Cambridge O Level Biology · Syllabus 5090 · Relationships of Organisms with One Another and with the Environment
Resource Demand
What is Resource Demand?
The quantity of food, water, energy, land and raw materials a population requires. As the human population grows, total demand for each of these rises, and meeting that demand places specific pressures on ecosystems: land is cleared for agriculture and settlement, water is abstracted from rivers and groundwater, fossil fuels are burned releasing carbon dioxide, and timber, fish and minerals are harvested more heavily. Population size is one driver of resource demand; how much each person consumes and the technology used also affect it.
This definition is part of the Relationships of Organisms with One Another and with the Environment chapter in Cambridge O Level Biology.