-
What is biomagnification?
increase in concentration of a substance, tat occurs in a food chain and is not broken down by environmental processes
-
What are mudslides, what problems do they pose?
Mudslides carry vegetation and soil into waterways. Due to poverty this land must be cleared, decreases CO2 absorption
-
What does sustainable mean?
The use of resources such as food, energy, timber and other items at a level that does not exhaust the supply or cause ecological damage.
-
What are problems with industrialized fishing technologies?
much of fish population has been consumed, dredging sea floor kills plants and animals, unwanted species are also killed in nets (bycatch)
-
What are garbage patches?
When trash is thrown in ocean it accumulates in areas where currents move in circular patterns.
-
What are nurdles? What problems do they pose?
pre-production plastics, small lightweight. Ingestion results in increased estrogen levels causing womanly males and reproduction problems. Attract and concentrate toxins such as mercury
-
What are sources of ocean pollution?
cargo, passenger ships, oil platforms, runoff
-
What are solutions to our environmental problems?
awareness, behavior, technology
-
What is biodiversity?
encompasses species diversity, genetic diversity within each species, diversity of the ecosystems they are a part of
-
Why is biodiversity important?
Stabilizes ecosystems, provides happiness
-
Why is monoculture at risk to change?
Lacks the variety of species that could potentially withstand the change
-
What are some threats to biodiversity?
Destruction (deforestation) , fragmentation (roads, damns) and degradation (pollution)
-
What is overexploitation?
Excessive harvesting or killing of a species until it no longer or is reduced to a small population size (minimum viable population size)
-
What is the minimum viable population size?
lowest # of individuals that can sustain a population in the wild for a long period of time. If pop goes below, can no longer adapt to changing environments.
-
What is an invasive species?
Migrate and outcompete native species for resources (have few predators), decrease biodiversity, carried by human activity
-
How do pollutants and disease affect organisms?
Pollutants accumulate in organisms tissues and threaten biodiversity by reducing number of individuals in a population. Disease kills species
-
How can we preserve biodiversity?
- Developed countries - recognize problems, curb use of resources, practice better waste management
- Developing countries - grow economies, protect environment
|
|
