Carters Quiz

Question 1

The Predictions of marsh retreat can be studied through the impacts of what? Horton et al., used this concept to identify the probability of marsh retreat using this concept estimating an 8% probability of marsh retreat under a RCP value of 8.5.

Answer 1

Mean Sea Level Rise

Question 2

Currently there is a clear zonation between freshwater environments such as marsh plants and mangroves. An increase in what factor leads to marsh plants receding with mangroves expanding backwards? This will lead to collapses of back marsh systems and peat collapses.

Answer 2

Saltwater intrusion

Question 3

1. Rotzoll and Fletcher, 2012 studied the impact of rising sea levels on the island of Oahu in the Urban-honolulu example. Of the two factors studied in this paper, which factor posed a bigger threat to developed settlements and aquifers? This paper claims that a +0.6 meter rise in this factor has double the effect of flooding than the other factor studied. Recommending the use of withdrawal of this factor to mitigate the effects of a rising water table.

Answer 3

Groundwater Inundation

(prompt on inundation as there are two forms)

Question 4

What connects the following: thermal expansion, glacial melt, melting of polar ice sheets.

Answer 4

Contributors to mean sea level rise.

Question 5

According to a paper by Willet et al., 2019, to achieve the Paris Agreement target, three contributors to greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced from the context of agriculture. Two of these are gasses while the third is not exclusive to just agriculture with the model predicting that by 2050, this factor will eventually become a net sink than a net source. Name these three factors.

Answer 5

Methane, Nitrous Oxides and Land use.
(accept land use changes)

Question 6

1. Fill in the blanks: anaerobic environments such as wetlands or ruminant animals, methanogenesis involves the breaking down of polysaccharides into monomers through the process of a)___________, which are either converted into either formate, and acetate, or broken down onto b)________through acidogenesis. Hydrogen and carbon dioxide created in the production of formate is then converted into methane and carbon dioxide while c)_______ converts formate into acetate which also leads to methane and carbon dioxide production due to methanogenesis.

Answer 6

A): hydrolysis
b): “short chain volatile fatty acids”
c): acetogenesis

Question 7

The Greenfeed Emissions Monitoring unit is an attempt alongside dietary changes of animals to reduce the emission of which gas? This gas is produced with nitrous oxide through the decomposition of manure and produced alongside carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide when waste is treated.

Answer 7

Methane

Question 8

According to Gerber et al., 2013, the lowest production of greenhouse gasses as a result of agriculture is caused by what with 0.2 Gt of carbon dioxide equivalent produced through this process?

Answer 8

Postfarm transport and processing

Question 9

According to a paper by Garnet et al., 2017, three are two sources of nitrous oxide emissions due to livestock production. Name both sources which contribute to 24.1% of total greenhouse gas emissions from livestock productions.

Answer 9

Applied and deposited manure and fertilizer and crop residue

Question 10

Environmental, antibiotics in feed, grain production and shipment loss and poor treatment of animals are all disadvantages of what?

Answer 10

Feedlots

Question 11

What connects the following: management of both grasslands and manure, modification of genetics, diet and rumens and improvement of animal health?

Answer 11

Methods to reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

Question 12

C3 and C4 grasslands for pastures show evidence that grazing might increase soil carbon. Name four reasons why this might be the case.

Answer 12

Creation of fine, shallow roots,
Alter organic matter decomposition vital to stabilization of soil carbon,
Increases biomass and diversity of soil carbon microbes,
Reduction of mechanical equipment on similar jobs,
Holistic management increases the productivity of the grassland.

Question 13

According to a paper by Chen et al., 2015, the fungal:bacterial ratio does not always lead to higher carbon sequestration as the ratio increases stating that what process has accumulated more soil carbon despite having a lower fungal:bacterial ratio to other sites? This indicates that the accumulation of soil carbon requires a “positive mix of inputs and outputs.” The factor in question also reports low species richness and the maximum value of root biomass in comparison to other forms of this factor according to Dia et al., 2019.

Answer 13

Moderate grazing

(Accept heavy grazing but prompt on grazing)

Question 14

What connects the following: genetic, organismal, ecological.

