qtr 1 - human impact
TRANSCRIPT
Human Impact on the Biosphere
Natural Resources
• Renewable resources
• Nonrenewable resources
Human activities affect the
quality and quantity of our
renewable and nonrenewable resources.
Sustainable Use of Resources
Sustainability
- intelligent and responsible management and conservation of our resources
Wastes
• Biodegradable wastes
– materials that can be broken down by microorganisms
– e.g. organic wastes (sewage and scraps of food)
• Non-biodegradable wastes
– can not be broken down by natural processes or are
broken down very slowly
– e.g. asbestos, glass, certain plastics and metals,
radioactive wastes and chemicals
• pollutants accumulate in the tissues of organisms
• further concentrated up the food chain (because the
biomass at a given trophic level is produced from a
much larger biomass ingested from the level below)
• e.g. pesticides and industrial waste products
DDT was once used to prevent malaria, yellow fever, lice and the spread of insect pests DDT poisoning in fish and birds
Biological Magnification
Land Resources
• Land pollution
• Soil erosion
• Desertification
• Deforestation
Water Resources
• Chemical Contamination
• Sewage Contamination
• Thermal Pollution
Air Resources
• Smog
• Acid Rain
• Greenhouse Effect
• Ozone Depletion
Biodiversity
• Ecosystem diversity
• Species diversity
• Genetic diversity
Threats to Biodiversity
• Demand for wildlife products
• Habitat destruction
• Pollution
• Introduction of exotic species
Conservation Efforts
• Reforestation
• Endangered Species and Protected Areas
• Recycling
• Cleaning up the environment and keeping it clean.