A population is a group of the same species living in the same place at the same time.
the number of individuals in a population
Can be hard to determine
Small population → count
Large population → take a sample and estimate
Birth Rate - number of births in a period of time
==Example - 870k children were born in the United States in 2005.== Birth rate = 870k/year
Death Rate - number of deaths in a period of time
==Example - 65k people died in the United States in December of 2010.== Death rate = 65k/month
Migration
Growth at an increasing rate over time.
If unlimited resources are available, the larger the population gets, the faster it grows.
The population grows exponentially and then reaches a maximum number sustainable, called the carrying capacity, where growth stops.
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Measures how crowded a population is
Population density - number of individuals (unit area (or volume))
Example - There are 150 bullfrogs living in a pond that covers 3 square kilometers. What is the density of the bullfrog population?
Answer: 50
Any factor causing population growth or decline
Depend on population size
Example - competition within a single population (same species competing)
Predation - predator-prey relationships result in “boom” (UP) and “bust” (DOWN) phases
Parasitism and Disease: can affect any population (human, animal, plants, insects, bacteria, etc.)
In the 1940s, Australia was overrun by hundreds of millions of European rabbits eating all the vegetation thus threatening the sheep and cattle industries. In 1950, a parasite that infects rabbits (myxoma) was deliberately introduced to control the rabbit population.
Affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of size
Examples - climate, human activity
Climate includes
Human activity includes
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Human Population Change Over Time (exponential growth)
Human population has increased slowly over time
Exponential growth over last 500 years
Why?
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Exponential growth cannot continue forever, so we will eventually reach carrying capacity
Demography and Demographic Transition - study of human population
birth rates, death rates, and age structure vary by country
change in population from high birth and death rate to low birth and death rate
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Demographic Transition has already occurred in the U.S (1790-1910), Japan, and many European countries causing growth to slow
China and India lead the 10 countries where birth rates are still high, thus worldwide growth is still exponential
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Age Structure - the number of males and females of each age group that a population contains
Considerations in Making Predictions
Growth should slow by 2050 as more countries approach demographic transition but world population predicted to be near 12 billion.
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Biodiversity - The total genetically based variation in all organisms in the biosphere.
It is Earth’s greatest natural resource.
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Ecosystem Diversity
Species Diversity
Genetic Diversity
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The closer to the equator, the greater the species richness (ie. Tropical Success)
The more diverse (or the more different species) an ecosystem, the more stable it will be following a disturbance (fire, flood, hurricane, etc).
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The major threats to biodiversity are
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If you remove their homes, species will die.
Habitat Fragmentation results in biological “islands”
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Hunting animals to extinction.
Excessive commercial harvest or sport hunting has reduced the numbers Examples:
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In parts of the world with dry climates, a combination of farming, overgrazing, sea-sonal drought, and climate change can turn farmland into desert.
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Occurs if a pollutant, such as DDT or mercury, is picked up by an organism and is not broken down or eliminated from its body. Instead, the pollutant collects in body tissues. Top level consumer affected most
Organism that have been transferred to an area where they did not occur naturally (non-native).
Reduces biodiversity
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Common Ways Invasive Species Are Moved
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What Characteristics Make A Good Invader?
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The ecological footprint is a measure of the human impact on the biosphere.
The average American has an ecological footprint over four times larger than the global average.
Developed countries tend to have a larger ecological footprint.
Conservation is the preservation of species, habitats and ecosystems to protect biodiversity.
Biodiversity provides humans with natural resources that help us produce food, clothing, shelter, oxygen, soil fertility, etc.
Ecological hot spots are targeted areas where significant numbers of species and habitats are in immediate danger of extinction.
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