Silent+Spring+Discussion+Qs

Chaper 4: Surface Waters and Underground Seas
"It is not possible to add pesticides to water anywhere without threatening the purity of water everywhere."

What are some of the ways in which pollution enters waterways and what are some of the major risks?

What is the "gunk" that is referred to on page 40 and why is it a problem?

Explain the significance of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report released in 1960.

How do chemical levels build up in ecosystems?

﻿Chapter 8: And No Birds Sing

﻿What is Dutch-elm disease? How does this fungal disease kill an elm tree? How is it spread?

How does the insecticide become incorporated in the soil when sprayed onto the trees?

Explain how spraying for elm bark beetles affected the robin population in Michigan.

What is the significance of earthworms in this chapter?!

Owen J. Gromme said that "DDT kills indiscriminately" (p 113). What does he mean by that, and how does this quote relate to the chapter, as well as the book so far?

Explain some of the efforts of the state of New York to fight Dutch-elm disease.

How does DDT and other insecticides affect the reproduction of birds?