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EAS 250: Biogeography > People and Problems > Flashcards

People and Problems Flashcards

1
Q

How much of earth’s land has been transformed by human action?

A

between one-third to one-half of all of earth’s land

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2
Q

There has been a __% increase in atmospheric CO2 since the industrial revolution, and ___ of the bird species have gone extinct

A

30%
one-third

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3
Q

Human actions have 2 types of impacts. What are they? Give some examples for each type

A
  1. direct impacts
    - land use and land cover change
    - habitat fragmentation
    - Biodiversity loss and extinction
    - Loss of resources
  2. Indirect impacts
    - Climate change
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4
Q

write out the flow chart in slide 4

A

.

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5
Q

Humans rely on 3 systems to supply their food:

A
  1. Croplands
    * Produces grains
    * Provides 77% of the world’s food
  2. Rangelands
    * Produces meat
    * Provides 16% of the world’s food
  3. Ocean fisheries
    * Provides 7% of the world’s food
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6
Q

What are some harmful enviro effects of us producing food?

A
  • biodiversity loss (monocrops)
  • soil changes
  • water shortages
  • air pollution (machinery etc)
  • human health
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7
Q

Which human practice has a greater harmful impact than any other human activity?

A

modern agriculture

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8
Q

Biodiversity loss linked to modern agriculture:
- loss and degradation of _____from clearing grasslands and forests and draining _____
- fish killed from ____
- killing of ___ _____ to protect livestock
- loss of ______ _____ from replacing thousands of wild crop strains with a few monoculture varieties

A
  • habitat, wetlands
  • runoff (especially pesticides)
  • wild predators
  • genetic diversity
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9
Q

List up to 5 negative impacts modern agriculture has on the
health of our soil

A

erosion
loss of fertility
salinization
waterlogging
desertification

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10
Q

Water is negatively impacted by agriculture:
- water waste
- aquifer _____
- increased _____ and flooding from cleared cropland
- sediment pollution from _____
- pollution from ______ and ____ runoff
- __________ of lakes/ rivers from fertilizer runoff
- aquatic organisms ____ from pesticide runoff

A
  • depletion
  • runoff
  • erosion
  • pesticide and fertilizer
  • overfertilization
  • killed
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11
Q

How does agriculture contribute to air pollution (list 3)

A
  1. GHG emissions from fossil fuel use (machinery etc)
  2. other air pollutants (eg methane) from fossil fuel use
  3. pollution from pesticide sprays
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12
Q

Give 4 ways modern agriculture is putting human health at risk

A
  • nitrates in drinking water
  • pesticide residues in drinking water, food, and air
  • contamination of drinking/ swimming water w/ disease/ microorganisms from livestock waste
  • bacterial contamination of meat we eat
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13
Q

Which 5 countries contain more than half of the total forest area in the world?

A

Canada, US, Russia, China, and Brazil

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14
Q

Forests provide important ecological and economic services. List at least 3 of those uses

A
  • production of wood (&non-wood!) products
  • conservation/ protection
  • social services
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15
Q

What are the 3 major types of forests? What are these categories based on?

A
  1. Old growth forests
  2. Second growth forests
  3. Tree plantation/tree farm

Based on age and structure

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16
Q

Old growth forests=

A

Uncut forest or regenerated forest that has not been seriously disturbed by human activities or natural disasters for at least several hundred years

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17
Q

Second growth forests=

A

Stand of trees resulting from secondary ecological succession

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18
Q

Tree plantation/ farm=

A

a managed stand with trees all the same age
-Harvested once they become commercially valuable

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19
Q

__% of the world’s forest are old growth, __% are secondary growth, and __% are tree plantations

A

36
57
7

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20
Q

deforestation=

A

The temporary or permanent removal of large expanses of forest

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21
Q

Give up to 7 negative impacts of deforestation

A
  • Decreased soil fertility from erosion
  • Runoff of eroded soil into aquatic systems
  • Premature extinction of species with specialized niches
  • Loss of habitat for migratory species such as birds and butterflies
  • Reginal climate change
  • Release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
  • Accelerated flooding
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22
Q

What are the 3 levels of species extinction? Define each

A
  1. Local extinction= A species is no longer found in an area it once inhabited BUT it still found elsewhere in the world
  2. Ecological extinction= A species has so few members left that it can no longer play its ecological role in the biological communities where it is found
  3. Biological extinction= A species is no longer found anywhere in the world (this is FOREVER :( )
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23
Q

How many species has Canada lost to extinction? Give an example of one or two

A

15
Dawson caribou
Labrador duck

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24
Q

Threatened species=

A

A species that is likely to become endangered in the near future

Still abundant in its natural range BUT numbers are declining

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25
Q

Endangered species=

A

A species that could soon become extinct

Few individuals remaining in its natural range

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26
Q

Scientists estimate that __% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct. Why?

