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Environmental Science > 10/3/24 > Flashcards

10/3/24 Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is an example of freshwater overuse?

A

Aral sea

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2
Q

What is the culprit of Aral sea’s freshwater overuse?

A

Soviet cotton

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3
Q

What was the reason for the Green Revolution and what was the goal?

A

1960: scarcity of new arable land

Goal: increases crop output per area land

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4
Q

What was the purpose of cultivars during the Green Revolution?

A
  • Increased yield
  • Drought- and salt-tolerant
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5
Q

What were the outcomes of the intensive agriculture during the Green Revolution?

A

Fertilizer pollution
Pesticide pollution
Water depletion (irrigation)
Fossil fuel use

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6
Q

What would happen without the Green Revolution?

A

much greater loss of forests, wetlands, damage to other ecosystems

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7
Q

Why are monocultures an issue?

A

Economically efficient, but risk of “all eggs in one basket”

Reduced global diversity of crop plants

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8
Q

Why is pesticide use an issue?

A

Pesticides gradually become less effective as pests evolve resistance

Few pests that survive pesticide (because happen to be genetically immune)

Reproduce and pass on pesticide resistance genes to the next generation

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9
Q

Genetically Modified Food Organisms (GMOs)

A

Organisms whose genetic constitution has been altered by engineers with a specific outcome in mind

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10
Q

What is the result of using GMOs

A

Organisms grow bigger and faster

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11
Q

What is the purpose of GMOs?

A

Attempt to ramp up food increase

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12
Q

Artificial selection

A

manipulating organism’s genetic material by selecting mating, harvest

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13
Q

Artificial selection is a selection of

A

who mates with who

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14
Q

Examples of artificial selection

A

different dog breeds
All come from same genetic stock (wolves)

Teosinte → corn

Wild mustard (origin)
Cabbage - suppression of internode length
Broccoli
Kale
Cauliflower
Kohlrabi

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15
Q

Genetic engineering

A

adding, deleting, or changing segments of DNA

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16
Q

Recombinant DNA

A

combination of original DNA plus some modification

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17
Q

What is an example of recombinant DNA?

A

Bt-protected crops

Soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis

Produces toxic to defend against predators

Toxin-producing gene is taken → Bt endotoxin
95% U.S. soybeans, 85% corn, and 90% cotton GM

US = 40% global GMO production)

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18
Q

Scientific Concerns About GMOs (least to most likelihood):

A

Human health risks
- No evidence suggesting GMOs affect human health

Can tansgenes for pest resistance “jump” from crops to weeds (–> “superweeds”)?

Pests will evolve resistance to Gm crops just as with pesticides?

19
Q

Socioeconomic & Political Concerns of GMOs

A

Ethics of “playing God?”
Food supply risk?
- Adequate testing? Is outside oversight adequate?

20
Q

Benefits of GMOs

A

Increase food production without nature conversion

Less pesticide use

21
Q

What is one way people are preserving crop diversity?

A

Seed banks to preserve native cultivars (“living museums”)

E.g., Svalbard Global Seed Vault

22
Q

Feedlot agriculture

A

Increased meat consumption → animals raised in feedlots (CAFOs) Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

23
Q

What are the upsides of feedlot agriculture?

A

Energy-rich food

Extremely high densities

24
Q

Downsides of feedlot agriculture

A

Chickens are confined to small spaces
Start to get hyper aggressive

Chicken beaks are snipped off

25
Q

Eutrophication

A

over-fertilization of the natural environment

26
Q

In eutrophication, Phytoplankton are supplied with ____ and ____, which leads to extreme phytoplankton growth

A

sulfur; phosphorus

27
Q

CAFO environmental impacts

A

Conc waste production, polluting air and water

Methane (GHG)
- Greenhouse gas

Ammonium
Sulfide
- Rotten eggs

Intensive use of antibiotics, growth hormones, some of which persist

28
Q

How is grain feed demand calculated?

A

kg feed/kg produced

29
Q

____ has the greatest gain feed demand (____ kg feed/kg produced)

A

Beef; 20

30
Q

______ has the lowest grain feed demand (less than ___ kg feed/kg produced)

A

Chicken

31
Q

How is energy demand calculated?

A

energy/kg produced

32
Q

______ has greatest energy demand (energy/kg produced)

A

Beef

33
Q

_____ have second greatest energy demand (energy/kg produced)

A

Eggs

34
Q

How is GHG production calculated?

A

GHG emissions/kg produced

35
Q

______ has greatest GHG emissions/kg produced

A

Beef

36
Q

______ has lowest GHG emissions/kg produced

A

Chicken

37
Q

How is water demand calculated?

A

water/kg produced

38
Q

What animals have the greatest demand of water?

A

Cow

39
Q

What resource has the least demand of water?

A

Eggs

40
Q

How many liters of water/kg produced for beef?

A

700

41
Q

How many liters of water/kg produced for eggs?

A

less than 50 liters

42
Q

What the Earth’s total biomass of humans and domesticated cows?

A

Domesticated = 630 Mt
Humans = 390 Mt

43
Q

T or F: Humans have more biomass than cows

A

F: cows have more biomass than humans

Environmental Science (9 decks)

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