THANK YOU!
I hope you find my resources helpful in your AP
Environmental Science classroom!
If you have any questions or concerns, please email
me at sciencetingzlearning@[Link]
Terms of Use
Licensing Terms:
By purchasing this product, the purchaser receives a limited individual license to reproduce the
product for individual single classroom use only. This license is not intended for use by
organizations or multiple users, including but not limited to school districts, schools, or multiple
teachers within a grade level. This resource is not to be shared with colleagues, used by an
entire grade level, school, or district without purchasing the proper number of licenses.
Copyright Terms:
No part of this product may not be uploaded to the internet in any form, including
classroom/personal websites or network drives, unless the site is password protected and can
only be accessed by students. Placing any part of this product on the internet outside of these
terms is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
Science Tingz
3.1: Generalists and Specialists
Learning Objective: Identify differences between generalist and specialist species.
Generalist Species: These species are Specialist Species: These species are adapted to
adapted to live in a wide range of habitats. live in a narrow range of habitats.
They eat a large variety of foods and can They use very few, specific resources which
live in many different kinds of habitats. restricts the habitats they can live in.
They can tolerate changes to their They do not tolerate changes to the
environments and adapt quickly. environment and do best when the
Their ability to use many kinds of environment is constant and unchanging. In
habitats and foods allows them to switch these situations, their specialized skills and
to different resources when one becomes use of resources allow them to be successful.
unavailable. They have a narrow ecological tolerance.
They have a broad ecological tolerance.
Example: Giant
Example: pandas have an
Raccoons live all extremely limited
over the world range of habitats
and eat everything due to their diet of
from fruits bamboo.
to human garbage.
From the graph on the left, we can see
the use of various resources is measured
on the x-axis.
Generalist species occupy a broad niche.
This means that they use many different
kinds of resources.
Specialist species occupy a narrow niche.
This means that they can only use a few
different resources.
Science Tingz
3.2: K-selected and r-selected Species
Learning Objective: Identify differences between K- and r-selected species.
K-selected Species: r-select Species:
Tend to be large in size typically small in size
Have very few offspring (as little as just 1!) have many offspring (up to thousands!)
Spend lots of energy on each offspring invest minimal energy in each offspring
Long life spans short life spans
Mature after many years of parental care reach sexual maturity early
reproduce more than 1 time may reproduce only once in their lives
live in stable environments able to thrive in disturbed environments
provide extensive parental care little to no parental care
Example: Mosquitos mature
Example: The giant panda only quickly and mate within a few
has one to two cubs that stay days of birth. Females lay up
with the mother for many years. to 100 eggs at a time. These
They live 14 to 20 years and eggs can survive in many
reproduce many times over the different conditions. They die
course of their lives. within days of mating.
Biotic Potential:
This is the MAXIMUM reproductive rate of a population. This
occurs under ideal conditions (many resources, no
disturbances). The population has exponential growth.
This appears as a j shaped curve.
Example: If an r-selected species colonized a new habitat with
abundant resources, this is what the graph would look like.
IMPORTANT POINT
Not all species are either K or r, most are somewhere in between!
Example: Sea turtles are large and live long lives, BUT they lay several eggs.
They show traits of both K and r selected species.
Invasive Species:
These species grow and mature quickly and can quickly colonize new areas.
They outcompete the native, specialist species with their high reproductive
potential which allows them to grow their population very quickly.
Most invasive species are r-selected species.
K-selected species are more adversely affected by invasive species because
they tend to be specialists with low population growth rates. They are unable to use
different resources and survive when another species is introduced. Science Tingz
3.3: Survivorship Curves
Learning Objective: Explain survivorship curves.
Survivorship Curve:
This is a graph that shows the percent survival
rate for different age groups in a population from
birth to maximum age for that species.
The y-axis shows us what percentage of that
population is alive at a certain time in their lives.
The x-axis shows us the point in a species life, from
birth to its maximum life span.
There are 3 types of survivorship curves.
Type I "Late Loss" Type II "Constant Loss" Type III "Early Loss"
A large percent of the population An equal percent of A large percent of the
survives from birth to the max. life individuals die at population dies early in life.
span. each age Most die as infants.
Most individuals die of old age. throughout its The high infant mortality is due
The high survivorship rate is due to entire life span. to the lack of parental care.
the parental care provided to the Chance of survival They tend to r-selected
offspring. is independent of species.
They tend to be K-selected species. age.