Answer 14

Biodiversity

Question 15

Ecosystem services are gains humans gain from improve biodiversity. With reference to the ecosystem seas wheel, name ten examples of ecosystem services that can be obtained from coral reefs.

Answer 15

Acceptable answers :
1) Fish and shellfish stocks
2) Genetic resources
3) Sand and gravel
4) Food web
5) Nutrient cycling
6) Larval/gamete supply
7) Water current and sediment transport
8) Stabilize sediment
9) Carbon storage and climate regulation
10) Storm protection
11) Creativity and art
12) Recreation
13) Health and well-being
14) Wildlife watching
15) Science and education
16) Seascapes
17) tourism

Question 16

Now do the same for rainforest biodiversity with reference to the ecosystem land wheel.

Answer 16

Acceptable answers :
1) Materials
2) Natural medicines
3) Food and drink
4) Physical health and mental wellbeing
5) Tourism
6) Knowledge and learning
7) Recreation
8) Sense of place
9) Inspiration
10) Spiritual and religious connections
11) Space for wildlife
12) Nutrient cycling
13) Phtotosynthesis
14) Healthy soils
15) Pollination
16) Disease and natural pest control
17) Erosion control
18) Carbon storage
19) Clean air.

Question 17

While agroecosystems provide us with many benefits, for example, fertilization, water quality and soil regulation, carbon sequestration and biological pest control, they can cause some problems too. What is the name of this term? Examples of this include loss of habitats, nutrient runoff, pesticides and GHG emission.

Answer 17

Ecosystem disservice

Question 18

To reduce the effects of question 17’s answer, landscape and ecosystem management can be used to reduce the impact of these while ensuring that ecosystem services remain strong. Give three examples of landscape management and three examples of farm management that can used to reduce the impact of question 17’s answer.

Answer 18

Farm management:
Tillage
Crop diversity
Field size
Crop rotation
Cover cropping
Landscape management:
Windbreaks
Hedgerows
Riparian vegetation
Natural habitat patches

Question 19

When analysing food security, a common framework used is the use of Rocha’s Five A’s. (Rocha 2003, 2007). What are the five A’s?

Answer 19

Availability: is the food supply enough for people’s needs?
Accessibility: economic and physical ability to obtain food
Acceptability: cultural and national sustainability of food.
Appropriateness: evaluate ecological sustainability and safety of food
Agency: is there an access to accurate information on supply, quality and safety to make market choices?

Question 20

Why might biodiversity and food security be so difficult to have together in one agroecosystem? Give two examples:

Answer 20

Few examples: Difficulty with adaptations and convincing people to make changes.

Both systems are at their limits

There is an opportunity costs between good food security and biodiversity especially for factors like food production and farm sizes.
Other:_____

Question 21

1. Communities begin to lose rare and specialist species during what stage of forest fragmentation according to Turner and Snaddon, Handbook of Forest Ecology? This stage is also known for the increase in colonization of open-habitat species.

Answer 21

Partially fragmented

Question 22

1. Define the term land sparing and provide an example, two advantages and two disadvantages of it.

Answer 22

Separation of land for farming and biodiversity
Examples: include California almond orchards, oil palms in Indonesia
Advantages: increased yield of food due to intensive farming.
Biodiversity still present in protected land.
Ecosystem services still present.
More species benefit form land sparing in comparison to land sharing.
Disadvantages: Biodiversity and ecosystem services are still limited
Cultural and political problems such as what happens in the long run or what happens if expansion is needed?
Since farming is designed for high yield instead of being “wildlife friendly”, effects of farming e.g. nutrient runoff may be affected even in protected areas.
High operational costs.
Difficult to apply due to real world complexity.
Doesn’t involve food security (Rocha’s 5 A’s).

