journal questions
by bryce clark
What is sustainable living.How could someone obtain sustainable living. Do you think you could reach sustainable living.
It is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and personal resources. you could get it from sustainable design. Yes.
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.
Solar energy and other renewable sources are getting limited.
Recycle- what does it mean to recycle? Why should someone recycle? How long does it take for these to decompose?
It means to convert waist into renewable sources, to help the environment,
tin can- 50 years
glass bottle - 1million years
disposable diaper-250-500 years
wood- 200 years for a downed pin tree
paper- 2-5 months
plastic grocery bag- 500 years
styrofoam cup- 500 years
aluminum can- 80-100 years
cotton T-shirt- 6 months
apple core- 2 months
The glass bottle was the on that surprised me the most.
What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? What can we do here in Iowa to help decrease it, is it even possible?
The Garbage Patch is a debris in the central pacific ocean.
Define 2 Biomes of the world, define an ecosystem found in each and explain the Biotic and Abiotic factors involved.
biotic and abiotic, they can be found in freshwater and saltwater.
What are Dead Zones in the Gulf of Mexico? What causes this situation? What can be done to help stop them?
it is an enrichment that came from the mississippi river. we can use fewer fertilizers to lower the nitrogen and phosphorus level.
Define Keystone Species, give 2 examples; one a top predator and one not a top predator. Explain how their absence would affect the ecosystem
Animals that feed on sea urchins, sea otter & sea star. the sea urchin population would become very large.
Competitive Exclusion- define it and give 2 examples.
two species competing for the same purpose.
Define the following terms and give 2 examples of each a. Coexistence b. Parasites c. Mimicry d. Mutualism e. Commensalism
a. Coexistence - means to live close to another in peace
b. Parasites- organism that liven in or on another organism.
c. Mimicry -the action or art of imitating someone.
d. Mutualism - a doctrine of mutual dependence
e. Commensalism-when one species doesn't harm the other species.
What is global dimming? Where does it usually affect and why is it a problem?
It is the decrease of solar radiation. the color of the sky.
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.
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?
Species that are declining in there population. There population decreases through time.
A sea otter is a keystone species. Humans can help by not taking away there habitats.
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?
there not natural to the ecosystem. frogs and fish they can poison and kill other fish.
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?
People should care about the rainforest because there is multiple animals and wilderness that live there and people cut the trees down to build there houses and buildings.
Why is human overpopulation a major concern? Explain all the resources needed for a human to sustain life.
Human population is a large concern because humans are using the resources on earth and there not enough room for humans because there is more population there has ever been.
Pesticides- what are they, how do they adversely affect the environment, and how does this create problems with the genetic diversity in crop production.
Chemicals to kill insects, they kill insects that are feeding off your crop in your field.
plants will become genetically modified so that you don't have to apply the pesticides.
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
the writer is saying that if you remove the bee there will be no insect to move pollen from one plant to another so therefore the plant will die and the plant wont be able to create oxygen for humans to live.
It is the year 2070 and you are having a conversation with your grandchildren about how the environment has changed since you were young- give a prediction of how the Earth would look to them.
the earth would have hardly any vegetation because the population of humans has taken up all of the land due to houses and buildings for people to get jobs.