A

99.9%
A combination of background extinction, mass extinction, and mass depletions taking place over millions of years

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27
Q

How do biologists estimate extinction rates? Give 2 approaches

A

They use measurements and models

2 methods:
1. studying records documenting the rate species have become extinct
2. look at how the number of species present changes with size

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28
Q

What are 8 characteristics of species that are prone to extinction? Give an example of a species that falls under each.

A
  1. Low reproductive rate
    - Blue whale, giant panda
  2. Specialized niches
    - Blue whale, giant panda
  3. Narrow distribution
    - Elephant seal, desert pupfish
  4. Feeds at high trophic level
    - grizzly bear
  5. Fixed migratory patterns
    - whooping crane
  6. Rare
    - orchids
  7. Commercially valuable
    - elephant, rhino
  8. Large territories
    - grizzly bear, Florida panther
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29
Q

The current rate of extinction is ___ to ____ times the rate that is was before humans arrived

A

1000-10000x :(
ie 0.1%-1% rate of extinction per year

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30
Q

What was the rate of extinction before humans arrived?

A

1 species per 1 million (annually)

ie 0.0001% each year

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31
Q

Why is our current predicted extinction rate probably a conservative estimate?

A
  • Rate of species loss and the extent of biodiversity loss will likely
    increase during the next 100 years as the human population grows
  • Rates are much higher than the global average in biodiversity
    hotspots such as rain forests
  • Not taking into account that many biologically diverse sites such as
    coral reefs serve as colonization sites for new species
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32
Q

Percentage of species threatened with premature extinction due to human activities:
- Plants= __%
- Fish= __%
- Amphibians = __%
- Reptiles= __%
- Mammals= __%
- Birds= __%

A

70
34
30
28
21
12

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33
Q

Why is it important that we preserve wild species?

A

Because it will take at least 5 mil years for natural processes to rebuild the biodiversity we have destroyed during this century

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34
Q

Wild species benefit humans in many ways. List up to 5 instrument values and 1 intrinsic value

A

Instrument value:
- economic
- ecological services
- genetic info
- recreation
- ecotourism

Intrinsic Value
- existence!

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35
Q

What is the greatest threat to a species in terms of extinction?

A

The fragmentation, degradation, and loss of its habitat

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36
Q

What are the top 3 eliminators of terrestrial biodiversity?

A
  1. deforestation
  2. destruction of wetlands
  3. plowing of grasslands
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37
Q

What is habitat fragmentation?

A

Occurs when a large, continuous area of habitat is reduced in area
- Divided into smaller, more scattered and isolated patches

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38
Q

Why is habitat fragmentation a problem?

A

Divides populations of species into smaller and more isolated groups

These groups are more vulnerable to:
* Predators
* Invasion of competitive species
* Disease
* Catastrophic events

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39
Q

Habitat fragmentation prevents species from:
(list 4)

A
  • dispersing
  • colonizing new areas
  • getting enough food
  • finding mates
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40
Q

Which types of species are more vulnerable to local and regional extinction due to habitat fragmentation?

A
  • rare species
  • those who require large ranges
  • low reproductive capacities
  • ones with specialized niches
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41
Q
  • The major types of habitat disturbance threatening endangered
    species are: (6)
A
  • Agriculture (most important)
  • Commercial development
  • Water development
  • Outdoor recreation
  • Livestock grazing
  • Pollution (least important)
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42
Q

Non-native species=

A

a species living outside its native distribution
- arrived here through human activity (directly or indirectly)

43
Q

How do nonnative species arrive?

A
  1. Intentional
    eg. commercial/ economic purposes and pest control
    - Aesthetic enjoyment
  2. Unintentional
    - arrive on imported goods (on ships especially)
    - exotic pets escape
44
Q

Why are nonnative species a problem?

