Assignment:

1. What is the effect of exponential growth in the population? Summarize

2. Discuss the relative importance of quantity life and quality life?
3. How does human population growth affect the following?
a. Quality of air and water
b. Space available for recreation
c. Stress and conflict
d. Your life style in the next 40 years.
e. Your descendant’s lifestyles

Answers:
1. In exponential growth, a population's per capita (per individual) growth rate stays the
same regardless of population size, making the population grow faster and faster as it
gets larger. In nature, populations may grow exponentially for some period, but they will
ultimately be limited by resource availability. rmax is the maximum per capita rate of
increase for a particular species under ideal conditions, and it varies from species to
species. For instance, bacteria can reproduce much faster than humans, and would
have a higher maximum per capita rate of increase.
2.
3. a.) As population density increases, the demand for the limited freshwater also
increases. Increase in population also accelerates the pollution due to the following
reasons:
 Urbanization at an uncontrolled rate as in the case of India.
 Large amount of waste generated and disposed into the water bodies increases
the pollution in the water bodies.
 Water from lakes, rivers, ponds, underground, etc. is used for both industrial and
domestic purposes. 80% of the water that is used for domestic purposes comes out as
wastewater. In most of the cases, this water is not treated properly and as such it leads
to pollution of surface-level freshwater, and seeps into the ground, polluting
groundwater as well.
 The rising number of industries in India contribute heavily to water pollution as
industrial waste is most often untreated. The industries with the heaviest impact on
water bodies are thermal power plants, engineering industries, paper mills, steel plants
and textile industries.
 Cities and towns located on the banks of Ganga generate a third of the
wastewater generated in our country.

