Module 1
HUMAN POPULATION
CHAPTER 1. POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
As you go through this topic, you will be able to
a. Define what population is;
b. Enumerate the different characteristics of population;
c. Calculate the birth rate, mortality rate and natality rate of a
population;
d. Differentiate the two types of population growth curve, the S-
curve and the J-curve; and
e. Identify the two factors affecting the birth rate of a population.
LESSON 1. POPULATION GROWTH
Each species in an ecosystem exist as a population. Members of a
population rely on the same resources, are influenced by similar environmental
factors and are bred with one another.
POPULATION consists of a group of interbreeding or potentially
interbreeding organisms found in the same space or area at the same
time.
POPULATION ECOLOGY is the study of populations (especially population
abundance) and how they change over time.
– it studies the spatial and temporal patterns in the abundance and
distribution of organisms and of the mechanisms that produce those
patterns.
Multicellular organisms are of two kinds, unitary organisms and modular
organisms.
a. In unitary organisms, the form is highly determinate consisting
usually of a strictly defined number of parts (such as legs or wings)
established only during embryogenesis. Their pattern of development
and final form are predictable.
For example, all dogs have four legs, all squid have two eyes, etc.
b. In modular organisms, on the other hand, neither timing nor form is
predictable. These organisms grow by the repeated iteration of modules,
usually to yield a branching pattern.
Examples, plants and many sessile benthic invertebrates.
In modular organisms, a single genetic individual (or genet) can consist
of many modules (or ramets) capable of existence as individuals.
In plants, a genet is an individual that has arisen from a seed. A ramet
is a new plant which has arisen through vegetative propagation
and is now a completely independent plant with its own roots
and shoots. For example, a population of grasses may consist of
several genets, each of which has several ramets.
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
A population has several characteristics or attributes which are a function of
the whole group and not of the individual. Different populations can be compared
by measuring these attributes. These attributes are population density, natality,
mortality, distributions, etc. The study of the group characteristics of a population,
their changes over time and prediction of future changes is known as demography.
I. Population Density – is the size of the population.
– it is generally expressed as the number of individuals or the
population biomass per unit area or volume.
Two Types of Densities
1. Crude Density - is the density per unit of total space. Generally,
populations do not occupy all the space as whole because all
area may not be habitable.
2. Specific (or Ecological) Density - is the density per unit of
habitable space. It includes only that portion of total space that
can actually be colonized by the population.
Determining Population Size
Population size can be measured by several methods:
1. Abundance – absolute numbers of individuals in population.
2. Numerical Density – number of individuals per unit area or
volume. It is expressed when the size of individuals in the
population is relatively uniform, as in mammals, insects and birds.
3. Biomass Density – is expressed in terms of wet weight, dry weight,
volume and carbon and nitrogen weight per unit area or volume.
Population Density can be calculated by the following equation:
𝐍
Dp =
𝐀
Dp – density population
N – total population as the number of people
A – is the land area covered by that population, usually
expressed in terms of either square miles or square
kilometers.
II. Natality – refers to the rate of production or birth rate per unit time.
– it is an expression of production of new individuals in the
population by birth, hatching, germination or fission.
𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫
Birth rate or Natality (B) = 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 x 1000
Natality varies from organism to organism. It depends upon the
population density and environmental factors.
It is a general rule that if the population density is usually low, the
birth rate is also low. This is so because the chances of mating
between males and females are low.
If population density is unusually high, the birth rate may also below
due to poor nutrition or physiological or psychological problems
related to crowding.
The maximum number of births produced per individual under ideal
conditions of environment is called potential natality. It is also called
reproductive or biotic potential, absolute natality or maximum
natality.
The actual number of births occurring under the existing environmental
conditions is much less as compared to absolute natality. It is referred to as
ecological natality or realized natality. It is not constant for population
and may vary with the size of population as well as with the time
III. Mortality – refers to the number of deaths for every 1,000 people per
year.
– is correlated with the conditions of country, for example,
with the levels of prosperity, health, or the occurrence of war.
𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫
Mortality Rate = 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 x 1000
Mortality can be expressed in the two ways:
1. Minimum or Specific or Potential Mortality – represents the
minimum of the theoretical loss of individuals under ideal or
non limiting condition.
2. Ecological or Realized Mortality – refers to the death of an
individual under existing environmental conditions.
Mortality is affected by a number of factors, such as density, competition,
disease, predation and environment.
Death rates vary among the species and are correlated with birth rates.
When the rate of rate of natality is equal to the rate of mortality the
population is stationary. A birth death ratio is called Vital index.
𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐬
Vital Index = 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 x 100
IV. Population Growth – is one of the dynamic features of the species
population.
Population size increases in a characteristic way. When the number of
individuals of population is plotted on the y-axis and the times on the x-
axis, a curve is obtained that indicates the trend in the growth of
population size in a given time. This curve is called population growth
curve.
There are two types of growth curves:
1. Sigmoid Curve or S-Curve
When an organisms are introduced in the area, the population
increase is very slow in the beginning (positive acceleration phase or
lag phase), in the middle phase, the population increase become very
rapid (logarithmic phase) and finally in the last phase, population
increase is slowed down (negative acceleration phase) until an
equilibrium is attained and which the population size fluctuates
according to variability of environment. The level beyond which no
major increase can occur is referred to as saturation level or carrying
capacity. In the last phase the new organisms are almost equal to the
number of dying individuals and thus there is no increase in population
size. In this way, one gets Sigmoid or S-shaped growth curve (Fig.
1)
2. J-Shaped Curve
Here, in the first phawe there is no increase in the population
size because it needs sometime for adjustment in the new environment,
it starts multiplying rapidly. This increase in population continued till
large amount of food material exists in the habitat. After sometime,
due to the increase in population size, food supply in the habitat
becomes limited which ultimately results in decrease in food size. This
will result in J-shaped grwth curve rather than S-shaped (Fig.1).
Figure 1. J-curved and S-curved population growth curves.
V. Age Distribution – is another important characteristic of population
which influences natality and mortality.
Mortality , usually varies with age as chance of death are more in early
and later periods of lifespan.
Similarly, natality is restricted to certain age groups, as for example, in
middle age-groups in higher animals.
According to Bodenheimer (1958), the individuals of a population can be
divided into pre-reproductive, productive and post-productive groups.
The individuals in pre-productive group are young, those of
productive group are mature, and those in post-reproductive group
are old.
The distribution of ages may be constant or variable. It is directly related
to the growth rate of the population. Depending upon the proportion of
the three age-groups, population can be said to be growing, mature or
stable, and diminishing.
VI. Population Fluctuations – is the changing pattern of the size and density
of natural population over a period of time.
There a three types of the variations in the pattern of population change:
1. Non-fluctuating – I when the population remains static over the
years.
2. Cyclic – maybe seasonal or annual.
a. Seasonal Cyclic – occurs in the population if there are
additions to the population at the time of maximum
reproduction and loses under adverse climatic conditions.
Example are in mosquitoes and houseflies which area are
abundant in particular season and so also the weeds in the
field during the rainy seasons.
b. Annual Cyclic – is when the population of a species show
regular ups and downs over the years. It appears in the
form of a Sigmoid curve with regular drops in population
after peaks.
3. Irruptive – is when the change in population density does not occur at
regular intervals or in response to any obvious environment factor. In
this, there is a sudden exponential or logarithmic increase in
population density in short time followed by equally quick drop in
population density due to deaths, and final return to normal level or
even below that level.
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