A

They often have no natural controls in the new habitat to keep the population in check (no natural predators/ competitors etc)

  • can reduce the population of native species & cause ecological disruptions
45
Q

Give an example of a nonnative species that added pressure on native threatened/ endangered species

A

zebra mussels

46
Q

List up to 7 characteristics of successful invader species

A
  • R-selected species
  • High reproductive rate
  • Short generation time
  • Pioneer species
  • Long-lived
  • High dispersal rate
  • Release growth-inhibiting chemicals into the soil
47
Q

What are the characteristics of ecosystems vulnerable to invader
species?

A
  • Similar climate to the natural habitat of the invader
  • Absence of predators of the invader
  • Early successional systems
  • Low diversity of native species
  • Absence of fire
  • Disturbed by human activities
48
Q

How can we reduce threats from nonnative species?

A

Prevention!
- control routes that invasive species arrive via
- inspect good for these species
- ban the transfer of these species b/w countries

Prevention is important because once a nonnative species is established it’s nearly impossible to remove them

49
Q

Why are poaching and wildlife smuggling so common?

A
  • many at risk species are valued for their parts
  • as their # declines= more valuable= more likely to be poached

Big extinction threat :(

50
Q

How much money could a poacher make from a panda pelt or Bengal tiger fur?

A

$100,000

51
Q

T/F

Most poachers are caught, even though the money they make outweighs the risk of being caught

A

false

most are not caught :(
money definitely does outweigh the small risk of being caught

52
Q

Predator control=

Is this an extinction threat?

A

the removal of a species that competes with humans or causes inconveniences
eg. prairie dogs

YES!

53
Q

Another extinction threat is the market of exotic pets and decorative plants. How?

A
  • There is a trade market (often illegal) for these exotic/ rare species
  • people sell them for lots of money
  • lots die in transit
  • removing them from their habitat endangers other species that depend on them
54
Q

How does climate change pose an extinction risk to some species?

A

humans have accelerated climate change, so species don’t have time to adapt or move to a more suitable enviro
= lots of them will just die :(

55
Q

In Canada, __% of our habitats could be altered by the end of the century, resulting in a __% loss in species

A

45
20

56
Q

How does pollution pose an extinction risk to some species?

A

Exposure
- toxic/ carcinogenic/ gender changing

Bioaccumulation/ biomagnification

57
Q

Summarize the basic causes of premature species extinction (there are 4)

A
  • Population growth
  • Rising resource use
  • No environmental accounting
  • Poverty
58
Q

Summarize the secondary causes of premature species extinction (up to 9)

A
  • Habitat loss
  • Habitat degradation and fragmentation
  • Introducing nonnative species
  • Overfishing
  • Climate change
  • Predator and pest control
  • Pollution
  • Commercial hunting and poaching
  • Sale of exotic pets and decorative plants
59
Q

Earth’s climate is determined by average ____ and ______.

Is this fixed?

A

temp and precipitation

Not fixed, not new or unusual

60
Q

T/F
1. the average temp has changed gradually in the past (100s to millions of yrs)

  1. in the past 900,000 yrs, the earth has undergone prolonged periods of cooling and warming
A

true
true

61
Q

A fairly stable climate during the past ___ years allowed humans to flourish

A

10,000

62
Q

Temperatures began to rise with the start of the Industrial Revolution
Why?

Most of the increase has happened since ___

A
  • Clearing forests
  • Burning fossil fuels

1975

63
Q

Explain how ice core drilling helps us study climate change

A

analyze air bubbles in different sections of cores. Get info about:
* Past tropospheric composition
* Temperature trends
* Greenhouse gas compositions
* Solar activity
* Snowfall
* Forest fire frequency

64
Q

What do sediment cores from the bottom of lakes/ ponds tell us about climate change?

A

Gives info about
* Trends and types of organisms
* Pollen
* Fossils
* Plants

65
Q

Collecting air samples is a method used to study climate change. What info that does that give?

