POPULATION

DEMOGRAPHY

a social science that applies the principles of population ecology to the study of statistical change in human population

(the study of human population)

 POPULATION

DENSITY

AGE

STRUCTURE

The relative numbers of organisms of each age within a population.

SEX

RATIO

The proportion of males to females in a population

IMMIGRATION

EMIGRATION

TOTAL

FERTILITY

RATE

REPLACEMENT

FERTILITY

NATIONAL

RATE

OF

POPULATION

CHANGE

DEMOGRAPHIC

TRANSITION

A theoretical model of economic and cultural change that explains the declining death rates and birth rates that occurred in Western nations as they became industrialized.

What factors lead to increased population?

technological innovations, improved sanitation, better medical care, incresed agricultural output, and other a tors that have led to a dexline in death rates, particularly a drop in rates of infant mortality.

What do other people say about quality of life and resources with increased human population size?

Describe the I=PAT formula and its various inputs (the P,A,T)

I=impact

p=population

a=afluence

t=technology

Describe human population growth through time and the effects of this growth on the environment.  What are future population projections?

people are living longer so the poplation is booming and it doubles each decade

How does population distribution affect the environment? 

Describe the implications for an “expanding” population histogram vs. a stable histogram

What does population growth depend on?  How has technology affected population growth?

How do immigration and emigration affect local populations?

Although growth rates are declining around the world, fertility rates are still very high in some countries.  Why is this dangerous?

Describe the demographic transition, its 4 stages and whether it will work for developing countries

the demographic transition is a model of economical and cultural change that explained the declining death and birth rates in Western nations as they became industrialized

Describe the demographic transition, its 4 stages and whether it will work for developing countries

How are poverty and population growth related?

How do wealthy nations affect the environment, although they may not have as many people? How does the “wealth gap” cause conflict?

Compare traditional with industrialized agriculture

What is the relationship between poverty and food? 

Describe how soil is formed through the various types of weathering

Which soil layer is most fertile?

Why is soil erosion such a global problem?

Why is desertification such a global problem?  What was the Dust Bowl?

Describe how the following methods conserve farmland:  crop rotation, contour farming, terracing, intercropping, shelterbelts, reduced tillage

Describe the problems associated with irrigation (waterlogging, salinization) and fertilizers

What are causes and consequences of overgrazing?

Describe the problems of undernourishment, malnutrition and overnourishment.  What is food security, and have we increased or decreased global hunger?

Describe the benefits and costs of the green revolution

Describe some types of pesticides, and a major problem with resistance

Discuss IPM, and what is included in this method of agriculture

What are the issues facing GMO’s?  What are the benefits and costs?  How would people argue for the “precautionary principle” regarding GMOs?

Describe a CAFO; why do some people have problems with “factory farming”? What are benefits and drawbacks to this type of livestock raising?  What is a sustainable solution regarding eating meat?

Describe some benefits and drawbacks regarding aquaculture

What is the prognosis for “organic” foods? What are the benefits?  How does Community-supported agriculture work?

What are genetic, species and ecosystem diversity, and why are they important?

What is the Latitudinal Gradient, and why does it occur?

Why isn’t it easy to know how many species are on Earth?

Describe previous mass extinctions, and why this one (the 6th) is fundamentally different from the others.

Describe in detail these causes of biodiversity loss: habitat alteration, invasive species, human population growth, pollution, overharvesting, consumption and climate change

Know and be able to discuss WHY we need to conserve biodiversity (environmental and economic reasons)

What is the argument behind the belief that we have an ethical obligation to conserve species?

What is conservation biology, and what does it try to do?

What happens to extinction and colonization on islands that are close vs. far away from the mainland, and on large vs. small islands?

Why is the Endangered Species Act so controversial?

What is captive breeding and what are some advantages & disadvantages of it?

What is a biodiversity hotspot, and why is it important?

How does community-based conservation work? What is its major problem?

What are the trends regarding urbanization worldwide? Where are the fastest growing cities?

Why do people move to the suburbs?

What is urban sprawl, and why is it problematic?

Understand the role of city and regional planning activities, zoning, Urban Growth Boundaries, and new urbanism, in relation to smart growth.  What are the major principles of smart growth?

What role does mass transportation play in sustainable cities? Describe some mass transit systems, their advantages and problems

How do open spaces enhance urban living? 

What problems with light and noise pollution occur in cities?

Describe some goals of sustainable urban areas.

Compare and contrast maximum sustained yield vs. ecosystem-based and adaptive management when dealing with resources

Describe some ecological and economic values of forests

What is the problem with deforestation?  Where is it occurring? What happens to loggers’ jobs?

