Envi 101 final Flashcards

1
Q

Municipal waste

A

waste from your household

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2
Q

What percent of municipal waste goes to landfills?

A

50% ish

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3
Q

most to least preferred methods of reducing waste

A
  1. source reduction and reuse
  2. recycling/composting
  3. energy recovery
  4. treatment and disposal
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4
Q

features of a sanitary landfill

A
  • landfill, compact waste, cover with dirt (decrease odors, prevents litter from blowing away, prevents animals from scavenging)
  • impermeable clay or plastic to keep waste and runoff contained
  • drainage system that catches any harmful runoff before it affects the groundwater
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5
Q

incinerators

A
  • separate hazardous waste
  • burn waste
  • residual ash is sent to landfill
  • reduces the quantity of waste that would otherwise be sent to landfills
  • heat derived incineration can be used to produce energy
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6
Q

reprocessing discarded materials into new, useful products

A

recycling

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7
Q

type of recycling that converts organic waste to soil-enriching organic fertilizer

A

composting

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8
Q

hazardous waste

A

any discarded material, liquid or solid that contains substances known to be:
1. fatal to humans or laboratory animals in low doses
2. toxic, carcinogenic, or causing birth defects in humans or other life forms,
3. ignitable with a flash point less than 60˚C
4. Corrosive
5. Highly explosive or highly reactive (undergoes violent chemical reactions either by itself or when mixed with other materials)

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9
Q

RCRA

A
  • resource conservation and recovery act
  • requires testing and management of toxic and hazardous substances in companies
  • from cradle to grave
  • cant dump your hazardous waste wherever you want
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10
Q

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

A

act that addressed where waste had already been dumped and helped fund emergency clean-up
- allowed EPA to bring suits to companies responsible
- identifies superfund sites

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11
Q

Superfund sites

A

pot of money available to initiate an immediate clean-up of a determined hazardous area

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12
Q

Phytoremediation

A

using plants to clean up waste

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13
Q

examples of phytoremediation

A
  • sunflowers help with cleaning up radioactive waste
  • bracken ferns can absorb arsenic in the soil
  • trees that can extract mercury from the soil and convert it to a less harmful form
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14
Q

What percentage of the world’s population lives in cities?

A

56% (4.4 billion)

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15
Q

What are cities defined based on?

A

function of the area

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16
Q

rural areas

A
  • lots of farms
  • agriculture is a major industry
  • harvesting of other natural resources
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17
Q

urban areas

A

people working in manufacturing, commerce, governments

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18
Q

Why are cities growing in size?

A

natural increase, increased immigration

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19
Q

natural increase

A
  • access to medical care and better medicine
  • better sanitation
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20
Q

increased immigration

A

more people are leaving rural areas and moving to cities
- push factors
- pull factors

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21
Q

examples of pull factors

A
  • persecution
  • political issues
  • war
  • climate change/drought/environmental issues
  • cost of living
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22
Q

examples of pull factors

A
  • job opportunities
  • access to social services, education, medical care
  • convenience (proximity to amenities), transportation options
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23
Q

Problems with urban growth

A
  • air pollution
  • wastewater treatment
  • water shortages
  • rising sea levels
  • informal settlements
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24
Q

urban sprawl

A

the unlimited outwards extension of city boundaries that lowers population density, consumes open space, generates freeway congestion, and causes decay in central cities

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25
Q

Characteristics of urban sprawls

A
  1. unlimited outward extension
  2. low-density residential and commercial development
  3. leapfrog development that consumes farmland and natural areas
  4. fragmentation of power among many small units of government
  5. dominance of freeways and private automobiles
  6. no centralized planning or control of land uses
  7. widespread strip malls and “big box” shopping centers
  8. great fiscal disparities among localities
  9. reliance on deteriorating older neighborhoods for low-income housing
  10. decaying city centers as new as development occurs in previously rural areas
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26
Q

environmental problems with more cars

A
  • take up a lot of space (parking lots, roadways, highways
  • pollution
  • accidents
  • cost
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27
Q

smart growth

A

strategies for well planned developments that make efficient and effective use of land resources and existing infrastructure
- creating mixed use places

