Today during class, we accomplished many things. We took a quiz on chapter three and four. Our class was tested on various areas of those chapters. Although there were some tricky questions, if you studied, you probably did well.
Once everyone finished the test, we took some notes on growth of populations. Exponential growth is a rapid increase of a population that grows under ideal conditions. Some ideal conditions include climate or food supply. We also learned about the carrying capacity of species. This is a number, depending on the species, that is the limit to how many of this organism can be supported by the environment. The population of humans right now is more than double the carrying capacity for humans. Logistic growth happens after exponential growth stops or slows down.
In addition, we learned about limits to growth. A limiting factor is anything that causes a population to decrease. One of these factors is density dependent which is a factor that affects large or dense populations MORE. Some examples are food availability, disease, predation, parasitism, and competition for space, food, or mates. The other limiting factor is density independent which means it affects a population regardless of the size or density. Some examples are hurricanes, fires, or extreme temperatures.
Lastly, we discussed predator- prey relationships. These relationships are density dependent. It is also a common way to control populations. The book uses the example of deer and wolves on an island. Before the wolves arrived, the deer’s population increased exponentially because there were perfect conditions and no predators present. Once the wolves were introduced, the deer population began declining because they were sharing resources with the wolves, and the wolves were eating them. When the deer population decreased, it suddenly leaves the wolves with no food so their population decreases and the cycle repeats.
Finally, we shared our homework which was the six questions and answers and were able to get a head start on our homework. Although today wasn’t the most exciting, it turned out to be alright after all. Tomorrow, we get to go outside which will make up for it.
The next scribe will be… Chrissy!
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