As population increases, more people are dependent on the polluted water resources.
This poses an enormous health threat. Water stagnation that occurs around sources is
dangerous as it provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which can cause diseases
like, dengue, chikungunya, and malaria. Due to the crowded conditions prevalent
around the water body, they spread fast. Overpopulation will strain current water
resources to their limits, cause an increase in water pollution, and lead to an increase in
civil and international conflicts over existing water supplies. Growths in regional and
global population will also lead to increased cases of water pollution.
Emissions do increase as population increases, but not as fast. As the population of a
city increases, the emissions also increase, but the per capita emissions decrease.
There are fewer tons of emissions per person as cities grow because cities are more
efficient than living dispersed over a large area. If there are 10 times as many people in
a city as there used to be, there will be only about 6 times as many local emissions over
the same time period. So more people have a larger demand for goods and services,
increasing the total emissions, but the emissions per capita decrease due to
urbanization.
b.) There are many recreational opportunities that may be impacted by proposed
actions. When a location is converted from undeveloped land to residential, commercial,
or industrial uses, there is at least some loss of open spaces that are or could be used
for outdoor recreation. There could be a loss of recreational opportunities such as
hunting, fishing, and hiking, as well as, but not limited to hiking, mountain biking, bird
watching, photography, and recreational vehicle use. Some communities have unique
recreational opportunities such as caves for spelunking or cliffs for rappelling that could
be impacted.
Open space resources are defined differently in different places. All open spaces are
undeveloped areas, but these may range from, but not limited to large forests, patches
of woodland, and farm fields to village greens, public parks, state lands, wetlands, and
rivers and river corridors. Some actions may convert natural areas that are used now, or
planned to be used in the future for recreational activities. Some urban and suburban
communities have limited open spaces and recreational resources.
The rapid spread and diversification of outdoor recreation can impact on wildlife in
various ways, often leading to the avoidance of disturbed habitats. To mitigate human-
wildlife conflicts, spatial zonation schemes can be implemented to separate human
activities from key wildlife habitats by designating undisturbed wildlife refuges or areas
with some level of restriction to human recreation and land use. However, mitigation
practice rarely considers temporal differences in human-wildlife interactions. We used
GPS telemetry data from 15 red deer to study the seasonal (winter vs. summer) and
diurnal (day vs. night) variation in recreation effects on habitat use in a study region in
south-western Germany where a spatial zonation scheme has been established. Our
study aimed to determine if recreation infrastructure and spatial zonation affected red
deer habitat use and whether these effects varied daily or seasonally. Recreation
infrastructure did not affect home range selection in the study area, but strongly
determined habitat use within the home range. The spatial zonation scheme was
reflected in both of these two levels of habitat selection, with refuges and core areas
being more frequently used than the border zones. Habitat use differed significantly
between day and night in both seasons. Both summer and winter recreation trails, and
nearby foraging habitats, were avoided during day, whereas a positive association was
found during night. We conclude that human recreation has an effect on red deer
habitat use, and when designing mitigation measures daily and seasonal variation in
human-wildlife interactions should be taken into account. We advocate using spatial
zonation in conjunction with temporal restrictions and the creation of suitable foraging
habitats away from recreation trails.
c.) As the population increases the demand on resources also increases. If this
demand for essential resources reaches criticality, then some form of adverse reaction
occurs. This can be range from personal scale to national scale. While populations no
doubt are large in many countries, and demands on resources are obviously large, it is
only one of many other causes and some of those other issues such as over-
consumption based, unsustainable development may have an even larger impact. Our
choice of how to use those resources and for what purposes are critical issues as well
on the resulting impact on the environment to meet those uses and purposes.
Population size and rates of growth are key elements in environmental change. At any
level of development, increased population increases the energy use, resource
consumption and environmental stress. No policy can change the past. But addressing
current population policy must be change according to the requirement of the people to
provide better environmental condition to sustain human life. Government cannot
control population any more than the people can control people themselves. Support of
education for girls and of economic opportunity for women would contribute to further
decline in birth rates while improving individual capacities. Global climate change is the
most critical environmental impact imposed on the atmosphere by human pollution.
Although world weather patterns are little understood, it is clear that global temperature
in rising Worldwide carbon emissions and atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse
gasses reached record levels in this period, as more people burned more wood, coal
and petroleum products, While the overall effects of human actions on the earth’s
weather patterns are uncertain, the negative impact of global warming is clear.
d.) The world's population, now slightly more than three billion people, is
increasing at around two per cent a year or faster than at any other time in the history of
man. Although population growth has been steadily growing over the past two or three
centuries, it has been exceptionally rapid over the past 20 years. To understand the rate
of population growth, we should note that from the time of Christ until the middle of the
17th century, the world population doubled in around 1,700 years. It doubled again in
about 200 years, doubled again in less than 100, and would double every 35 years if the
current rate of population growth were to remain constant. This pace, in addition, is still
rising. The rate of growth, to be sure, will not continue to expand much more. Even if the
death rate were to fall to zero, the growth rate would not be much higher than three and
a half per cent per year at the present pace of human reproduction, and the time
needed for the world population to double would not fall well below 20 years. The rise in
human numbers is best understood through the framework of the demographic
transition. Before this transition births and deaths were approximately in balance and
population increase was very slow. Life expectancies fluctuating in the range of 20 to 40
years were matched by fertility of 4.5 to 6.0 births per woman. On average, about two
children per couple survived to adulthood, a level that maintains a stable population
size. Successful reproduction was a lottery; some parents had many surviving children,
others none. The adjustment to this chance variation was obvious; children flowed from
those with reproductive excess to those with a deficit through adoption, fostering and
early apprenticeships. Infanticide was a further post-natal means of controlling family
size, particularly in Asia. A lot of today’s innovation comes from young people, creating
new and wonderful technologies such as the internet, smart phones, social media, and
automation. Older people have difficulty adapting to these new technologies. When we
are getting older, our health care costs rise. At the same time, with fewer people in the
workforce our tax collections decline. Houses go empty. Schools close. Our need for
roads, bridges, dams, and airports declines. When growth and expansion are no longer
automatic, when we are all growing older, and whenever larger numbers of us are no
longer productive but instead need constant care.
e.) Not only the number of people, but also the lifestyle, consumption patterns,
and regions people inhabit and use directly affect the environment. The relationship
between population growth and environmental degradation may appear to be rather
straightforward. More people demand more resources and generate more waste.
Population growth and distribution have significant roles to play in the sustainability of
the world’s vast resources. Not only the number of people, but also the lifestyle,
consumption patterns, and regions people inhabit and use directly affect the
environment. The relationship between population growth and environmental
degradation may appear to be rather straightforward. More people demand more
resources and generate more waste. Clearly one of the challenges of a growing
population is that the mere presence of so many people sharing a limited number of
resources strains the environment. But when looking at the impact of human activities,
the situation is more complicated due to the wide variety of government policies,
technologies, and consumption patterns worldwide.
Activity 1:
1. Why is it important to save plant species?
2. List 3- reasons why we should protect species.
3. What is biodiversity, why is it important?
4. What are some of the ways that you can help protect species of plants and animals?