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28
Q

smart growth charactersitics

A
  1. mix land uses
  2. take advantage of compact building design
  3. create a range of housing opportunities and choices
  4. create walkable neighborhoods
  5. foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place
  6. preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas
  7. strengthen and direct development towards existing communities
  8. provide a variety of transportation choices
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29
Q
  • cluster development
  • conservation development
  • open-space zoning
A

conservation development

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30
Q

trying to change zoning to preserve at least 50% of the area

A

conservation development

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31
Q

A social science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services to satisfy people’s needs and wants

A

economics

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32
Q

Economics are determined by

A

supply, demand, and price

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33
Q

any form of wealth

A

capital

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34
Q

natural resources or ecosystem services that help support life (does not come in a monetary form)

A

natural capital

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35
Q

the physical and mental talents of people who provide labor, create innovations, manage, organize, etc

A

human capital

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36
Q

relationships with other people, overall connections

A

social capital

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36
Q

buildings, roads, tools, materials, etc

A

built/manufactured capital

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37
Q

view the earth’s natural capital as a part of the human economic system - the potential for economic growth is unlimited - and we can find substitutes for any resource or ecological service that is depleted or degraded

A

neoclassical economics

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38
Q

there are no substitutes for many natural resources - including clean water, clean air, fertile soil, biodiversity, and they provide important ecological services

A

ecological economics

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39
Q

a value placed on something just because it exists

A

existence value

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40
Q

a value placed on a forest or species due to its beauty

A

aesthetic value

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41
Q

benefits and drawbacks of calculating ecosystem services and nonuse values in monetary values?

A
  • numbers and money are more understandable
  • “money talks”
  • putting a number to something can diminish its value, lead to exploitation, or profit
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42
Q

comparing estimated costs and benefits of actions such as implementing pollution control regulations, building a dam, preserving a forest, etc

A

cost-benefit analysis

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43
Q

what is price?

A

all the raw materials, labor, shipping, and the markup for the dealer associated with the production of a good

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44
Q

external/hidden costs

A

things that are not included in the price but would be considered costs of making the car

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45
Q

GDP

A

Gross Domestic Product
- the annual market value of all goods and services produced by all firms and organizations, foreign and domestic, operating within the country

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46
Q

GPI

A

Genuine Progress Indicator
- beneficial transactions and harmful environmental
effects
- environmental indicators

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47
Q

Environmental Performance Index

A

Evaluated progress toward environmental and ecological health and overall sustainability goals

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48
Q

the laws and regulations enacted and enforced by the government

A

policies

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49
Q

the process by which individuals and groups try to influence or control the policies and actions of government at the local, state, national, and international levels

A

politics

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50
Q
  1. problem recognition
  2. research
  3. policy formulation
  4. budgeting
  5. policy implementation
  6. monitoring
  7. policy adjustment
  8. evaluation
    repeat
A

policy lifecycle

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51
Q

legislative branch

A
  • house of reps and senate
  • introduces bills
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52
Q

executive branch

A

president, vice president, president’s cabinet

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53
Q

judicial branch

A

supreme courts and lower federal courts

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54
Q

laws are passes by the ______ branch

A

legislative

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55
Q

regulations are instituted by the ________ branch to put these laws and programs into effect

A

executive

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56
Q

funding is approved by ________ and the _________ to finance these programs to implement and enforce

A

congress and the president

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57
Q

hiring people to go to the capitol and frequently talk to officials

A

lobbying

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58
Q

the right to take part in legal proceedings (valid interest in the case)

A

Standing

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59
Q

the president makes a rule and bypasses congress to pass it

A

executive order

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60
Q

the (lack of) power with executive orders

A

things can get done fast, however, can be reversed just as quickly with a change in administration

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61
Q
  • fall under the executive branch
  • political appointees (change with change of president)
  • must follow the rules when writing rules
  • regulatory capture
A

regulatory agencies

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62
Q
  • head of the EPA
  • air quality specialist
A

