AP®︎ Environmental Science: Topic 5.7 Flashcards

A confined area, especially for cattle, where livestock are fed energy-rich feed instead of obtaining most food by grazing

An intensive operation that confines many animals in a small area and brings them feed, lowering costs but concentrating manure and pollution risks

A system in which livestock obtain grass or other forage directly from the land for most of their lives

A system in which animals have outdoor access and are not continuously confined; the label does not guarantee sustainable grazing or antibiotic-free production

Planned movement of livestock among paddocks so previously grazed vegetation and roots have time to recover

Grazing that removes or damages vegetation faster than it can regenerate, causing vegetation loss, compaction, erosion, reduced fertility, and lower biodiversity

Degradation of productive dryland through losses of vegetation, soil fertility, and biological productivity, often intensified by overgrazing

Livestock such as cattle and sheep whose digestive microbes break down cellulose and produce substantial methane

Microbial breakdown of cellulose in a ruminant’s digestive system that produces methane, released mainly through belching

The evolution of bacterial populations that survive antibiotics, making those drugs less effective; routine livestock use increases the selection pressure

Sensors, automated feeding, identification, and monitoring systems used to target feed, water, treatment, manure application, and grazing more accurately

Higher-quality or more digestible feed that can improve feed-conversion efficiency, reduce excess nitrogen in manure, and lower digestive methane in ruminants

Reducing demand for meat, especially beef and lamb, can lower greenhouse gas emissions, freshwater use, and reliance on antibiotics and growth hormones