Here is a site where you can get a soil survey for any area.
This is a great website about soil organisms.
June 30, 2008
C. Sampling organisms
1. Berlese (bur-LAZY)-Tullgren funnels – invertebrates from soil and litter; to make get big funnel and put screen wire over opening, put in large E. flask with a small amount of alcohol in bottom, place 30watt bulb with reflector over top.
2. Baerman funnel – nematodes; cheese cloth around a soil sample and place in warm water
3. Decomposers — Best evaluated in terms of the metabolism of intact population. Measure respiration rates, not commonly done but it can be.
D. functional measurements
1. net production – standing crop + litter weight + consumer removal (caged vs uncaged)
2. estimate of amount removed by consumers:
a)mean consumer biomass
b) metabolic rate/unit of biomass (ORNL, “black box”)
3. generally, net production in an old field – 200 to 1000 g dry wt/m2/growing season less 10% for consumers; in our area this is CRP that has been in the program for a long time. If a field is abandoned the first thing coming in is weeds, in about 50 years the field will return to grass; this number is a wide gap because of rainfall
4. methods of measurement:
a) light/dark changes to measure CO2 flux – in a terrestrial system this is accomplished with a container with a CO2 absorber
b) heterotrophic
(1) litter and or soil in plastic box
(2) NaOH solution
(3) CO2 + H2O -> carbonate (absorbed by NaOH)
(4) Titrate w/NaOH to precipitate BaCO3
(5) CO2 produced = NaOH in control (blank) – NaOH in test chamber
5. Rate of decomposition
a) Leaves in a nylon bag, place in moist bag; start with dry weight and take mass once a month
b) Strips of cellulose in the soil – in a flower pot put good rich soil, add strips of cardboard, periodically pull out a strip and observe
B. Radioactive tracers
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Broad leaf P32 ——à Zn65 |
Beta Broad leaf
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1. Elements (macro & micro) move at different rates: turnover; nutrient cycle
2. Effect of photosynthesis and respiration on uptake
3. Size-metabolism law – smaller organisms > metabolism; the smaller the organism the higher the metabolism, shrew eats much more than an elephant
4. Importance of surface area; algae would have higher surface area than leaves
5. Limited stability of small ecosystems; large ecosystems can handle change better, small ecosystems are a boom/bust system
6. Great concentration of nutrients by biomass; e.g. atomic waste disposal
II. The coral reef
A. Laboratory conclusions (Yonge) algae not particularly important to reef-building, grew well in dark if zooplankton provided
B. Reef studies (Odums) – http://www.crafoordprize.se/press/arkivpressreleases/thecrafoordprizewinners1987eugenepodumandhowardtodum.5.32d4db7210df50fec2d800016978.html
not enough zooplankton to support the growth of the coral; endozoic algae supplied this energy
III. The area-based chlorophyll model (fig. 2.6)
A. Measures:
1. Amount chlorophyll – approsimately 1/gm2 (even in diverse communities)
2. Assimilation ratio – gO2/hr/g chlorophyll (more constant for ecosystem than individual plants) e.g. for old (0.1) and young (100)
B. Shaded systems
3. Efficiency of light utilization is high – leaves at a lower level of the forest are much larger because of the amount of light that needs to be absorbed, many house plants need very little light
4. Photosynthetic yield and assimilation ratio is low
C. C3 vs C4 plants
http://wc.pima.edu/~bfiero/tucsonecology/plants/plants_photosynthesis.htm
http://www.earlham.edu/~vandeel/notes.htm
1. C3 plants are common; in our area we have a lot of C4 plants; C4 plants can absorb and store CO2; C3 plants can not; The photosynthesis rate of C3 plants will drop throughout the day
