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BIOL 381 > 2 - Human population growth > Flashcards

2 - Human population growth Flashcards

1
Q

Current world population

A

8.175 billion

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2
Q

What is a population? When referring to humans?

A

Individuals of the same species that co-occur in the same space and time

All humans are considered one population because we can travel/disperse so easily

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3
Q

Populations grow or shrink based on… (5)

A
  • current size (at time T0) of the population
  • birth rates
  • death rates
  • immigration and emigration
  • carrying capacity (K)
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4
Q

What is carrying capacity

A

The number of individuals of a particular species the local environment can support
When the size of a population reaches carrying capacity, population growth “will” stop

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5
Q

Why is carrying capacity different for humans than other populations?

A
  • cultural evolution and technological advancements
  • we enhanced our ability to exploit natural resources through innovation
  • effective carrying capacity of our ecosystems is difficult to calculate
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6
Q

What is population density

A

The number of individuals per unit area

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7
Q

What is population distribution/dispersion?

A

The spatial arrangement of individuals within the population

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8
Q

Types of population distribution

A
  1. Random (no pattern associated with any factor)
  2. Regular/even
  3. Clumped (or clustered; e.g. humans)
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9
Q

What is the age structure of a population?

A

Percent of that population of different ages

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10
Q

What is age distribution affected by

A
  • periods of successful reproduction
  • periods of high and low juvenile and adult survival
  • whether the older individuals in a population are being replaced by younger individuals
  • whether population is declining
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11
Q

What is age-class structure? X and y axis of the graph?

A

Number of males and females in a population at different ages (pre-reproductive, reproductive and post-reproductive)

x-axis = number of individuals of each age class (width of bars)
y-axis = age classes

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12
Q

What does an age class diagram look like when the population is expanding? Declining?

A

Expanding = wider at the bottom (more individuals at pre-reproductive age)

Declining = narrow at bottom (less young individuals)

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13
Q

What is logistic population growth?

A

A small population will initially growth rapidly, then growth will slow and stop as the population reaches its carrying capacity

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14
Q

Resource use of more-developed vs less-developed countries

A

More: 17% of the world’s population, use 70% of world’s natural resources

Less: 83% of the world’s population, use about 30% of worlds natural resources

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15
Q

Three scientific principles of sustainability

A
  1. Solar energy
  2. Chemical cycling
  3. Biodiversity
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16
Q

How do modern people have a better quality of life?

A
  • humans have developed useful materials and products
  • life spans increasing
  • greatest reduction in poverty in history
  • food supply more abundant and safer
  • exposure to toxic chemicals more avoidable
17
Q

What is environmental degradation

A

Wasting, depleting and degrading the natural capital

18
Q

How much of earths surface is affects by human activities? For what?

A

83% of earth’s land surface

Urban development, crop, energy production, mining, timber, etc

19
Q

What is the Malthusian catastrophe?

A

Created by Thomas Malthus

If population rates grow geometrically and food abundance increases linearly, then humans will run out of food leading to war, disease, and general chaos

20
Q

Have we reached the malthusian catastrophe?

A

Globally, no
Sub-nationally, maybe? e.g. Rwandan genocide (elite began to kill off people bc they did not want to share resources)

21
Q

What is the Malthusian trap

A

More resources =
higher standard of living (people do not limit themselves) =
increase in population =
resources are depleted =
standard of living decreases =
more resources…

22
Q

What is catastrophism?

A

Malthusianism
Uncontrolled growth of the human population could lead to a population crash due to…
- pandemic
- famine
- decline in carrying capacity
- nuclear holocost
- natural catastrophe

23
Q

The dark side of Malthusianism (examples)

A

English implemented Malthus’s ideas: isolated Ireland and let them die of famine, disease

Eugenecists: selectively breed for ‘better’ human population

One child policy in China

24
Q

What is ecological footprint

A

A tool used to express the environmental impact of an individual (per capita) or a population or a country

25
Q

What does ecological footprint include

A
  • land or water required to grow food (crops and grazing)
  • resources required to produce consumable products
  • land we physically occupy
  • resources required to offset carbon emissions and other waste products
26
Q

What is biocapacity

A

Ability of the environment to provide the resources we need to live

Capacity of an area/region/ecosystem to produce biological materials used by people and to absorb waste materials generated by people

27
Q

If a populations ecological footprint exceeds the regions biocapacity…

A

that region has a ecological deficit, and the situation is unsustainable

28
Q

What is sustainability

A

The process of living within the limits of available physical, natural and social resources in ways that allow the living systems in which humans are embedded to thrive in perpetuity

29
Q

Three options to try to slow human population growth/environmental impacts

A
  • decrease births (humanely)
  • increase deaths (dont do this)
  • have smaller footprints
30
Q

How do we decrease births humanely?

A
  • decrease teen pregnancy
  • improve sex education
  • education (women who study more/longer have babies later)
  • women more involved at work/more opportunities
31
Q

How can people achieve smaller footprints?

A
  • consume more wisely (use less stuff)
  • produce better
  • cultural changes
32
Q

How can we ‘produce better’ to decrease ecological footprint?

A
  • reduce inputs and waste in manufacturing/production
  • manage resources sustainably
  • scale up renewable energy production
33
Q

Major cultural events that affected ecological footprint? we have a current need for…

A
  1. Agricultural revolution
  2. Industrial-medical revolution
  3. Information-globalization revolution

Current need for a sustainability revolution!

34
Q

Three sustainability solutions

A
  • redirect financial flows: redirect money towards sustainability to create more jobs, investment, profit
  • preserve natural capital: protect the environment, precious resources
  • equitable resource governance

BIOL 381 (13 decks)

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