HIS 2129 Study Guide - Habitat Destruction, Canal Du Midi, Anthracite
Document Summary
Automobile system superseded the railroad system: necessary to take another step back and look at technology in society, older technologies changed the environment in grossly obvious ways, ex. Farming, mining, lumbering, large-scale construction projects, etc: technology included all the tools and machines, also included the emblematic machines of the early industrial revolution. Chapter 2 the environmental human and the human. Intrusive species can have a grievous economic impact: zebra mussels clog reservoirs and water intake pipes cost us billions already, russian wheat aphid contributes to us crops eaten by pests. Invasive species may also affect the general environment so fewer species will be able to flourish to the same extent: aliens can be hard to turn back. Impact of biological newcomers is most clearly seen in case of islands: humans have caused the extinction of island-based vertebrate species. Island populations are often small enough to be imperiled directly by such activities.
