Population Ecology 53.6

Age Structure Diagrams Relative number of individuals of each age in a population Allows population ecologists to determine if a population is growing, stable or declining Look at these diagrams… how can you tell if the population is expanding, stable or declining?

Human Population History

Human Population Density

Planet Earth’s Carrying Capacity ~10 billion people (reached by 2050) Why can we keep pushing the limits of Earth’s carrying capacity?

What will be our limiting factor? Clean water Nutritious food Livable space