Population and

Human Ecology
Human ecology is the study of the
reciprocal inter-actions of humans with
their environment.
Key aspects of human ecology
 demographics,
resource use,
environmental influences on health and society, and
environmental impacts of human activities.
Important goal of human ecology is to
discover the causes of pathological
interactions between humans and the
environment that sustains them and all
other species.
Human demographics is the study of
changes in human populations, and the factors
that cause those changes to occur. The central
focus of this important topic is the remarkable
increase that has occurred in the size of the
human population during the past several
millennia, but especially during the past several
centuries.
Population Ecology- the study of the processes
that affect the distribution and abundance of
animal and plant population.
Population- is a subset of individuals of one
species that occupies a particular geographic
area and in sexually reproducing species.
Earth System Concepts
A system is an organized group of related objects or
components that work independently and interact to create
a whole.
- it is any ordered, interrelated set of objects, things,
components, parts and their attributes as distinct from their
surrounding environment.
-Most systems, like the Earth system, have matter and
energy that flow freely through the system. Our Earth
system runs smoothly due to the combination of smaller
components that link our planet together.
Matter, which is anything that has mass and takes
up space, is one of the two most basic components of
our universe. Matter can be in the form of atoms,
molecules, or larger objects both living and nonliving.
Energy, the other basic component, is the ability to
do work. The transfer of energy comes in many forms
like heat, light, or electromagnetic waves.
Two types of a system
An open system includes the transfer and exchange of both
matter and energy with the system's surroundings. A natural
system that is not self-contained; inputs of energy and
matter flow into the system, and outputs flow from the
system.
A closed system is a system where only energy is
transferred or exchanged with its surroundings. Matter is
not part of this exchange. A system that is shut off from the
surrounding environment so that it is self-contained.
All of the systems on Earth are
classified as open systems.
However, the Earth system as a
whole is considered a closed
system because there is a limit to
how much matter is exchanged.
Earth as a System
A. Earth’s energy equilibrium: An open System
The earth is a dynamic system because of the infusion of radiant
energy coming from thermonuclear reactions deep within the sun.
This energy penetrates the earth’s atmosphere and cascades through
the terrestrial system converting it to another form of energy.
B. Earth’s Physical Matter
Air, water and material resources are physical matter. Originally these
are found on Earth since the initial formation of the planet. No
significant new quantities of matter or material have entered the
system.