2. If assimilation ratio and available light are known, total photosynthesis can be estimated.
a) Total photosynthesis in the ecosystem is more “homeostatic” then for individual plants
b) > stratified communities; more production because more light is used
c) > on land than water; more light is taken in
3. Advantages
a) No enclosure needed
b) No time lapse measurement
4. Uses
a) Sea where other measurements are costly (must know assimilation ratio and available light
b) E.g. 3.7 g C/hr/g chlorophyll (light saturated marine plankton)
Each box being a cubic meter; if you have a production rate of 5 g/m3 in the top box, 4 g/m3 in middle and 1 g/m3 in bottom box; looking at the surface area it is a g/m2
Comparison between land and aquatic is based on a m2 surface area
5. Yellow (430 mu) – Green (665mu) – ratio: index of heterotrophic to autotrophic metabolism
a. inversely proportional to P/R
b. examples:
July 2, 2008
Peterson Field Guide Reptiles and Amphibians Eastern / Central North America by Roger Conant & Joseph Collin
Biomass conclusion
Problem: How does the position of a sample on a hill relate to the moisture?
Hypothesis: Does the amount of moisture affect the plant growth?
Experiment: Run multiple tests
Data: Collect data
Analysis: t-Test (compares the means)
Conclusion: does the data support the hypothesis
Procedure:
1. compare the grass in 1 with 6, compare the forbs in 1 with 6
Things to know for a quiz (Monday, July 7, 200 
1. net production in an old field – 200 – 1000 g dry wt/m2/growing season less 10% for consumers
2. photosynthesis / respiration equation
June 23, 2008
Using the five-kingdom system modified from Robert Whitaker.
The slide show this morning was primarily protista. They are considered to be the first true cells. In the protista there are three basic patterns autotrophs, saprophytes, heterotrophs. Autotrophs – produce food, self feeders. Saprophytes feed off of something else, absorb food. Heterotrophs – feed of other things by eating them. The difference between saprophytes and heterotrophs is the method of feeding.
The Biology of Ciliates video
Pond growth
1 jar of pond water (NOT tap water)
Add decomposing material, yard waste
Neutral red stain and allow dry add paramecium and observe.
Solid waste material is released through the cell wall. Water is collected by tubules through osmosis. Cilia are controlled by ATP. The day to day activities are controlled by macronucleus. A balanced set of chromosome is achieved with conjugation.
Vorticella with change at times from bell shaped to elongated migrants and change location to avoid predators.
Stentor has a band of cells that will allow it to contract to avoid capture and then to elongate to move.
Dilyptis.
Cytostome – mouth
Spathidium food capture strategy – swim mouth first
Bursaria – giant food trap
Blepharisma – curtain to guide food to mouth
Suctorian wait for ciliates to run into tentacle
Ciliates are first on the location of the dead water organisms
Ciliated protists appeared long before other organisms
Protists in ponds are flagellates, amoeboids, ciliates
Euglena
Spirogyra good for studying flagellum, chloroplasts, and elongated starch bodies. Red eye shield shades light receptor. Euglena rubra forms mats of spiroidal cells on ponds, red shield expands to protect from too much light. At night they swim to the bottom of the pond for feeding
High temps, antibiotics, or UV light cause euglenids to loose their chloroplasts.
Chlamydimonas
Volvox – tight balls of cells inside the volvox become daughter cells. Before the pond dries the volvox also produce spermatozoa
Phagocytosis – feeding by engulfing in a food vacuole
June 24, 2008
Biology of Cnidarians( Ni – DAR – ee- uns)
Hydra – have tentacles with stinging cells, incomplete digestive system, nerve net. Digestion takes about 12 hours. The removal of undigestable food creates a food source for other protists. The ideal feeding spot is the out flow stream of a lake. Several kinds of stinging cells including harpoon and poison. Hydra can hold even a tubifex worms. The gastroderm contains gland cells that excrete digestive enzymes and phagocyte to absorb food. Hydra move by looping (a few inches a day), floating on pond surface, floating plant material. hydra often harbor algae, this is a mutualistic relationship. Hydra reproduce by budding, it is asexual reproduction. Some hydra form testes, may produce up to a dozen, spermatozoa are released to find females with eggs. A marine hydra is found in harbors and are home to Obelia. Obelia have feeding pods and reproductive pods.
