Test 2 Slide Questions

Question 1

The first wave (18th–19th century)

Answer 1

promoted settlement of the western
regions and encouraged the extraction of natural resources.

Question 2

Second Wave In the late 1800s,

Answer 2

policy began to shift toward conservation and preservation ethics.
o In 1872, Yellowstone was designated as the first national park.
o In 1891, forest reserves were created to prevent overharvesting.
o In 1903, the first wildlife refuge was created.

Question 3

In 1962, Rachel Carson

Answer 3

published Silent Spring, informing the public of the ecological and health impacts of industrial chemicals like D D T.

Question 3

Third wave the 20th century,

Answer 3

soil conservation efforts following the Dust Bowl. industrialization
improved economic conditions but increased air and water pollution.

Question 4

Legal scholar Joseph Sax

Answer 4

developed the public trust doctrine,
holding that natural resources should be held in trust and
protected by the government.

Question 5

Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson

Answer 5

founded Earth Day in 1970,
further galvanizing support for new environmental policy.

Question 6

Command-and-control

Answer 6

is an approach where the regulating agency (such as the E P
A) prohibits certain actions or sets limits, with punishment for violations.
This approach has produced most of the positive environmental changes in the
United States since the 1960s and 1970s.

Question 7

An alternative to command and
control is

Answer 7

to use financial incentives to
encourage private companies to
change, or to alter market dynamics.

Question 8

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA

Answer 8

Was the first statute passed in the
the modern area of environmental law

Question 9

NEPA requires

Answer 9

an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a recommendation
or report on proposals for legislation and other Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment
also created the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)

Question 10

What circumstances require an EIS to be prepared?

Answer 10

o When a federal agency is dealing with legislative recommendations or major
federal actions
o If the action significantly affects the human environment
o Indirect actions – must consider whether an action could exist without federal support

Question 11

Contents of an EIS (CEQ regulations)

Answer 11

o Need and purpose of the action
o Description and analysis of alternatives
o Alternative of no action must be included
o Description of the affected environment
o Assessment of the environmental consequences of all alternatives
o Mitigation options must be discussed

Question 12

Sustainable development

Answer 12

is a form of economic progress that
maintains resources for the future.

Question 13

The United Nations defines sustainable development as development that

Answer 13

“…meets the needs of the present without sacrificing
the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.”

Question 13

Weak sustainability:

Answer 13

Built/human capital can substitute for natural capital as long as future generation are just as well off

Question 14

Human population before and after industrial revolution

Answer 14

it was flat rate then boom Industrial Revolution. The human population did not reach 1 billion until after 1800. A billion people are currently
being added about every 12 years.

Question 14

Strong sustainability:

Answer 14

Future generations must have the same amount of natural capital

Question 15

Replacement fertility

Answer 15

is the TFR that keeps the size of a population
stable. For humans, this is 2.1.

Question 16

Thomas Malthus

Answer 16

argued that the number of people would eventually outgrow the available food supply.

Question 17

Total fertility rate (TFR)

Answer 17

is the average number of children born per woman
during her lifetime.

Question 18

The industrialization

Answer 18

of agriculture has
boosted worldwide production of food
and fiber immensely but has also brought
increased pollution and resource
depletion.

Question 18

IPAT model

Answer 18

represents how our total impact (I) on the
environment results from the interaction of population (P), affluence (A), and technology (T).

Question 19

traditional agriculture

Answer 19

the work of cultivating, harvesting, and distributing crops was performed by human and animal muscle power.

Question 20

Industrial agriculture

Answer 20

introduced large-scale mechanization and fossil fuel
consumption into agriculture.
o Higher rates of irrigation, synthetic fertilizers, and chemical pesticides
o Greater prevalence of monocultures, where farmers grow vast areas of single crops in orderly rows

Question 21

irrigation.

Answer 21

The artificial provision of water beyond what is received by precipitation is

Question 21

Irrigation is necessary

Answer 21

with water-intensive crops (like rice) and in areas with dry climates. o Irrigation is the largest use of water by humans, making up 70% of all fresh water withdrawn.

