160 likes | 278 Views
Friday, Mar 21 st , 2014. Did you know… Alligators give birth to females in cold temperatures & to males when it's hot. A queen termite can live up to 50 yrs. Do Now: Mar 21 st. Which effect of climate change do you think is the worst for Earth? Explain why you think that.
E N D
Friday, Mar 21st, 2014 • Did you know… • Alligators give birth to females in cold temperatures & to males when it's hot. • A queen termite can live up to 50 yrs.
Do Now: Mar 21st • Which effect of climate change do you think is the worst for Earth? Explain why you think that. • What causes the acidification of oceans? • Why is water acidification bad for the environment?
YouTube Friday • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZO9tMetxno • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhm7-LEBznk
Land Use Percent Use in United States How Humans Use This Land Type
Biodiversity • Wide variety of natural species • High biodiversity = more stable • Able to recover from harmful events
Urban Land vs. Rural Land • Covered w/ buildings & roads • Contains 2,500+ people & has a governing body (e.g., city council) • Large open areas • Contains few people
Suburban Sprawl • Development of houses & strip malls that spreads out around major cities
Urbanization Problems Solutions Educate people Laws protecting environment Landfill regulations Barriers to reduce erosion Bioremediation: clean toxic wastes thru orgs • Incr waste & pollution • Destroy natural habitats • Concrete/asphalt incr flooding & heat • Erosion of topsoil
Agriculture • Agriculture = farming • Cultivate land to produce products that sustain human life • 3 Types:
1. Traditional / Conventional Cons: Pros: High yields = more $ Easier / faster = more $ • Chemical (pesticide, herbicide, & fertilizer) run-off • Tillage: plowing soil incr soil erosion • Monoculture: plant 1 species in field • Easier to care for • BUT easily destroyed by parasites/disease • Depletes nutrients
2. Sustainable / Organic Cons: Pros: Less tillage = less soil erosion Rotate crops = replaces nutrients Polyculture = plant many species in field Difficult to care for Replaces nutrients Earn more $ when sold locally (less $ on transportation) Recycles waste/compost • More labor • Cost more $ (labor & resources)
3. Aquaculture / Aquafarming • Farming aquatic orgs (e.g., fish, crustaceans, & aquatic plants)
Aquaponics • Sustainable combination of aquaculture (growing aquatic animals in tanks) & hydroponics (growing plants in water) • By-products from aquaculture filtered out by plants as nutrients
Agriculture Problems Solutions Preserve topsoil Monitor runoff & only use pesticides when necessary • Incr erosion • Topsoil difficult to replace • Pesticides • Pollute water • Insects can become resistant
Deforestation Problems Solutions Selective Logging: pick trees to cut & others to keep Buffer zones: keep trees along stream banks to stabilize shoreline Reforestation: replace trees that have died/been cut down • Clear-cutting: removal of all trees w/o replacing them • Destroys ecosystems • Increases erosion • Why is this? Amazon
Overgrazing Problems Solutions Limiting herd sizes Rotate herds to different rangelands • Too many animals graze an area for too long • Grass is unable to recover • Overgrazed area (left) & ungrazed area (right) on the Carrizo Plain Ecological Reserve, October 2009.