Hydrozoan colony – Portuguese man of war
Scyphozoa – jelly fish
Pulic aquarium is best place to seed
Anthozoa – anemones & coral
Even crab can be digested and the shell removed within a few hours.
Anemones live in a variety of sea climates from cold temperate to warm tropical. Some harbor small fish which are not harmed by the anemone and are able to feed from leftovers.
Coral remove calcium from sea water and form CaCO3. There are hard corals and soft corals. The hard coral retreat into their concrete like cases when bothered by sunlight or other animals that feed in the area of the coral reef.
Flatworms – planaria, flatworms, flukes
Bilateral, three cell layers, highly regenerative.
Planaria – earlike projectcions detect chemical stimuli, eyespots are light sensitive, the mouth probes for food substance, mouth tube leads to branching digestive system, no circulatory system, nutrients are delivered directly to the body cells. Segments live on food reserve and make the missing parts, within just a few days. Each cell contains all genetic information necessary to form a new individual.
Flukes – almost every species has a fluke adapted to it. Flukes have a strong attachment sucker to keep it in place. Intestine has two branches, eggs are expelled from opening near mouth. Each egg is a ciliated larva that swims to find a series of intermediate hosts. The ciliate becomes a larva in the first intermediate host which then goes to a plant for the final host to eat.
http://home.austarnet.com.au/wormman/wlcont.htm
Tapeworm – can be found in almost every species of fish. Tapeworms absorb predigested food from the intestine of the host. They attach with the use of a scolex. Segments are called proglottids, each one has male and female reproductive cells, each proglottid can live on its one. Humans get tapeworms when they eat undercooked pork. The pig becomes infected by eating food with human feces.
Taxonomic divisions
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Bilateral Two mirrored halves |
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Ceolome Body cavity |
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Aceolomic (no cavity) Flatworms (platyhelminthes) No circulatory system
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Pseudoceolomic (false cavity) Round worms (nemotoa) |
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Ceolomic peritoneum |
Biology of Nematodes, rotifers, bryozoans
Phylum nematode
http://home.austarnet.com.au/wormman/wlcont.htm
Collect a clump of dry moss, rinse it out and soak in water. Nematode is a tube within a tube, round mouth and teeth, muscular pharynx for grinding, the intestine has mucus glands which digest food. Nematodes can also be found in a pile of rotting leaves, nematode can enter millipedes and live as a parasite. Nematodes are adapted for parasitic live with a thick cuticle and a sharp point. Another example are pinworms, hookworms. Hookworms burrow into blood vessels and travel to lungs where they are coughed up and swallowed. In the digestive system they take up residence and send out eggs. Trichinid which cause trichinosis.
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/INSECT/05573.html
http://classes.seattleu.edu/biology/biol235/hodin/nematodePriapulidGroup/nematodes/parasite.htm
Phyium Rotifera
Roteria – food mill that grinds food. Flame bulb moves fluid waste and excess water into cloaca. Rotifers will draw into hard balls to survive drought.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/phyla/rotifera/rotifera.html
http://www.emporia.edu/biosci/invert/lab4/
June 25, 2008
Videos from class
Annelida
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/annelida/annelida.html
http://www.earthlife.net/inverts/annelida.html
Oligchetes, polychetes, leeches
Segmentation, closed circulatory system, complete digestive system,
Oligochetes
Each segment has two pair of bristles (setae), for each acre earthworms will turn 18 tons of soil. Feeding and burrowing are one operation, dirt is taken in and passed through by peristalsis. Gizzard grinds food material (leaves and insect eggs), intestine has a fold for greater surface area. Dorsal blood vessel carries absorbed nutrients to heart. Excretory processes are taken care of by organs in each segment. Earthworms have both sexes in same individual, fertilized eggs are deposited in mucus sac cecreted by clitellum.
Polychetes
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/annelida/polyintro.html
The undulations bring in new water to the area. Parapods are adapatation in polychetes, they contain gills to bring oxygen into the body. Feather duster worm have gill on feather like extensions.