A

Chemical composition of the atmosphere

66
Q

Explain the Earth’s greenhouse effect

A
  1. sunlight penetrates the lower atmosphere and warms earth sfc
  2. sfc absorbs lots of incoming radiation & degrades it to longwave infrared radiation (IR), which rises into lower atmosphere. Some of this IR escapes into space as heat & some is absorbed by molecules of GHG and emitted as even longer wavelength IR, which warms lower atmosphere
  3. as GHG concentrations rise, their molecules absorb and emit more infrared radiation, adding more heat to lower atmosphere
67
Q

What role does the natural greenhouse effect play
on Earth’s temperature and climate?

A
  • Sunlight warms the Earth’s atmosphere and surface
  • Some sunlight is radiated back towards space
    –> Clouds, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases absorb the radiation
    –> The clouds and gases radiate longer wave length radiation in all directions
68
Q

What is earth’s natural cooling process?

A

large amounts of heat are absorbed by evaporation
- water molecules rise and condense to form water droplets
- release their heat higher in the atmosphere

69
Q

What are the 2 major GHG and what controls them?

A
  1. Water vapor
    - hydrologic cycle
  2. Carbon dioxide
    - carbon cycle
70
Q

How long do the following GHG stay in the troposphere?
- CO2
- CFCs
- Methane

A
  • 100-200 yrs
  • 11-20yrs
  • 12-18yrs
71
Q

What is the difference between global warming and global climate change?

A

global warming= temp increases in the atmosphere, which can cause climate change

global climate change= changes in any aspect of climate (including temp)–> can be cooling or warming

72
Q

How have human activities affected tropospheric concentrations of GHG?

A
  • [GHG] has risen sharply
  • CO2>440ppm, which is higher than it has been in the past 400,000yrs

we are emitting GHG faster than natural processes can remove them

73
Q

Why are we seeing this sharp increase in GHG?

A
  • Increase in the use of fossil fuels since the 1950’s
  • deforestation/ land clearing releases CO2 and nitrous oxide
  • Livestock: release methane from digestive process
  • rice paddies: inorganic fertilizers release nitrous oxide
74
Q

Which country is the largest GHG emitter currently?

A

China

It used to be the US

75
Q

Canada emits __ megatons of GHG each year, which is less than __% of global emissions

However, per capita it is ___ tonnes/ person/ year, which is __x the global average (mostly from wasteful energy use)

A

700

2%

20.7

4x

76
Q

The troposphere is very likely warming. Why?

A
  1. Past three decades were warmer
    * Each warmer than the previous
    * Warmest 30 year period of the past 800 years
  2. Average temperature has risen almost 1°C
    * Between 1880 and 2012
    * Majority of the increase since 1980
  3. Oceans have increased temperatures
    * Top 75m of oceans have become warmer globally
  4. Glaciers and floating ice are melting
    * Arctic ice shrinking every year
  5. Average sea level rising by 7.5in
77
Q

Surface temp is projected to rise by as much as __C.

The level of sfc warming will be determined primarily by ____ ___ _____

many impacts associated with climate change will continue even if emissions are ___

A

4.8C

carbon dioxide emissions

stopped

78
Q

How could oceans potentially help moderate earth’s temp?

A

remove 29% of the excess CO2

  • absorb heat from the atmosphere and slowly transfer to the deep ocean

HOWEVER this would likely have negative impacts on the ocean itself

79
Q

How long does it take for the absorbed hear and CO2 to be transferred to the deep ocean?

How long before it is released back into the atmosphere?

A

We don’t know either of these answers, which might be problematic

80
Q

How might stored carbon dioxide affect the ocean’s water chemistry?

A

more CO2 absorbed= more acidic

  • Calcium carbonate becomes less available for shells and skeletons
  • impacts larval development
  • impacts fish respiration
81
Q

How might changes in cloud cover affect the troposphere’s temperature?

A
  • Warmer temperatures increase evaporation
  • Increased evaporation creates more clouds
  • Additional clouds can:
    1. Absorb and release some of the heat
    2. Reflect more sunlight
82
Q

How might changes in cloud cover affect the troposphere’s temperature?

The effect depends on the type, ____, and ____ of the clouds. For example:

A

type, coverage, altitude

  • thick, continuous clouds at low altitudes can decrease surface warming
  • thin, discontinuous clouds at high altitudes can increase sfc warming
83
Q

How might outdoor air pollution affect the troposphere’s temperature?

