The document discusses several topics related to population growth: 1) It provides the current human population on Earth and in the US according to the US Census Bureau. 2) It discusses the factors that influence population growth rates, including biotic potential, environmental resistance, carrying capacity, and boom-bust cycles in populations. 3) It notes that human population growth has followed an exponential pattern over history. The rapid growth is influenced by increased food availability but may outpace resources according to 18th century economist Thomas Malthus.

1. Start-Up If there are 50 alligators in a swamp that measures 10 km 2 , what is the alligator’s population density?

2. Population Growth

3. There are currently 6,819,500,000 people on the planet and 319,213,000 in the US. -US Census Bureus, How many people have been added during this class period? Remind me to come back at the end. Population Ticker

4. History of Human Population Growth Video Questions: 1. What events led to an increase in population? 2. What events led to a decrease in population?

5. Population Growth The size of a population is the result of a balance between two major opposing forces: 1. Biotic potential - max rate population could increase assuming ideal conditions 2. Environmental resistance : limits to growth determined by biotic and abiotic factors such as -availability of food & space -competition -predation -climate

6. Exponential growth Limitations on growth (environmental resistance) lead to a: carrying capacity – maximum number of individuals in a population that the environment can support

7. Population Cycles -population growth is sometimes cyclic -boom and bust cycles -example: hare-lynx population cycle

8. Hare-Lynx population cycles

9. Competitive exclusion principle – 2 species with similar needs for the same limiting resource cannot coexist in the same place Placed two Paramecium species in the same culture P. aurelia P. caudatum One always drove the other to extinction!

10. Due to competitive exclusion, most species have evolved separate niches Niche – an organism’s living place, food sources, time of day it is active – it’s “job”

11. HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH

12. Human Population Growth

13. What type of growth does this look like? Exponential Growth

14. © Clay Bennett

15. Thomas Malthus British economist (1766-1834) ‏ In 1798, published On Population in which he made the prediction that population would outrun food supply, leading to famine, war, and the collapse of society.