Case Study: Biofuels and Banana Chips: Food Crops vs.

Fuel Crops 1: Why do pig farmers have to feed their pigs junk-food? They feed them because of the rising corn and other crop prices that it cost more to feed them feed than the junk food. Agroecosystems: 2: Explain how agroecosystems halt ecological succession. Agroecosystems is halted to keep the system in an early-successional state. 3: What is the problem with growing monocultures? It makes the crops vulnerable to attack by a single disease or change in environmental conditions, and can reduce soil content and soil fertility. 4: Why does growing plants in neat rows and fields make it easier for pests? The crops have no place to hide from insects. 5: How does plowing fields over and over damage the soils? Explain. Repeated plowing exposes soil to erosion and damages its physical structure. 6: What are the other 2 ways that agrocultures are harmful to ecosystems? They can contain genetically modified crops and lead to a decline in organic matter. The Plow Puzzle 7: How much of the top soil in the U.S. has been lost since European settlement? 1/3 of the topsoil is gone. Can We Feed the World? 8: What percentage of the worlds land area is used for agriculture? 38% of the worlds land area is used for agriculture. How We Starve 9: What is the difference between undernourishment and malnourishment? Malnourishment involves the lack of certain nutrients, while undernourishment results from little calories. 10: Why does providing food aid to countries in need actually work against increased availability of locally grown food? It competes with local farmers and undercuts them. What We Grow on the Land 11: Most of the worlds food is produced by only 14 species. List them below in order of importance: Wheat, rice, maize, potatoes, sweet potatoes, manioc, sugarcane, sugar beet, common beans, soybeans, barley, sorghum, coconuts and bananas. 12: What is a forage crop? Crops grown for domestic animals. 13: Define the following:

Rangeland: provides food for grazing and browsing aniamls wthout plowing and planting Pasture: plowed, planted, and harvested to provide forage for animals 14: What impact does the number of livestock around the world have on rangeland and pasturelands? If there are too many livestock, they can greatly negatively impact the vegetation. 15: Why are feedlots considered to be a big source of local pollution? They hold all the waste that is washed down on a rainy day. 16: What is a benefit of farming animals rather than crops? Farming animals on not highly valuable soil can create money for the farmer rather than planting crops. Soils 17: How does rainwater affect the soil horizon? Explain. Rainwater deposits different nutrients from the horizons, creating better ecosystem units. 18: What is soil fertility? How it is determined? It is the capacity of a soil to supply nutrients necessary for plant growth. 19: Why are soils in humid and tropical areas considered to be poor? What happens to them after deforestation? Their nutrients are washed away from the rain fall. It most likely they will not be reforested as the nutrients dry out. 20: What is the problem with soils in semi-arid regions? The soil shrinks and dries out in the regions, creating cracks and swells. 21: Why are coarse-grained soils more susceptible to erosion that soils that contain more clay? The larger grains allow water to move more easily allowing erosion. 22: Soil Horizons: Define each of the soil horizons Horizon O: organic materials, usually brown/black Horizon A: composed of mineral and organic material, light black to brown. Zone of leaching. Horizon E: composed of light-colored materials from leachting of clay, calcium, magnesium, and iron to lower horizons. Zone of leaching Horizon B: enriched in clay, iron oxides, silica, carbonate, or other material leached from above horizons. Zone of accumulation

Horizon C: partially altered parent material; rock is shown; material could be alluvial in nature. Horizon maybe stained with red with iron oxides Horizon R: Unweather parent material Restoring Our Soils 23: What is the difference between organic and inorganic (artificial) fertilizers? Organic fertilizers cannot grow well in poor soils. 24: Define the following: Macronutrient: a chemical element required by all living things in a relatively large amount Micronutrient: chemical element required in small amounts Limiting Factor: a factor limiting productivity Controlling Pests 25: In the U.S, how much of the potential harvest is lost to pests? The eliminate 1/3 of potential harvest. 26: What is the definition of a weed? A plant not wanted in a certain area. Pesticides 27: What are the differences between inorganic and organic pesticides? Organic pesticides do not harm the environment as much, but are less effective in poor soil. 28: What are some of the reasons why pesticides are considered to be ineffective? The cost of continuing to control a resistant pest rises and costs more. 29: Define Integrated Pest Management (IPM) AND explain HOW it works: It is a combination of methods to control pests. They use biological control, chemical pesticides, and planting crops. 30: What is the use of biological control and give an example: Biological control uses one species against another. Ladybugs are natural pest controllers and can be bought and spread throughout an area. 31: What was the green revolution? It was the programs that led to better, more resistance crops by genetic engineering. Genetically Modified Food: Biotechnology, Farming and Environment