Michael Regan

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63
Q

head of DOI

A

Deb Haaland

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64
Q
  • USDA
  • previously served under Obama
  • involved in the dairy industry
A

Tom Vilsack

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65
Q

Earth day

A

April 22, 1970
- protest against pollution of the environment
- started on college campuses
- largest demonstration in American history

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66
Q

1970

A

Clean Air Act
- national air quality standards

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67
Q

1972

A

Clean Water Act
- limited emissions of raw sewage and other pollutants from surface waters

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68
Q

1974

A

Safe Drinking Water Act
- EPA sets and monitors national quaanity standards

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69
Q

1980

A

CERCLA
- establishes superfund for emergency response, spill prevention, and site remediation for toxic wastes
- established liability for clean up costs

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70
Q

NEPA

A
  • oversees actions by federal agencies (USDA, US Forest Service, Department of Transportation, etc) and requires agencies to complete and EIS before any development project or action
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71
Q

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

A
  • environmental impacts (positive or negative) of whatever action they are planning on doing
  • overall need and purpose of the project
  • detailed and time-consuming
  • forces agencies to consider the environmental impacts of their actions
  • makes information public and available for people to read and give feedback on
72
Q

forces agencies to have to go through a process with the idea that the process may revise actions while keeping them held accountable, and involving the public

A

Procedural law

73
Q

International Policy

A
  • united nation (leader in international policy efforts)
  • UN Environment Programme (UNEP) (Paris agreement, COP28)
  • benefits: global problems can be addressed as a globe, need all hands on deck approach
  • downfalls: not legally binding, relies on the idea that each country will do its part
74
Q
  • Usually non profit nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
A

environmental groups

75
Q

Environmental NGOs

A

8 million citizens belong to more than 30,000 NGOs
- World Wildlife Fund
- the sierra club
- National Wildlife Federation
- Audobon society
- Green Peace
- Friends of the Earth
- Natural Resources Defense Council

76
Q
  • improve understanding of environmental studies
  • encourage students to pursue careers related to the environment
A

National Environmental Education Act (1990)

77
Q

citizen is fluent in principles of ecology to better understand the language of environmental wisdom
- establish a stewardship ethic

A

Environmental literacy

78
Q

in order to appreciate and protect nature we need to _________ the environment

A

learn about

79
Q

learning about the environment is one thing, _____________ are another

A

understanding and caring

80
Q

kids are not getting intimate contact with nature, time outside, immersion (leads to anxiety, depression, etc)

A

Nature-deficit disorder

81
Q

research conducted with and by participation of the general public

A

citizen science

82
Q

benefits of citizen science

A
  • gives the opportunity for lots of people to collect data
  • help with building trust
83
Q

drawbacks of citizen science

A
  • issues with accuracy and precision of data collection
84
Q

buying things we dont want or need just to impress others

A

Conspicuous consumerism

85
Q

drive to possess “stuff”

A

affluenza

86
Q

amount of CO2 generated by an individual, and organization, country or other entity

A

carbon footprint

87
Q

Ways to reduce your carbon footprint

A
  • purchase less
  • reduce excess packaging
  • avoid disposable item
  • conserve energy and water
  • vote
88
Q

Tragedy of the Commons

A

people are motivated by self-interest, without government regulation and property rights, resources will be overused and the environment will be destroyed

89
Q

Managing the Commons

A

community, communication, and cooperation

90
Q

Science

A
  • a way of knowing
  • discovering how nature works
  • the systematic examination of the structure and functioning of the natural world, including both its physical and biological attributes
91
Q

The scientific method

A
  1. Observe phenomena
  2. identify question
  3. form testable hypothesis
  4. collect data to test hypothesis
  5. interpret results
  6. report for peer review
  7. publish findings
92
Q

hypothesis

A

testable explanation for an observation

93
Q

Reliable science

A
  • is it peer-reviewed?
  • do the majority of scholars agree?
  • is there a scientific consensus?
  • are the methods used to produce results well documented?
  • peer review process
94
Q

peer review process

A

as a scientist, share what you did for your study (methods, steps, findings), your peers review the materials and either approve or disapprove of the steps and methods used and how well they were done, publish or revise your work

