Welcome to the Living Environment! I anticipate a good year with you all. Please check the announcements on a DAILY basis. They will help you keep up to date on topics we will cover in class, assignments, and upcoming quizzes, tests, and projects.
June 9, 2912
1. Since we were pressed for time, I have compiled some notes that might be helpful when reviewing human impact on the environment. Please see below and read them through.
2. Don't forget to check your BTHS e-mail for admissions cards for your Regent's exam
3. Happy studying!
Human Impact on the Environment-supplementary notes:
A) Nutrient limitation-The available supply of nutrients, particularly nitrates and phosphates (compounds made from nitrogen and phosphorus), limits the amount of plants that can grow in an ecosystem. Sometimes, when fertilizer is applied to agricultural land and not all of it is absorbed by the plants, then some of it is transported via runoff to aquatic ecosystems. This can stimulate the growth of algae, which can block sunlight. Also, when the algae decompose, the system is robbed of oxygen (because decomposers use it up) and this can result in the death of fish.
B) Resource usage:
Sustainable use is a way of using natural resources in a way that does not deplete them. Ex. One way of ensuring a sustainable energy future would be to switch to renewable forms of energy like hydroelectric, solar, or wind. This would result in us not depleting fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), which are nonrenewable resources.
1. Land resources:
Many of the world’s soils are becoming infertile. This is often due to unsustainable agricultural practices. Continual plowing of the land removes roots that hold soil in place, and increases soil erosion (the wearing away of the surface soil by water and wind). This can be exacerbated in areas where cattle overgraze the land and the climate is dry and/or prone to drought (ex. some areas of Sub-Saharan Africa). These areas can become deserts by a process known as desertification.
Some sustainable agricultural practices:
Contour plowing-fields are plowed across the slope of the land to reduce erosion (this is especially beneficial in areas that are hilly).
Conservation tillage-leaving the stems and roots of a harvested crop in place to help hold the soil.
Crop rotation-alternate crops-some crops take nutrients out of the soil, and some put them back. Ex. Legumes are a special type of plant whose roots harbor bacteria that turn nitrogen into a form that is usable by plants
2. Forest resources
Forests provide “ecosystem services,” some of which include:
Serving as the “lungs of the Earth,” because they remove carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere and produce oxygen.
Provide habitat for organisms
Moderate climate (ex. Trees remove heat from the local area during transpiration, when water is evaporated off of their leaves)
Limit soil erosion
Protect from flooding
Filter pollutants from water supplies
Many of the world’s forests have been lost through deforestation. Some negative consequences are:
Soil erosion
Washing away of soil nutrients through erosion
Sustainable usage of forests includes:
Harvesting only certain trees (i.e. older ones) to promote the growth of younger trees
Replanting trees in forests where trees have been cut
3. Ocean Resources
Many people rely on fish from the sea as a source of protein. The demand for fish has gone up, but the supply of fish per person has decreased. Some fish have been hunted to commercial extinction (which means there are so few of a population, that it is no longer economically beneficial to harvest them). We are not using this resource sustainably, mainly because the ocean is a common resource for different countries of the world that everyone wants but no one has the incentive to manage it properly.
Sustainable usage of ocean resources include:
Closing portions of some fisheries (i.e. Georges Bank) temporarily
Using aquaculture (fish-farming).
A drawback to aquaculture includes pollution of the water with fish waste.
4. Water Resources
Americans use billions of gallons of water each day. The total supply of freshwater is limited, so using it sustainably is a priority.
Some threats to water resources include the following:
Pollution, such as oil spills
Improperly discarded chemicals
Wasted discarded on land that can seep into the ground and contaminate well water
Sewage (wastewater from toilets and sinks) that adds nitrogen to aquatic ecosystem, which promotes the growth of algae
Sewage that contains infectious microorganisms (i.e. the bacterium that causes cholera)
Sustainable use of water resources-strategies:
Protection of wetlands, such as swamps and marshes, that filter pollutants from water
Using agricultural techniques that conserve water (ex. Drip irrigation delivers water directly to plant roots, which reduces the total amount of water lost through evapotranspiration).
June 6, 2012
1. URGENT-Your book return day is now on Monday, June 11. Sorry for the misinformation! Please spread the word!! June 3, 2012