Answers:
1. Plants prevent soil erosion and desertification. Plants provide the raw
materials for food, clothing, medicines, construction and many other products that
sustain our lives. Plants enhance our quality of life – they add variety and beauty to our
surroundings. The natural processes of plants protect our planet and supply the air we
breathe and the water we drink. Plants harvest sunlight and are the primary producers
of the energy in all food chains. Plant communities or vegetation are the structural basis
of the ecosystems in which we all live. They maintain the physical and chemical integrity
of those ecosystems. We are at the center of biodiversity loss. Any human activity that
affects the delicate relationships between species and habitats will impoverish our
quality of life and reduce the number of resources available to us. Ultimately this could
threaten the survival of our descendants. Biodiversity is the foundation of our survival.
Plant conservation is an urgent task and although estimates vary as to the rates of loss
of global and regional plant diversity, it is fair to say that each year several species,
varieties and old crop cultivars are lost and every one of these plants possessed
potential that had not been fully assessed. They have disappeared without any
possibility of ever being replaced – extinction is forever.
2. When we conserve and protect the natural habitat of wildlife species, we
enrich our planet. To do so, we must keep the animals in their natural place.
Conservation of natural habitats will also be beneficial for humans since it helps keep
the essential watersheds intact and ensuring clean, fresh water. Healthy ecosystems
depend on plant and animal species as their foundations. When a species becomes
endangered, it is a sign that the ecosystem is slowly falling apart. Each species that is
lost triggers the loss of other species within its ecosystem. Humans depend on healthy
ecosystems to purify our environment.
1. ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE
Healthy ecosystems depend on plant and animal species as their foundations. When a
species becomes endangered, it is a sign that the ecosystem is slowly falling apart.
Each species that is lost triggers the loss of other species within its ecosystem. Humans
depend on healthy ecosystems to purify our environment. Without healthy forests,
grasslands, rivers, oceans and other ecosystems, we will not have clean air, water, or
land. If we allow our environment to become contaminated, we risk our own health.
2. MEDICAL
Over 50% of the 150 most prescribed medicines were originally derived from a plant or
other natural product. Unfortunately, only about 5% of known plant species have been
tested for medicinal uses and there are thousands of plant species that have yet to be
identified. Tens of thousands of Americans die every year from illnesses for which there
is no known cure. The cures for these diseases may eventually come from plants,
therefore, we must protect all species before they are lost forever from nature’s
medicine cabinet.
 3. AGRICULTURAL
Agriculture also plays an important role in the protection of species, farmers are often
seen as the original conservationists. Many farmers set aside portions of their land as
wildlife habitat and also work in partnership with groups such as Trout Unlimited to
restore river and stream habitats for endangered and threatened fish and reptiles. In
addition, wild relatives of common crops contain important genetic material needed to
maintain these crops. These relatives can be used to ensure crops are disease-
resistant while providing information for developing new crops that can grow in less than
adequate lands.

3. Biodiversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is typically

a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem level. Terrestrial
biodiversity is usually greater near the equator, which is the result of the warm climate
and high primary productivity. Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each
species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. Biodiversity is
important to humans for many reasons. Biodiversity is also considered by many to have
intrinsic value—that is, each species has a value and a right to exist, whether or not it is
known to have value to humans. Biodiversity not only maintains a functional
environment; it is a resource for food, shelter, clothing and other materials. The
economy relies on biodiversity since it provides renewable economic resources and
ecosystem services, medical and scientific benefits, and is priceless in term of cultural
and aesthetic values.
4. 1. Adopt. From wild animals to wild places, there’s an option for everyone. Get
together with classmates to adopt an animal from a wildlife conservation organization
such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Symbolic adoptions help fund organizations.
2. Volunteer. If you don’t have money to give, donate your time. Many
organizations and zoos have volunteer programs. You can help clean beaches, rescue
wild animals or teach visitors.
3. Visit. Zoos, aquariums, national parks and wildlife refuges are all home to wild
animals. Learn more about our planet’s species from experts. See Earth’s most
amazing creatures up close.
4. Donate. When you visit your local accredited zoos and nature reserves, pay
the recommended entry fee. Your donations help maintain these vital conservation
areas.
5. Speak Up. Share your passion for wildlife conservation with your family. Tell
your friends how they can help. Ask everyone you know to pledge to do what they can
to stop wildlife trafficking.
6. Buy Responsibly. By not purchasing products made from endangered
animals or their parts, you can stop wildlife trafficking from being a profitable enterprise.
7. Pitch In. Trash isn’t just ugly, it’s harmful. Birds and other animals can trap
their heads in plastic rings. Fish can get stuck in nets. Plus, trash pollutes everyone’s
natural resources. Do your part by putting trash in its place.
8. Recycle. Find new ways to use things you already own. If you can’t reuse,
recycle. The Minnesota Zoo encourages patrons to recycle mobile phones to reduce
demand for the mineral coltan, which is mined from lowland gorillas’ habitats.
9. Restore. Habitat destruction is the main threat to 85 percent of all threatened
and endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of
Nature. You can help reduce this threat by planting native trees, restoring wetlands or
cleaning up beaches in your area.
10. Join. Whether you’re into protecting natural habitats or preventing wildlife
trafficking, find the organization that speaks to your passion and get involved. Become a
member. Stay informed. Actively support the organization of your choice.
Write your reflection on your stand/position to discuss, based on the following:
a. Business sector
b. The people who wants job
c. The consequences
d. The environmentalist
e. The ecosystem & environment

