MIDTERM 2 Flashcards
Benefits of biodiversity other than ecosystem services discussed earlier in the semester
(hint: see the titles and content of the slides in the lecture handout regarding benefits of biodiversity).
High levels of biodiversity increase the:
Resistance or stability of communities and ecosystems
Resilience of ecosystems
-Ability to weather and bounce back from disturbance or stresses or adapt to change
Keystone, ecosystem engineers, foundations species play important roles
Decrease diminishes ecosystems ability to function and provide needed services
Give examples of approaches in conservation biology
(use the aforementioned hint for the slides covering conservation biology as well as the required viewings for this week).
Document range of biodiversity
Investigate human impacts on species, communities, and ecosystems
Develop practical approaches to prevent extinction, maintain genetic diversity
Describe the positive and negative impacts of cities on the environment.
Less sprawl, build up not out, walkable, public transport, pooled utilities, denser pop means more undeveloped land.
Urban heat island effect, consume most of the energy, noise and light pollution, fragment land and impact watersheds
Describe and give examples of strategies for making cities more sustainable
(i.e., know principles of urban ecology and examples of their implementation).
Green or Living Rooftops
Urban Hydrology,
Green Building…
Urban agriculture
Pavement to Parks
Parklets
Rails to Trails Conservancy
Greenways
Ecological Restoration
Describe benefits and examples of green or living roofs and other low impact design strategies (e.g., green infrastructure).
Provide habitat and help mitigate land cover change if planted with native species
Reduce Urban heat island effect
Storm water runoff
Heating and cooling loads
Increases roof life span
Filters pollutants and CO2 out of water and air
Absorb sound
ex. US Postal Service facility in midtown Manhattan built in 2008
Compare and contrast industrial with sustainable cropland agriculture and be able to propose sustainable cropland agricultural solutions.
-Monoculture, Few crop varieties
-Separation of animal and plant agriculture
-High “Input”, Large amounts pesticides, fertilizers,
water, growth hormones, antibiotics, fossil fuels
-Degrades soils
-Pollution harms wildlife and public health
-Contributes significantly to climate change
Sustainable: -Polyculture and use of multiple cropping methods -Animals and plants are together -Low “input”, Sustainable water use, IPM, organic fertilizers, less fossil fuel use, no antibiotics or hormones -Soils are not degraded -Stores more carbon, nutrients, moisture, organisms -Reduced pollution and GHGs -Genetic and biodiversity are maintained -Yields can be comparable -Higher incomes
For crops: -Land must be free of prohibited substances for 3 years -No GE crops -No ionizing radiation -No nanotechnology -No sewer sludge -No synthetic fertilizers -IPM okay -No conventional pesticides -Use of organic seeds or other planting stock
For livestock:
-Animals must be raised from last 1/3 gestation;
poultry no later than 2nd day life
-Organic feed
-No antibiotics or hormones
-Meat and dairy animals must get at least 30% feed
from grazing and be on pasture for 4 mo/yr
-Must have access to outdoors and certain
amount of space (?)
Describe the negative impacts of factory farming (AKA as CAFOs) on public health and environment and discuss sustainable livestock raising strategies.
Waste generation Responsible for many forms of pollution Pathogens 50-80% of antibiotics added to feed/year Nitrate in drinking water Air and greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution
Reductions are urgently needed
Improved diets to reduce enteric fermentation
Soil conservation methods
Biogas plants to recycle manure
Improved efficiency of irrigation
Introduce full cost prices for water together with taxes to discourage large-scale livestock production
Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of aquaculture.
Benefits
- Provides a reliable protein source
- Small-scale, local, and certain species sustainable
- Can reduce pressure on wild stocks
- Can eliminate by-catch
- Uses less fossil fuels than fishing fleets
Drawbacks
-Fish usually farmed in high density (antibiotics)
-Large amounts of waste which pollutes water
-whatPressure on wild stocks fed to carnivorous species
Also fed poultry trimmings and soybeans
2.5-5 lbs of wild fish to produce 1 lb salmon
-Fish may escape into the wild and interbreed with,
compete with, or spread disease to wild species
-Habitat alteration or destruction
Define water footprint and distinguish between internal and external components of the water footprint.
Volume of water needed for the production of goods and services consumed
Internal - water volume used from domestic sources
External - water used in other countries to produce goods and services imported and consumed
Describe the benefits and drawbacks of dams.
Benefits
- Reliable drinking water
- Irrigation
- Better energy than fossil fuels, less carbon
- Renewable energy
- Seasonal flooding controlled
- Recreation
- 40 to 80 million people displaced since 50s
- sediment stays behind the dam
- small risk or catastrophic failure
- habitat alteration
- thermal pollution
- less flooding that builds top soil
Describe the types of freshwater pollution and their causes.
Point source - comes from discrete locations
Nutrient pollution and biodegradable wastes - Both lead to oxygen depletion, Conventional farms (synthetic fertilizers and manure), golf courses, lawns, and sewage —What can be done?
Adopt and support sustainable agriculture, treat
wastewater and manure, plant vegetation to increase
nutrient uptake including restoration of riparian
ecosystems, use phosphate free detergents
—–
Pathogens - waterborne disease from viruses, bacteria, and parasites - Human and animal waste
What can be done?
Adopt and support sustainable agriculture, treat
wastewater, drinking water, and manure
—–
Toxic Chemicals, Sediment, Thermal Pollution
Describe the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, forest ecosystems and agriculture.
Species are shifting ranges, distributions and
phenologies
Changes in precipitation and extreme weather events
Range shifts can result in new community assemblages
Removal leads to overall loss of biodiversity, habitat, and ecosystem services
Alterations in Ecosystem Composition
Endangered species act - goals, what is happening with it, controversies regarding it
Prevent people from taking actions and destroying species or habitats.
Forbids trade and products from these species. Prevention of extinctions.
Places species over livelihoods private land development interfered with.
Not many species have been delisted.
Clean water act - its goals, accomplishments, what it covers
Made it illegal to discharge pollution from a point source without a permit
Set standards for industrial wastewater
Set standards for contaminant levels in surface waters
Funded construction of wastewater treatment plants
Despite problems it has decreased water pollution
About how many humans are on planet Earth at present and projections for 2050 (best guess estimate)
- 4 bil
9. 9 bil
