1. APES Lesson 7 - Demogrphy
AP Environmental Science
Mr. Grant
Lesson 58
Conserving Pollinators and Controlling Pests
&
Organic Agriculture

2. Mastery Check
What kinds of techniques have people employed to increase agricultural production? How did Norman Borlaug help inaugurate the Green Revolution?
Food production has been increased by cultivating more acres, fertilizing and irrigating crops to alleviate nutrient limitations, breeding more productive
crops, and increasing inputs of pesticides and fossil-fuel-derived power. Borlaug introduced high-yield, sturdy, disease-resistant wheat varieties to developing nations.

3. APES Lesson 54 - Land Degradation and Soil Conservation (Part 1)
Objectives:
Define the term seed banks.
Discuss the importance of pollination.
Explore strategies for pest management.
Analyze the nature, growth, and potential of organic agriculture.
TED - The varieties of wheat, corn and rice we grow today may not thrive in a future threatened by climate change. Cary Fowler takes us inside a vast global seed bank, buried within a frozen mountain in Norway, that stores a diverse group of food-crop for whatever tomorrow may bring.

4. Define the term seed banks.
APES Lesson 58 - Pests and Pollinators & Genetically Modified Food
Define the term seed banks.
Seed Bank:
Place where seeds are stored for short-term use in farming or for long-term preservation.

5. Discuss the importance of pollination.
APES Lesson 58 - Pests and Pollinators & Genetically Modified Food
Discuss the importance of pollination.
Insects and other organisms are essential for the reproduction of many crop plants.
Conservation of pollinating insects is vitally important to our food security.

6. We depend on insects to pollinate crops
Not all insects are pests; some are absolutely vital
800 crop species rely on insect pollinators
Pollination = male plant sex cells fertilize female sex cells
By wind or animals
Pollinators include:
Hummingbirds
Bats
Insects (e.g., bees, wasps)
Native bees provide $3 billion in yearly pollination services in the United States

7. We depend on insects to pollinate crops
APES Lesson 58 - Pests and Pollinators & Genetically Modified Food
We depend on insects to pollinate crops
Not all insects are pests; some are absolutely vital
800 crop species rely on insect pollinators
Pollination = male plant sex cells fertilize female sex cells
By wind or animals
Pollinators include:
Hummingbirds
Bats
Insects (bees, wasps, etc.)
Flowers are evolutionary adaptations to attract pollinators

8. Conservation of pollinators is vital
The honey bee pollinates over 100 crops that make up one-third of the U.S. diet and contributes $15 billion in services per year
Populations of pollinators (e.g., bees) have plummeted
Colony collapse disorder = entire beehives have vanished
Unknown causes—Insecticides? Parasites? Stress?
Reducing or eliminating pesticide use and planting flowering plants will help preserve bees

9. Conservation of pollinators is vital
APES Lesson 58 - Pests and Pollinators & Genetically Modified Food
Conservation of pollinators is vital
Populations of pollinators (e.g., bees) have plummeted
Colony collapse disorder = entire beehives have vanished
Unknown causes—Insecticides? Parasites? Stress?
Reducing or eliminating pesticide use and planting flowering plants will help preserve bees
Bees pollinate over 100 crops and contribute $15 billion in services/year

10. Explore strategies for pest management.
APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity
Explore strategies for pest management.
We kill “pests” and “weeds: with synthetic chemicals that can pollute the environment and pose health hazards.
Pests can evolve resistance to chemical pesticides, forcing us to design more toxic poisons.
The practice of biological control employs natural enemies of pests against them.
Integrated pest management combines various techniques and minimizes the use of synthetic chemicals.

11. “Pests” and “weeds” hinder agriculture
Pest = any organism that damages valuable crops
Weed = any plant that competes with crops
Industrial farming limits natural mechanisms to control pest and weed populations
Pesticides = poisons that target pest organisms
Insecticides kill insects, herbicides kill plants, fungicides kill fungi
400 million kg (900 million lb) of pesticides are applied in the United States each year
Fourfold increase in use worldwide since 1960
$32 billion/year is spent on pesticides

12. We have thousands of pesticides
APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity
We have thousands of pesticides
Pest = any organism that damages valuable crops
Weed = any plant that competes with crops
Pesticides = poisons that target pest organisms
Insecticides = kill insects
Herbicides = kill plants
Fungicides = kill fungi
400 million kg (900 million lb) of pesticides are applied in the U.S. each year
75% of this is applied to agricultural land
$32 billion/year is spent on pesticides worldwide

13. Pests evolve resistance to pesticides
Some individuals are genetically immune to a pesticide
They pass these genes to their offspring
Nonresistant pests are killed off
Pesticides stop being effective
“Pesticide treadmill” = chemists change chemicals or increase toxicity to compete with resistant pests
Over 586 insect species are resistant to 330 pesticides
Pesticides also kill nontarget organisms, including predators and parasites of pests
Pest populations become harder to control

14. Pesticide resistance
Over 556 insect species are resistant to 300 pesticides
Weeds and plant diseases have evolved resistance to pesticides

