1. Human Activities Honors Biology Mr. Lee Room 320

2. Objectives
Describe human activities that can affect the biosphere

3. Human Activity Human activity can affect the biosphere
Human activities that affect the biosphere are:
Hunting and gathering
Agriculture
Industry
Urban development

4. Hunting and Gathering
This is how humans obtained food for most of our history
Some scientist believe that the first humans to arrive in North America caused mass extinctions

5. Hunting and Gathering…
Modern subsistence hunters waste little of their catch & make few demands on the environment
Poachers can kill animals till extinction

6. Agriculture
About 11 thousands years ago humans started the practice of farming (agriculture)
Agriculture includes growing of plants and raising animals
Traditional agriculture uses simpler tools & animal-drawn vehicles
Modern agriculture uses large-scale irrigation, & mechanical farm tools

7. Agriculture…
With the predictable food supply from agriculture, humans were able to have larger settlements
The “Green Revolution” began in the 1950’s
New farm techniques that increased food production
Often leads to soil erosion and large demands on water supplies

8. Industrial Growth
The industrial revolution had a large impact on the biosphere
Most of our energy comes from fossil fuels
Some types of industrial processes pollute the air, water, and soil

9. Urban Development
Dense human communities produce large amounts of wastes that need to be disposed of
Suburban sprawl takes away farmland and puts additional stress on plants and animals (food webs)

10. Review Describe human activities that can affect the biosphere:
Hunting and gathering
Agriculture
Industry
Urban development