Download Dylan Dorenfeld AP Environmental Science Period 4 Chapter 10

Dylan Dorenfeld
AP Environmental Science
Period 4
Chapter 10 Extra Credit Study Guide
Chapter Highlights
• We should preserve biodiversity because of genes, species, ecosystems, and ecological
services.
• Cutting and degrading old-growth tropical forests reduces the important economic and
ecological services they provide.
• Causes of tropical deforestation and degradation: population growth, poverty,
environmentally harmful government subsidies, debts owed to developed countries, and
failure to value their ecological services.
• Prevention of tropical deforestation: protect diverse and endangered areas, subsidies that
encourage sustainable forest use, educate settlers about sustainability, reduce illegal cutting,
reduce poverty, and slow population growth.
• Restoration of tropical forests: reforestation, rehabilitation of degraded areas, concentrate
farming and ranching on already-cleared areas.
• National Parks are threatened by invasions of nonnative species that can reduce the
populations of native species and cause ecological disruption.
• Solutions to preserving national parks: buy private land inside parks, increase funds for
maintenance and repairs, limit the number of visitors in crowded park areas, increase the
number and pay of park rangers, seek private donations for maintenance and repair.
• The goals of ecoregional conservation are to identify what places should be protected and
connected to one another, what places people should continue to use, and how to do this
more sustainable by using land well for both people and other species.
Key Terms
• Intrinsic value: ecological service value; the components of biodiversity exist regardless of
their use to us
• Instrumental value: ecological service value; based on elements usefulness to us in the form of
numerous economic and ecological services (food and jobs provided by croplands and
fisheries)
• Use value: benefits us in the form of economic goods and services, ecological services,
recreation, scientific information, and preservation of options for such uses in the future.
• Nonuse value: 1) Existence value is the satisfaction of knowing that a redwood forest,
wilderness, orangutans, or wolf pack exists, even if we will never see it or get direct use
from it. 2) Aesthetic value is value taken from the looks of something. 3) Bequest value is
based on the willingness of some people to pay to protect some forms of natural capital
for use by future generations.
• Old-growth forest: an uncut or regenerated forest that has not been seriously disturbed by
human activities or natural disasters for at least several hundred years. They have
storehouses of biodiversity because they provide ecological niches for a multitude of wildlife
species.
• Second-growth forest: a stand of trees resulting from natural secondary ecological succession.
They develop after trees in an area have been removed by human activities or by natural
forces.
• Tree plantation (tree farm): a managed tract with uniformly aged trees of one or two
genetically uniform species that are harvested by clear-cutting as soon as they become
commercially valuable
• Selective cutting: intermediate-aged or mature trees in an uneven-aged forest are cut singly or
in small groups
• Strip cutting: a clear-cutting variation that can allow a more sustainable timber yield without
widespread destruction (clear-cutting a strip of trees along the contour of the land)
• Surface fires: usually burn only undergrowth and leaf litter on the forest floor. They may kill
seedlings and small trees by spare most mature trees and allow most wild animals to escape.
• Crown fires: extremely hot fires that start on the ground but eventually burn whole trees and
leap from treetop to treetop. (Occur in forests that have not experienced surface fires in
several decades)
• Ground fires: fires that go underground and burn partially decayed leaves or peat
• Rangelands: unfenced grasslands in temperate and tropical climates that supply forage or
vegetation for grazing and browsing animals.
• Pastures: managed grasslands or enclosed meadows usually planted with domesticated
grasslands or other forage.
• Overgrazing: too many animals graze for too long and exceed the carrying capacity of a
grassland area.
• Undergrazing: absence of grazing for long periods (at least 5 years) can reduce the net
primary productivity of grassland vegetation.
• Inholdings: land is private ownership when a national park is established
• Biodiversity hotspots: contain vast amounts of biodiversity
• Habitat corridors: established between isolated reserves to help support more species and
allow migration of individuals and populations when environmental conditions in a reserve
deteriorate, and help preserve animals that must make seasonal migrations to obtain food.
• Buffer zone concept: protecting an inner core of a reserve by establishing two buffer zones in
which local people can extract resources in ways that are sustainable and that do not harm
the inner core.
• Ecological restoration: the process of repairing damage caused by humans to the biodiversity
and dynamics of natural ecosystems
• Restoration, rehabilitation, replacement, and creating artificial ecosystems
Important Statistics
• In the U.S., at least 9% of the virgin forests in the lower 48 states have been logged for
lumber and to make room for agriculture, housing, and industry.
• 98% of tall-grass prairie in the Midwest and Great Plains has disappeared.
• 99% of California’s native grassland and 8% of its original redwood forests are gone.
• Forests with at least 10% tree cover occupy about 30% of the earth’s land surface
• 63% of the world’s forests are secondary-growth
• 22% are old-growth forests
• 5% are tree plantations
• The world’s forests are being cleared or degraded exponentially at a rate of 0.3-0.8% per year
(rates are higher in some areas). If current deforestation rates continue, about 40 of the
world’s remaining intact forests will have been logged or converted to other uses within two
decades.