Answers:

a.
They are guided by questions such as:

1. What if this particular species will be extinct? What will happen?

Extinct= no longer exist
2. What will be the cause of their extinction?
3. Will another species takes over its place?

Answers:

1. If a species has a unique function in its ecosystem, its loss can prompt
cascading effects through the food, impacting other species and the ecosystem itself.
Animals are not the only living beings influenced by extinctions. Plants are also greatly
affected when one or more species of fruit-eating island animals goes extinct. When
fruit-eating animals disappear, trees, in particular, are deprived of an essential
mechanism for relocating their seeds to new areas, so they too, face extinction. When
many large fruit-eating animals have gone extinct on the islands, the remaining small
animals cannot swallow and disperse the largest fruits so those plants are now at risk of
extinction too. As the saying goes, pulling on a loose thread of yarn can unravel an
entire sweater. The same concept applies to how plants and animals depend on each
other and how microorganisms, land, water, and climate together keep our entire
system healthy. Our current biodiversity crisis dubbed by some experts as the Sixth
Extinction, is becoming more pressing than ever, as the pace of anthropogenic change
encroaches on nature. If one species in the food web ceases to exist, one or more
members in the rest of the chain could cease to exist too. A plant or animal doesn't even
have to become extinct to affect one of its predators. The harelip sucker fish, for
example, used to eat snails in the 19th century.
2. The main cause of the extinctions is the destruction of natural habitats by
human activities, such as cutting down forests and converting land into fields for
farming. There are five major causes of extinction: habitat loss, an introduced species,
pollution, population growth, and overconsumption. The biggest threats to our planet’s
species are humans. Our world’s population is increasing by millions each year. All
these people are using more and more resources, leaving fewer resources for Earth’s
other species.
3.
Activity No. 2

Reflection: The most common idea of people about bacteria is always harmful. List
down some reasons why bacteria are also useful in terms of their role in the
conservation of the resources in the environment.

Answers:

 Bacteria help many animals to digest food, they help trees grow, and they
are important in the recycling of nutrients in the environment.
 They are also used in biotechnology applications to produce everything
from food to energy to clean water.
 Bacteria can be very helpful to humans and other organisms.
 The cycling of nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur is completed
by their ceaseless labor.
 Decomposition is the breakdown of these organisms, and the release of
nutrients back into the environment, and is one of the most important roles
of the bacteria.
 Organic carbon, in the form of dead and rotting organisms, would quickly
deplete the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere if not for the activity of
decomposers. This may not sound too bad to you, but realize that without
carbon dioxide, there would be no photosynthesis in plants, and no food.
 When organisms die, the carbon contained in their tissues becomes
unavailable for most other living things.
 The cycling of nitrogen is another important activity of bacteria. Plants rely
on nitrogen from the soil for their health and growth, and cannot acquire it
from the gaseous nitrogen in the atmosphere. When colonies of these
bacteria occur on croplands, they may deplete the soil nutrients, and
make it difficult for crops to grow.
Activity No.3

Reflection:
1. Why is a virus considered to be non-living and get can bring a lot of diseases
to its host?
2. Summarize your answers

Answers:

1. The majority of biologists say no. Viruses are not made of cells, they are unable to
hold themselves in a stable state, they are not able to expand, and they are unable to
generate their own energy. Viruses are more like androids than real living organisms,
even though they definitely replicate and adapt to their environment. The virus actually
can't spread without a host cell. Viruses fail for the same reason in the second question.
Since it doesn't need to absorb energy to survive, a virus is not considered alive, nor is
it able to control its own temperature. Viruses are responsible for some of the most
dangerous and deadly diseases including influenza, ebola, rabies and smallpox.
Despite their potential to kill, these potent pathogens are in fact considered to be non-
living, as alive as the screen that you are reading this article on.
A virus will inject its genetic material into its host when it comes into contact with
a host cell, essentially taking over the host's functions. Instead of its normal materials,
an infected cell contains more viral protein and genetic material.