32: What are the 3 practices of genetic engineering? They are faster/more efficient ways to develop hybrids, introduction to terminator genes, and transfer of genetic properties from widely divergent kinds of life. 33: What are the PROS and CONS of developing hybrid crops? Pros: better yields, resistant yields, natural phenomenon Cons: can lead to superbreeds, decrease biodiversity, greater pollution 34: What is the terminator gene and what does it do? It is a gene that makes seeds from a crop sterile. 35: What are the political and social concern with companies using seeds with terminator genes? Developed countries can control the food supply. 36: How are GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) helpful? They can be used for lack of genes and nutrients in an organism. 37: How can GMOs be harmful? They pose a threat to the natural way of life with the sudden change and side effects. Aquaculture 38: What is aquaculture and how can it be helpful? The farming of fish. It is more sustainable compared to hunting. 39: What is mariculture? The farming of ocean fish. 40: How can aquaculture and mariculture harmful to the environment? Since the farms have enclosed spaces, it does not allow fish to freely release waste and spreads disease faster. Critical Thinking Issue: Will There Be Enough Water to Produce Food for a Growing Population? 1: How might dietary changes in developed countries affect water availability? If there were to be less meat eaten and more focus on the lower trophic levels, water availability would increase due to the less water spent on farming animals. 2: How might global warming affect estimates of the amount of water needed to grow crops in the 21st century? The evaporation of water and trapped heat could cause less water available. 3: Withdrawing water from aquifers faster than the replacement rate is sometimes referred to as mining water. Why do you think this term is used? The water drawn from aquifers are used for mining mostly. 4: Many countries in warm areas of the world are unable to raise enough food, such as wheat, to supply their populations. Consequently, they import wheat and

other grains. How is this equivalent to importing water? The amount of wheat imported also includes the amount of water needed for the crops. 5: Malthusians are those who believe that sooner or later, unless population growth is checked, there will not be enough food for the worlds people. AntiMalthusians believe that technology will save the human race from a Malthusian fate. Analyze the issue of water supply for agriculture from both points of view. Malthusian: With more people taking more food, the demand for crops rises. The rising leads to an increase of water needed for the crops. There will not be enough water to sustain both urban and agriculture because of the population. Anti-Malthusian: Technology will figure a way to increase freshwater. There is already the technology of reverse osmosis, converting saltwater to freshwater. The water supply will continue even as the population rises. Interactive Soil Pyramid- Understand How to Calculate the Soil Composition Type go to: http://courses.soil.ncsu.edu/resources/physics/texture/soiltexture.swf Understand and Using Soil Pyramids go to: http://soils.usda.gov/technical/aids/investigations/texture/ Directions: Using the Soil Pyramid Program- Identify the Type of Soil with the Following Percent Compositions: Sand: 30 Clay: 30 Silt: 40 Answer: Clay Loam Sand: 45 Clay: 10 Silt: 45 Answer: Loam Understand Soils in Biomes Around the World Go to: https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/

Directions: Determine the Type of Soils that are Characteristics of Each Specific of These Terrestrial Biomes and List Why? Tundra: No true soil due to climate and low vegetation Taiga (Boreal Forest): podsolization from acid soil solution due to needle leaf trees Temperate Broadleaf Deciduous: brown forest soil; alumunim and iron not mobilized from A horizon because of broadleaf tree; atumn leaf fall give hummus to decay; Mediterranean Scrub: soil richer in the past due to less human impact; before had abundant trees leading to better soil Temperate Grassland: calcification; mild leaching in B horizon=dark brown mollisols under grasslands; fertile soil created when on a loess Scrubland: calcification; poor development in horizons; accumulation of calcium carbonate at or near the surface Tropical Rainforest: soil weak as rain washes away nutrients before arriving at horizons Tropical Savannah: Control of Soil Erosion- go to: http://www2.kenyon.edu/projects/farmschool/types/tillage Directions: Define and describe each of the alternative methods to traditional soil tillage Windbreaks: planting trees along borders of fields to cut erosion; most practiced in flat areas Cover Crops: plant crops that will grow during most erosive fall and spring months Grassed Waterways: planting grassy strips to keep water running over crops Contour Cultivation: cultivate crops irregular angle to decrease water flow Strip Cropping: alternate crops between fiels Forages: planting alfalfa and hay to slow erosion Conservation Tillage: keeping cover of crop fields for winter months until plants come up again in spring No-Till: leaves all of last crops residue in soil while planting new crop

Ridge Tillage: form soil into ridges and plant seeds on top of ridges as residue from previous crop does not disturb during cultivation and planting