Why do urbanized societies need stretches of uninhabited and undeveloped land?
What will be an ideal response?
Large stretches of undeveloped land outside cities provide natural resources needed to support urban populations. This includes providing city dwellers with timber, food, and other resources. Areas of natural land of all sizes close and far from urban centers provide ecosystem services, including purification of water and air, nutrient cycling, and waste treatment. Natural lands provide escape from the stresses of urban life. They provide open space, greenery, scenic beauty, and places for recreation. They also provide habitat for wildlife, which serves to satisfy biophilia, our natural affinity for contact with other organisms. In addition to the utilitarian reasons cited above, many people feel an ethical obligation to preserve wild landscapes and biodiversity for the sake of nonhuman organisms and/or the integrity of ecological systems.
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The refractive index of seawater:a
is greater than freshwater. b. is less than freshwater. c. is equal to freshwater. d. decreases with increasing salinity
Sedimentary rocks may contain evidence of past environments, including information about sediment transport and the depositional environment.
a. true b. false
Clouds typically develop because ____
a. the temperature of a parcel of air increases b. a parcel of air rises and cools c. water vapor is added to a parcel of air d. a parcel of air descends e. condensation nuclei are added to a parcel of air
Why are wetlands important?
A. They filter pollutants. B. They provide habitat. C. They reduce flooding. D. All of these choices are correct.