Running head: POPULATION SIZE 1

Population Size
SCI/275
POPULATION SIZE 2


Population Size
On a global level, the two causes of population change are the rate of birth matched
against the rate of death. That concept is as simple as it sounds. If the rate of birth exceeds the
rate of death then the population of a certain species is growing. On a local level, the two
additional causes of population change are immigration and emigration. Immigration is when
individuals enter a new local population and emigration is when individuals leave a certain
population. In the video, the nutria are multiplying at an enormous rate. They are breeding like
rabbits according to the expert in the video. They are immigrants from South America, having
been introduced to Louisiana to boost the fur trading business over a hundred years ago. Now
they have been producing too quickly for too long of a period of time to be easily contained. If
they are not contained then they will complete deplete the area of all the top soil vegetation,
which is leaving the soil weakened and susceptible to storm break-ups and other things.
Assuming that they eventually deplete their food resource in Louisiana they will immigrate
elsewhere, seeking new sources of food. If they find it elsewhere then the problem will spread. If
they cannot find a suitable ecosystem, then they will starve or be killed by the local predators
wherever they migrate too.