Grade 12 biology - Human Population Dynamics

Ecological footprint

The impact imposed on the environment by the demand for natural resources

Pathogen

A disease-causing agent, such as a microbe or fungus

Epidemic

The spread of a disease beyond a very local population

Industrial Revolution

A period of great technological advancement from the 1800s to 1900s, during which machines were developed

Vaccine

An injection of a dead or inactivated virus to spur an immune response

Population pyramid

A tool that shows the distribution of ages among the males and females in a population

Aboriginal peoples

Descendants of First Nation, Metis, or Inuit people

Demographic transition model

A diagram that illustrates changes in how people live to explain shifts in population sizes

Replacement rate

The rate at which people have children to “replace” them when they die

Malnutrition

A condition that develops when the body lacks proper nutrients

Industrialized agriculture

The growth of food using machines and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides

Traditional agriculture

The growth of food by hand, using natural fertilizers and pesticides

Energy pyramid

A tool that is used by researchers to track the usable energy in a food web

Trophic level

One level of a food web

Salinisation

The addition of salt products due to the overuse of resources

Sustainable agriculture (low-input agriculture)

The growth of food using less energy and fewer resources than industrialized agriculture uses

Organic agriculture

A method of growing food without using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides

Bycatch

Marine and aquatic species that are captured because of their proximity to targeted species

Aquaculture

A method of raising fish and shellfish for crops

Ecological deficit

Resource use and waste production that exceeds a sustainable level

Biocapacity

A measure of an ecosystems ability to produce useful biological materials and to absorb waste materials created by humans