95
Q

matter

A

anything that has mass and takes up space

96
Q

element

A

any substance that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical reactions

97
Q

atomic number

A

the total number of protons in an atom

98
Q

mass number

A

total number of protons and neutrons in nucleus

99
Q

average atomic mass

A

average weight of atoms of an element

100
Q

energy

A

the ability to do work

101
Q

Environmental Science

A

the study of the natural and built world

102
Q

interspecific competition

A

competition between species trying to use a similar resource

103
Q

intra specific competition

A

competition within a species

104
Q

preservationist

A

John Muir
- advocated for the preservation of wilderness
- established national parks
- first president of the Sierra Club

105
Q

conservationists

A

Gifford Pinchot:
- first chief of the US Forest Service
Teddy Roosevelt

106
Q

sustainable development

A

meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

107
Q

Trophic Structure

A
  1. Primary producers/autotrophs
  2. primary consumers /herbivores
  3. secondary consumers/carnivores
  4. tertiary consumers/top carnivores
    others: scavengers, detritivores, decomposers, earthworms, bugs, vultures, bacteria, fungi
108
Q

primary producers

A
  • receive energy from the sun
  • photosynthesizers (plants)
109
Q

primary consumers/herbivores

A
  • receive chemical energy from primary consumers
  • rabbits, caterpillars, cows, sheep, and deer
110
Q

secondary consumers/carnivores

A
  • bears, birds, wolves, fish
111
Q

tertiary consumers/top carnivores

A
  • sea turtles, sea lions, hawks, and foxes
112
Q

Omnivores

A

bears, birds, dogs, raccoons, foxes, humans

113
Q

Evolution

A

the process through which life forms change genetically over time

114
Q

allele

A

a form of a gene

115
Q

genotype

A

genetic code

116
Q

phenotype

A

physical characteristics

117
Q

sources of genetic variation

A
  • mutations
  • sexual reproduction
118
Q

natural selection

A

when environmental conditions in a particular area can favor certain traits or characteristics

119
Q

Primary productivity

A

rate of biomass production through photosynthesis

120
Q

species richness

A

the number of different species

121
Q

species evenness

A

comparative abundance

122
Q

What are examples of high areas of primary productivity?

A

swamps, marshes, tropical rainforests, and estuaries

123
Q

What are examples of low areas of primary productivity?

A

tundra, desert scrub, extreme desert, and open ocean

124
Q

Ecological succession

A

gradual change in species composition

125
Q

primary succession

A

occurs in an area where no biotic community previously existed (lava field, newly exposed rock)

126
Q

pioneer species

A

lichens, mosse
break down rock and start soil formation process

127
Q

secondary succession

A

occurs at a location that was previously occupied by a community they then underwent a disturbance
- fire occurred, process restarts with same soil

128
Q

population

A

group of individuals of the same species in a specific time and place

129
Q

carrying capacity

A

the maximum number of individuals that an environment can hold/support

130
Q

density-dependent factors

A

factors that affect population numbers due to population density

131
Q

density-independent factors

A

factors that affect population numbers despite population density

132
Q

examples of density-independent factors

A
  • destruction of habitat
  • change in temperature
  • spraying pesticides
133
Q

examples of density-dependent factors

A
  • competition for food, water, space
  • diseases
  • predation
134
Q

genetic drift

A

gradual changes in gene frequencies due to random events

135
Q

bottleneck

A

drastic reduction in population size

136
Q

Environmental Health

A

external factors that cause disease including elements of the natural, social, cultural, and technological worlds in which we live

137
Q

disease

A

abnormal change in the body’s condition that impairs important physical or psychological function

138
Q

zoonotic diseases

A

diseases that are common in other types of animals that jump to humans

139
Q

emergent diseases

A

newly recognized within a population, or known before but are rapidly increasing in infected numbers or geographic

140
Q

CAFOs

A

concentrated animal feeding operations

141
Q

environmental toxicology

A

the study of toxic substances and their effects - particularly on living organisms and how they interact and are transformed as they move through populations and ecosystems

