Essentials of Biology

Sylvia S. Mader
Chapter 30
Lecture Outline
Prepared by: Dr. Stephen Ebbs
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.
 30.1 The Human Population
• The growth of any population, including humans,
is determined by the difference between birth
rates and death rates.
(# births - # deaths)
growth per 1,000 individuals =
1,000

• Until the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s,

human population growth was relatively slow.

• During the Industrial Revolution, a sharp

increase in human population growth began.
Present Population Growth
 Future Population Growth Rate
• The number of individuals an environment
can maintain over an indefinite period of
time is called the carrying capacity.

• Because of the rapid increase in the

human population, there are concerns that
the human population may someday reach
its carrying capacity.
 More-Developed Versus Less-
Developed Countries
• The growth rate of populations in different
countries differs.
– The more-developed countries (MDCs) have
modest population growth rates due largely to
decreased birthrates.
– The less-developed countries (LDCs) have
higher population growth rates because
birthrates remain high.
More-Developed Versus Less-
Developed Countries (cont.)
 Comparing Age Structures
• The rate of population growth in a
population can be determined from the
age structure of a population.
– The age structure of MDCs is stable because
the birthrate of these populations is providing
replacement reproduction.
– The age structure of LDCs has a pyramid
shape with a large dependency group, which
indicates that population growth will continue
to expand.
Comparing Age Structures
(cont.)
Comparing Age Structures
(cont.)
 Environmental Impact
• When populations grow, they exert a pressure
on the Earth’s resources.

• This pressure can be measured as an

environmental impact (EI)
E.I. = population size x resource consumption per capita
= pollution per unit of resource used

• Thus there are two causes of overpopulation.

– Population size
– Resource consumption
 30.2 Characteristics of
Population
• Populations rely on the living (biotic) and
non-living (abiotic) resources in an
environment.

• These resources can be distributed in

three patterns which affect the population
density or range of a population.
– Clumped
– Random
– Uniform
 Demographics and Population
Growth
• Survivorship is also important to an
understanding of population growth.

• The study of survivorship in a population

uses life tables and survivorship curves.
– In Type I curves, there is survival to old age.
– In Type II curves, death is spread across all
age groups.
– In Type III curves, death occurs at an early
age.
Demographics and Population
Growth (cont.)
Demographics and Population
Growth (cont.)
 Demographics and Population
Growth (cont.)
• The influence of the biotic potential on
population growth depends upon the
reproductive characteristics of the
population.
– The number of offspring per reproduction
– Chances of survival until reproductive age
– Frequency of reproduction
– Age at which reproduction begins
 Exponential Growth
• The pattern of population growth depends
upon two primary factors.
– The biotic potential
– Resource availability

• There are two possible patterns of growth.

– Exponential growth has a J-shape
characteristic of a rapidly growing population.
– Logistic growth has an S-shape showing a
stabilization of the population size.
Exponential Growth (cont.)
 Factors That Regulate Population
Growth
• Several factors affect population growth.
– Density-independent factors affect population
growth regardless of population size.
– Examples of density-independent factors
include weather and natural disasters.
Factors That Regulate Population
Growth (cont.)
 Density-Dependent Factors
• The effect of density-dependent factors
are highly dependent on population size.
– Competition occurs when more than one
population uses the same resource.
– Predation occurs when one organism preys
upon another organism.

• Predator-prey relationships can create

specific cycles of population growth.
Density-Dependent Factors (cont.)
Density-Dependent Factors (cont.)
 30.3 Life History Patterns and
Extinction
• The life history of a population consists of
the variation in population characteristics.
– Opportunistic populations show exponential
growth and have small organisms that show
early maturation, short life span, and limited
parental care of offspring.
– Equilibrium populations show logistic growth,
a population size near carrying capacity, and
large animals with long life span.
 Extinction
• Extinction is the disappearance of a
species or higher group.

• The probability that a species will become

extinct depends upon three primary
factors.
– Size of geographic range
– Degree of habitat tolerance
– Size of local populations
 30.4 The Scope of Ecology
• Ecology is the study of the interactions between
organisms and with the physical environment.

• Ecology can be studied at different levels of

biological organization.
– Individual organisms
– Populations
– A group of several species (community)
– A group of several species and the environmental
factors that affect those species (ecosystem)
– The biosphere is a portion of the Earth’s surface
where organisms exist.