Regents LE Standard 4 Key Idea #7 - Human Impact

Humans have an effect on ecosystems when they use native grasslands or forested areas for farming or urban use. One negative effect of these changes on the ecosystem is that there will be

• less biodiversity

• more homes

• successful economic growth

• increased food production

Scientists have studied oceanic plastic garbage “patches” around the world. These are areas that accumulate plastic garbage from coastal regions. Their environmental effect ranges from killing sea life to blocking sunlight from reaching photosynthetic organisms. Without a change in human plastic usage, new garbage patches will continue to form. Which human activity would most directly reduce the amount of plastic garbage that enters the ocean?

• Ban the production and usage of all bags made from recycled plastic.

• Clean up plastic trash from shorelines, rivers, and other waterways that fl ow into the oceans.

• Manufacture fewer reusable water bottles, so that people will be more likely to use disposable ones.

• Implement a glass bottle deposit system to discourage people from recycling plastic bottles.

Monarch butterflies migrate from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico every winter. Over the past 10 years, there has been a drastic decrease in the number of monarch butterflies. Scientists have estimated that the population may have decreased from about 1 billion to 35 million. Which action would not be considered a reason for the decline in monarch butterfly populations?

• illegal deforestation

• extreme temperature changes

• decreasing food supplies

• habitat preservation

Traditional lightbulbs are only 10% efficient. Ninety percent of the energy they use is converted to heat. Modern lightbulbs are much more efficient, but may cost three times as much as traditional lightbulbs. Consumers who switch to modern lightbulbs are most likely

• spending more money for no good reason

• trying to stop pollution of the oceans

• trading a short-term cost for long-term savings

• helping traditional lightbulb factories employ people

Many oak trees are cut down and removed from an oak-hickory forest. A likely result of the direct harvesting of the oak species would be the

• disruption of natural cycles

• conservation of these natural forest resources

• recycling of all the nutrients in the forest

• prevention of the extinction of animals native to the area

Microbeads are tiny, smooth, plastic spheres found in common household products such as facial soap. These beads, measuring from 0.0004 to 1.24 mm, roughly the size of some fish eggs, are too small to be removed by water treatment systems. Thus, they end up in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. The accumulation of these microbeads is an environmental concern for aquatic biologists because microbeads

• make the lakes and rivers cloudy and dirty, affecting their appearance

• may stick to some household water pipes, preventing drainage problems

• could be mistaken for food by some species, working their way up the food chain

• could clog fishing nets, affecting the ability of fishermen to catch fish

An advantage of growing the genetically modified Bt cotton instead of conventional cotton is that growing Bt cotton could

• result in an increase in populations of insects that are beneficial

• result in an increase in the size of insect populations that are resistant to the Bt protein

• lead to an increase in the survival rates of insects that eat cotton

• lead to an increase in the use of insecticides that protect cotton from insects

A company that produces paint is planning to build a small factory in a rural community. The factory would provide many needed jobs. Before the community agrees to allow the factory to be built, the community should

• investigate the use of paint as a method of biological control

• consider just the economic advantages of building the new factory

• assess the risks of the new factory and compare these to the benefits

• insist the factory use finite resources located in the community

In order to save these birds from extinction, the best course of action would be to

• prevent the birds from migrating to South America

• encourage farmers to let their hay fields undergo succession

• work to protect bobolink habitats in South and North America

• capture all the bobolinks and keep them safe in zoos

Before a new shopping center can be built on previously undeveloped land, the builders must submit a proposal to the local government for approval. Which statement identifies an environmental concern associated with the development of the shopping center?

• Building the center would decrease resources needed by local organisms.

• The new shopping center would increase competition with already existing businesses.

• Building the center would decrease the amount of pollution in the area.

• The new shopping center would increase the biodiversity of the area.