Question 21

Green Revolution

Answer 21

Beginning in 1940, the Green Revolution introduced new technology, crop varieties, and farming practices to the developing world. o Began with Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Prize–winning scientist who introduced new strains of wheat to Mexico, India, and Pakistan The Green Revolution helped to increase yields and reduce starvation, but has also degraded soil, water supplies, and pollinators.

Question 22

Sustainable agriculture

Answer 22

maintains healthy soil, clean water, pollinators, and other vital resources. o The overall approach is to mimic the way natural ecosystems function.

Question 22

Waterlogging

Answer 22

occurs when irrigation oversaturates the soil to the point where water drowns plant roots, depriving them of gases.

Question 23

Salinization

Answer 23

is the buildup of salts in surface soil layers as a result of irrigation.

Question 24

Plants only use about 40% of the water applied by irrigation on average.

Answer 24

Drip irrigation can also reduce water use

Question 25

Pesticides

Answer 25

include synthetic chemicals that kill insects (insecticides), plants (herbicides), and fungi (fungicides). o Nearly 535 million kilograms of ingredients from pesticides are applied in the United States each year.

Question 26

pests evolve resistance to them

Answer 26

Chemical pesticides tend to become less effective over time as

Question 27

Pesticides also kill

Answer 27

non-target organisms, including predators and parasites of pests and pollinators.

Question 28

Fertilizers

Answer 28

are substances that contain essential nutrients for plant growth.

Question 29

Inorganic fertilizers

Answer 29

are mined or synthetically manufactured.

Question 30

Organic fertilizers

Answer 30

are made of the remains or wastes from organisms, including manure, crop residue, charcoal, fresh vegetation, and compost.

Question 31

Physical weathering

Answer 31

results from wind, rain, freezing, and thawing.

Question 32

Chemical weathering

Answer 32

occurs as water or gases chemically alter rock.

Question 33

Biological weathering

Answer 33

involves living things, such as lichens producing acid or tree roots rubbing against rock.

Question 34

Partially decomposed organic matter is called and is very productive for plant life.

Answer 34

humus

Question 35

Erosion

Answer 35

is the removal of material from one place and its transport to another by wind or water.

Question 36

People make land more vulnerable to erosion in three ways:

Answer 36

o Overcultivating fields through poor planning or excessive tilling (plowing). o Grazing rangeland with more livestock than it can support. o Clearing forests on steep slopes.

Question 36

Erosion and deposition are natural processes,

Answer 36

but are occurring at accelerated rates due to agriculture. o This removes topsoil at faster rates, quickly depleting soil of nutrients and organic matter.

Question 37

Drylands are prone to desertification,

Answer 37

a land degradation where more than 10% of productivity is lost. o Wind and water erosion are the biggest causes.

Question 38

Areas that are windy, are sloped

Answer 38

have intense precipitation, or have sparse vegetative cover are the most at risk of erosion.

Question 39

Proponents of GM crops argue they can:

Answer 39

o Enhance food security and reduce poverty. o Alleviate pressure to clear forests and grasslands. o Conserve water by reducing the need for irrigation. o Improve nutrition with crops that contain key nutrients (such as golden rice and vitamin A). o Reduce pesticide use.

Question 40

cons:

Answer 40

o Ecologically, scientists are concerned that GMOs will interbreed with their wild relatives, transferring new genes into the wild population. o A big part of the public debate is that every person relies on food for survival and genetic modification of rice, corn, soy, and wheat essentially forces people to consume biotech products. o Another concern is that a few large companies such as Monsanto, Bayer, Dow, DuPont, and BASF control GM technology. o These companies patent their seeds, meaning that if a farmer’s crops are pollinated by a neighbor’s GM crops, he/she may be sued for harvesting and replanting his own seeds.

Question 41

Biodiversity

Answer 41

is the variety of life across all levels of biological organization (genes through ecosystems).

