Envr 1301 Exam 2 Answers (Verrified)

Benefits and risks to organic farming? {Ans: Farmer benefits - Lower input costs - Enhanced income - Reduced chemical pollution and soil degradation Farmer risks - Organic approaches must be used for 3 years before products become certified and sold at higher prices Obstacle for consumers - Higher price for organic food, but many are willing to pay the price - Worldwide, sales surpassed $63 billion}What is the Convention of Biological Diversity? {Ans: Seeks to conserve biodiversity Seeks to use biodiversity in a sustainable manner Seeks to ensure the fair distribution of biodiversity's benefits Goal - "to achieve, by 2010, a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss" - Goal was NOT met}Where is there most biodiversity? {Ans: Some groups have more species than others - Insects predominate over all other life-forms - Beetles outnumber all non-insect animals and plants Living things are not distributed evenly on Earth Species diversity is higher near the equator}Soil trais in rainforests? {Ans: Rain leaches minerals and nutrients, reducing their accessibility to roots Rapid decomposition of leaf litter results in a thin topsoil layer with little humus Farming quickly depletes the soil's fertility}What is a ecosystem-based management?