Human Impact Review



Human Impact Review

Vocabulary:

• Invasive species: organisms that are brought to a new environment that do not originally belong there and they displace the native species. (remember catchall answer: invasive species usually reproduce quickly and have no natural predators so they eat all of the food of the native species (increase competition!) and the native species die. You can also use the introduction of diseases as an answer for invasive species

• Greenhouse gases: gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), CFC’s , methane (CH4) that get caught in the Earth’s atmosphere and trap the Sun’s energy, leading to global warming

• Global warming: steady rise in the Earth’s temperature each year

• Deforestation: cutting down trees in mass amounts

• Direct harvesting: taking a species from their original habitat (overfishing would be an example of this)

• Renewable resource: source of energy that can be used over and over again (running water, sun(solar), nuclear, wind, geothermal)

• Non-renewable resources: source of energy that cannot be used again (fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, gasoline)

• Industrialization: creation of factories and other technology conveniences that pollute our planet

• Trade-off: when you consider the positive and negative impacts and make a decision (a compromise)

• Pollution: putting things into the environment that cause damage to the environment

Negative Impacts

|Human Activity |Product |Impact |

|Deforestation |Reduce oxygen production |Destroy habitats, decrease in biodiversity |

|Burning fossil fuels (factories, cars, etc)|Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, |Increase greenhouse gases which leads to |

| |CFC |global warming and decrease in |

| | |biodiversity. |

| | |Carbon monoxide destroys the ozone removing|

| | |protection from UV radiation of the sun |

|Using fertilizers |Nitrogen |Rain will wash fertilizers into bodies of |

| | |water, causing plants to grow fast which |

| | |kills animals in the water, decrease in |

| | |biodiversity |

|Using pesticides |DDT, CFC, other toxic chemicals |Biomagnification…. This will lead to |

| | |poisons building up in the environment and |

| | |decreasing stability and biodiversity |

Positive Impacts of People

Creation of wildlife Refuses or parks: helps to protect threatened and endangered species through protected pieces of lands (a refugee camp for animals)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Pass laws that outlaw killing animals, polluting the environment (Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Reclamation Act, Endangered Species Act) and creating community awareness campaigns to help our environment

1. Large rebates and low-cost loans have been made available to homeowners to install solar panels to heat their homes. The use of these incentives benefits ecosystems because it

(1) encourages conservation of resources

(2) reduces the need for recycling

(3) promotes the use of nonrenewable resources

(4) discourages the use of alternative energy

2. One environmental problem caused by the use of nuclear power as an energy source is the

(1) destruction of the ozone shield

(2) disposal of wastes

(3) production of acid rain

(4) accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere

3. Which method of protecting members of an endangered species is most ecologically sound?

(1) protecting the habitats where these animals live from human development

(2) capturing these animals and putting them in wildlife parks

(3) feeding and constructing shelters for these organisms

(4) passing laws that encourage hunting of the predators of these species

4. Global warming has been linked to a decrease in the

(1) size of the polar ice caps

(2) temperature of Earth

(3) rate of species extinction

(4) rate of carbon dioxide production

5. One way that humans could have a positive impact on local environments is to

(1) generate waste products as a result of technological advances

(2) use resources that are renewable

(3) increase planting large areas of one crop

(4) increase the use of pesticides

6. Which human activity would preserve finite resources?

(1) deforestation

(2) removing carnivores from a forest

(3) recycling aluminum

(4) heating homes with fossil fuels

7. Because of an attractive tax rebate, a homeowner decides to replace an oil furnace heating system with expensive solar panels. The trade-offs involved in making this decision include

(1) high cost of solar panels, reduced fuel costs, and lower taxes

(2) low cost of solar panels, increased fuel costs, and higher taxes

(3) increased use of fuel, more stable ecosystems, and less availability of solar radiation

(4) more air pollution, increased use of solar energy, and greater production of oil

8. Which action would be least likely to harm endangered species?

(1) releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

(2) reducing the human population

(3) decreasing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the oceans

(4) reducing the thickness of the ozone layer

9. A reporter conducted a number of “on-the-street” interviews with people selected at random. The reporter found that many people gave responses similar to those of the person quoted below.

[pic]

Which statement is best supported by these interviews?

(1) Many people are very aware of the possible effects of global warming.

(2) Many people care more about their personal comforts than about the possible effects of global warming.

(3) Many people are willing to sacrifice to reduce the possible effects of global warming.

(4) Many people are now taking action to reduce the possible effects of global warming.

10. In state forests and parks containing varieties of flowering trees and shrubs, there are signs that say “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.” These signs are necessary because

(1) humans can destroy habitats by removing flowering trees and shrubs

(2) all animals feed directly on flowering shrubs that may be removed by people

(3) removal of flowering trees and shrubs will increase biodiversity

(4) flowering shrubs grow best in state forests nd parks

11. Which human activity creates the least threat to global stability?

(1) overuse of resources

(2) pollution of water with heavy metals

(3) pollution of air with sulfur gases

(4) reuse of plastic bags

12. In an attempt to improve environmental quality, local officials in a county in New York State want to build a garbage-to-steam plant. At the plant, garbage would be burned to produce energy, but air pollution would also be produced. In order to decide whether or not to build this plant, the community must consider

(1) the trade-offs involved

(2) new genetic technology

(3) the natural process of succession

(4) energy flow between organisms

Windmill farms are being developed as alternative energy sources in some areas of the United States. Windmill farms convert energy from the wind into electricity.

13. State one reason why some residents might be concerned if windmill farms were

planned for their part of the country. [1]

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

14. State one environmental reason why using windmills for energy might be preferred

over using coal for energy. [1]

_______________________________________________________________________

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Due to the negative effects on the environment of burning coal and oil, society is looking for alternate energy resources that are renewable.

15. Identify one renewable resource that can be used to generate energy. [1]

___________________________________

16. State one benefit, other than the fact that it is renewable, of using this resource. [1]

_______________________________________________________________________

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An ecology class is trying to help reduce the problem of global warming by asking their school district to change all of their old lightbulbs to compact fluorescent lightbulbs that use less electricity.

17. Identify one specific gas that contributes to the problem of global warming. [1]

___________________________________

18. State one activity of humans that increases the concentration of this gas. [1]

___________________________________

19. Describe one negative effect of global warming on humans or ecosystems. [1]

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

20. Explain why switching to more efficient lightbulbs will help reduce the school’s

contribution to global warming. [1]

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

The table below shows the abundance of some greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

[pic]

21. Identify the most abundant greenhouse gas and state one human activity that is a source of this gas. [1]

Greenhouse gas: _______________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

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