Introduction

Your textbook defines a population as: "A group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area." In this week's lab we will look at factors that affect the growth of populations.

Thomas Malthus wrote in 1798 that uncontrolled population growth would inevitably cause shortages in food, water and housing. He predicted an increase in famine, disease and war as human populations increased unless we act to limit our growth. Others, including Paul Ehrlich (The Population Bomb) and Garrett Hardin (The Tragedy of the Commons), have reiterated the problem we face. Darwin included this concept as a driving force behind natural selection.

How quickly a population grows is primarily a function of the number of births that occur, the number of deaths, and the starting size of a population. The number of individuals moving in (immigration) and out (emigration) of a population also contribute to population growth. We can combine these two factors, the number of births minus the number of deaths, into a single value, the population growth rate. Many births and few deaths contribute to a fast growing population. Fewer births or more deaths will slow the growth of a population.

Points for the lab will be earned from a pre-lab quiz and two lab activities (no quiz at the end of lab!).

---

Click here to go to page 2.

---

Use the back button on your browser to return to the previous page.