Chapters 11 & 17 Flashcards
HIV/AIDS
a type of disease that causes immune deficiency syndrome
ebola hemorrhagic fever
an infectious disease with high death rates caused by the ebola virus
mad cow disease
prions mutate into deadly pathogens and slowly damage a cows nervous system
prion
a small protein that occasionally mutates into a pathogen
swine flu
type of flu caused by the H1N1 virus
bird flu
a type of flu caused by the H5N1 virus
SARS
a type of flu caused by a coronavirus
west nile virus
a virus that lives in hundreds of species of birds and is transmitted among birds by mosquitoes
neurotoxin
a chemical that disrupts the nervous system of animals
carcinogens
chemicals that cause cancer
mutagen
a type of carcinogen that causes damage to the genetic material of a cell
teratogen
chemicals that interfere with the normal development of embryos
allergens
chemical causing allergic reactions
endocrine disruptors
a chemical that interferes with the normal functioning of hormones
dose response study
study that exposes organisms to different amounts of a chemical and then observes a variety of possible responses including changes in behavior or reproduction
acute study
an experiment that exposes an organism to an environmental hazard for a short duration
chronic study
an experiment that exposes organisms to an environmental hazard for a long duration
LD50
the lethal dose of a chemical that kills 50% of the individuals in a dose response study
sublethal effect
the effect of an environmental hazard that is not lethal but may impair an organisms behavior or physiology
ED50
the effective dose of a chemical that causes 50% of the individuals in a dose response study to display a harmful effect
retrospective study
a study that monitors people who have been exposed to an environmental hazard at some time in the past
prospective study
a study that monitors people who might become exposed to harmful chemicals in the future
synergistic interaction
a situation in which two risks together cause more harm than expected based on the separate effects of each risk alone
route of exposure
the way in which an individual might come into contact with an environmental hazard
solubility
how well a chemical dissolves in liquid
bioaccumulation
an increased concentration of a chemical within an organism over time
biomagnification
the increase in chemical concentration in animal tissues as the chemical moves up the food chain
persistence
the length of time a chemical remains in the environment
under nutrition
condition in which not enough calories are injested to maintain health
malnourished
diet lacking the correct balance of proteins, carbs, vitamins, and minerals
food security
people have access to safe, nutritious food that meets needs for a healthy life
food insecurity
not having access to healthy safe food
famine
extreme scarcity of a food
anemia
iron deficiency
over nutrition
injestion of too many calories
industrial agriculture
agriculture applying mechanization
energy subsidy
fossil fuel and energy input per calorie of food produced
green revolution
shift in agricultural practices towards mechanization and new crops
economies of sale
the observation that average cost of production falls as output increases
water logging
when soil remains underwater for a long time
salinization
when small amounts of salt in irrigation water becomes highly concentrated on soil surface
organic fertilizers
composed of organic matter from plants and animals
synthetic fertilizers
produced commercially with fossil fuels
monocropping
agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species
broad spectrum pesticides
a pesticide that kills many types of pest
selective pesticide
targets a narrow range of organisms
persistent pesticides
remain in the environment for a long time
non persistent pesticides
dont remain in the environment for a long time
pesticide resistant
trait that allows individuals to survive a pesticide
pesticide treadmill
cycle of pesticide development to pest resistance
CAFOS
large structures designed for max output of meat production
fishery collapse
a decline of fish population by 90% or more
bycatch
unintentional catch of nontarget species
shifting agriculture
when land is cleared and used for a few years until soil is depleted of nutrients
sustainable agriculture
farming that fufills the need for food while enhancing quality of the soil
intercropping
where more than one plant is planted in the same field
agroforestry
when trees and veggies are intercopped
contour planting
where plowing is done parallel to the topographic contours of the land
IPM
practice using a variety of techniques to minimize pesticide inputs
disease
any impaired function of the body
infectious disease
disease caused by a pathogen
acute disease
a disease that rapidly impairs the functioning of an organism
chronic diseases
a disease that slowly impairs the functioning of an organism
epidemic
pathogen causes a rapid increase in disease
pandemic
epidemic over a large geographic region
TB
caused by bacterial infection in the lungs
emergent infectious diseases
diseases that have not been described or have not been common for 20+ years
