NOTE/STUDY GUIDE: Unit 2-6, Soil, Agriculture and Land Management AP Environmental Science II, Mr. Doc Miller, M.Ed.

North Central High School

Name: ______________________________ ID#: ____________________

NORTH CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL NOTE & STUDY GUIDE

AP Environmental Science II

Unit 2-6: Soil, Agriculture, and Land Management

REQUIRED READING FROM ENVIRONMENTAL SCINECE: EARTH AS A LIVING PLANET

(BOTKIN & KELLER): CHAPTER 11, AGRICULTURE, AQUACULTURE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT (PG. 211-234)

CHAPTER 12, LANDSCAPES: FORESTS, PARKS AND WILDERNESS (PG. 235-256)

Additional resources available at www.mrdocsonlinelab.com

Grade Chart: (For Teacher Use Only) Part Description Grade Out of

1 LECTURE 2-6-1: SOIL 5 SG 2-6-1: ATMOSPHERIC BASICS 5

2 LECTURE 2-6-2: AGRICULTURE 5 SG 2-6-2: AGRICULTURE 5

3 LECTURE 2-6-3: LAND USE AND MANAGEMENT 5 SG 2-6-3: LAND USE AND MANAGEMENT 5

TOTAL

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NOTES 2-6-1: SOIL

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SG 2-6-1: SOIL _____ 1. Which of the following soil horizons is composed of partially weathered parent material?

a) O Horizon b) C Horizon c) B Horizon d) E Horizon e) A Horizon

_____ 2. What is the relationship between farming and ecological succession? a) farming keeps the land in a late successional stage b) farming abbreviates succession, skipping the middle stage c) farming promotes the premature change to late successional stage d) farming keeps the land in an early successional stage e) land succession is a process in natural ecosystems, and crop land cannot be discussed in the same terms

_____ 3. Which of the following factors does not limit land available for agriculture? a) slope b) elevation c) floodplain d) river delta location e) all of the above limit land available for agriculture

_____ 4. Econuts will grow in great abundance in the presence of certain minimum amounts of sunlight, water, and nitrogen in the soil. Industrial Farms Inc. has abundant sunlight and water, but terrible yields of econuts. What is the technical term for nitrogen in this example? a) limiting factor b) synergism c) base resource d) artificial fertilizer e) a Liebeg

_____ 5. According to the Environmental Science text, what is the key to food production in the future? a) increased usage of fertilizers b) increased food production per unit area c) increased water availability d) conversion of forests to crop lands e) introduction of macronutrients to the soil

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_____ 6. Liebig’s “Law of the Minimum” says that: a) missing macronutrients contribute to the growth of crop species b) the limiting factor in agriculture can be overcome by simply applying fertilizers c) only limited application of fertilizers is beneficial to the growth of a crop species d) some single factor determines the presence and growth of a given species e) the lowest yielding crop species is the most sustainable

_____ 7. The process of soil formation creates a vertical gradient of layers that are known as a) loam. b) aeration. c) infiltration. d) horizons. _____ 8. The residue of partly decomposed organic matter is called ______ and is found in high

concentrations at the bottom of the O horizon. a) desertification b) decomposition c) humus d) topsoil _____ 9. Mineralized soils can be revitalized through the addition of a) compost and other organic matter. b) materials from the C horizon. c) topsoil. d) all of the above. _____ 10. When detritus, mineral particles, and the detritus food web interact, they form a) leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds. b) leached minerals. c) nitrogen fixation. d) topsoil. _____ 11. According to the figure below, soil with roughly 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay is called a) loam. b) silt loam. c) sandy clay loam. d) loamy sand.

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12. Explain soil fertility and why soils in humid areas are often nutrient poor. 13. What is an “agricultural limiting factor”? 14. Describe each of the 3 main components of loam and how to distinguish them. 15. Explain why soil conservation must be a topic of environmental concern in the future.

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NOTES 2-6-2: AGRICULTURE

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SG 2-5-2: AGRICULTURE _____ 1. Which of the terms below refers to crops grown as food for domestic animals? a) forage crops b) subsistence crops c) aquaculture d) mariculture e) agriculture _____ 2. Which of the following is not a major technological approach to agriculture?

a) mechanized agriculture b) resource-based agriculture c) organic food production d) genetic engineering e) all of the above are major technological approaches to agriculture

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_____ 3. Which of the following refers to lack of a specific chemical component of food? a) malnourishment b) famine c) undernourishment d) miasma e) nonnourishment

_____ 4. What is the relationship between farming and ecological succession? a) farming keeps the land in a late successional stage b) farming abbreviates succession, skipping the middle stage c) farming promotes the premature change to late successional stage d) farming keeps the land in an early successional stage e) land succession is a process in natural ecosystems, and crop land cannot be discussed in

the same terms _____ 5. Monoculture is associated with:

a) gain of chemical elements in the soil b) decreased likelihood of crop diseases c) constant agro-ecosystem d) decreases in organic matter in the soil e) a high variety of crops produced

_____ 6. Which of the following factors does not limit land available for agriculture? a) slope b) elevation c) floodplain d) river delta location e) all of the above limit land available for agriculture

_____ 7. Irrigation of plants refers to: a) artificial addition of fertilizers b) the spraying of pesticides c) the crossing of one or more varieties of species to produce an offspring with particular

desired qualities d) artificial addition of water e) the growing of plants in a nutrient rich solution

