Chapter 23 Flashcards
What is environmental science
The study of natural processes in the environment and how humans can affect them
What is the difference between a renewable and nonrenewable resource
Renewable– either always available or are naturally replaced in a relatively short time
Nonrenewable– natural resources are not replaced in a useful time frame
Classify the following as a renewable or nonrenewable resource: oil, aluminum, wind, trees, coal, cattle
Coal oil, aluminum– non renewable
Wind, trees, cattle– renewable
List two costs of drilling for oil in Alaska
Pollution and habitat destruction
List two benefits of building a recycling center in neshannock
Jobs and less litter
How are selective cutting and clear-cutting different
Selective cutting – cutting down only some trees in the forest and leaving a mix of tree sizes and species behind
Clear-cutting – cutting down all the trees in an area at once
What is the definition of aquaculture
The practice of raising fish and other water-dwelling organisms for food
What is the definition of a fishery
An area with a large population of valuable ocean organisms
What is overfishing? What happens to the fish population if this starts to happen?
If fish are caught at a faster rate than they can breed. The population decreases
Define biodiversity
The number of different species in an area
What is a species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem
Keystone species
List four threats to biodiversity
Pollution, poaching, habitat destruction, and the introduction of exotic species
What is captive breeding
The mating of animals in zoos or wildlife preserves
A National park is an example of what type of biodiversity protection
Habitat preservation
How can biodiversity provide an economic benefit
Wildlife tours in rain forests, savannas, mountain ranges and other locations. Ecotourism
How does area affect biodiversity
A large area will contain more species than a small area
How does climate affect biodiversity
The number of species increases from the poles toward the equator. Tropical climate
How does the diversity of niches affect biodiversity
The more niches there are the more biodiversity
List the three categories of environmental issues
Resource use, population growth, pollution
What is the most diverse ecosystem on earth? What factor makes it so diverse?
Tropical rain forests. Climate.
What is the second most diverse ecosystem on earth? What factor makes it so diverse?
Tropical coral reefs. Niches.
What is the difference between an endangered and threatened species
Endangered – species in danger of becoming extinct in the near future
Threatened – species that could become endangered in the near future
What does it mean for a species to become extinct
The disappearance of all members of a species from earth
What is a sustainable yield
An amount of renewable resources such as trees that can be harvested regularly without reducing the future supply
What is a gene pool
All the possibilities that you can inherit in your traits
Why is it an advantage for a species to have a large gene pool
If there is a variety odds are some species will survive
What is habitat fragmentation? Give an example.
Breaking larger habitats into smaller, isolated pieces, or fragments. Building a highway through a forest.
How has the human population change since 1650
Increasing at a faster rate
What factors can account for the change in human populations since 1650
Improvements in medicine, agriculture, and sanitation
Why is human population growth considered an environmental issue?
Taking up more space, more waste, destroying forests to build houses and buildings
What is a monoculture? Why is a monoculture less successful than a diverse ecosystem?
It is the opposite of diversity it’s when there’s only one species. Because there is no variety
What protections have humans put in place to increase biodiversity
Captive breeding, laws and treaties, and habitat preservation
What is poaching
The illegal killing or removal wildlife from their habitats
List two things that you can do personally to support biodiversity
Plant something and don’t litter
What are strategies for managing fisheries for sustainable yield
Setting fishing limits, changing fishing methods, developing aquaculture techniques, finding new resources
