Lesson 3: Understanding Population Growth

Will human population growth always be exponential, or will we find a limiting factor we can't avoid? Young scientists learn about both exponential and logistic growth models in various animal populations. They use case studies to...

Salmonella poisoning impacts over 200,000 people in the United States each year. Scholars learn about the growth of these bacteria using multiple approaches. Then they apply the same growth calculations to endangered species and think...

Wolves eat better when the bunny population increases, but how long does that last? A series of 12 biology lessons uses the sixth installment to explore the predator-prey relationship between bunny and wolf populations. Young scientists...

Some scientists believe the earth is already over its carrying capacity for humans. The video explains what a carrying capacity is and the limiting factors to consider. It also teaches how to calculate growth rate, interpreting growth...

While 80 percent of people with West Nile Virus show no symptoms, in severe cases, it causes death by infecting the membranes around the spinal cord and brain. The video starts by making population ecology relevant. It includes density...

How does a rabbit keep his fur looking good? With hare spray! Here is a video that begins with the concept of exponential growth, modeling it through four generations of rabbits. It includes two different methods to solve growth rate...

Look globally at the rising population and understand the impact on the environment, water supply, forestry, and biodiversity through the article and its supporting resources.

Young scholars explore the effects of different density-dependent and density-independent factors on population growth. They explore how the interactions of organisms can affect population growth. Students explore the pattern of...

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Recognize limiting factors to the population growth and understand how the factors influence the growth in poplution.

A couple PowerPoint presentations are used to stimulate discussion about the perspectives of different countries on the issue of energy consumption. Afterward, they play a game in which each team is assigned a country, considers its...