8.4 human population carrying capacity Flashcards
what is the definition of carrying capacity?
carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a species that a given area’s resources can sustain without significantly depleting or degrading those resources.
what is the definition expansion for human carrying capacity?
The definition is expanded to include not degrading our cultural and social environments and not harming the physical environment in ways that would adversely affect future generations.
why is is problematic to estimate the human carrying capacity rate?
When one resource becomes limiting, humans show great ingenuity in substituting one resource for another.
Resource requirements vary according to lifestyles, which differ from time to time and from population to population.
Technological developments give rise to continual changes in the resources required and available for consumption.
Human populations also regularly import resources from outside their immediate environment, which enables them to grow beyond the boundaries set by their local resources and increases their carrying capacity.
what does EF start for?
ecological foot print
how is the ecological foot print of a county established?
The Ecological Footprint accounts for the flows of energy and matter to and from any defined economy and converts these into the corresponding land/water area required for nature to support these flows.
what can affect our ecological footprint?
The way we chose to house, clothe, shelter, and meet the needs for vital resources such as food, energy, and water.
as a model, what does the ecological foot print provide?
The ecological footprint model provides a quantitative measure of the estimation of human carrying capacity needed to supply our lifestyles.
It is, in fact, the inverse of carrying capacity. It refers to the area required to sustainability support given population rather than the population that a given area can sustainably support.
how can you increase your ecological footprint?
greater reliance on fossil fuels
high levels of imported resources (which have high transport costs)
a meat-rich diet
how can you decrease your ecological footprint?
recycling resources
reusing resources
reduce fossil fuel reliance
what is the standard of living a result of?
Standard of living is the result of the interaction between physical and human resources
how can you express the standard of living?
Standard of living: (natural resources X technology) / population
what does the ecological footprint measure from humans earth materials?
The Environmental Footprint measures the types of products or services provided by global hectares,
for example, in terms of goods from crop lands, animal products, fish, forest products, built up areas, and energy and water use.
what can the analysis of a ecological footprint be used to do?
Such analyses identify which areas are placing the greatest strains on ecosystems, and can help set policy priorities.
what do you need to remember about the validity of the ecological footprint?
The Ecological Footprint is not a precise measure of ecological sustainability. While it is perhaps the best estimate to date, it is important to recognize its limitations.
for example, the Footprint underestimates the impact of human activities on the biosphere.
what are some earth factors used to calculate the ecological footprint?
Bio-productive land: land used for food and materials
Bio-productive sea: sea area used for human consumption
Energy land: land required to support renewable energy instead of non-renewable energy
Built land: land that is used for development of roads and buildings
Biodiversity land: land required to support non-human species
Non-productive land: land: us and deserts, salt marshes, etc.