Why was a U.S. National forest system implemented in the U.S.? Who manages these forests?

Describe the 4 major types of logging, and some environmental impacts

What is the multiple use policy for forests?  Which use, realistically, is paramount?

What is the role of prescribed fires in forest management?  Why are they controversial?

What is salvage logging, and how can it be abused?

What does the Bureau of Land Management do?

What is the foremost goal for U.S. Parks? National Reserves?

Who administers National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges? What activities are allowed in each?

What is special about Wilderness areas?  Why are they controversial? What has happened to these areas in recent years?

What is special about Wilderness areas?  Why are they controversial? What has happened to these areas in recent years?

Describe a World Heritage Area.  Describe a biosphere reserve.

What is habitat fragmentation and how does it threaten species?

Describe the SLOSS dilemma. How do wildlife corridors work?

Describe 4 types of hazards and give examples of each

Discuss the impact of diseases, and whether they are increasing or decreasing

Describe 4 indoor health hazards?

What does environmental toxicology do?  Why is it important?

What did Silent Spring do for the issue of environmental toxicants?

Describe various toxicants (i.e. carcinogens, neurotoxins, etc.), and their effects

What are endocrine disruptors and why are they important?  Give some examples of organisms that have been affected

Describe the problems with persistence, bioaccumulation and biomagnifications regarding toxicants

What types of human studies are conducted?

Describe a dose-response curve.  What is LD50?  An LE50? What happens below the threshold of response?

What makes individuals respond differently to toxins?

Describe acute vs. chronic exposure.  How do they affect responses?

What are synergistic effects of toxins?

Discuss the concept of risk assessment, and how we perceive risk

What is risk management?  Compare the two approaches for determining safety (innocent until proven guilty, precautionary principle approach); which one protects the public better?

Who regulates toxic substances in the U.S.?

Environmental health

Toxicant

Toxicology

Acute vs. chronic exposure

Toxicity

Risk analysis

Urbanization

Suburbs

CITY

PLANNING

the professional pursuit that attempts to design cities in such a way as to maximize their efficiency, functionality, and beauty.

ZONING

Light rail

a school of thought among architects, planners, and developers that seeks to design neighborhoods in which homes, businesses, schools, and other amenities are within walking distance of another.

noise

pollution

light

pollution

resource

management

Strategic decison making about who should extract resources and in what ways, so that resources are used wisely and not wasted

maximum

sustainable

yield

the maximal harvest of a particular renewable natural resource that can be accomplished while still keeping the resuorce available for the future.

deforestation

primary

forest

U.S

Forest

Service

Helathy

Forest

Restoration

Act

Monumentalism

the impulse to protect enormous, unusual, or beautiful natural features

antiquities

act

wise-use

movement

a loose confederation of individuals and groups that coalesced in the 1980s and 1990s as a response to the increasing success of environmental advocacy

national

forests

public lands consisting of 191 million acres in many tracts spread across all but a few states

national

park

service

wildlife

refuges

paper

parks

richness

populations of a species that occur in different geographic areas and vary from one another in some characteristics

the disappearance of an entire species from the face of the earth.

the

red

list

biophilia

a phenomenom that E.O Wilson had defined as "the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life."

minimum

viable

population

equilibrium

theory

of island

biodiversity

 the sum total of all organisms in an area, taking into account the diversity of species, their genes, their populations, and their communities.

endangered

species

act

species

at

Risk

Act

captive

breeding

umbrella

species

a species for which meetin its habitat needs automatically helps meet those of many other species.

flagship

services

a species that has wide appeal with the public and that can be used to promote conservation efforts that also benefit othe less charismatic services.

biodiversity

hotspots

species-area

curve

a graph showing how number of species varies withthe geographic area of a landmass or water body.

community-based

conservation

the practice of engaging local people to protect land and wildlife in their own region.

industialized

agriculture

green

revolution

an intensification of the industrialization of agriculture in the developing world in the latter half of the 20th century that has dramatically increased crop yields prodduced per unit area of farmland

the physical, chemical, and biological processes that break down rocks and minerals, turning large particles

soil

horizon

topsoil

that portion of the soil that is most nutritive for plants and is thus of the most direct importance to ecosytems and to agriculture.

the process by which solid materials such as minerals are dissolved in a liquid (usually water) and transported to another location.

drip

irrigation

food

security

evolutionary

arms

race

biological

control

integrated

pest

management

genetic

engineering

precautionary

principle

concentrated

animal

feeding

sustainable

agriculture

organic

agriculture

community-supported

agriculture