Human Activities Honors Biology Mr. Lee Room 320

Objectives Describe human activities that can affect the biosphere

Human Activity Human activity can affect the biosphere Human activities that affect the biosphere are: Hunting and gathering Agriculture Industry Urban development

Hunting and Gathering This is how humans obtained food for most of our history Some scientist believe that the first humans to arrive in North America caused mass extinctions

Hunting and Gathering… Modern subsistence hunters waste little of their catch & make few demands on the environment Poachers can kill animals till extinction

Agriculture About 11 thousands years ago humans started the practice of farming (agriculture) Agriculture includes growing of plants and raising animals Traditional agriculture uses simpler tools & animal-drawn vehicles Modern agriculture uses large-scale irrigation, & mechanical farm tools

Agriculture… With the predictable food supply from agriculture, humans were able to have larger settlements The “Green Revolution” began in the 1950’s New farm techniques that increased food production Often leads to soil erosion and large demands on water supplies

Industrial Growth The industrial revolution had a large impact on the biosphere Most of our energy comes from fossil fuels Some types of industrial processes pollute the air, water, and soil

Urban Development Dense human communities produce large amounts of wastes that need to be disposed of Suburban sprawl takes away farmland and puts additional stress on plants and animals (food webs)

Review Describe human activities that can affect the biosphere: Hunting and gathering Agriculture Industry Urban development