Question 23

1. Define the term land sharing and provide an example, two advantages and two disadvantages of it.

Answer 23

Land sharing is the combination of agriculture and environments such as in agroforestry.
Examples: botanical gardens and national parks
Regenerative agriculture.
Advantages: biodiversity is maintained and kept high, less side effects of.
agriculture due to less intensive farming.
Can provide extra sources of income via ecotourism.
Disadvantages: farm sizes are limited
Crop yield is lower,
More space required to achieve similar results to land sparring.
Potential for higher operational costs.
More species negatively affected by land sharing Phalan et al., 2011).
Difficult to apply due to real world complexity.

Question 24

According to the perfect storm, we will need how much food, water and energy by 2030?

Answer 24

50% more food
50% more energy
30% more water.

Question 25

. According to the Dasgupta review, what three factors must be changed now?

Answer 25

Demand on nature does not exceed sustainable supply
Different metrics for economic success must be adopted
Transformations of institutions and systems to apply these changes and sustain them for future growth.

Question 26

1. The Dasgupta review argues that GDP is not a suitable method for measuring economic success, what does the review suggest as an alternative to GDP.

Answer 26

Inclusive measures of wealth including the state of the ecosystem.
Systems that include natural capital.
Suggests natural capital as an alternative

Question 27

1. MA’s framework classifies ecosystem services into four groups. Name these four groups providing two examples for each group.

Answer 27

Supporting:
Nutrient cycling
Primary production
Soil formation
Provisioning:
Food
Fresh water
Materials
Fuel
Regulating:
Climate regulation
Flood regulation
Disease regulation
Water purification
Cultural:
Recreational
Aesthetic
Spiritual
Educational

Question 28

1. Provisioning services appear to have a high potential and a strong intensity of linkage between which factor of constituents of well-being? This constituent is linked by the medium potential and medium intensity of regulation services with examples of this constituent being livelihoods, sufficient nutritious food and access to goods.

Answer 28

Basic materials for good life

Question 29

1. Of the following constituents of well-being, good social relations, basic material for good life, security, freedom of choice and action, and health, one of them is not a constituent of human well-being. Identify it.

Answer 29

Freedom of choice and action

Ecosystem functions and processes include soil formation, nutrient and water cycles, carbon sequestration, etc.
Ecosystem services (see ecosystem land and sea wheel)
Goods e.g. tourism, food, water, raw materials, shelter, etc.
Human well-being, physical, mental, social, economic.

Question 30

1. Andrew Balmford found a major flaw when analyzing ecosystem assessment? What is this flaw, providing an example of this flaw and two ways it can be mitigated of it too.

Answer 30

Double-counting
Examples: listing water purification and provision of freshwater as separate services, or value of crop productions and the estimation of price of the food.
Mitigation: estimating values only for “separate end benefits.”
Have a distinction between benefits and processes. This can be done by
identifying the relationship between ecosystem services and separate the between benefits and processes to identify which one have potential overlap.
If there is some overlap, values on processes need to be placed instead on impacts, for example, climate regulation can impact food and water production.

Question 31

1. As populations grow, there is a consensus that more people will gain access to more diverse diets as poverty decreases, despite a projected 50% increase in population, because of this, demand for which food types is expected to increase the most with a projected demand growth being greater than 60% which is the second highest demand growth.

Answer 31

Fruits and vegetables

Question 32

1. Undernourishment is expected to increase by around 200 million people by 2030 with a significant increase in Africa, which three factors does undernourishment include.

Answer 32

Physical, economic and social access to food.

Question 33

1. Apart from increasing populations, give three more examples of threats to food supplies.

Answer 33

Global water crisis,
Increased land competition
Climate change
Increased soil degradation

Less arable land is a cause of increased competition and growing populations

Question 34

1. As of 2000, arable land available is 0.25 ha per person, by 2050, what is the expected amount of hectares per person on average?

Answer 34

0.16 ha

Question 35

1. Currently the food system is not sustainable, give three reasons why including at least one statistical example of why.

Answer 35

70% of global water is used
24% of vegetated land suffers soil degradation
30% ghg emissions indirectly or directly from food systems
Nitrate and other pollutions
Fisheries are over-exploited

Question 36

1. When all people, have physical and economic access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food at all times is achieved, we have food security, based on this, what four factors need to be sufficiently present for food security to exist?