Leeches
http://www.accessexcellence.org/LC/SS/leechlove.php
Not all leeches are parasites, some are scavengers and others live in a commensal relationship with host. Example shown here was a leech on the claw of lobster.
Phylum Arthropoda
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/arthropoda.html
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/arthropodstory
http://www.backyardnature.net/2arthrop.htm
Largest number of species found in this phylum. Be sure to learn classes – crustacean, insecta, arachnid
Millipedes, centipedes, arachnids, crustaceans, insects,
Character – exoskeleton, jointed append, well developed senses, open circulatory system, separate sexes
Arthropoda contains more species than all other phyla of animals combined. They are the most successful animals on earth.
Millipedes – diplopoda – decomposers, 2 pair of legs per segment
Cenitpedes – chilopede – predators, 1 pair of legs per segment, pinchers containing poison on first segment
http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/centipedemillipede012.shtml
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/invertebrates/arthropod/Millipede.shtml
http://www.backyardnature.net/1000legs.htm
Crustaceans – crustacea – vernal pool (playa lake) habitat for crustacean, they produce eggs that can survive years without water, when the lake fills the crustaceans hatch, can be parthenogenetic;
http://www.seasky.org/reeflife/sea2e.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/invertebrates/crustacean/
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Crustacea.html
http://www.graddiv.ucsb.edu/academic/ccut/portfolios/behrens/CCUT_Portfolio/EEMB116_Lab8.pdf
Cladocera - daphnia (water flea) important intermediate in food web, no circulatory system, birdlike, jerky swimmer
Copepods – intermediary in food chains,
Crabs – sand crabs bury in shoreline and extend feathery appendages to strain plankton, rocky shores are inhabitated by hermit crabs that live in discarded shells
Shrimps –
Barnicles
Ostracoda – body in a shell
Arachnids –
Insects – conservative estimates of species number >1millions, three part body, 3 pr jointed legs, feed at all levels of the food chain, most successful adaptation is social behavior (division of labor, and communication of food source location)
Mullusca
http://www-biol.paisley.ac.uk/Courses/Tatner/biomedia/units/moll1.htm
Chitons
Gastropods ( snail
Cephalopods octopus
muscular foot, mantle, heart w/ blood vessels, rasping mouth
130,000 species of mullusca, one of the most successful, soft unsegmented body, muscular foot and mantle.
Amphineura – chitons- sea shore, mantle makes chanber for gills, mouth has radulla-file like tongue to scrape plant material from rocks, body protected by 8 shell like plates embedded in back
Gastropoda – snail – 8000 species from nudibranch to garden snail, gastropod means stomach foot, lubricant is produced allowing snail to move over rough terrain, each snail has male and female organs resulting in two fertilizations, nudibranch shelless, names means naked gills, contain stinging cells and the color serves as a warning
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Gastropoda.html
Pelecypoda – clam – means hatchet foot, enclosed in two shells, tubes incurrent siphone and excurrent siphon bring in water and remove waste, gill surface is covered by cilia which move in one direction, capturing food particles and moving it toward the mouth, foot can be extended to dig into the sand or mud, the foot swells making an anchor, the clam expands and pulls down
http://www.manandmollusc.net/beginners_intro/pelecypoda.html
Cephalopod – octopus – head foot, Grow very efficiently, change color quickly, modify shapes, Squid – streamlined for rapid movement
http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/
http://www.australiancephalopods.com/
Algae
Diatoms produce oil droplets to control their level in the pond, the other adaptation is the shape of the case.
http://www.indiana.edu/~diatom/diatom.html
Volvox
algae
http://botany.si.edu/projects/algae/
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/greenalgae/greenalgae.html
http://sci.waikato.ac.nz/evolution/plantEvolution.shtml
Biodiesel from algae http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4213775.html
http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html
some live attached to substrates, on animals, within flatworms
blue-green algae can fix atmospheric nitrogen making it nitrates
June 26, 2008
Ecology the study of the structure and function of nature. (Odom)
Ecosystem is the fundamental unit of ecology. This includes the living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things. When we look at a pond the living things that are present are influenced by the water, temperature, light.
