People and the Earth’s

Ecosystem
People and the Earth’s Ecosystem

-an interdisciplinary study of how the

earth works, how human interact with it,
and how we can address the world’s
environmental issues.
3 Major Area

1. Population
2. Ecosystem
3. The Anthropogenic Impact
to Environment
Chapter Objectives

1. Define population
2. Enumerate the different characteristics
of populations.
3. Calculate the birth rate, mortality rate
and natality rate of a population.
 Chapter Objectives

4. Differentiate thew two types of

population growth curve, the S-
curve and the J-curve
5. Identify the two factors affecting the
birth rate of a population.
What is population?
 Population

Each species in an ecosystem exist as a population.

Members of a population:
a. rely on the same resources
b. are influenced by similar environmental
factors
c. are bred with one another.
 Population
group of interbreeding or
potentially interbreeding organisms
found in the same space or area at
the same time.
 Population Ecology
It studies the spatial and temporal patterns
in the abundance and distribution of
organisms and of the mechanisms that
produce those patterns.
 Population Ecology
The study of population ecology includes
understanding, explanation and prediction of
population growth, regulation and dynamics or
demography.
Characteristics of Population
A population has several characteristics or
attributes which are a function of the whole
group and not of the individual.
Different populations can be compared by
measuring these attributes.
Characteristics of Population
These attributes are
1. population density
2. Natality
3. mortality
4. distributions
Population Density
Itis generally expressed as the number of individuals
or the population biomass per unit area or volume.
 Population density can be calculated by the following
equation:
Dp =
N- total population
A – land area
 Two Types of Density
1. Crude Density
-is the density per unit of total
space.
Generally, populations do not occupy
all the space as whole because all area
may not be habitable.
 Two Types of Density
2. Specific (or Ecological) Density
- is the density per unit of habitable
space.
It includes only that portion of total
space that can actually be colonized by
the population.
Determining Population Size

Population size can be measured by several

methods:
 Natality
Natality refers to the rate of reproduction or birth per
unit time.

It is an expression of the production of new individuals

in the population by birth, hatching, germination or
fission.
Natality

Potential Natality – the maximum number of

births produced per individual under ideal
conditions of
environment.
Natality
Natality varies from organism to organism.

It depends upon the population density and

environmental factors.
Natality

The maximum or absolute natality is observed

when the species exists under
ideal ecological and genetic conditions.