ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Population Ecology
(UNIT-2)
PRESENTING BY :Itishree Nath
CONTENT
•Population Ecology
•Characteristics
•Individuals, Species, Community
•Population
•Control Methods of Population
•Over population
•Urbanization and its effects on Society
•Communicable Diseases and its Transmission
•Non-Communicable Diseases
Basic Concept
• Population: All the individuals of a species that live
together in an area.
• Ecology: The branch of biology that deals with the
relations of organisms to one another and to their
physical surroundings.
• Individual: An individual is any living thing or organism.
• Species: A group of living organisms consisting of similar
individuals capable of exchanging genes or
interbreeding.
• Community: A group of people living in the same place or
having a particular characteristic in common.
Population Ecology
• Population ecology is the branch of ecology that studies the structure and
dynamics of populations.
• The definition of population ecology is the study of how various factors
affect population growth, rates of survival and reproduction, and risk of
extinction.
• The term population refers to a group of members of a species living in the
same area.
• A population is the number of organisms of the same species that live in a
particular geographic area at the same time, with the capability
of interbreeding.
• Ecologist recognize two types of population-
– Monospecific Population- It is the population of individuals of only species.
– Polyspecific Population- It is the population of individuals of more than one
species.
Characteristics of population
• Population Size & Density
– Total size is generally expressed as the number of individuals in a population.
Density is the number per unit area of environment.
• Natality or Birth rate
– The rate at which the new individuals are added to the population by
reproduction.
• Mortality or Death rate
– The rate at which the individuals are lost by death.
• Dispersal
– The rate at which the individuals immigrate into the population and emigrate
out of the population.
• Age Distribution
– The proportion of individuals of different ages in the group.
• Population Growth Form
Community
• Community is the group of organisms that live together and
interact with each other within an environment or habitat.
• There are two main types of community.
– Major Community - A major community is the smallest ecological
unit which is able to sustain itself and is self-regulating. These
communities are usually relatively independent of other communities, for
example a pond, a forest, a grassland or lake.
– Minor Community - Minor communities, which make up major
communities, are smaller ecological units that are not individually
self-sustaining and rely on interactions with other communities. An
example of a minor community is the collection of organisms, which
lives within a piece of deadwood on the forest floor.
Population
• The term population refers to a
group of members of a species
living in the same area.
• A population is the number of
organisms of the same species
that live in a
particular geographic area at the
same time, with the capability
of interbreeding.
Control Methods of Population

Social Measure

Measure Of
Economic
Population
Measure
Control

Other
1.Social Measure:
• Minimum age of Marriage
• Raising the Status of Women
• Spread of Education
• Adoption
• Change in Social Outlook
• Social Security
2.Economic Measures
• More employment
opportunities
• Development of Agriculture
and Industry
• Standard of Living
• Urbanization
3.Other Measures
• Late Marriage
• Self Control
• Family Planning
• Publicity
• Incentives
• Employment to Woman
 Over population
• Overpopulation refers to a population which exceeds its
sustainable size within a particular environment or habitat.
• Overpopulation is an undesirable condition where the number
of existing human population exceeds the carrying capacity of
Earth.
• According to Wikipedia, “Overpopulation occurs when a species’
population exceeds the carrying capacity of its ecological niche. It can result
from an increase in births (fertility rate), a decline in the mortality rate, an
increase in immigration, or an unsustainable biome and depletion of
resources.”
Causes of Overpopulation
– Decline in the Death
Rate
– Better Medical
Facilities
– More Hands to
Overcome Poverty
– Technological
Advancement in
Fertility Treatment
– Immigration.
– Lack of Family Planning
Effects of Overpopulation
– Depletion of Natural Resources
– Degradation of Environment
– Conflicts and Wars
– Rise in Unemployment
– High Cost of Living
Solutions to Overpopulation
– Better Education
– Making People Aware of Family Planning
– Tax Benefits or Concessions
 Urbanization
• Urbanization is a process
whereby populations move
from rural to urban area,
enabling cities and towns to
grow.
• Urbanization refers to the
population shift from rural
to urban areas, the decrease
in the proportion of people
living in rural areas, and the
ways in which societies
adapt to this change.
Causes of Urbanization
– Industrialization
– Commercialization
– Social benefits and services
– Employment opportunities
– Modernization and changes in the mode of living
– Rural urban transformation
Effects of Urbanization
– Positive effects of
urbanization
– Housing problems
– Overcrowding
– Unemployment
– Development of slums
– Water and sanitation
problems
– Poor health and spread
of diseases
– Traffic congestion
– Urban crime
Solutions of Urbanization
– Building sustainable and
environmentally friendly cities
– Provision of essential services
– Creation of more jobs
– Population control
Diseases
• A disease is any condition which results in the disorder of a
structure or function in a living organism that is not due to
any external injury.
• A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or
plant, especially one that produces specific symptoms or that
affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of
physical injury.
• A diseased organism commonly exhibits signs or symptoms
indicative of its abnormal state.
 Disease

