Welcome to Dr. Kate Brilakis' Learning Portal
RFR =
reproductive replacement rate
how many offspring must be born to replace one mating pair
in a population
Population Ecology
interspecies interactions
Ecological Cycles
WHO = world health organization
The brown tree snake has destroyed both the habitat and species directly. These snakes outnumber people on Guam
ten to one. Guam has no native snakes, so the native animals had no experience reacting to predators, and since it’s a mostly closed island system, the species that were there have had no ability to combat the snakes. Many of the native bird species have been completely extinct.
Tree snake populations are being culled today through trapping and poisoning, with specialized trackers being specifically implanted into the snakes in order to find out migration patterns and better understand where they frequent so hunters can more easily locate and eliminate them.
Nitrogen is the most abundant element in Earth's atmosphere at 78% but atmospheric nitrogen can't be used. Nitrogen gas (N2) has two N atoms connected by a triple bond. Most plants and animals cannot use the nitrogen in nitrogen gas because they cannot break that triple bond. In order for plants to make use of nitrogen, it must be transformed into molecules they can use... ammonium NH4, nitrate NO3, urea (NH2)2CO.
why human population matters
2015
human population growth vs other species population decline
carbon
keystone species
biocontrol
1. rabbits infected with myxoma (causing myxomatosis) were released. A great experiment in natural selection occurred with the rabbits eventually developing an immunity to the virus.
2. Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV)
transmitted by flies, kills rabbits in 48 hours.
In 1995, this virus escaped a quarantine lab, lowering rabbit numbers by 90 percent. But rabbits in cooler/wet regions weren't affected. populations have developed resistance to this virus as well.
how/why is TFR
related to
IMR?
ecological homeostasis
what are some examples of
biotic factors?
abiotic factors?
the Global Human Population
resource management...
clean water
oxygen
kudzu
rabbits in Australia
human facilitated jump dispersal
The brown tree snake has decimated Guam’s birds,
causing the local extinction of more than half of Guam’s native bird and lizard species as well as two out of three of Guam’s native bat species. By eliminating native pollinators the brown tree snake has also reduced plant populations.
Kudzu was first introduced to the United States during the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 where it was touted as a great ornamental plant for its sweet-smelling blooms and sturdy vines
International Conference on Population and Development
habitat
H2O
phosporous
resource management...feeding the world
vs niche
age demographics
trophic levels
A habitat is the place where an organism lives while a niche is that organism's role within that environment. Habitat focuses on how the environment impacts the organism while niche focuses on how the organism impacts the environment.
can you think of another example?
Toxic bait cartridges automatically fired from helicopters may be the first successful way to efficiently reduce numbers of invasive brown tree snakes at the landscape scale on the island of Guam.
In 1859, European rabbits were introduced into the Australian wild as hunting sport. It is estimated that there are currently 200 million rabbits descended from the original 24 wild rabbits first released. No natural predators and their rapid breeding cycle (4 litters/year w. 5 kits) permitted the explosion of the population.
brown tree snake and Guam
nitrogen
clean freshwater is essential.
1.1 billion people lack access to water.
2.7 billion experience water scarcity at least one month a year.
By 2025, two-thirds of the world's population may be facing water shortages
trophic
efficiency
is human
ecological interference
intentional or
otherwise...
Defining Ecosystems
how does the role
of women in a population
affect TFR?