Loss of beneficial populations

Question

● Pesticide use
● Use of pesticides can damage important populations
○ Example:
● What is a more sustainable approach to the use of industrial
pesticides?
iv. Bioaccumulation
● Bioaccumulation is the buildup of toxic substances in the tissues
of organisms over ________.
● Process of Bioaccumulation:
○ Introduction: Toxic substances enter the environment through
pollution.
i. Example: Pesticides, heavy metals, and ________.
○ Absorption: Organisms absorb toxins from their environment
or food.
i. Example: Fish absorbing mercury from ________.
○ Concentration: Toxins accumulate in higher concentrations in
higher trophic levels.
i. Example: Predators accumulating higher toxin levels
from their prey.
● Effects of Bioaccumulation:
○ Health problems in wildlife and humans.
○ Disruption of ecosystems and loss

of ____________.

Human Impact on the Biosphere: Fossil Fuels and the Carbon Cycle
a. Carbon Cycle: An example of nutrient cycling
i. As with all nutrients, carbon must be recycled (the ecosystem is CLOSED
in terms of nutrients)
● Carbon cycle includes both fast and slow pathways
Fast pathway:
Slow pathway:
b. How does carbon move from the fast pathway to the slow pathway?
c. Carbon Cycle: Slow Pathway
i. Where is carbon stored in the slow pathway?
d. Fossil fuels are formed when plants and animals are not completely
decomposed
i. The remnants are converted into coal, oil, natural gas, or rock (such as
limestone)
● Carbon returned to the atmosphere naturally returns to the fast
pathway very slowly.
e. Coal - The world’s most abundant fossil fuel
i. Coal - organic matter (woody plant material) that was compressed under
very high pressure to form dense, solid carbon structures
ii. Dirtiest fossil fuel: CO2 emissions and other contaminants

Answer 1

Loss of Beneficial Populations

• Pesticide Use
  Use of pesticides can damage important populations.

  • Example: Pesticides can kill beneficial insects like bees, which are crucial for pollination and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

• More Sustainable Approaches to the Use of Industrial Pesticides:

  1. Implement integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that utilize biological control, crop rotation, and resistant plant varieties.
  2. Use organic pesticides that are less harmful to beneficial populations.
  3. Educate farmers on the timing and application of pesticides to minimize non-target effects.

Bioaccumulation

• Bioaccumulation is the buildup of toxic substances in the tissues of organisms over time.

• Process of Bioaccumulation:

  • Introduction: Toxic substances enter the environment through pollution.
    • Example: Pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals.
  • Absorption: Organisms absorb toxins from their environment or food.
    • Example: Fish absorbing mercury from contaminated water.
  • Concentration: Toxins accumulate in higher concentrations in higher trophic levels.
    • Example: Predators accumulating higher toxin levels from their prey.

• Effects of Bioaccumulation:

  • Health problems in wildlife and humans.
  • Disruption of ecosystems and loss of biodiversity.

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Human Impact on the Biosphere: Fossil Fuels and the Carbon Cycle

• Carbon Cycle: An example of nutrient cycling

  • As with all nutrients, carbon must be recycled (the ecosystem is CLOSED in terms of nutrients).

• Carbon cycle includes both fast and slow pathways:

  • Fast Pathway: Involves processes like photosynthesis and respiration, where carbon moves quickly between plants, animals, and the atmosphere.
  • Slow Pathway: Involves the long-term storage of carbon in geological formations such as fossil fuels, sedimentary rocks, and oceanic structures.

• How does carbon move from the fast pathway to the slow pathway?
  Carbon moves from the fast pathway to the slow pathway primarily through processes such as sedimentation, where organic matter is buried and transformed into fossil fuels over millions of years.

• Carbon Cycle: Slow Pathway

  • Where is carbon stored in the slow pathway?
    Carbon is stored in fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas), soil, and sedimentary rock formations.

• Fossil fuels are formed when plants and animals are not completely decomposed.

  • The remnants are converted into coal, oil, natural gas, or rock (such as limestone).
  • Carbon returned to the atmosphere naturally returns to the fast pathway very slowly.

• Coal - The world’s most abundant fossil fuel:

  • Coal: Organic matter (woody plant material) that was compressed under very high pressure to form dense, solid carbon structures.
  • Dirtiest fossil fuel: CO2 emissions and other contaminants produced during combustion contribute significantly to environmental pollution and climate change.