ENV222H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Bering Sea, Exponential Growth, Carrying Capacity
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ENV222H1 Full Course Notes
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Env200 - lecture 4 population sustainability & earth system sciences. Check blackboard on monday for your tutorial room. You can request to be with certain people in tutorials, but you must complete assignments individually. The earth has a limited number of resources. We have probably consumed too many resources already. I(cid:374) (cid:271)iolog(cid:455) this is so(cid:373)eti(cid:373)es (cid:272)alled the (cid:858)carrying capacity(cid:859) of a s(cid:455)ste(cid:373) Carrying capacity = largest population that can be sustained indefinitely. How many individuals can that system support indefinitely. E. g. the(cid:396)e(cid:859)s a d(cid:396)ought, less photosynthesis, and the system supports fewer individuals. E. g. technology can mean the system supports more individuals. Recall exponential growth from last lecture: lots of resources, optimal conditions result in j-curve. When you hit the carrying capacity of the system, the population levels off in response. What was once a j-shaped curve becomes a s-shaped curve. This does(cid:374)(cid:859)t al(cid:449)a(cid:455)s happe(cid:374) i(cid:374) (cid:374)atu(cid:396)al populatio(cid:374)s. Matthe(cid:449)(cid:859)s isla(cid:374)d = small island in bering sea off the coast of alaska.