15. Pests evolve resistance to pesticides
APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity
Pests evolve resistance to pesticides
** Three problems with using pesticides…**
** 1) Some individuals are genetically immune to a pesticide**
**2) They pass these genes to their offspring**
Pesticides stop being effective
Pesticide treadmill = chemists increase chemical toxicity to compete with resistant pests
**3) Pesticides also kill nontarget organisms**
Including predators and parasites of pests
Pest populations become harder to control

16. Biological control pits one organism against another
Biological control (biocontrol) = strategy that uses a pest’s predators or parasites to control the pest
Parasitoid wasps are a commonly used group of biocontrol agents
Reduces pest populations without chemicals
Cactus moths control prickly pear
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) = soil bacterium that kills many caterpillars and some fly and beetle larvae

17. Biological control (biocontrol)
APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity
Biological control (biocontrol)
Biological control = uses a pest’s predators to control the pest
Reduces pest populations without chemicals
Reduces chemical use
Cactus moths control prickly pear
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) = soil bacteria that kills many pests

18. Biocontrol agents themselves can become pests
It is risky to introduce an organism from a foreign ecosystem into a new ecological context
The effects of an introduced species are unpredictable
The agent may have nontarget effects on the environment and surrounding economies
Cactus moths are eating rare Florida cacti
Removing a biocontrol agent is harder than halting pesticide use
Biocontrol use must be carefully planned and regulated

19. Biocontrol agents may become pests
APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity
Biocontrol agents may become pests
It is risky to introduce an organism from a foreign ecosystem into a new ecological context
The effects of an introduced species are unpredictable
The agent may have “nontarget” effects on the environment and surrounding economies
Cactus moths are eating rare Florida cacti
Removing a biocontrol agent is harder than halting pesticide use
Biocontrol use must be carefully planned and regulated

20. Integrated pest management combines biocontrol and chemical methods
Integrated pest management (IPM) = use of a mix of techniques to suppress pests:
Pest population monitoring
Biocontrol and mechanical pest removal
Chemicals, if necessary
Crop rotation and alternative tillage methods
Use of transgenic crops
IPM in Indonesia increased rice yields 13%, cut pesticide use in half, and saved $179 million/yr in phased-out subsidies

21. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Techniques to suppress pests:
Biocontrol
Chemicals, if necessary
Population monitoring
Habitat alteration
Crop rotation and transgenic crops
Alternative tillage methods
Mechanical pest removal

22. IPM in Indonesia increased rice yields 13% and saved $179 million/yr in phased-out subsidies

23. Analyze the nature, growth, and potential of organic agriculture.
APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity
Analyze the nature, growth, and potential of organic agriculture.
Organic agriculture, because it reduces chemical and fossil fuel inputs, exerts fewer environmental impacts than industrial agriculture.
Scientific studies show that organic agriculture is productive and is a realistic alternative to industrial agriculture..
Organic agriculture comprises a small part of the market but is growing rapidly.

24. Organic approaches reduce inputs and pollution
Organic agriculture = food-growing practices that use no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides but rely on biological approaches such as composting and biocontrol
Organic Food Production Act (1990) establishes national standards for organic products
The USDA issued criteria in 2000 by which food could be labeled organic
Some states (California, Washington, Texas) and over 80 nations have stricter guidelines

27. Organic approaches reduce inputs and pollution
Farmers have lower input costs, enhanced income (organic crops fetch a higher price), reduced chemical pollution and soil degradation
They adopt organic practices primarily to practice stewardship toward the land
Obstacles include risks and costs of switching to new methods
Transitioning to certified organic may take years
Consumers are concerned about pesticides’ health risks
They also want to improve environmental quality
Obstacles include the higher price of organics

28. Organic agriculture is booming
Organic farmers can’t keep up with demand
U.S. consumers pay $29.2 billion in 2011
Worldwide sales tripled from 2000 to 2010
Production is increasing. In 2011:
Nearly 2 million ha (4.8 million acres) in the U.S.
37 million ha (91 million acres) worldwide
But still less than 1% of total agricultural land
Two-thirds of organic agricultural land is in developing nations
30% of Mexico’s coffee production is organic

30. Organic agriculture is booming
The European Union supports farmers financially during conversion to organic farming
Conversion can mean a temporary loss of income
This support is a subsidy to cover external costs
The U.S. offers no such subsidies so organic production lags
The 2008 Farm Bill gives $112 million over 5 years for organic agriculture
In the long run, organic farming is at least as profitable as conventional farming

31. APES Lesson 57 - The Race To Feed The World & Preserving Crop Diversity
TED Video
Shimon Steinberg's biotech lab researches ways to harness the natural benefits of insects on a massive scale.
"My dream is to narrow the gap even more by finding more robust and reliable good bugs we can mass produce or conserve in the field, as well as create more public demand for natural pest control and increase awareness among growers."
Shimon Steinberg: Natural pest control ... using bugs! (15:24)