APES sections G-H (The Human Population and Its Impact, Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity)

Affluence

The level of consumption of goods and services per person.

Age structure diagrams

Graphs showing the distribution of a population by age and sex, used to predict population growth trends.

Carrying capacity for the human population

The maximum number of people Earth can sustainably support.

Cultural carrying capacity

The maximum population size that can be supported at a desired standard of living.

Demographic transition

The shift from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a country develops.

Fertility rate

The number of children born to women of childbearing age in a population.

Infant mortality rate

The number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

IPAT

A formula showing environmental impact = Population × Affluence × Technology.

Problems with rapid population decline

Labor shortages, increased elderly population, economic strain, and fewer workers supporting social systems.

Thomas Malthus and the collapse of the human population

Malthus argued population grows faster than food supply, leading to famine, disease, and population collapse.

Total fertility rate (TFR)

The average number of children a woman has in her lifetime.

U.S. infant mortality rate

Relatively low compared to developing countries but higher than many other developed nations.

Ways to slow population growth

Education of women, access to contraception, family planning, poverty reduction, and economic development.

Why human population experienced exponential growth in the last 200 years

Advances in medicine, sanitation, agriculture, and technology lowered death rates while birth rates stayed high.

Biomes

Large land regions defined by climate, plants, and animals.

Boreal forests (taiga)

Cold, northern forests dominated by coniferous trees with long winters and short growing seasons.

Characteristics of temperate deciduous forests

Moderate climate, fertile soil, trees that lose leaves seasonally, high biodiversity.

Characteristics of tropical rain forests

Warm temperatures year-round, high rainfall, extremely high biodiversity, nutrient-poor soil.

Climate

The long-term average weather conditions of a region.

Climate near large bodies of water

More moderate temperatures with smaller seasonal changes.

Climate and wind

Wind redistributes heat and moisture, influencing temperature and precipitation patterns.

Degradation of forests by human activities

Logging, agriculture, mining, road building, and urban expansion.

Disadvantages of living in the chaparral region

Frequent wildfires, dry summers, limited water supply.

Human impacts on grasslands

Overgrazing, soil erosion, conversion to farmland, and desertification.

Mountains and elevation changes

Higher elevations have cooler temperatures and different vegetation zones.

Permafrost

Permanently frozen soil found in tundra regions.

Rain shadow effect

Dry conditions on the leeward side of mountains caused by moisture loss on the windward side.

Biome disturbed the most by human activities

Temperate grasslands, due to farming and urban development.