Chapter 9 Outline

Case Study: Human Population Growth

Life Tables

CONCEPT 9.1 Life tables show how survival and reproductive rates vary with age, size, or life cycle stage.

Life tables can be based on age, size, or life cycle stage
Extensive life table data exist for people
There are three types of survivorship curves

Age Structure

CONCEPT 9.2 Life table data can be used to project the future age structure, size, and growth rate of a population.

Age structure influences how rapidly populations grow
Age structure and population size can be predicted from life table data
Populations grow at fixed rates when age-specific birth and death rates do not change over time
BOX 9.1 Estimating Population Growth Rates in a Threatened Species

Exponential Growth

CONCEPT 9.3 Populations can grow exponentially when conditions are favorable, but exponential growth cannot continue indefinitely.

Populations grow geometrically when reproduction occurs at regular time intervals
Populations grow exponentially when reproduction occurs continuously
Doubling times and net reproductive rates provide useful measures of population growth
Populations can grow rapidly because they increase by multiplication
There are limits to the growth of populations

Effects of Density

CONCEPT 9.4 Population size can be determined by density-dependent and density-independent factors.

Density-independent factors can determine population size
Density-dependent factors regulate population size
Density dependence has been observed in many populations

Logistic Growth

CONCEPT 9.5 The logistic equation incorporates limits to growth and shows how a population may stabilize at a maximum size, the carrying capacity.

The logistic equation models density-dependent population growth
Can logistic growth predict the carrying capacity of the U.S. population?