Population Ecology Flashcards
What is meant by overpopulation?
population exceeds carrying capacity of the land
What is underpopulation?
population is lower than the carrying capacity of the land
What is optimum population?
population equates to the carrying capacity of the land
What is carrying capacity?
the maximum population size that an area/environment can support indefinitely
What is development?
progress of an area shown by standards of living and quality of life
What is ecological footprint?
the impact of a person or community on the environment expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources
What does the logistic model show?
population grow is expected to slow globally near the carrying capacity of the Earth
Why is population size expected to decease near the carrying capacity?
environmental resistance
What are the impacts of a large population?
- climate change
- degradation of ecosystems
- threat of species extinction
- overcultivation
- depletion of fish stocks beyond recovery
What is a positive feedback loop associated with population growth?
- population increases
- increased resource acquisition
- increased population
What is a negative feedback loop associated with population growth?
- population increases
- overgrazing reduces soil quality
- prevents agriculture
- reduces population size
Outline Boserup’s theory of population
- population will increase
- as population increases technology will increase and food production will increase
- this will prevent famine
What are some limitations to Boserup’s theory of population?
- An increase in population doesn’t always result in innovations and advancement
- hasn’t yet been proved
- some technological advancements are unsustainable in the long term
What is an example of technological innovation that could support Boserup’s theory?
- Green Revolution
- thought to save 1bn lives
- High yield varieties of rice that increase yield ten fold
