Journal Questions
Zack Hopes
What is sustainable living? How could someone achieve sustainable living? Do you personally think you could reach sustainable living?
•Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and personal resources
•Pay attention to label s Be water wise drive less, make your home green
•No
Fossil fuels vs. Renewable energy- compare and contrast the two forms of energy. Look at the cost financially to humans and environmentally to the Earth. Convince someone to conserve energy.
Fossil Fuels-
produces electricity as the good thing and the bad thing is it pollutes the air.
Renewable Energy-
good thing is it never runs out and the bad thing is difficult to generate the quantities of electricity that are as large as those produced by traditional fossil fuel generators
. Recycle- what does it mean to recycle? Convert into reusable material. Why should someone recycle? Saves the manufactures energy. How long does it take for these to decompose?
Glass Bottle- 1 million years
Disposable Diaper- 250 to 500 years
Wood- several hundred yrs.
Paper- 2 to 5 months
Plastic Grocery Bag- 500 years to forever
Styrofoam Cup- 500 years to forever
Aluminum Can- 200 to 500 years
Cotton T-shirt- 6 months
Apple Core- 2 months
Did any of these surprise you?
The Apple Core
What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? What can we do here in Iowa to help decrease it, is it even possible?
It is a gyre of marine debris particles in the central North Pacific Ocean.
it’s not possible to do here in Iowa
Define 2 Biomes of the world, define an ecosystem found in each and explain the Biotic and Abiotic factors involved
Ocean- very large expanse of sea; ecosystem found in the ocean is coral reef. Biotic factors are fish, sharks, whales, plants, and jellyfish. Abiotic factors are sunlight, temp, moisture, and wind.
Tundra- vast, flat, treeless Arctic region; an ecosystem found in the tundra would be mountains. Biotic factors are low shrubs, herbivores, and carnivores. Abiotic factors are rainfall, short summers and long winters, permafrost layer.
What are Dead Zones in the Gulf of Mexico? What causes this situation? What can be done to help stop them?
Its Caused by pollution from humans.
Its stops runoff and build water treatment plants to prevent human and animal waste from entering the waters
Define Keystone Species, give 2 examples; one a top predator and one not a top predator. Explain how their absence would affect the ecosystem
The sea otter and the starfish are keystone species and the sea otter is the top predator and the starfish isn’t a top predator. If we didn’t have them in our ecosystem the sea urchins population would be out of control.
Competitive Exclusion define it and give 2 examples.
Competitive Exclusion- is a proposition that states that two species competing for the same resource cannot coexist at constant population values. Examples- Lion and a hyena
Define the following terms and give 2 examples of each
a. Coexistence- ability to live together. Examples- gazelles and zebras; vultures and crows
b. Parasites- organism that lives in or on another organism. Examples- tapeworms and barnacles
c. Mimicry- action or art of imitating someone or something. Examples- Butterflies; Beetles
d. Mutualism- doctrine that mutual dependence is necessary to social wellbeing. Examples- Bees and flowers; spider crab and algae
e. Commensalism- association between two organisms in which one benefits and the other derives neither benefit nor harm. Examples- fish and coral; Cattle egrets and cattle
Explain the Carbon Cycle and how do humans affect this cycle?
? Carbon Cycle- carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, chiefly involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels
Humans are affecting it by adding more carbon to the atmosphere
What is global dimming? Where does it usually affect and why is it a problem?
Global dimming- the decrease in the amounts of solar radiation reaching the surface of the Earth, it usually affects
Explain the Greenhouse Effect. How do the carbon cycle and the greenhouse effect go together?
The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere. If a planet's atmosphere contains radiatively active gases (i.e., greenhouse gases) the atmosphere will radiate energy in all directions.
•Carbon is a building block of life and a form of stored energy. When fossil fuels are burned for energy (combustion), carbon is released. Carbon compounds move through plants and animals, the air, the ocean, and the earth. Carbon present in the air as carbon dioxide contributes to the "Greenhouse Effect" and related global warming. "Carbon sequestration" describes both natural and manmade processes for capture and long-term storage of carbon that are being employed to combat global warming. Follow the links below to learn about the carbon cycle, the greenhouse effect, and ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Define endangered species and give an example. How does a species become endangered? What if this species was a keystone species? What would happen to the current ecosystem? Why should humans care about the endangered species?
An Endangered (EN) species is a species which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as likely to become extinct
•ex. Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
•Animals and plants that are at risk of becoming extinct because of threats from changing environments or predators are considered threatened or endangered
•all other species that depend on it will die
Invasive Species- define invasive species; give 2 examples how do they affect the ecosystem they are now invasive too. How did the invasive species arrive to their new ecosystem?
Invasive species- a plant, fungus, or animal species that is not native to a specific location. Examples: Feral pigs, West Nile virus. They were brought on boats, pet trade
At one time rainforest covered 14% of the Earth’s land surface; today rainforest only cover 6% today; why should a person care about the lost rainforest ground? Why are the rainforest being cut down? What would happen if they all disappeared?
•Nearly half of the world's species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation
•being cut down for natural resources
Why is human overpopulation a major concern? Explain all the resources needed for a human to sustain life.
•Overpopulation can further be viewed, in a long term perspective, as existing when a population cannot be maintained given the rapid depletion of non-renewable resources or given the degradation of the capacity of the environment to give support to the population
Pesticides- what are they, how do they adversely affect the environment, and how does this create problems with the genetic diversity in crop production.
•A substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals
•The environmental impact of pesticides consists of the effects of pesticides on non-target species. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, because they are sprayed or spread across entire agricultural fields.[1] Runoff can carry pesticides into aquatic environments while wind can carry them to other fields, grazing areas, human settlements and undeveloped areas, potentially affecting other species
•Genetically engineered crops are herbicide-tolerant, and their overuse has created herbicide resistant "super weeds which may ultimately increase the use of herbicides
Interpret this quote. “If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have 4 years left to live.” Maurice Maeterlinck, The Life of the Bee
If the bees were to die off then we wouldn’t have them to pollinate our flowers and then we wouldn’t have them to clean some of the carbon from the air.