Example: Mountain Example:
gorillas have long Monarch
life spans and have butterflies have short life spans
very few offspring. and lay up to 500 eggs over a
(K-selected) few days. (r-selected).
Type III
early loss
r- selected Type I
species late loss
short lifespan k-selected
many offspring species
long lifespan
few offspring
Type II
constant loss
Science Tingz
3.4: Carrying Capacity
Learning Objective: Describe carrying capacity. Describe the impact of carrying capacity on ecosystems.
Species cannot grow at their biotic potential forever , at some point their population growth is
limited. This occurs when a population reaches its carrying capacity.
Carrying Capacity (K):
the maximum number of organisms the environment
can support without degradation of resources.
Written down as "K"
Seen as a dashed or dotted line along the graph.
When the carrying capacity is reached, populations don't automatically stop growing.
Populations will continue growing past the carrying
capacity for a short period of time.
We call it a "population overshoot" when a
population grows beyond its carrying capacity.
After an overshoot, populations experience a
"dieback" . This is when a population decreases
below its carrying capacity after it went past it.
r-selected species K-selected species
have high rates of only have a few
growth and offspring at a time ,
reproduction. so they can better
regulate their
reproduction growth.
They are more likely to experience
population overshoots and exceed They are more likely to maintain their populations at
the carrying capacity. carrying capacity with some fluctuations.
IMPORTANT POINT
Carrying Capacity (K) is NOT constant. It changes over time.
If there are abundant resources, the environment can support a large population.
If resources are limited, the environment cannot support as many organisms.
Overshoot: Dieback:
There is a lag time where organisms keep The lack of resources for a population
reproducing at high rates even though there are not eventually results in competition and
enough resources for their population. increased death rates.
Science Tingz
3.5: Population Growth and Resource Availability
Learning Objective: Explain how resource availability affects population growth.
Population growth is limited by environmental resistance factors - density independent or dependent.
Environmental Resistance Factor:
These are things that limit the growth of populations.
They prevent populations from growing at the biotic potential (maximum growth rate).
These factors can be density dependent or density independent.
Density Dependent Resistance Factors: Density Independent Resistance Factors:
tend to biotic tend to abiotic
have a stronger influence when the size have an effect on all populations,
of a population reaches a certain level regardless of their size or density
Examples: Examples:
competition for resources natural disasters
predation drought
disease severe weather events
Exponential Growth: Logistic Growth:
"J" shaped "S" shaped
curve curve
Occurs when Limited by
there are density-
'unlimited' dependent
resources factors
Occurs when there are limited resources
Populations usually experience dieback after
(food , housing , land , water , etc.)
this, which returns their size back to normal.
The lack of resources leads to competition.
ALL populations can (K AND r) grow exponentially
Competition limits the sizes of populations
We see this when a population starts off small in a new
and keeps them near the carrying capacity.
area and experiences no competition for resources.
Populations Respond to Change:
As resources become more limited, populations
change their reproductive behaviors.
Fecundity:
The ability to produce offspring.
We see in this graph that as the # of frogs
(# of offspring, age of maturity, etc.)
(population) increases, female frogs produce
fewer eggs (lower fecundity).
By limiting their growth, they avoid dieback.
Science Tingz
3.6: Age Structure Diagrams
Learning Objective: Explain age structure diagrams.
Age Structure Diagram:
This type of graph tells us how many people there
the size of the the graph is divided
are in different age groups for a population. population is into 2 sides
measured on male & female data
It's also called "population pyramid"
the x axis is on separate sides
X axis: # of individuals or population size
Y axis: shows age groups
Pre-Reproductive: 0 - 14 years old
Reproductive: 15 - 45 years old
Post-Reproductive: 46 - 100+ years old the age groups go from
youngest to oldest
Example: Conclusion:
From this age structure This tells us that in the
diagram we can tell that future, there will be a
most of the people in population boom once
this country are ages o those children mature &
to 14 years old. can start reproducing.
middle
bottom top
heavy
heavy heavy
pyramids
pyramids pyramids
younger people mostly equal amounts older people make up
make up most of the population. of people of all ages most of the population.
typical of developing nations typical of developed nations very small % of the
countries lack more people population is reproducing
economic stability going to
and have more school countries here are developed
societal issues. less need for
they typically send child labor higher education (college)
people to work at a is very common
women tend
younger age women wait even longer to
to wait until
children may be
they're old have children
beneficial as they can
to have kids the lack of younger people
be sent to work
working means there's less
tax revenue $$$
India, Brazil, Nigeria, Mexico United States, Australia, Sweden Japan, Russia, Germany, Italy
Science Tingz
3.7: Total Fertility Rates
Learning Objective: Explain factors that affect total fertility rate in human populations.
Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
This is the average number of children a woman has during her reproductive years (15 - 49 years old).
This is an average, so there will be decimals. The wold average TFR is currently 2.5
Factors that affect TFR: Developing Nations
age of 1st pregnancy TFR above 2.1
educational opportunities higher TFR = faster
for women population growth
availability of family Uganda = 6.2
planning Some countries
governmental policies are as high as 7!
some help support the
cost of children, other Developed Nations:
countries limit the size TFR below or at 2.1
of families lower TFR = slower
availability of healthcare population growth
increased healthcare Japan = 1.4 &
lowers infant mortality declining population
(death) rates USA = 1.8 & stable
population
Example #1:
What factors would explain the decrease in global TFR?
Women have had more access to Education.
Family planning resources are more available.
Children are needed less in the workforce.
The cost of raising children has increased.
Example #2:
What can explain the difference in TFR seen in Kenya and Japan?
Kenya has a higher infant mortality (death) rate.
Kenya is a less developed country.
Children are needed in the workforce.
Japanese women can make more money working, so
choosing to have more children is expensive.
Science Tingz
3.8: Human Population Dynamics
Learning Objective: Explain how human populations experience growth and decline.
What can speed up population growth? What can slow down population growth?
high birth rates high infant mortality rates
increase in nutritious food available high death rates
people getting married early/young women having more education
Human Populations have Limits:
According to Thomas Malthus, all
populations - including humans - have
carrying capacities (limits).
Unlike other species, societal & economic
factors affect population size.
Humans are limited by:
Density Independent Factors
Storms
Fires
Heatwaves
Drought
Density Dependent Factors
Disease transmission
Space or size of territory
Food availability
Access to clean air & water
Study of Hurricanes & Human Populations
Hurricanes led to a drop in population
Unlike other species, the biggest loss
for humans is economic. Study of Education & Total Fertility Rate
People have to pay to relocate. As women get more advanced post-
graduate degrees, they have fewer
Business shut down results in
children & lower the TFR.
fewer jobs & opportunities for
This is commonly seen in developed
residents. countries with more educational
Many migrate as a result. opportunities for women.
Doubling Time: This is the Example: If a country has a Example:
amount of time (in years) it population of 100,000 and a growth A county has a population of 144 million
takes for a population to double rate of 1.25, what is its doubling time? and its growth rate (r) is 0.93%. How long
until its population reaches 575 million?
if its growth rate does not
r = 1.25 70/r = dt
change (is constant). 70/1.25 = 56 years 70/0.93 = 75.26 years
We calculate the "doubling So, this population doubles every 75 years.
time" using the Rule of 70 Example: If a country has a population
70/r = doubling time (dt) of 8.4 million in 2018 and its r=2.27, 144x2 = 288 million, this will take 75 yrs
r = growth rate of a what is its population in 2048? 288x2= 576 million, this adds another 75 yrs
population
70/2.27 = 30.8 years to double in size To go from 144 to 576 million, it will need to
r must be a %, do NOT
2018 + 30.8 years = 2048, this year it double twice. It will take twice the doubling
convert it to anything will have doubled in size - so 16.8 mil. time. 75 years x 2 = 150 years.
else! Science Tingz
3.9: Demographic Transition
Learning Objective: Define the demographic transition.
Demographic Transition: The model is divided into
This is a model that shows 4 stages
trends in 3 key factors for a pre-industrial
transitional
nation/country. industrial
post-industrial
Birth Rate
Countries go from agricultural
Death Rate
(farming) to industrial economics
Total Population Size (factories).
Stage 1: Pre-Industrial Stage 2: Transitional
child labor improved medicine/healthcare,
high infant mortality sanitation, nutrition & clean
low to zero population growth water.
death rates cancel out birth rates death rates decrease & birth
rates stay high
lots of disease/famine
high population growth
no countries today in this phase
Example: India
Demographic Transition Model
at the end of stage 2,
countries begin to undergo
industrialization
Stage 3: Industrial
high education level
low infant mortality
improvements in
medicine & agriculture
birth rate decreases as
woman enter workforce
population growth
slows down
Example: United States
Stage 4: Post-Industrial
even higher education rate
very low infant mortality
older population becomes
a tax burden
no population growth OR
population decreases
Pre-Industrial Transitional Industrial Post-Industrial Example: Japan
Science Tingz