GY 100 lab final

ecological footprint

measures the amount of land and water required to sustain the people in a given area

population change equation

= (Births + Immigration) - (Deaths + Emigration)

population increase factors

• high fertility rate

• immigration

population decrease factors

• emigration

• high death rate

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The rate at which producers capture and store chemical energy as biomass

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The amount of biomass available for herbivores, calculated as GPP minus the energy used by producers for respiration

NPP for temperate forest

1200g/m2/yr 

NPP=

𝐺𝑃𝑃−R

rapid growth

found in developing nations with a high birth rate

near-zero growth

found in developed countries with a low birth rate and longer lifespans 

negative growth

found in developed countries like China with a low population of young people 

climate

• long-term atmospheric patterns

• 30 or more years

weather

short-term conditions

species richness

a measure of biodiversity that simply counts the number of different species present in a specific area, without considering their population sizes

species richness equation

=TS/A

• TS (total number of species)

• A (total area)

generalist species

an organism that can live in a wide range of environmental conditions and use a large variety of resources

specialist species

has a narrow ecological niche, meaning it has specific and limited requirements for survival, such as a particular food source or habitat

Key indicators of water quality

• Dissolved Oxygen (DO)

• pH levels

• Nitrates and Ammonia

• Fecal Coliforms

natural greenhouse effect

a process where Earth's atmosphere traps some of the sun's energy, warming the planet to a habitable temperature