Preserving Ecosystems / Study Guide

Preserving Ecosystems / Study Guide

People can help preserve ecosystems through conservation. Conservation is the protection of natural resources and the environment. Many laws have been passed to protect ecosystems through conservation.

For instance, there are laws regulating wetlands so they can no longer be dried out with dirt so houses and business can be built on them. Also, the government controls how factories must get rid of certain pollutants, and cars must have devices that reduce the amount of air pollution that they produce. These are just a few of the many examples of conservation.

A way that you can conserve is by reducing. To reduce means to use fewer resources. Some examples of reducing are using solar or wind power because these reduce the amount of coal and nuclear power people use to make electricity. You can also conserve by riding your bike or walking because it helps cars use less gasoline.

You can conserve by reusing, or using resources again instead of throwing them away. People reuse by using cloth shopping bags, donating old clothing, and using glass dishes instead of paper plates. It is important to reuse because it helps keep waste out of landfills.

Plastic bags fill up landfills and they take 1,000 years to decompose.

You can also conserve by recycling. To recycle means to collect items so their raw materials can be used again. Paper, plastic, glass, and metal can be recycled into new products instead of thrown way. Recycling saves a lot of energy.

Recycling glass takes 30% less energy than making new glass. Recycling just two aluminum cans saves an amount energy equal to a cup of gasoline.

Multiple Select

This chart (click to enlarge) provides data about the amount of trash that is recycled in the U.S. from year to year. Based on this data, which of the following statements are true.

• Americans had the most waste per person in 2010.

• Americans are improving on the percentage of waste they recycle.

• Americans are recycling less today than ever before.

• As of 2010, even though Americans are recycling more, they are still throwing out more trash overall.

• Americans had the most total waste in 2010.

Multiple Choice

Which conservation of resources practice does this fit into?

"Collecting cans to have them made into new cans".

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle

Multiple Choice

Which conservation of resources practice does this fit into?

"Donating old clothes to charity".

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle

Multiple Choice

Which conservation of resources practice does this fit into?

"installing solar panels to make electricity".

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle

Multiple Choice

Which conservation of resources practice does this fit into?

"washing glass dishes to eat off of again".

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle

Multiple Choice

Which conservation of resources practice does this fit into?

"riding a bike to a friend's house instead of driving".

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle

Multiple Choice

Which conservation of resources practice does this fit into?

"collecting newspaper and using it to make a craft".

• Reduce

• Reuse

• Recycle

Ecosystems can also be repaired through reclamation. Reclamation is the cleaning and restoration of damaged ecosystems. Reclamation is not done often because it is a very expensive process that takes a long time. Reclamation involves cleaning pollution out of the land and water a providing enough soil for plants to grow

There are some types of reclamation that are required by law. For example, in some states, if a company decides to mine for materials through strip mining, then they must reclaim the land after the mining is completed. Strip mining involves taking off of the top layer of earth in order to build a mine. It destroys habitats and produces a lot of pollution. However, that land can support an ecosystem again through reclamation.

Multiple Choice

Damaged ecosystems can be restored through __________.

• reclamation

• conservation

• recycling

Multiple Select

When land that was used for a landfill has reached the maximum capacity for holding garbage, the land is often reclaimed. In order to reclaim the land, what will companies that own the landfills have to do?

Select all that are true.

• Dig out all of the garbage and move it somewhere that was never a landfill.

• Cover the landfill with clean soil so plants can grow.

• Allow a new layer of soil to build up over time.

• Stop any water that has been contaminated from leaving the landfill area.

Multiple Choice

What is conservation?

• a resource that cannot grow back or be replaced

• a system used to transport water to people

• protection of natural resources and the environment

• a flow of materials through a system in a repeating pattern or process that happens over and over

Multiple Choice

Reclamation is _________.

• the cleaning and restoration of damaged ecosystems

• using something over again

• making old products into new products

• using less of a product

Multiple Select

Corry is a volunteer. Every day, he wakes up, packs a lunch in his lunchbox, and fills his water bottle. Then, he rides his bike to the site where he is volunteering. He is helping to clean up pollution that was left behind by a company near Cory's town. What are all the different ways that Cory is practicing conservation?

• He is recycling.

• He is reducing.

• He is reusing.

• He is working on a reclamation project.

Multiple Choice

Reducing, reusing, and recycling are all examples of __________.

• conservation

• succession

• reclamation

• pollution

Multiple Select

Which of the following are items that can be recycled?

Check all that are true.

• food

• plastic

• paper

• metal

• glass

Multiple Select

Joan and her family waste a lot of resources. Right now, they o not make an effort to conserve. Which of the following are ways they could begin to conserve resources?

Check all that are true.

• The family could recycle anything with raw materials that could be used agin instead of throwing them away.

• Joan could reduce by walking to her friend's house instead of driving.

• The family could reduce by turning off the lights when they leave each room.

• They could drive cars that use a lot of gas.

Multiple Select

Why is it important to reclaim ecosystems after companies damage them?

Check all that are true

• to stop ecosystems from rebuilding themselves

• to make sure that organisms have a place to live

• to reduce pollution

• to conserve the land