity make ecosystems more vulnerable to change?
Less resilience to disturbances
How does deforestation contribute to increased atmospheric CO₂?
Less carbon storage + more emissions
Why are renewable resources considered sustainable?
They replenish naturally
Environmental disasters are caused by these two broad factors
What are natural events and human actions?
What does sustainability require?
Balancing environment, economy, society
Explain why removing a keystone species causes disproportionate impact
They regulate ecosystem balance
Explain how urbanization increases flooding risk
More pavement → less absorption → more runoff
Explain why fossil fuels are considered nonrenewable
Form over millions of years
Most environmental disasters fall into this category according to the lesson
What is preventable?
Why are environmental issues interconnected?
Earth systems interact
A population exceeds carrying capacity. Predict what happens next
Population crash or decline
Why does overfishing disrupt marine ecosystems beyond just reducing fish populations?
Food web imbalance
Why does agriculture use such a high percentage of freshwater?
Irrigation demands
This is the MOST common underlying cause of environmental disasters
What is human error or poor decision-making?
Analyze: urbanization → runoff → pollution → ecosystem damage
Cause-effect chain explanation
Why are monocultures more vulnerable to disease?
Low genetic diversity
Predict how habitat fragmentation affects species survival
Isolation, reduced reproduction, extinction risk
Which energy source has the LOWEST long-term environmental impact?
Wind
Name TWO factors that increase the likelihood of environmental disasters
What are lack of safety systems and cost-cutting (or poor planning)?
Why is climate change both environmental and social?
Affects ecosystems AND people unequally
What is a strategy to increase ecosystem stability
Increase biodiversity / protect species interactions
Evaluate which has a greater long-term impact: deforestation or urbanization and justify
Deforestation (major carbon + biodiversity loss)
Evaluate the trade-off of switching to renewable energy
Environmental benefit vs economic/infrastructure cost
Explain the difference between a natural disaster and a human-caused disaster
Natural = environmental event, Human = decisions/actions contribute
Design ONE prevention strategy for environmental disasters AND explain how it reduces risk
Example: stronger safety systems → reduces failure during extreme events