Unit 3 - Human Population & Resource Use

Crude birth rate (CBR)

The number of births per 1,000 people per year

Crude death rate (CDR)

The number of deaths per 1,000 people per year

Natural increase rate (NIR)

The rate at which a population grows

Doubling time (DT)

The time it takes for a population to double in size

Total fertility rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, based on current birth rates

Ecological footprint (EF)

The area of land and water needed to sustain a population’s resource use and waste production

Carbon footprint

The total greenhouse gas emissions produced by an individual or country

Desertification

The process by which fertile land becomes desert due to overgrazing and deforestation

Solid domestic waste

Waste produced by households

Hotspot

A region with high levels of biodiversity that is under threat from humans

Speciation

The formation of new species due to evolution

Natural selection

The process where organisms better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce

Isolation

A barrier that leads to genetic divergence and possibly new species

Evolution

Change in genetic composition of a population over time

Indicator species

Species sensitive to environmental damage, used to assess ecosystem health

Flagship species

Charismatic species used to gain public support for conservation (e.g. pandas, tigers)

In situ conservation

Protecting species in their natural habitat (e.g. national parks, nature reserves)

Ex situ conservation

Conserving species outside their natural habitat (e.g. zoos, seed banks, botanical gardens)

Edge effects

Changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats