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Unit 1:
Ch. 1
Ch. 2
Ch. 3
Interlude A
Unit 2:
Ch. 4
Ch. 5
Ch. 6
Ch. 7
Ch. 8
Ch. 9
Interlude B
Unit 3:
Ch. 10
Ch. 11
Ch. 12
Ch. 13
Ch. 14
Ch. 15
Interlude C
Unit 4:
Ch. 16
Ch. 17
Ch. 18
Ch. 19
Interlude D
Unit 5:
Ch. 20
Ch. 21
Ch. 22
Ch. 23
Ch. 24
Ch. 25
Ch. 26
Ch. 27
Ch. 28
Ch. 29
Ch. 30
Interlude E
Unit 6:
Ch. 31
Ch. 32
Interlude F
Unit 7:
Ch. 33
Ch. 34
Ch. 35
Ch. 36
Ch. 37
Ch. 38
Interlude G

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Worldwide Biodiversity Threats Tied to Growth in Households
Nature, online, 12 Jan. 2003

Scientists from Michigan State and Stanford universities, in a fresh look at world population dynamics, have revealed evidence that increased numbers of households, even where populations are declining, are having a vast impact on the world's biodiversity and environment.

» Read the full article

Active Reading Questions

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    There is much speculation over whether earth is reaching its carrying capacity for the human population. What is a carrying capacity?
    a) the maximum population that can be supported with the available resources
    b) the minimum population necessary to maintain that population
    c) the ideal population of a particular species
    d) none of the above
  2. fiogf49gjkf0d
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    One measure of the sustainability of the human species is the ecological footprint. Which of the following defines ecological footprint?
    a) an estimate of the productive ecosystem needed to provide resources and deal with the waste of a particular population
    b) the amount of resources one human uses in his or her lifetime
    c) the land space one household needs to survive
    d) none of the above
  3. fiogf49gjkf0d
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    Most ecological data look at populations in terms of size, not in terms of “households” or resource consumption. Explain how increased numbers of households, even in instances of decreasing population, exact an increasing toll on ecosystems.
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