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Nov 19, 2020 · Readers question: Explain the main factors which affect population size and growth? Population growth is determined by fertility rates (the number of children per adult) – fatality rates. Birth rates and mortality rates are, in turn, determined by a combination of factors. Often economic growth and economic development have led to a decline ...
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population growth, in population ecology, a change in the number of members of a certain plant or animal species in a particular location during a particular time period. Factors affecting population growth include fertility, mortality, and, in animals, migration—i.e., immigration to or emigration from a particular location. The average change in a...
Population growth rates in a given location and time period can be calculated by subtracting population loss, or the combined rates of mortality and emigration, from population gain, or the combined rates of fertility and immigration. Fertility is the number of offspring produced on average by an individual species member under certain environmenta...
The natural environment plays a crucial role in population growth through its carrying capacity. The life-sustaining resources in an environment are limited and can be reduced for individual species members by greater population density and competition from other species, among other factors. Moreover, fertility, mortality, and migration are all affected by food availability, mate availability, and environmental stress factors such as pollution and natural disasters.
Population growth dynamics may be graphically depicted in an S-shaped curve, known as a logistic curve, as depicted in Figure 1. The logistic curve (right) represents an initial lag in growth, a burst of exponential growth, and finally a decline in population growth. When population density is high, mortality tends to increase because of competition for resources, predation, or increased disease transmission, resulting in the plateau in growth at the end of the curve. Population growth rates may also fluctuate in correlation with seasonal variations in the environment. For example, in deep lakes, a spring thaw causes colder, deeper waters to rise to the lake’s surface, releasing nutrients that then cause bursts in the growth of plankton, including algae, bacteria, and protozoans (see water bloom).
The world’s human population experienced exponential growth from the 18th century, but growth rates have been declining since the second half of the 20th century. Although population growth rates vary significantly between countries and some regions continue to experience increasing growth rates, the overall rate of growth is decreasing.
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The world’s human population reached 8 billion in November 2022 and is predicted to peak at 10.4 billion by 2080 and to remain at that level until the end of the century. Although human mortality rates have been decreasing on average, the main reason for the decreasing population growth rate is lower fertility. Fertility varies based on reproductive behaviour patterns, which in turn depend upon factors such as cultural traditions, socioeconomic conditions, access to contraception, and ecological variables, such as population density.
Apr 2, 2015 · Chapter 1: Main Factors Driving Population Growth. When demographers attempt to forecast changes in the size of a population, they typically focus on four main factors: fertility rates, mortality rates (life expectancy), the initial age profile of the population (whether it is relatively old or relatively young to begin with) and migration.
- Benjamin Wormald
Learn how human population growth affects the Earth system in various ways, such as resource extraction, fossil fuel use, freshwater use, ecological impacts, and disease transmission. Explore real-world examples and models to understand the cause and effect relationships between population growth and global change.
Population growth is one of the most important topics we cover at Our World in Data. For most of human history, the global population was a tiny fraction of what it is today. Over the last few centuries, the human population has gone through an extraordinary change. In 1800, there were one billion people. Today there are more than 8 billion of us.
Studying the characteristics of populations experiencing different rates of growth helps provide scientists and demographers with insight into the factors important for predicting future human ...
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Demographics can include any statistical factors that influence population growth or decline, but several parameters are particularly important: population size, density, age structure, fecundity ...