I. Component of an ecosystem
A. Biotic components
1. autotrophs – self-nourishing; ex. Green algae
2. heterotrophs – other-nourishing; ex daphnia
B. Structural components
1. Abiotic
2. Producers – plants, green algae
3. Consumers (macroconsumers) warm blooded animals must expend more energy to maintain body temperature, cold blooded (poikilothermics) do not have to use energy to maintain temperature, aquatic ecosystem can have more levels.
4. Decomposers (microconsumers); bacteria, fungi
C. Trophic (food) structure of ecosystems (producers / consumers)
1. Standing crop – the amount of living material
2. Standing crop expressed:
a. #/unit area (pine trees/ha)
b. Biomass (eg, forest – 10,000 g/m2 vs. open water < 5g/m3)
i. living or dry weight (good time to study vacant lot is fall, before freeze and after the end of growth; this gives an idea of production for the summer)
ii. ash free dry weight (when heated very high you drive off water and CO2, this tells the amount of food that is present)
iii. carbon weight
iv. calories, etc. – amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius
3. Standing crop (food source) also serves as habitat. Ex. Narrative on handout, McLeod. 1967, The Big Thicket of East Texas. These forests create their own environment and can not be rebuilt to the same level of efficiency as the original stand
D. Standing state (quantity) – amount of abiotic matter: alkalinity, amount of P and N, hardness of water, Cl salts
1. Soil nutrients (pH, N, P, K, trace elements) (C HOPKINS CaFe Mg NaCl) most useful elements for living things
2. Water quality
E. Biochemical structure
1. Chlorophyll/unit area
a. Eg. Yellow vs green
F. Species structure
1. Numbers and kinds
2. Relationship between species
a. Diversity
b. Dispersion, etc (random, uniform, clumped)
i. Uniform – planted crops, orchard
ii. Random – most plants
iii. Clumped – ant hills
II. Self-contained spacecraft as an ecosystem
A. Ecosystem
1. Producers
2. Consumers
3. Decomposers
4. Abiotic
III. The pond as an ecosystem
1. “… a recognizable unit both in function and structure”
2. “pond dissecting tools”
a. Team 1 plankton (#’s, kinds, biomass, pigment densities)
b. Team 2 bottom sediments
c. Team 3 abiotic factors
B. The light and dark bottle exp.
1. 6CO2 + 6H2O light energy> C6H12O6 + 6O2
a. Measure amount of O2 produced to determine amount of sugar produced
2. Three samples @ each depth: (ppm) mg/L
a. Control bottle: O2 (day 0) 8
b. Dark bottle: O2 @ 24hrs 4
c. Light bottle: O2 @ 24hrs 10
i. Increases are production
ii. Decreases are respiration
3. Calculating production: (ppm) mg/L
a. NPP= light – control (10-8)= 2
i. Net primary production =NPP
b. Resp = control-dark (8-4) = 4
c. GPP = NPP + respiration 6
i. Gross primary production = GPP
d. See example in notes handout
e. Diurnal curve
C. Pond Summary
1. GPP = NPP + Respiration
2. Graph Dissolve O2 against depth
3. Radioactive carbon (C14)
4. Diurnal curve
a. Total photosynthesis – includes plants
b. Must estimate O2 exchange w/ environment
5. Oxygen electrode
a. Bottle = minimum; diurnal = maximum
b. Read for 24 hours or instantaneously
IV. Simple terrestrial ecosystem
A. Sampling producers
1. Good site in late summer or early fall
2. Class in two groups:
a. Autotrophs
b. Heterotrophs
3. Dissecting tools
a. Live traps
b. Sherman folding trap
c. Beat net
d. Sain
e. Kick sain
f. D net
4. Determine biomass of plants / unit area; then sort
5. Standard deviation (s) is better than range for measuring data spread.
a. S=√∑d2/n-1
b. Look at notes and hand outs for additional information
6. Standard deviation is basis for other calculations
a. Reliability of the mean
b. Relative variability of different means
c. Probability that two means are different
B. Conclusions from calculations
1. The whole proves less variable than the part
2. Biomass of community is more stable than biomass of any species
3. The need for adequate sample size
C. Sampling consumers
D.
