Population Dynamics Unit Test

The Story of Stuff

Hey guys, so Ive heard of this thing called a water calculator before, to calculate how much water you use in your household per year. it kind of has to do with our new unit and i thought maybe some of you would like to try it out, so here's the link:




Interactions between Species
- http://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/learn/ecology/lessons/lesson04/4_1.htm

Population Growth Models (not too math heavy)

- http://www.prb.org/

Technologies being developed/used in Canada to nourish growing populations around the world



September 22: Population Dynamics (Chapter 15)Updated by: Mariam


﻿September 23: Population Dynamics Powerpoint (cont.)﻿Updated by Leila

Food and Soil

﻿- Grain production will slow b/c of a loss of land (ex. non agricultural use, soil degradation and salinization)

-Energy Pyramids

  • 10% of energy transferred to next levelexternal image EnergyPyramid.gif
  • greater number of organisms in food chain less energy for higher trophic levels
  • plants can sustain large populations more effectively than livestock

- Genetically Modified Organisms

  • Pros: crops can resist extreme temps., improved nutrition or flavor and can have bigger yields
  • Cons: loss of genetic diversity, need to purchase seeds regularly, ends up in products, not indicated on food labels

Water and Air

-aquifer: Porous, water saturated layers of sand, gravel or bed-rock that can store and yield significant volumes of water

-Pollution can occur in aquifer b/c

  • livestock waste
  • pesticides
  • acid precipitation
  • mine tailings

- Desalinization: Removal of salt to produce water for drinking and irrigation, downfalls it requires energy, it's expensive and the salt after is waste

-Air pollution sources: vehicles, industrial and hospital smokestacks

- Acid Precipitation
  • SO2 + NO mix with rain to form sulphuric and nitric acids
  • distant ecosystems can be affected
  • can change soil and water pH therefore fish pop. are affected and nutrients leeched from soil

- Greenhouse Effects: Atmospheric gases (CO2, water vapor and methane) trap heat in atmosphere by letting sunlight penetrate while absorbing infrared radiation.

Here is a link to a video that helped me refresh the energy flow pyramid concept. This would be review from grade ten but if you are having trouble remembering this video should help :)﻿


Note: You can see the link for the picture by clicking on it :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010:

updated by Brittney West

Restoration Ecology and Waste Management:
To maintain a more sustainable lifestyle, we try to practice the 5 R’s: 1. Reduce 2. Reuse 3. Recycle 4. Refuse (refusing to buy products that aren’t eco-friendly) 5. Recover (recovering rare natural resources)

Biologists have systems to monitor components ((eg. soil, water, air) ) of carrying capacity:
  • Establish Baseline Data: use this to look for patterns and trends
  • Measure and Observe Indicators (water turbidity)
  • Examine Indicator Species (Ex. Frogs are good bio-indicator because they are affected by terrestrial and aquatic habitats)

Ecological Footprint: estimate of the amount of land and water needed to supply the resources and deal with wastes produced by a population. It allows us to visualize the impact of our consumptive activities.

Bioremediation: a strategy in restoring ecology. Bacteria is used to break down pollutants into less toxic materials they can digest. The bacteria continue this break-down until chemicals are gone and the bacteria die of starvation. Bioremediation is often used to clean up oil spills.


Dealing with Global Pollution:

  • Ideally, we should prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution. The other option is to continue cleaning pollutants after they have been produced.
  • Eco-cities are being designed to minimize their impact on the environment.
  • Eco-cities maintain Low Throughput Economy by decreasing consumption.
  • A High-Throughput Economy sustains economic growth by increasing resource movement. (These resources are eventually output as waste pollution)

We have an upcoming quiz on Chapter 15. Here is the link to an online quiz provided by our textbook: http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/secondary/science/0176259872/quizzes/b12-ch15.htm

We also watched Edward Burtynsky’s, Manufactured Landscapes in class. Burtynsky's photographs are of factories, mines, dams, recycling yards—Manufactured Landscapes. The film follows Burtynskey to China as he travels the country, photographing the evidence and effects of the country’s massive industrial revolution.
“What makes the photographs so powerful is his refusal in them to be didactic. We are all implicated here, they tell us: there are no easy answers. The film continues this approach of presenting complexity, without trying to reach simplistic judgments or reductive resolutions. In the process, it tries to shift our consciousness about the world and the way we live in it.” (http://www.tribute.ca/movies/Manufactured+Landscapes/13)
If you missed the film, I highly recommend you see it. It helps emphasize the worldwide effects of our consumerism, and helps bring meaning to our Chapter 15 study. The following video clip does a great job in summarizing what we have seen so far in the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZiKBKnesnU