Ecology 7

LIST: Limiting factors

Water, air, space, temperature, energy

Population

A group of the same species living in the same area

Population dynamics

How and why populations change over time

Limiting factor

Anything that controls how large a population can grow

Abundance

When there are plenty of resources available for a population to grow

Scarcity

When there are not enough resources available for a population to grow

EFFECT: Limiting factor increase

Population grows, carrying capacity increases

EFFECT: Limiting factor decrease

Population shrinks, carrying capacity decreases

Biodiversity

How many different kinds of living things there are and how varied they are

Genetic diversity

The variety of traits within the same species

Species diversity

The variety of species in an ecosystem

Ecological diversity

The variety of ecosystems in an area

BENEFITS: Biodiversity

Food, medicine, clean air, clean water, soil, pest control, protection from natural hazards

HUMAN IMPACT: Arctic ecosystems

The sea ice and permafrost are melting because the burning of fossil fuels leads to climate change, which heats the Arctic more than it heats other parts of the Earth.

HUMAN IMPACT: Mangrove forests (SE Asia, Caribbean, Florida, West Africa)

Mangroves are stressed and/or removed as a result of coastal development, shrimp farms/aquaculture, agriculture, logging, and climate change.

HUMAN IMPACT: Wetlands (Everglades, coastal marshes, local wetlands)

The natural flow of water in wetlands is changed by water control and/or the draining of wetlands for agriculture, housing, or roads