Resource utilization

Question 1

Slash and burn

Answer 1

An area of vegetation is cut down and burned before being planted with crops. Then, because soils in these developing countries are generally poor, the farmer must leave the area after a relatively short time and find another location to clear. This practice severely reduced the amount of available forest; it is a significant contributor to deforestation.

Question 2

The green revolution

Answer 2

The time after the industrial revolution when farming became mechanized and crop yields in industrialized nations boomed

Question 3

What caused the green revolution

Answer 3

Increase in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides
Advanced irrigation techniques
Introduction of genetically engineered plants (GMOs)

Question 4

What are 3 downsides to the widespread use of chemical fertilizers?

Answer 4

They reduce organic matter and oxygen in soil.
Require large amounts of energy to produce, transport, and supply.
Are dangerous pollutants once they are washed into watersheds.

Question 5

Federal insecticide, fungicide, and rodenticide act (FIFRA) of 1947 (amended in 1972)

Answer 5

Requires the EPA to approve the use of all pesticides in the United States

Question 6

Problems of repeated irrigation

Answer 6

Salinization of the land (Significant buildup of salts on the soils surface that make the land unusable for crops)
To combat salinization, farmers have begun flooding fields with massive amounts of water to move the salt deeper into the soil. This large amount of water can Waterlog plant roots, which can kill the crops. This also causes the water table of the region to rise.

Question 7

Integrated pest management

Answer 7

Tries to keep the pest population down to an economically viable level. Some of the methods include introducing natural insect predators to the area, intercropping, using mulch to control weeds, diversifying crops, crop rotation, releasing pheromone or hormone interrupters, using traps, and constructing barriers.

Question 8

Beneficial example of genetically engineered plants

Answer 8

Golden rice, which contains vitamin A and iron

Question 9

Problems that arise from genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Answer 9

Discourage biodiversity, which may harm beneficial insects and organisms
Could pose new allergen risks
May increase antibiotic resistance
Could cause new pesticide resistant pests
Cross pollination can contaminate other crops or cause unwanted mutations with unknown results

Question 10

Photosynthate

Answer 10

Photosynthetic products

Question 11

Contour plowing

Answer 11

Rows of crops are plowed across the hillside, preventing the erosion that occur when does are cut up and down on a slope.

Question 12

Terracing

Answer 12

Aids in preventing soil erosion on steep slopes. Terraces are flat platforms that are cut into the hillside to provide a level planting surface; this reduces the soil runoff from the slope.

Question 13

No-till methods

Answer 13

Farmers plant seeds without using a plow to turn the soil. Soil loses most of its carbon content during plowing, which releases carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere

Question 14

Crop rotation

Answer 14

Can provide soils with nutrients when legumes are part of the cycle of crops in an area.

Question 15

Intercropping (strip cropping)

Answer 15

The practice of planting bands of different crops across a hillside. Can prevent some erosion by creating an extensive network of roots which hold the soil in place and reduce or prevent soil erosion

Question 16

Overgrazing

Answer 16

Grass is consumed by animals at a faster rate than it can regrow. It is harmful to the soil because it leads to erosion and soil compaction

Question 17

Solutions to overgrazing

Answer 17

Animals can be rotated from site to site and away from their source of water
Overall control of herd numbers

Question 18

Silviculture

Answer 18

The management of forest plantations for the purpose of harvesting timber

Question 19

Shelter-wood cutting

Answer 19

A type of uneven-aged management in which mature trees are cut over a period of time (usually 10-20 years); this leaves some mature trees in place to reseed the forest

Question 20

Agroforestry

Answer 20

Trees and crops are planted together to create a mutualistic symbiotic relationship between the trees and crops - the trees create habitats for animals that prey upon the pests that harm crops, and their roots also stabilize and enrich the soil

Question 21

Wilderness Act of 1964

Answer 21

Established a review of road-free areas of 5,000 acres or more and islands within the National Wildlife Refuges or the National Park System for inclusion on the National Preservation System. This act restricted activities in these areas.