A
  • Most aerosols produced from fossil fuel combustion reflect incoming
    light
    –> Cools the atmosphere
  • Sulphate particles act as a nuclei for cloud formation
    –> Cools the atmosphere
84
Q

Why is the effect of outdoor air pollution temporary?

A
  • Aerosols and particles fall back to Earth or are washed out of the atmosphere
  • While carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for longer
  • Aerosols inputs are also being reduced around the world
85
Q

T/F

increased CO2 levels can increase the photosynthesis rate, which could slow global warming

A

true!

b/c it increases the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere

86
Q

Why would the effect of increased photosynthesis be temporary?

A
  • As plants mature they take up less carbon dioxide
  • Stored carbon dioxide would be returned to the atmosphere when the plants die and
    decompose
  • Insects breed and grow more rapidly in warmer temperatures
    –> Offset plan
87
Q

How might a warmer troposphere affect methane emissions?

A

increased release of methane could accelerate warming further.
2 sources:
- bogs and wetlands
- methane hydrates

88
Q

T/F
There are both potential benefits and harmful effects of a warmer world

A

true

depends on location & how quickly temp changes

89
Q

What locations will be impacted the most by warming?

A

poor nations in the tropics

90
Q

With a warming world, what changes might we see in agriculture?

A
  • shifts in growing areas
  • changes in yields
  • increased irrigation demand
  • more pests, crop diseases
91
Q

With a warming world, what changes might we see in water resources?

A
  • changes in water supply
  • decreased water quality
  • more drought/ floods
  • snowpack reduction
  • melting of mtn glaciers
92
Q

With a warming world, what changes might we see in forests?

A

Changes in forest composition and locations
* Disappearance of some forests, especially at high elevations

  • more fires
  • loss of wildlife habitat + species
93
Q

With a warming world, what changes might we see in biodiversity?

A
  • extinction of some plants and animals
  • loss of habitats
  • disruption of aquatic life
94
Q

With a warming world, what changes might we see in sea level & coastal areas?

A
  • Rising sea levels
  • Flooding of low lying islands and coastal cities
  • Flooding of coastal estuaries, wetlands and coral reefs
  • Beach erosion
  • Disruption of coastal fisheries
  • Contamination of coastal aquifers with salt water
95
Q

With a warming world, what changes might we see in weather extremes?

A
  • prolonged heat waves/ droughts
  • increased flooding (more frequent/ intense rainfall in areas)
96
Q

With a warming world, what changes might we see in human population?

A
  • more deaths from heat/ disruption of food supplies
  • more environmental refugees
  • increased migration
97
Q

With a warming world, what changes might we see in human health

A
  • Decreased deaths from cold weather
  • Increased deaths from heat and disease
  • Disruption of food and water supplies
  • Spread of tropical diseases to temperate areas
  • Increased respiratory disease and pollen allergies
  • Increased water pollution from coastal flooding
  • Increased formation of photochemical smog
98
Q

How might a warmer troposphere affect BC?

A

high sea levels= flooding/ coastal erosion

less hydroelectricity and fishery success b/c of reduced water water flow

earlier melting of snow packs= less water to fight fires

99
Q

How might a warmer troposphere affect the prairies?

A
  • Longer growing season
  • More droughts increasing the need for irrigation
  • Lakes and wetlands would disappear
  • Loss of prairie water fowl
100
Q

How might a warmer troposphere affect the arctic/ subarctic?

A
  • Changes in ice cover and permafrost characteristics
  • Impact people and wildlife
101
Q

How might a warmer troposphere affect the boreal forest?

A
  • Longer growing season
  • Shift north over time
  • Increase in fires
  • Increase in insect pests
  • Threaten wildlife
102
Q

How might a warmer troposphere affect the great lakes?

A
  • More heat waves
  • More smog and air quality problems
  • Increase in health problems
  • Decrease in lake water levels
  • Negatively impacting shipping and hydroelectricity
  • Greater need for irrigation
  • Increase in severe weather events
103
Q

How might a warmer troposphere affect eastern canada?

A
  • Higher sea levels
  • Coastal flooding and erosion
  • Loss of wetlands
  • Increase in insect pests
  • Changes in fish migrations
  • Negatively impact fisheries
104
Q
A

EAS 250: Biogeography (12 decks)

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