Question 42

A species

Answer 42

is a set of organisms that share unique characteristics and can breed and produce fertile offspring. o Species diversity describes the number or variety of species found in a region.

Question 43

Biodiversity hotspots

Answer 43

re regions that support a large number of species that are found nowhere else. o Defined as harboring at least 1500 endemic plant species and having already lost 70% of habitat area.

Question 44

The 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

Answer 44

(CITES) bans the international transport of the body parts of rare species.

Question 45

Conservation biology

Answer 45

is a study that seeks to understand the loss, protection, and restoration of biological diversity.

Question 46

Conservation geneticists determine

Answer 46

he minimum viable population size—how small a population can become and how much genetic variation it can lose before encountering inbreeding depression. o By determining this size, they can help wildlife managers make plans for increasing the size of a population.

Question 47

Zoos and botanical gardens have become centers for captive breeding,

Answer 47

where endangered individuals such as black rhinos are bred and raised with the intention of reintroducing their progeny into the wild. o 77 plant and animal species now exist only in captivity.

Question 48

The background extinction rate

Answer 48

is the pace at which organisms independently go extinct. o Based on the fossil record, scientists estimate this rate at an average of 1 out of every 1–10 million mammal and marine animals going extinct each year.

Question 49

Extinction

Answer 49

occurs when the last member of a species dies and the entire species ceases to exist.

Question 50

Extirpation

Answer 50

is the loss of a species from one area, but not the entire world. o The black rhino has been extirpated from most of its historic range but is not yet extinct.

Question 51

Species richness generally increases as one approaches the equator, due to:

Answer 51

o Greater geographic area. o More solar energy. o Stability of tropical climates. o Lack of disruptive glaciation events.

Question 52

Section 7 – limits on federal agencies

Answer 52

All federal agencies must consult with the FWS before taking an action affecting a listed species and insure that the action will not o Jeopardize the continued existence of the species o Result in the destruction or adverse modification of the critical habitat of the species o Agencies cannot use cost to avoid section 7 regulation o Critical habitat o FWS must designate critical habitat at the same time that it lists a species, so long as the designation is prudent and determinable o FWS can exclude an appropriate area from critical habitat designation if the benefits outweigh the costs and the exclusion will not result in the extinction of the species

Question 53

Private actions and Section 9

Answer 53

o No one can take an endangered species of fish or wildlife o Take – harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect an endangered species or to attempt any such activity o FWS issued a regulation declaring that significant habitat modification or degradation that actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding, or sheltering constitutes harm under section 9 o Plants – ESA prohibits the removal, digging up, destruction of endangered plants on federal land or in knowing violation of any law or regulation of any state or in the course of any violation of a state criminal trespass law o Threatened species – FWS is allowed to issue regulations for threatened species – most threatened species receive the same protection as endangered species

Question 54

Habitat conservation plans

Answer 54

allow the landowner to harm some individuals of a species if the overall habitat is improved.

Question 55

A safe harbor agreement

Answer 55

is a promise that the government will not pursue additional action if the landowner pursues actions that assist in the species’ recovery.

Question 56

Conservation geneticists

Answer 56

determine the minimum viable population size—how small a population can become and how much genetic variation it can lose before encountering inbreeding depression. o By determining this size, they can help wildlife managers make plans for increasing the size of a population.

Question 57

Explain the IPAT model. How can technology either increase or decrease environmental impact?

Answer 57

The IPAT model represents how our total impact (I) on the environment results from the interaction among population (P), affluence (A), and technology (T): o I=PAT * Technology enhances our abilities to exploit minerals, fossil fuels, old-growth forests, or fisheries generally increases impact, but technology reduces smokestack emissions, harness renewable energy, or improve manufacturing efficiency can decrease impact.

Question 58

What is the species area relationship (SAR)? How can it be used to predict extinction rates?

Answer 58

it can be used to predict extinction rates by estimating how many species are likely to be lost when a habitat is reduced in size, as smaller areas can support fewer species, thus increasing the risk of extinction for some populations within that habitat