Non-
Communicable
Communicable
Disease
Disease
Communicable Diseases
• A communicable disease is one that is spread from one
person to another through a variety of ways that include:
contact with blood and bodily fluids; breathing in an airborne
virus; or by being bitten by an insect.
• People sometimes refer to communicable diseases as
“infectious” or “transmissible” diseases.
• There are many examples of communicable diseases.
• Common Cold
• Hepatitis
• HIV/AIDS
• Flu
How do these communicable diseases spread?

• How these diseases spread depends on the specific disease or

infectious agent.
• Some ways in which communicable diseases spread are by:

– physical contact with an infected person, such as through touch

(staphylococcus), sexual intercourse (gonorrhea, HIV), fecal/oral
transmission (hepatitis A), or droplets (influenza, TB)

– contact with a contaminated surface or object (Norwalk virus), food

(salmonella, E. coli), blood (HIV, hepatitis B), or water (cholera);

– bites from insects or animals capable of transmitting the disease

(mosquito: malaria and yellow fever; flea: plague);

– travel through the air, such as tuberculosis or measles.

 Transmission of communicable diseases

• Infectious diseases are transmitted from person to person by direct or indirect

contact. Certain types of viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi can all cause
infectious disease.
1. Direct contact
– Infectious diseases are often spread through direct contact. Types of direct
contact include:
• Person-to-person contact- Infectious diseases are commonly transmitted through
direct person-to-person contact. Transmission occurs when an infected person
touches or exchanges body fluids with someone else.

• Droplet spread - The spray of droplets during coughing and sneezing can spread
an infectious disease. You can even infect another person through droplets
created when you speak. Since droplets fall to the ground within a few feet, this
type of transmission requires close proximity.
Cont…
2. Indirect contact
– Infectious diseases can also be spread indirectly through the air and other
mechanisms. For example:
• Airborne transmission - Some infectious agents can travel long distances and
remain suspended in the air for an extended period of time.
• Contaminated objects - Some organisms can live on objects for a short time.
If you touch an object, such as a doorknob, soon after an infected
person, you might be exposed to infection. Transmission occurs when
you touch your mouth, nose, or eyes before thoroughly washing your
hands. Germs can also be spread through contaminated blood products
and medical supplies.
• Food and drinking water - Infectious diseases can be transmitted via
contaminated food and water. E. coli is often transmitted through
improperly handled produce or undercooked meat.
• Animal-to-person contact - Some infectious diseases can be transmitted
from an animal to a person. This can happen when an infected animal
bites or scratches you or when you handle animal waste.
Cont…
• Insect bites (vector-borne disease) - Some zoonotic infectious agents
are transmitted by insects, especially those that suck blood. These
include mosquitos, fleas, and ticks.
• Environmental reservoirs - Soil, water, and vegetation containing
infectious organisms can also be transferred to people.
 Non Communicable Diseases
• A non-communicable disease (NCD) is a disease that is not
transmissible directly from one person to another.
• Non-Communicable Disease is a non-infectious disease or medical
condition.
• Stroke
• Cancer
• Asthma
• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Chronic Lung Disease
THANK YOU