Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Nitrogen Cycle01:49

The Nitrogen Cycle

61.3K
Nitrogen atoms, present in all proteins and DNA, are recycled between abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. However, the primary form of nitrogen on Earth is nitrogen gas, which cannot be used by most animals and plants. Thus, nitrogen gas must first be converted into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can be cycled through other living organisms. The use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers and animal waste products in human agriculture has greatly influenced the...
61.3K
Population Growth00:57

Population Growth

29.5K
Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
29.5K
What is Population Genetics?01:25

What is Population Genetics?

65.8K
A population is composed of members of the same species that simultaneously live and interact in the same area. When individuals in a population breed, they pass down their genes to their offspring. Many of these genes are polymorphic, meaning that they occur in multiple variants. Such variations of a gene are referred to as alleles. The collective set of all the alleles within a population is known as the gene pool.
65.8K
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism01:20

Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism

12.5K
Nitrogen is a very important element for life because it is a major constituent of proteins and nucleic acids. It is a macronutrient, and in nature, it is recycled from organic compounds and stored in the form of  ammonia, ammonium ions, nitrate, nitrite, or  nitrogen gas by many metabolic processes. Many of these metabolic processes are carried out only by prokaryotes.
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
12.5K
Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation01:22

Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation

792
Nitrogen is an essential element in biological systems, forming a crucial component of proteins, nucleic acids, and other cellular constituents. Many bacteria and archaea acquire nitrogen in the form of nitrate (NO₃⁻) or ammonia (NH₃), which are then assimilated into biomolecules through specific enzymatic pathways.Assimilatory Nitrate ReductionWhen nitrate enters the cell, it undergoes a two-step reduction process known as assimilatory nitrate reduction. Initially, the enzyme...
792
Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

13.6K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
13.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same journal

Gene expression in visceral adipocytes in metabolically healthy and unhealthy obesity: A cross-sectional analysis of associations with cardiometabolic components.

Science progress·2026
Same journal

Proteomic profiling reveals mitochondrial metabolic alterations in dexamethasone-induced neuronal differentiation.

Science progress·2026
Same journal

Stroke risk associated with the interaction between composite dietary antioxidant index and heavy metals: A cross-sectional explainable machine learning study using NHANES data.

Science progress·2026
Same journal

Neuroimaging in schizophrenia: From group-average abnormalities to individualised circuit models.

Science progress·2026
Same journal

Clinical and mechanistic effects of GLP-1 receptor agonists in hidradenitis suppurativa and comorbidities.

Science progress·2026
Same journal

Association between serum albumin-to-globulin ratio and diabetic retinopathy: A cross-sectional study based on the 2001-2020 NHANES database.

Science progress·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Author Spotlight: Understanding Riverine Nitrogen Impacts and Primary Productivity for Effective Nutrient Management
05:04

Author Spotlight: Understanding Riverine Nitrogen Impacts and Primary Productivity for Effective Nutrient Management

Published on: July 14, 2023

833

Nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon and population.

Bernard Gilland

    Science Progress
    |January 22, 2016
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Global population growth necessitates increased food production, challenging sustainable agriculture. Achieving a balance requires reduced fertility rates and a transition to clean energy to mitigate environmental impacts.

    More Related Videos

    Single-throughput Complementary High-resolution Analytical Techniques for Characterizing Complex Natural Organic Matter Mixtures
    09:38

    Single-throughput Complementary High-resolution Analytical Techniques for Characterizing Complex Natural Organic Matter Mixtures

    Published on: January 7, 2019

    9.3K
    Microplot Design and Plant and Soil Sample Preparation for 15Nitrogen Analysis
    08:44

    Microplot Design and Plant and Soil Sample Preparation for 15Nitrogen Analysis

    Published on: May 10, 2020

    7.4K

    Related Experiment Videos

    Last Updated: Mar 26, 2026

    Author Spotlight: Understanding Riverine Nitrogen Impacts and Primary Productivity for Effective Nutrient Management
    05:04

    Author Spotlight: Understanding Riverine Nitrogen Impacts and Primary Productivity for Effective Nutrient Management

    Published on: July 14, 2023

    833
    Single-throughput Complementary High-resolution Analytical Techniques for Characterizing Complex Natural Organic Matter Mixtures
    09:38

    Single-throughput Complementary High-resolution Analytical Techniques for Characterizing Complex Natural Organic Matter Mixtures

    Published on: January 7, 2019

    9.3K
    Microplot Design and Plant and Soil Sample Preparation for 15Nitrogen Analysis
    08:44

    Microplot Design and Plant and Soil Sample Preparation for 15Nitrogen Analysis

    Published on: May 10, 2020

    7.4K

    Area of Science:

    • Environmental Science
    • Agricultural Science
    • Demography

    Background:

    • Rising global population and economic growth drive increased demand for food, animal products, and livestock feed.
    • Expanding cropland is ecologically unsustainable, necessitating higher crop yields.
    • Current agricultural practices, relying on nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, exacerbate environmental issues.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To analyze the complex interplay between population dynamics, food production, and environmental sustainability.
    • To explore potential scenarios for achieving a sustainable global food supply and agriculture.
    • To assess the feasibility of mitigating climate change through energy transition.

    Main Methods:

    • Analysis of population growth trends and their impact on food demand.
    • Evaluation of agricultural intensification strategies and their environmental consequences.
    • Modeling of global fertility rate scenarios and their implications for population stabilization.
    • Assessment of energy transition pathways for atmospheric carbon dioxide stabilization.

    Main Results:

    • A significant reduction in global population to approximately three billion is likely necessary for a sustainable food supply and environmentally benign agriculture.
    • Achieving this population level by 2200 would require an unprecedented decline in global fertility rates to 1.5 by 2050, a scenario with near-zero probability.
    • Stabilizing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations necessitates replacing fossil fuels with nuclear and renewable energy, a transition unlikely to be completed until the 22nd century.

    Conclusions:

    • Current population growth trajectories and agricultural practices pose significant challenges to global food security and environmental health.
    • Drastic, globally coordinated changes in fertility rates are required for population stabilization, but are highly improbable.
    • A comprehensive energy transition is critical for climate change mitigation, with substantial atmospheric carbon dioxide increases expected in the interim.