Chapter 59

• By 1750, the human population was increasing at a faster rate
• Age structure


  The relative numbers of individuals of each defined age group
• Estimating population growth

  Determining the total fertility rate versus the death rate
• Factors that determine a population's size

  • Birth rate
  • Number of individuals in the breeding population
  • Death rate
  • Immigration and emigration rates
• Ecological footprint


  The amount of productive land needed to support a person (i.e. the environmental impact of an individual or a population)
• If everyone in the world used the same amount of energy as the United States, the reserve of energy in the world would disappear overnight
• There is a limit to the energy reserves
• The disposal of waste and pollution is a problem
• Recycling can help take care of some of the waste by decomposers and returning it back to the ground to be "recycled"
• Global warming is an increase in Earth's average surface temperature
• Global warming results in climate change, a long-term change in Earth's climate or a change in climate in a particular region
• Global warming not only affects the Earth's surface temperature, but also ocean currents and the circulation of the atmosphere
• Global warming can cause some regions to become colder or have colder seasons
• Greenhouse effect


  Gases present in the atmosphere allow solar energy to pass through and reach the Earth's surface, but trap the energy (and that that radiates back) from the surface
• As the greenhouse gases increase, the Earth's temperature rises
• Global warming is expected to cause sea level rise, changes in precipitation patterns, and changes in the distribution of species
• Solutions for lowering atmospheric carbon dioxide levels

  • Use of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power
  • Energy conservation by using less electricity and increasing more fuel efficient methods of transportation
  • Removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by performing less deforestation and increasing reforestation
  • Increase ocean fertilization to increase aquatic plant growth
  • Increase carbon taxes on companies that utilize a lot of fossil fuels, in hopes of discouraging their use
• There are several human-induced threats to species, including habitat changes, pollution, and climate change
• Acid rain occurs when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) react with water in the atmosphere to form sulfuric and nitric acids
• Acid rain can have devastating effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
• How does studying human population growth trends help us?

  We learn the impact we have on both the biotic and abiotic parts of the ecosystem