Explore the Long-Term Effects of Human Activities on Ecosystem Change

What are the major causes of deforestation and its impact on the environment?

• Deforestation has no impact on the environment

• Deforestation is caused by overpopulation and has no impact on the environment

• Deforestation is caused by excessive tree planting

• Agriculture, logging, urbanization, and infrastructure development; loss of biodiversity, disruption of ecosystems, and contribution to climate change

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Increased industrialization will most likely

• decrease
  available habitats 

• increase
  environmental carrying capacity 

• increase
  the stability of ecosystems 

• decrease
  global warming

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Which human activity is correctly paired with its likely future consequence?

• overfishing in the Atlantic — increase in supply of flounder and salmon as food for people 

• development of electric cars or hybrid vehicles — increased rate of global warming 

• use of fossil fuels — depletion of underground coal, oil, and natural gas supplies 

• genetically engineering animals — less food available to feed the world’s population

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When fertilizers run off farmland into streams and ponds, the nitrogen content of the water increases. This can lead to rapid growth of algae in a process called eutrophication. How can this process affect other organisms in the water?

• Oxygen is used up as algae is decomposed, reducing the amount available to other organisms.

• The water becomes better able to support aerobic organisms.

• The algae provide food for fishes and other organisms, leading to decreased algae populations.

• The extra nitrogen provides additional food for the other organisms, increasing their population.

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A mining company is considering expanding its operations into a protected forest area. The expansion would create jobs for the local community but would also lead to deforestation and habitat loss for several endangered species.

What is a potential negative consequence of the mining company's expansion?

• Creation of jobs for the local community

• Increased habitat loss for endangered species

• Preservation of the forest ecosystem

• Economic growth for mining company

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Scenario 3: Since 1978 over 750,000 square kilometers (289,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana.  This clearing of rainforest is driven by industrial activities and large-scale agriculture. By the 2000s more than three-quarters of forest clearing in the Amazon was for cattle-ranching.​

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What effects might this have on the environment?  ​

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Would you classify this as deforestation, urbanization or desertification?

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What is the danger in eating large fish like tuna and shark?

• They may be invasive species.

• If abundant, they may lead to a crash in other species.

• If they are high on the food chain they may contain high levels of mercury or POP's like PCB's

• They may contain too many nutrients from fertilizers.

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What is the most dramatic result of deforestation?

• land is no longer green and full of life

• pictures from space show deforestation

• loss of habitat for approximately 70% of the worlds species

• people can't explore rainforests

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What are the main causes of water pollution and its consequences on aquatic life and human health?

• Plastic pollution, noise pollution, and overfishing. Consequences include accumulation of plastic debris in water bodies, disruption of marine life, and reduced fish populations.

• Noise pollution, urbanization, and climate change. Consequences include hearing loss in aquatic animals, displacement of wildlife, and extreme weather events.

• Air pollution, deforestation, and overfishing. Consequences include increased carbon dioxide levels, loss of habitat, and extinction of species.

• Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and improper disposal of waste. Consequences include destruction of ecosystems, contamination of drinking water, and spread of waterborne diseases.

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What is the primary effect of deforestation on the carbon cycle?

• A) Increase in carbon sequestration

• B) Decrease in atmospheric carbon dioxide

• C) Increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide

• D) No effect on the carbon cycle

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