142
Q

bioaccumulation

A

increased concentration of contaminants in the tissues of a specific organism

143
Q

biomagnification

A

concentration of contaminant increases in organisms that are higher up on the food chain

144
Q

trends in global population

A
  • population size is increasing exponentially
  • population growth rate is decreasing
145
Q

reasons for decreasing birth rate

A
  • access to contraceptives
  • societal changes
  • access to education
  • increase in the cost of living and raising children
146
Q

Demographic transition hypothesis

A

countries will go through a demographic transition when they become more industrialized, further develop their economy, and per capita income starts to rise
stage 1: pre-modern (birth and death rates high)
stage 2: urbanizing/ industrializing (death rate falls, more access to healthcare, nutrition, sanitation etc)
stage 3: mature/ industrial (birth and death rates fall)
stage 4: post-industrial (population levels out as birth and death rates even out

147
Q

age structure

A

the numbers or percentages of males and females in young, middle, and older age groups in that population

148
Q

chronic undernutrition or hunger

A

people who cannot grow or buy enough food to meet their basic energy needs, which threaten their ability to live healthy and productive lives

149
Q

malnourishment

A

national imbalance caused by a lack of specific dietary components or an inability to utilize essential nutrients

150
Q

macronutrients

A

large groups of nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber)

151
Q

micronutrients

A

key vitamins and minerals

152
Q

examples of micronutrients

A
  • vitamin A
  • Zinc
  • Iron
  • Iodine
153
Q

famine

A

large scale food shortages accompanied by widespread starvation and even death

154
Q

food security

A

ability to obtain sufficient and nutritious food on a day to day basis

155
Q

food desert

A

geographic areas that lack access to nutritious food

156
Q

food swamps

A

geographic areas that have an overabundance of unhealthy food

157
Q

problems when lacking micronutrients

A
  • deteriorating vision
  • immune susceptibility
  • lack of blood oxygen
  • major health problems
158
Q

problems with CAFOs

A
  • major emitter of methane
  • density-dependent disease spread
  • antibiotic resistance
159
Q

Aquaculture

A

farming of fish

160
Q

farm subsidies

A

government payments or other types of support intended to help farmers stay in business

161
Q

soil

A

complex mixture of rock pieces, particles, mineral nutrients, decaying organic matter, water, air, and living organisms that support plant and animal life

162
Q

loam

A

most suited mixture for plant growth (40% sand, 40% silt, 20% clay)

163
Q

soil layers

A

O (organic matter), A (topsoil), B (subsoil), (C) parent material, (R) bedrock

164
Q

cross breeding

A

sex between two tomatoes, no manipulation of genes, longest

165
Q

Transgenesis

A

surrogacy

166
Q

gene editing

A

computer engineering

167
Q

alternatives to synthetic pesticides

A
  • biological controls (natural predators, parasites, disease-causing bacteria and viruses)
168
Q

genetic diversity

A

helps in building resilience in a population against cases such as natural disasters or disease

169
Q

species diversity

A

richness and evenness

170
Q

ecological diversity

A

the richness and complexity of ecosystems
more ecological diversity = more species diversity

171
Q

species richness

A

how many different species

172
Q

species evenness

A

relative abundance of individuals within each species

173
Q

Endangered Species Act (1973)

A
  • works to protect species that are considered endangered
  • prohibits the import, export, or taking (killing, trapping, harming, harassing, etc) of a species
174
Q

wildland-urban interface

A

a transition zone in which scattered housing and buildings encroach on forests or undeveloped

175
Q

national forest system

A

managed by the US forest service - used for logging, livestock grazing, farming, oil/gas extraction, recreation, conservation

176
Q

bureau of land management

A

manages a variety of large tracts of land for mining, oil/gas extraction, and livestock grazing

177
Q

national park system

A

managed by the national park service - can camp, hike, fish, boat

178
Q

national wildlife refuge system

A

managed by US Fish and Wildlife Services - meant to conserve fish, wildlife, and plants. Minimal recreation activities allowed (birding, photography, fishing, and hunting