Question 22

Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968

Answer 22

Established a National Wild and Scenic Rivers System for the protection of rivers with important scenic, recreational, fish and wildlife, and other values

Question 23

greenbelts

Answer 23

Open or forested areas built at the outer edge of a city. Since no one is permitted to build in them, they can increase the quality of life for people living nearby. They also border cities, putting limits on their growth.

Question 24

Surface fires

Answer 24

Typically burn only the forests underbrush and do little damage to mature trees. These fires actually serve to protect the forest from more harmful fires by removing underbrush and dead materials that would burn quickly at high temperatures, escalating more severe fires

Question 25

Crown fires

Answer 25

May start on the ground or in the canopies of forests that have not experienced recent surface fires. They spread quickly and are characterized by high temperatures because they consume underbrush and dead material on the forest floor. These fires are a huge threat to wildlife, human life, and property.

Question 26

Ground fires

Answer 26

Smoldering fires that take place in bogs or swamps and can burn underground for days or weeks. Originating from surface fires, ground fires are difficult to detect and extinguish

Question 27

Fishery

Answer 27

The industry or occupation devoted to the catching, processing, or selling of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic animals. In the economic sense, a fishery is the sum of all activities on a given marine resource.

Question 28

Importance of mangrove swamps

Answer 28

They function as nurseries for shrimp and recreational fisheries, exporters of organic matter to adjacent coastal food chains, and enormous sources of valuable nutrients. Their physical stability also helps to prevent shoreline erosion, shielding inland areas from severe damage during hurricanes and tidal waves.

Question 29

Anadromous Fish Conservation Act of 1965

Answer 29

Protected fish that live in the sea but grow up and breed in fresh water

Question 30

Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976

Answer 30

Governed the conservation and management of ocean fishing

Question 31

Marine mammal protection act of 1972

Answer 31

Established a federal responsibility to conserve marine mammals.

Question 32

Endangered species act of 1973

Answer 32

Provided broad protection for species of fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered in the US or elsewhere

Question 33

The United Nations Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982)

Answer 33

Set out the principles for the conservation and management of certain types of fish

Question 34

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) 1975

Answer 34

An international agreement between governments that ensured that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants do not threaten their survival

Question 35

Mineral deposit

Answer 35

An area in which a particular mineral is concentrated

Question 36

Ore

Answer 36

A rock or mineral from which a valuable substance can be extracted at a profit

Question 37

Gangue

Answer 37

Waste material in the mining process

Question 38

Tailings

Answer 38

Piles of gangues

Question 39

Strip mining

Answer 39

Stripping the surface layer of soil and rock (the overburden) in order to expose a seam of mineral ore. Only practical when the ore is relatively close to the surface (e.g. Coal mining)
Least expensive, least dangerous
Much greater impact on the surrounding environment than underground mining.

Question 40

Overburden

Answer 40

Whatever material lies above an area of scientific interest

Question 41

Shaft mining

Answer 41

Vertical tunnels are built to access then excavate minerals that are underground and otherwise unreachable

Question 42

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977

Answer 42

Created one program to help coal mines and manage pollutants and another to guide the reclamation of abandoned mines

Question 43

Mining Act of 1872

Answer 43

Governed prospecting and mining of minerals on publicly owned land

Question 44

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920

Answer 44

Permitted the Bureau of Land Management to grant leases for development of deposits of coal, phosphate, potash, sodium, sulphur, and other leasable minerals on public domain lands

Question 45

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (Superfund) of 1980

Answer 45

Regulated damage done by mining

Question 46

Resource Conservation and Recovery Acts (RCRA) 1976

Answer 46

Regulated some mineral processing wastes

Question 47

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977

Answer 47

Established a program for regulating surface coal mining and reclamation activities. It established mandatory standards for these activities on state and federal lands, including a requirement that adverse impacts on fish, wildlife, and related environmental values be minimized

Question 48

Traditional subsistence agriculture

Answer 48

Each family grows crops for themselves, and rely on animal and human labor to plant and harvest crops. Provides enough food for one family’s survival.
Practiced in developing nations, by about 42% of the worlds population

Question 49

Smelting

Answer 49

A process that separates a desired ore from other materials in a mined ore. It is usually accomplished by heating the ore and ladling off the desired molten element