Population Dynamics and Environmental Factors

Biotic potential

Maximum reproductive capacity under ideal conditions.

Carrying capacity

Maximum population size an environment can sustain.

Fabrication

Process of creating products from raw materials.

Density independent factors

Environmental factors affecting population regardless of density.

Density dependent factors

Factors affecting population based on its density.

Postnatalist pressures

Factors reducing birth rates after population growth.

Demographic transition

Shift from high birth/death rates to low.

Paradigm shift

Fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.

Exponential growth

Population growth at a constant rate over time.

Demographics

Statistical data relating to populations.

Logistic growth

Population growth that levels off as carrying capacity is reached.

K-selected species

Species with low reproductive rates and high parental care.

Life span

Maximum age an individual organism can reach.

Life expectancy

Average age individuals are expected to live.

Indigenous peoples

Original inhabitants of a region with distinct cultures.

Utilitarian conservation

Conservation focused on practical benefits to humans.

Thomas Malthus

an English economist who argued that increases in population would outgrow increases in the means of subsistence (1766-1834)

Karl Marx

1818-1883. 19th century philosopher, political economist, sociologist, humanist, political theorist, and revolutionary. Often recognized as the father of communism. Analysis of history led to his belief that communism would replace capitalism as it replaced feudalism. Believed in a classless society.

Population Bomb

Term describing rapid population growth and its consequences.

Paradigm Shift

a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.

Carrying capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

What is a J shaped curve

exponential growth

What is an S shaped curve

Logistic growth

Life expectancy

A figure indicating how long, on average, a person may be expected to live

Dependency ratio

Ratio of dependents to working-age population.

Technology and population growth

Advancements that increase resource availability and population.

Population growth in china

Exponential growth

Population growth in japan

Steady decline

Population growth in U.S.

Rapid increase due to baby boomers

Population growth in India

Rapid increase

Population growth in Nigeria

Rapid increase but lives in poverty

What is CER

Claim, Evidence, Reasoning

Tropical forest TF

Could forest and tropical rainforests

Tundra T

Treeless with frost any time of year

Deciduous Forests DF

Broad leaf forests that lose their leaves once a year

Temperate grasslands TG

Much has been converted to farmland due to rich fertile soils

Deserts D

Sparse diverse vegetation with very little precipitation

Tropical Savannas and grasslands TSG

Migratory Grazers often feed on fresh grass sprouts after fires or drought

tropical seasonal forest TSF

Forests that die back in dry seasons but return to life with rain

Temperate Scrublands

Evergreen shrubs with dense thickets "chaparral" in CA

Coniferous Forests CF

Dominant trees are pines, hemlocks, firs, spruces, and cedars

Phytoplankton

Microscopic, free-floating, autotrophic organisms that function as producers in aquatic ecosystems

Light

Helps us see

Temperature

A measure of how hot or cold something is.

Pressure

the amount of force exerted per unit area of a surface

Mangroves

tropical trees that grow along coasts and help maintain the health of coastal environments

Chesapeake bay

the largest estuary in the United States.

Coral reefs

Prominent oceanic features composed of hard, limy skeletons produced by coral animals; usually formed along edges of shallow, submerged ocean banks or along shelves in warm, shallow, tropical seas

Wetlands

a lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife.

Rivers

are large, natural streams of fresh water.

Streams

a small, narrow river.

Swamps

wetlands with trees

Marshes

grassy areas covered by shallow water or a stream

River systems

The main river and all of its tributaries

Biodiversity

Variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Extinction

Permanent loss of a species from Earth.

Mass extinction

Event causing widespread and rapid loss of species.

HIPPO

Acronym for Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Pollution, Population, Overharvesting.

Habitat fragmentation

Breakup of habitats into smaller, isolated patches.

DDT

Pesticide known for its environmental persistence and toxicity.

Overharvesting

catching or removing from a population more organisms than the population can replace

Animal control

enforce laws, use for research, advocate spay and neuter

Endangered Species Act

U.S. law protecting threatened and endangered species.

Fish and wildlife service

wildlife conservation, hunting, and recreation

IUCN

International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Endangered species

A species whose numbers are so small that the species is at risk of extinction

Habitat Protection

Changing the legal status of a land/water so that conversion from its natural state is forbidden permanently

Wobble

A slow circulation movement of the earths axis rotation causing the earth to point in different direction

El Niño (ENSO)

The periodic changes in winds and ocean currents, causing cooler and wetter conditions in the southeastern United States and unusually dry weather in southern Africa and Southeast Asia.

Aerosols

tiny solid particles or liquid droplets that remain suspended in the atmosphere for a long time

Albedo

the percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface

Milankovitch cycles

Changes in the shape earth's orbit and tilt that cause glacial periods and interglacial periods.

Troposphere

The lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere

Weather

The condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.

Climate

Overall weather in an area over a long period of time

Convection currents

Circular currents in the mantle caused by the magma being heated by the core off the Earth.

Stratosphere

The second-lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere.

Coral bleaching

Loss of color in corals due to stress factors.

Climate change

Long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns.

Global warming

Increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to greenhouse gases.

Technology's impact on ecological footprints

Technology can cause tons of problems like more waste and health problems with pesticides. It can also have tons of benefits like Energy efficiency and environment monitoring.

Dependency ratio

The number of people under age 15 and over age 64 compared to the number of people active in the labor force. When the older retire they expect the younger to take care of them

Clean air act of 1963

Authorized the federal government (then the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare) to assist state and local governments in air pollution control.

Focused primarily on research, technical assistance, and funding, not direct regulation.

Encouraged states to develop air pollution control programs but gave the federal government a limited enforcement role.

Clean air act of 1990

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS):

Strengthened standards for pollutants like ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide.

Acid Rain Program:

Introduced the first cap-and-trade system to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), the primary causes of acid rain.

Ozone Layer Protection:

Mandated the phasing out of ozone-depleting substances (e.g., CFCs) in alignment with the Montreal Protocol.

Air Toxics Program:

Required regulation of 189 hazardous air pollutants, expanding the list beyond previous efforts.

Vehicle Emissions and Fuel Standards:

Introduced stricter controls on automobile emissions and mandated cleaner fuels (e.g., reformulated gasoline).

Enforcement and Permitting:

Enhanced the EPA's enforcement powers and established a comprehensive operating permits program for major sources of air pollution.

Smog and ozone

A type of air pollution created by sunlight reacting with car and truck exhaust. Can be harmful to health, make people cough and not able to breathe easily.

Marx and Malthus made different arguments about resources and society but both assumed that:

Human society depended on the environment without directly impacting environment.

Difference between Marx and Malthus

Malthus believed we would outgrow our subtances. Marx believed technology would help us.