Answer 36

Availability of food
Access to food
Utilisation
Stability

Question 37

1. Food security can be affected by many factors both physically and economically. Name ten factors that might affect food security

Answer 37

Trade agreements
War
Governmental policies (especially those in authoritarian states)
Dietary changes
Climate change
Conservation
Technological innovations
Demographics
Public works projects
Political aspects
Transport and storage
Disease
immigration

Question 38

1. Gibson, 2012 identified four levels of food security, give the name of these four levels of food security along with one example for each.

Answer 38

Context:
Examples include demographic, economic political, social and environmental conditions alongside risks and hazards
National/regional:
Examples include food access, availability and supply
Household:
Examples include care and feeding practices, sanitation and health and household characteristics
Individual:
Examples include food consumption, health and nutritional status

Question 39

1. When a country is capable of producing more wheat than others, there is a possibility for other countries to grow more. Figuring this out is often referred to as what and involves looking at what is being done and what conditions are in a country with high yields and how can those be applied to other countries?

Answer 39

Yield gap

Question 40

1. With 30% of food produced not being consumed, both developing and developed countries experience waste sources, what is the largest contributor of waste in developing and developed countries and how does waste differ from developing and developed countries as a result?

Answer 40

Developing countries have high wase both on farm and through transport and processing while developed countries have more waste from home and municipal factors. Developing countries also have food waste from retail and food services while on farm and transport wastes are comparably low.

Question 41

1. The removal of use by dates, and encouragement of food bins are two factors that can be done to reduce waste. Give three other things that can be done to reduce waste.

Answer 41

Response to prices, higher prices increases incentive to use it rather than waste it.
Restaurants can sell excess stock at a fixed price or give it away.
JIT production can be enforced in more retail and restaurants to reduce and/or eliminate the need for storage as stock comes when it is needed.

Question 42

1. Not everyone can have a western diet due to the carbon footprint and lack of feasibility meaning demand must be moderated. Suggest three ways that this can be done.

Answer 42

Improve labelling of food so people know what they are getting and the life cycle of that product.

Increase prices of non-essential food. This will help reduce demand for these products meaning production slows down too. Best case scenario is to increase the prices of long shelf life, non-essential foods that have a high price elasticity to lower demand considerably while not creating as much waste from food going off.
Legislation and taxes can be imposed to reduce demand however this can lead to outrage in the public for new taxes especially during political and economic unrest.

Choice editing is the removal of products either due to lack of importance to food supply and for feeding people.

Question 43

1. Meat consumption is a big contributor to carbon footprints meaning meat consumption needs to be moderated in some way, suggest three ways that meat consumption can be reduced.

Answer 43

Improve marketing of vegetarian and vegan options.
Improve meat alternative production so higher quantities can be produced lowering average costs by economies of scale. This can allow for prices to be reduced due to a higher margin of safety present in a break even chart while also potentially increasing demand as a result.
Increase pressure on organisations like schools and offices to reduce meat options and increase vegetarian options.

*it is important to note that these might not be feasible for everyone.

Question 44

1. If this factor is poor, it can be a major driver of food security. This factor can be on a national, regional, local or global level while being the process of decision-making and implementation. What is this factor? It is one of the three things that needs to addressed in the food system.

Answer 44

Governance

Question 45

1. Between Elminus modestus and Semibalanus balanodies, as temperatures and CO2 levels increase, how are both animals affected? Elminus modestus is also an invasive species so outcome can be predicted as a result.

Answer 45

S. balanodies survival rates and calcium content are reduced while there is not effect on E. modestus. Therefore we can predict increased dominance on E. modestus leading to a further imbalance in the food web.

Question 46

1. What are four response variable that can be studied when analyzing the effects of OA and other stressors on marine organisms? Give one example for both.

Answer 46

Species behaviour:
Examples include bioturbation, bioirrigation and surface boundary roughness
Ecosystem functioning
so how molecules and nutrients are influenced by species and the new conditions,
quantification of community characteristics like abundance and biomass
Functional group behaviour so how biodiffusers, upward and downward conveyors behave and a comparison of both.