We performed an oxygen test on the water from the pond in the greenhouse. Here is a link to the kit Dr. Thompson mentioned. http://sciencekit.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_IG0027017
Freshwater pond video
Pond weeds provide food and shelter for fish, tadpoles, and snails.
EPA – Marine Ecosystem
The diversity and productivity of marine ecosystems are important to human survival and well-being. These habitats provide us with a rich source of food and … http://www.epa.gov/bioindicators/aquatic/marine.html
Global map of human impact to marine ecosystems.
Feb 15, 2008 … Finally, using global estimates of the condition of marine ecosystems from previous studies, we were able to ground-truth their impact … http://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/GlobalMarine
Carnivorous plants
Venus fly trap is native only to the coastline of North & South Carolina
http://www.botany.org/bsa/misc/carn.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktIGVtKdgwo
http://www.strato.net/~crvny/sa03005.html
Sundew plants information
http://www.geocities.com/sundewmatt/index.html
http://www3.cesa10.k12.wi.us/Ecosystems/wetlands/plants/sundew/index.htm
Bladderwort
http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/database/floating_plants/bladderwort.htm
http://carnivorousplantsoftexas.org/bladderWorts.html
Pitcher plant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trWzDlRvv1M
http://www.botany.org/Carnivorous_Plants/
Grassland biomes
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htm
http://www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_grassland.htm
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/grasslands.php
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/index.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/grassland/grassland.shtml
Here is a place to find wearable diseases. Everything from ties, scarves to t-shirts and boxers.
http://www.iawareables.com/home.htm
Came across this video too. Rather interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztFDqcu8oJ4
Looking for more information about the project.
Update::
Did a simple search and found some information to add.
http://www.theaircar.com/acf/air-cars/energy-storage.html
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4217016.html
Okay so it is not actually our planet. This game looks to be just fantastic. It is free and lets kids explore ways to save the fictional planet Helios. There are lesson plans and a very controlled chat feature.
Check it out!!
http://www.powerupthegame.org/home.html
This is an awesome video. It will make you a little sea sick, grab the dramamine.
You should watch this in the FULL SCREEN mode to grasp the beauty of the walkway ….it really is unbelievable and I urge you to watch it.
El Caminito del Rey (The King’s pathway) is a walkway, now fallen into disrepair, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Álora in Málaga , Spain . The walkway has gone many years without maintenance, and is in a highly deteriorated and dangerous state. It is only one meter in width, and over a 700-meter fall, and over time it has also lost its handrail. Some parts of the walkway have completely collapsed and have been replaced by a beam and a metallic wire on the wall. Many people have lost their lives on the walkway in recent years. After four people died in two accidents in 1999 and 2000, the local government closed the entrances. However, adventurous tourists still find their way into the walkway.
The view and the music are almost like being in a video game…very cool!
Oh yes… once you get to the website and click the “Play” button - you must go full screen!! (see example below)
The following is a speech by Rep Ted Poe from Humble, Beaumont it is rather interesting and follows what we have talked about during this class.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e-LOtKIIKcg
Pollution, toxicology, human and environmental health
Brainstorm types of pollution that affect humans
Co2
Co
Temp inversions
Dust
Ddt
Chemical
Mold
Pesticides
Fertilizers
Methane
Cig smoke
Acid rain
Radon gas
So2
Heavy metals
Volcanic emissions
Bacteria from waste
Pollution
We don’t have the kind of smog in our area that they have in other parts of the US. And our amount of smog is much less in the US than in other countries. A lot of effort went into making our air cleaner. A person in the US suffers from some kind of environmental health problem. These days are call