_____ 8. Plowing, the regular mixing of the top layer of the soil, is precisely like what natural process? a) glacial action b) flooding c) wind erosion d) earthquakes e) no natural process is much like plowing

_____ 9. Which of the following is not a water-saving irrigation method? a) drip irrigation b) night time irrigation c) surge flow d) mulching e) all of the above are water-saving irrigation methods

_____ 10. Increased production of food in the past has depended on ________ and _________. a) improving weather conditions, genetically engineered crops b) improved soil types, cash crops c) expanded irrigation, growing use of fertilizer d) critical trace elements, hydroponics e) increased soil age, high-yield crop strains

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_____ 11. Agriculture in less developed countries can be significantly affected by all of the following except: a) social disruptions b) droughts c) loss of soil organic matter and accumulation of chemical compounds d) insect infestations e) crop circles

_____ 12. According to the Environmental Science text, what is the key to food production in the future? a) increased usage of fertilizers b) increased food production per unit area c) increased water availability d) conversion of forests to crop lands e) introduction of macronutrients to the soil

_____ 13. All of the following lead to the loss of soil except a) splash erosion. b) horizon erosion. c) sheet erosion. d) gully erosion. _____ 14. ______ occurs when there is an accumulation of salts in soil as a result of ______. a) The tragedy of the commons; overgrazing b) Deforestation; logging c) Salinization; irrigation d) Overcultivation; no-till farming _____ 15. The human activities that lead to erosion and desertification are a) overcultivation, overgrazing, and deforestation. b) sustainability, stewardship, and sound science. c) pollution, overcultivation, and sustainability. d) overgrazing, sound science, and hypotheses. 16. Compare and contrast undernourishment and malnourishment. Describe the major drawback of

food aid programs to less developed countries? 17. Explain how erosion is a two-fold problem. Explain the role that agriculture plays in the problem.

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NOTES 2-6-3: LAND MANAGEMENT

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SG 2-5-3: LAND MANAGEMENT

_____ 1. Which of the terms below refers to cutting dead and less desirable trees first, and later

cutting mature trees? a) subsistence use b) shelterwood cutting c) selective cutting d) edge effect e) rotation use

_____ 2. Which of the terms below refers to cutting all but a few mature trees with good genetic characteristics? a) seed-tree cutting b) shelterwood cutting c) selective cutting d) edge effect e) rotation use

_____ 3. Modern conflicts about forests center upon which of the following questions? a) What role do forests play in our global environment, such as climate? b) Can a forest be managed sustainably? c) Should a forest be used only as a resource to provide materials for people and civilization? d) all of the above e) a and b only

_____ 4. Today, the worldwide rate of deforestation is: a) 2.5 million hectares a year b) 5.2 million hectares a year c) 7.3 million hectares a year d) 8.9 million hectares a year e) greater than the average annual loss in the 20th century

_____ 5. Which one of the following areas would allow the most recreational use by humans? a) nature preserve b) representative natural area c) park d) wilderness e) upwelling area

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_____ 6. For the timber industry, the quality of a forest site is classified by: a) the maximum growth of trees in meters per unit time b) the number of trees which differ in height, girth, and vigor per unit area c) the purity of surface runoff from that site d) the maximum timber crop the land can produce in a given time e) soil fertility and water supply

_____ 7. The problem of deforestation is especially severe in: a) poor nations of the humid tropics b) developed countries c) the homes of colonial New England d) during the Industrial Revolution e) wealthy ski communities of the U.S. West

_____ 8. An area undisturbed by people is called: a) forest reserve b) plantation c) wilderness d) national forest e) wildlife refuge

_____ 9. The process of removing small, poorly formed trees in a forest is called: a) seed-tree cutting b) thinning c) shelterwood cutting d) strip-cutting e) clear cutting

_____ 10. Which of the following is NOT a natural service provided by ecosystems? a) modification of climate b) maintenance of the hydrologic cycle c) erosion control and soil building d) production of pollutants _____ 11. The highest possible rate of use that a system can match with its own rate of replacement

or maintenance is the a) extractive limit. b) optimum yield. c) wise-use threshold. d) maximum sustainable yield. _____ 12. The aim of conservation is to a) preserve the environment in a pristine state. b) actively manage the environment for optimum resource extraction. c) ensure the continuity of the system, regardless of its potential utility. d) fragment the system for human use. _____ 13. The main difference between consumptive and productive use is a) consumptive use is applied to secondary consumers, whereas productive is applied to

producers. b) consumptive use is applied to bacteria, whereas productive use is applied to primary

consumers. c) consumptive use refers to the use of natural systems for basic human needs, while

productive use implies use for economic gain. d) consumptive use refers to the value of an organism to humans, whereas productive use is

based on the value of the organism in and of itself.

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_____ 14. ___________ refers to the problems that arise when the exploitation of common pool resources causes the eventual ruin of the resource.

a) Shakespearean tragedy b) Conservation pooling c) Tragedy of the commons d) Restoration pooling _____ 15. ______ farmers live on small parcels of land that provide them with the food for their

households and a small cash crop. a) Neolithic b) Commercial c) Subsistence d) Development _____ 16. According to the figure to the right,

when a population is at carrying capacity,

a) yield is reduced by competition. b) maximum sustainable yield is

possible. c) yield is reduced by decreased

population sizes. d) recruitment is low.          17. How can deforestation lead to flooding? 18. Forests benefit people and the environment indirectly through public service functions. Name

at least three such public-service functions. 19. Describe how management of “commons” differ from that of private land.