1. Honors Biology Notes
May

2. Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources
Renewable resources can regenerate and are replaceable
Nonrenewable resources cannot be replenished by natural processes
Sustainable use – using natural resources at a rate that does not deplete them

3. Land Resources Loss
Soil Erosion – wearing away of surface soil by water and wind
Desertification – once productive areas of the world gradually become desert because of farming, overgrazing, and drought

4. Forest Resource Loss Deforestation – loss of forest
Leads in time to severe erosion

5. Loss of Ocean Resources
Overfishing has depleted fish populations around the world
As fish populations plummet, they can eventually collapse completely if they become too low

6. Air Resources Impact
Factories and automobiles contribute to smog buildup
Smog – a mixture of chemicals that occurs as a gray-brown haze in the atmosphere
Pollutant – a harmful material that can enter the biosphere through the land, air, or water
Acid Rain – a combination of strong acids and precipitation
Sulfur and Nitrogen compounds in smog (from burning fossil fuels) combine with water to form acid rain

7. Biodiversity
Definition: the sum total of the genetically based variety of all organisms in the biosphere
Ecosystem Diversity: includes all the habitats, communities, and ecological processes in the living world
Species Diversity: refers to the number of different species in the biosphere
Genetic Diversity: refers to the sum total of all of the different forms of genetic information carried by all organisms living on Earth today
Biodiversity is an important natural resource that can be used to develop medicines and other goods for human use
Habitat fragmentation diminishes biodiversity directly

8. Biomagnification
Phenomenon that causes chemicals to become more concentrated in the tissues of higher trophic level individuals