• Forests cover 30% of US land area, providing habitats for more than 80% of the country’s
wildlife species, and serve as sources for about 2/3 of the nation’s total surface water.
• 60% of the wood consumed in the United States is wasted unnecessarily.
• Brazil has 40% of the world’s remaining tropical rain forest and an estimated 30% of the
world’s terrestrial plant and animal species in its Amazon basin.
• 47% of Brazil’s Amazon basin is covered by land occupation and deforestation
• 12% of the earth’s land area is protected strictly or partially in nature reserves, parks, wildlife
refuges, wilderness, and other (only 5% protected from harmful human activities)
Abbreviations/ Laws to Know
• Wilderness Act: allows the government to protect undeveloped tracts of public land from
development as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System
Practice Questions
1. What is the purpose of preserving biodiversity?
2. The greatest amounts of biodiversity are found in ___________.
A) tree plantations B) old-growth forests C) second-growth forests D) grasslands
3. One way net primary productivity is reduced in a grassland is by _________.
A) overgrazing B) undergrazing C) surface fires D) strip cutting
4. Explain several ways by which we can protect our national parks.
5. Explain the goals of ecoregional conservation and how humans can play a part in conserving
our natural habitats.
6. Areas containing high amounts of biodiversity are known as _______.
A) biodiversity hot spots B) rangelands C) habitat corridors D) fisheries
7. How can ecological restoration be obtained?
8. What percentage of forests are considered “old-growth”?
A) 15% B) 22% C) 73%
D) 46%
9. Why was the Wilderness Act (1964) established?
10. What poses as the greatest threat toward National Parks?
11. What main purpose do forests serve?
12. Explain the buffer-zone concept and its purpose.
13. 5% of the earths forests are:
A) old-growth B) tree plantations C) secondary growth D) pastures
14. Why is it important to maintain forest grounds?
15. List causes of tropical deforestation and degradation.
16. Crown fires __________.
A) begin on the ground B) begin in trees C) burn to the tops of trees D) A and C
17. One problem with protecting national parks is ___________.
A) increased number of park rangers B) increased pollution
C) inholdings
D) increased tourism
18. Explain how overgrazing can be harmful to a specie’s population.
19. What is the difference between a pasture and a rangeland?
20. A second-growth forest has survived __________.
A) human depletion/degradation
B) a natural secondary ecological succession
C) natural forces causing depletion
D) all of the above
E) none of the above
Answer Key
1. We should sustain biodiversity because of genes, species, ecosystems, and ecological
services.
2. B) Old-growth forests: These forests contain vast amounts of biodiversity because they
have not been destroyed by environmental hazards in several decades.
3. B) Undergrazing: the absence of grazing for long periods of time can reduce the net primary
productivity of a grassland.
4. Solutions to preserving national parks: buy private land inside parks, increase funds for
maintenance and repairs, limit the number of visitors in crowded park areas, increase the
number and pay of park rangers, seek private donations for maintenance and repair.
5. The goals of ecoregional conservation are to identify what places should be protected and
connected to one another, what places people should continue to use, and how to do this
more sustainable by using land well for both people and other species.
6. Biological hot spots contain vast amounts of biodiversity and are found mostly in the
megadiversity countries.
7. Restoration (trying to return a habitat to its original conditions), rehabilitation (try to turn a
degraded ecosystem back into a functional or useful ecosystem), replacement (replacing a
degraded ecosystem with another type of ecosystem) or creating artificial ecosystems.
8. 22% of forests are considered old-growth forests, meaning that it has been uncut and
undisturbed for many years.
9. The Wilderness Act allowed the government to protect undeveloped tracts of public land
from development as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
10. Invasive and nonnative species are the greatest threat toward National Parks, as they take
habitats away from native species that require these specific habitats.
11. Forests provide habitats for more than 80% of the country’s wildlife species, and serve as
sources for about 2/3 of the nation’s total surface water.
12. The buffer-zone concept explains how we should protect the inner core of a reserve by
establishing two buffer zones in which local people can extract resources in ways that are
sustainable and that do not harm the inner core. The purpose of the concept is strictly to
practice sustainable extraction.
13. 5% of the earth’s forests are tree plantations.
14. When forest grounds go untamed for years, a buildup of leaf litter occurs, making the area
extremely susceptible to ground fires.
15. Population growth, poverty, environmentally harmful government subsidies, debts owed to
developed countries, and failure to value their ecological services.
16. D) A and C: Although crown fires are known for burning the tops of trees, they begin on
the forest ground and eventually make their way to tree tops, leaping from tree to tree.
17. C) Inholdings: Another problem in national parks is inholdings consisting of land that in
private ownership when a park was established. They can be an environmental threat to
parks when owners develop hotels, mines, and gas and oil wells deep within some parks.
18. Overgrazing occurs when too many animals exceed the carrying capacity of a habitat,
depleting the land on which they are living. The animals must compete for food and living
conditions, which is harmful to their survival.
19. A pasture is managed and domesticated while a rangeland is an unfenced grassland with free
grazing animals.
20. D) All of the above: A second-growth forest is a stand of trees resulting from natural
secondary ecological succession. They develop after trees in an area have been removed by
human activities or by natural forces.