Biology 2485B Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Thomas Robert Malthus, Lichen, Carrying Capacity
3 Feb 2018
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Carrying capacity: the maximum population size that can be supported in a given environment, without depleting that environment: specific to a given species in a given location/environment. Lichens are a critical food resource in winter months: persists in winter but lichens grow slowly , that means that each individual reindeer requires a minimum year-long grazing. It can take 15-20 years for lichen to regrow after being fully grazed area of ~33 acres (133,000 m2 or more than 18 soccer pitches) Thomas malthus: theory: in most populations, more individuals are born then the environment can support, as a result, many of them will not survive. Neo-malthusians: argue that more individuals are being born and surviving, earth has a limited cc that we will eventually overshoot. The main reason is that we have developed technology the t in the ipat equation time and again, to allow us to further expand our population .
