1. Chapter 6: Humans in the Biosphere
Changing Landscapes

2. Effects of Human Activity
Agriculture
Monoculture
Idea of planting a single crop year after year
Problems:
Pollutes the soil and water (How?)
Wastes fossil fuels
Drains the soil of nutrients

3. Effects of Human Activity
Housing
Problems:
Increase in population density leads to more waste
If not treated properly, land, air, and water pollution
Divides environment
Destroys animals habitats

4. Effects of Human activity
Industrial Growth
Problems:
Depletion of fossil fuels
Needed for machines to conduct work
Environmental harms
Dumping of toxic waste

5. Sustainable Development
Renewable Resource
Resources that can be replaced or produced in a healthy ecosystem
Must be done in reasonable amount of time
Examples?
Nonrenewable Resource
Resources that can’t be produced by a natural process in a reasonable amount of time
Examples?

6. Chapter 6: humans in the biosphere
Using Resources Wisely

7. Soil Resources Erosion Desertification
Losing soil due to over farming, drought, or climate change
Example
Dust Bowl 1930’s
All 3 problems occurred at the same time
Soil could be found hundreds of miles off coast of New York
Deforestation
Destruction of forests
Problems:
Tree roots help hold soil together and nutrients
Removing trees causes these things to be lost

8. Soil resources Methods of sustainability
1. Leave behind roots and stems in soil
2. Crop rotations
Planting different crops each season
Helps maintain nutrient levels in soil
3. Contour Plowing
Plant crops across the slopes of land instead of down the slope
Reduces the amount of water runoff
4. Cut down mature trees only

9. Freshwater resources Water Pollution Point source
Exact location of water pollution
Caused by an oil spill or factory dumping
Non-point source
Water pollution that occurs due to dumping in a different location
Caused by runoff into water sources
Biological Magnification
Can be linked to snowball effect
As you move up through the trophic levels, higher concentrations of substances can be found in organisms

10. Atmospheric resources
Air Pollution
Smog
Chemical reaction of air pollutants
Result from car exhausts and factory chemicals
Acid Rain
Results from air pollution caught up in clouds
Rain caused destruction to plants
Pollutants can ruin the soil as well
Greenhouse Gases
Gases occur naturally
Pollution causes for increase of them which causes higher temperatures
Particulates: Ash and Dust (Harmful if swallowed)

11. Chapter 6: Humans in the biosphere
Biodiversity

12. Types of Biodiversity
Biodiversity: Total variety of organisms in the biosphere
1. Ecosystem diversity
Different ecosystems in the biosphere
Can be thought of as the different biomes
2. Species diversity
Number of species on the planet
1.8 million discovered already
30 million undiscovered
3. Genetic diversity
All forms of genetic information in each species

13. Uses of biodiversity Medicine Used to treat disease
A large number of plants in rain forest have been tested against types of cancer
Agriculture
Domestic plants have wild relatives
We can use genes from each plant to create pest resistant plants or better plants

14. Threats to biodiversity
Altered Habitats
Fragmentation
Splitting of an ecosystem
When cities built in ecosystems
Creates competition
Can lead to extinction of species
Hunting
Over hunting can lead to endangered species
Endangered species struggle to do their job in environment

15. Threats to biodiversity
Introduction of new species
Bringing in of a new species can create unbalance
Leads to other species leaving and destruction of ecosystem
Pollution
Lowers biodiversity
Poor conditions leads to lower birthrates
Climate Change
Species adapted to a specific climate and environment
When climate changes, survival becomes difficult

16. conservation Zoos Allows for humans to save species
Introducing captive breeding
Enlarge population through breeding in zoos
Release in wild slowly
National Parks
Protect areas of land from deforestation
Gives species habitats that have been lost