Human Activities Honors Biology Mr. Lee Room 320

1. Human ActivitiesHonors BiologyMr. LeeRoom 320

2. Objectives • Describe human activities that can affect the biosphere

3. Human Activity • Human activity can affect the biosphere • Human activities that affect the biosphere are: • Hunting and gathering • Agriculture • Industry • Urban development

4. Hunting and Gathering • This is how humans obtained food for most of our history • Some scientist believe that the first humans to arrive in North America caused mass extinctions

5. Hunting and Gathering… • Modern subsistence hunters waste little of their catch & make few demands on the environment • Poachers can kill animals till extinction

6. Agriculture • About 11 thousands years ago humans started the practice of farming (agriculture) • Agriculture includes growing of plants and raising animals • Traditional agriculture uses simpler tools & animal-drawn vehicles • Modern agriculture uses large-scale irrigation, & mechanical farm tools

7. Agriculture… • With the predictable food supply from agriculture, humans were able to have larger settlements • The “Green Revolution” began in the 1950’s • New farm techniques that increased food production • Often leads to soil erosion and large demands on water supplies

8. Industrial Growth • The industrial revolution had a large impact on the biosphere • Most of our energy comes from fossil fuels • Some types of industrial processes pollute the air, water, and soil

9. Urban Development • Dense human communities produce large amounts of wastes that need to be disposed of • Suburban sprawl takes away farmland and puts additional stress on plants and animals (food webs)

10. Review • Describe human activities that can affect the biosphere: • Hunting and gathering • Agriculture • Industry • Urban development