Populations

How do they change over time?

What is a population and how is it
measured?
• POPULATION: A group of
organisms that belong to
the same species living in
the habitat at the same
time.
• GROWTH RATE = Births –
Deaths
– Immigration: moving
INTO an area
– Emigration: EXITING an
area
How are populations distributed?
POPULATION DENSITY:
Number of individuals per
unit area.

CLUMPED (in groups)

RANDOM (all over)

UNIFORM (spread evenly)

 How do populations grow?
• Exponential Growth (J curve): population increases
rapidly very quickly only after a few generations

Exponential growth
Peak population
size
Rapid decline

Steady population
Steady population
size
size

Grow forever? Micro-organisms can if given enough nutrients and space!

 How do populations grow?
• Logistic Growth (S curve): starts as exponential growth
with limiting factors and levels off (due to carrying
capacity) Carrying capacity

• Carrying Capacity
is the MAXIMUM
number of
individuals an
environment and
its resources can
support
Time (hours)

As resources become less available the growth of a population slows or stops.

Limiting factors prevent MOST populations from growing forever.
What factors limit population growth?

• Limiting Factors control the growth of a

population
– Available resources (food, space, mates)
– Competition, predation, parasitism,
disease
– Natural disasters, unusual weather

Limiting factors determine the carrying

capacity for a species.
What factors limit population growth?
• Environmental changes (ex. drought)
• Other species
– Predators, prey, competitors
– Lynx and snowshoe hare example
 How is the human population
growing?
• Earth - 5 Billion
12 Years
11
2100 • Multi-cell Biota
10
- 600 Million
Human Population (Billions)

9 Modern
8 Old Age
Iron Middle
Years
Stone Bronze
7 Age
New Stone Age Age Age Ages
• Human Beings
6 2000 Future ~ 2 Million Years
5
• Human
4 1975
Population
3

2
1950 Growth into
1
1900
1800
Billions- Last 200
Black Death—The Plague
years
1+ million7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D. A.D.
years B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C. B.C. 1 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
What’s Behind the Human Population
Explosion?
• Three Factors • Industrial Revolution
– Fertility – Growth of Cities and
– Infant Mortality Infrastructure
– Longevity •Water
• Animal •Energy
Domestication and •Transportation
Agriculture – Increased Productivity
– Provided for a few – Nutrition
to feed many – Sanitation
– Medicine
How are humans affecting the
environment?
• Limited Resources • Water pollution
– Land, food, water • Biological magnification
• Agriculture • Air pollution
• Industries • Acid rain
• Ecosystem Goods • Habitat Fragmentation
– Renewable • Introduced Species
– Nonrenewable  What is the size of YOUR
• Desertification & ecological footprint?
Deforestation (take the quiz online!)
Any Questions?