Research Paper On Population Biology

Introduction

Population biology is a major sub-field of ecology which deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment (Singley, 2008). In our time, the population of humans has increased exponentially to about 7 billion people. This number has caused a lot of issues to arise to the scientific community, especially the biologists. The population of humans has reached a state where the existence of some humans is being questioned.

Earth’s Carrying Capacity

The earth’s carrying capacity is the number of species’ individuals that can be sustained indefinitely in a specific space which is determined by biotic potential and environmental resistance (Singley, 2008). In the studies of Gary Harding (2001), some known economists have pointed out their arguments that there is no upper bound in the growth of human population, that all mankind have enough resources to share with. There are a lot of biologists that predicted the possibility of population crush crush is unavoidable after the ecosystem’s human carrying capacity is surpassed. There are many speculations, but the carrying capacity of humans on earth is unknown.
In my opinion, I feel that we are not yet nearing the capacity for humans on earth. We can say that there are a lot of people that are already starving and homeless, but we can’t deny that there are people who have a lot of resources stored for themselves only. If only there is a law of equality among all of the human beings, no human will die before their time and no issues on the nearing capacity for human being will arise. It is true that when non-renewable resources have already been used up, that is the time when we can say that the earth’s capacity for humans is at the limit. The continuous consumption of the resources will show how we plundered the resources until these are no longer available and the population will finally take its toll unto us.

Impact of the Growth of Human Population on other Species

The human population has reached a number which causes other species to be pushed away from their respective habitats and become extinct. We can say that we’re in the midst of the Earth’s mass extinction crisis. The Center for Biological Diversity (n.d.) reported that it is estimated that about 30,000 species per year are being driven to extinction which the main cause is the large population growth of human beings. The concept of competitive exclusion arises from this. Since human beings are far superior in terms of critical thinking, the tendency of other species is to become extinct. Other species will lose their homes, their resource for food and eventually find no place here on earth.

Reversing the Trend of Competitive Exclusion by Humans

The method of reversing the competitive exclusion is a very challenging thing. In the study of Bruce Pengra (2012), we cannot easily reverse the trend or limit the number of people on earth but there are ways to stop the exponential consumption of the resources of the earth. One of the methods is to limit the material consumption of humans. There are recommendations to develop socio-economic systems that are not dependent on continued material consumption growth. Another method is to change the production and consumption patterns of the countries which will be a great help once achieved. There is also a method for the use of green technologies which promote the use of environment friendly materials. One of the most efficient methods is by providing access to sexual and reproductive healthcare and contraception which will surely limit the growth of human population.

References

Center for Biological Diversity. (n.d.). HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH AND EXTINCTION. Center for Biological Diversity.
Harding, G. (2001). HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH AND THE ACCELERATING RATE OF SPECIES EXTINCTION. Retrieved January 17, 20015, from Earth Portals: http://www.earthportals.com/extinct.html
Pengra, B. (2012). One Planet, How Many People? A Review of Earth’s Carrying Capacity. UNEP Global Environmental Alert Service.
Singley, R. (2008). Population Biology Concepts. The Living World.