1. Your final exam is on Wednesday, 6/6.
2. Your final assignments for the rest of the semester are posted below:
LIVING ENVIRONMENT MS. NATHAN
Regents Review Homework Assignments-Spring 2012 Your final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, June 6. It will consist of both a multiple-choice section and constructed response and will cover the following main biological themes:
Ecology an human impact on the environment
Evolution
Heredity and DNA technology
Asexual and sexual reproduction
Maintenance of homeostasis: human physiology and metabolic processes (cell respiration and photosynthesis)
Scientific method and experimental design
State mandated labs: Connections (experimental design), Beaks of Finches (evolution), Diffusion through a Membrane (diffusion and osmosis), Biodiversity
RR HW#1- Complete the June 2010 Regents Exam, Parts A. Write out your answers completely on a SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER. Due date for RR HW#1: Tuesday, 6/5
RR HW#2- Complete the June 20120 Regents Exam, Parts B, C, and D. Write out your answers completely on a SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER. Due date for RR HW#2: Friday, 6/8
RR HW#3-Grade your exam using the key provided in the book, and then diagnose your current strengths and weaknesses using the following sample as a template:
Question #
Right
Wrong
Simple Mistake
Needs further review
Main Topics corresponding to questions that need further review
Specifically need to review these subtopics
1
x
2
x
3
x
x
4
x
x
Scientific Method
Designing a controlled experiment: controls and variables
Due date for RR HW#3: Monday, 6/11
RR HW#4- Identify at least 10 (extra credit if you do more) questions based on the diagnosis of your strength and weaknesses and the curriculum map in Regents exams OTHER than the June 2010 Regents. Write down these questions and answers. For each question, briefly explain what biology topic the question relates to and why. Due date for RR HW#4: Tuesday, 6/12
June 9, 2912
1. Since we were pressed for time, I have compiled some notes that might be helpful when reviewing human impact on the environment. Please see below and read them through.
2. Don't forget to check your BTHS e-mail for admissions cards for your Regent's exam
3. Happy studying!
Human Impact on the Environment-supplementary notes:
A) Nutrient limitation-The available supply of nutrients, particularly nitrates and phosphates (compounds made from nitrogen and phosphorus), limits the amount of plants that can grow in an ecosystem. Sometimes, when fertilizer is applied to agricultural land and not all of it is absorbed by the plants, then some of it is transported via runoff to aquatic ecosystems. This can stimulate the growth of algae, which can block sunlight. Also, when the algae decompose, the system is robbed of oxygen (because decomposers use it up) and this can result in the death of fish.
B) Resource usage:
Sustainable use is a way of using natural resources in a way that does not deplete them. Ex. One way of ensuring a sustainable energy future would be to switch to renewable forms of energy like hydroelectric, solar, or wind. This would result in us not depleting fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), which are nonrenewable resources.
1. Land resources:
Many of the world’s soils are becoming infertile. This is often due to unsustainable agricultural practices. Continual plowing of the land removes roots that hold soil in place, and increases soil erosion (the wearing away of the surface soil by water and wind). This can be exacerbated in areas where cattle overgraze the land and the climate is dry and/or prone to drought (ex. some areas of Sub-Saharan Africa). These areas can become deserts by a process known as desertification.
Some sustainable agricultural practices:
2. Forest resources
Forests provide “ecosystem services,” some of which include:
Many of the world’s forests have been lost through deforestation. Some negative consequences are:
Sustainable usage of forests includes:
3. Ocean Resources
Many people rely on fish from the sea as a source of protein. The demand for fish has gone up, but the supply of fish per person has decreased. Some fish have been hunted to commercial extinction (which means there are so few of a population, that it is no longer economically beneficial to harvest them). We are not using this resource sustainably, mainly because the ocean is a common resource for different countries of the world that everyone wants but no one has the incentive to manage it properly.
Sustainable usage of ocean resources include:
A drawback to aquaculture includes pollution of the water with fish waste.
4. Water Resources
Americans use billions of gallons of water each day. The total supply of freshwater is limited, so using it sustainably is a priority.
Some threats to water resources include the following:
Sustainable use of water resources-strategies:
June 6, 2012
1. URGENT-Your book return day is now on Monday, June 11. Sorry for the misinformation! Please spread the word!!
June 3, 2012
1. Your final exam is on Wednesday, 6/6.
2. Your final assignments for the rest of the semester are posted below:
LIVING ENVIRONMENT
MS. NATHAN
Regents Review Homework Assignments-Spring 2012
Your final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, June 6. It will consist of both a multiple-choice section and constructed response and will cover the following main biological themes:
RR HW#1- Complete the June 2010 Regents Exam, Parts A. Write out your answers completely on a SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER. Due date for RR HW#1: Tuesday, 6/5
RR HW#2- Complete the June 20120 Regents Exam, Parts B, C, and D. Write out your answers completely on a SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER. Due date for RR HW#2: Friday, 6/8
RR HW#3-Grade your exam using the key provided in the book, and then diagnose your current strengths and weaknesses using the following sample as a template:
Due date for RR HW#3: Monday, 6/11
RR HW#4- Identify at least 10 (extra credit if you do more) questions based on the diagnosis of your strength and weaknesses and the curriculum map in Regents exams OTHER than the June 2010 Regents. Write down these questions and answers. For each question, briefly explain what biology topic the question relates to and why. Due date for RR HW#4: Tuesday, 6/12
3. Bring the Barron's Review Book to class every day starting Tuesday, June 5.
4. Happy studying!! You're almost at the end! :)