ipl-logo

Darwin's Theory Of Overpopulation

963 Words4 Pages

The struggle for existence is a widely known concept, and a term famously used by Charles Darwin in his writings. The struggle for existence refers to the many organisms on Earth and their constant competition with each other. One of the many ways life struggles with each other is overpopulation. Overpopulation is when one species grows rapidly or more than normal, over some short amount of time. In one of Darwin’s writings, we have to “... give it some advantage over a different set of competitors or enemies.” This means that in order for a species to be overpopulated it has to be favored or have an advantage over its competitors in some way. If one species is favored over all the other species in the same ecosystem, the population will increase rapidly. Every species and organism in the same ecosystem will interact and compete with each other. Darwin says that all organisms are “...all striving to increase, and all feeding on each other”. The growth of one species is determined by all of the other species living in the same ecosystem, acting as each other’s checks. An overpopulated species will affect the population of other species, however, the population should be checked soon. These checks can be factors such as not enough food or diseases and illnesses. An example of this would be if we say that the overpopulation of …show more content…

For example, now coyotes are in every state in the United States except Hawaii. The coyotes were able to spread without any consequences and are able to eat almost anything. Coyotes also have no natural predators, especially with the decrease in the wolf population. Without predators to keep the population in check, invasive species are allowed to grow without much competition. If an invasive species does not die off due to an unfamiliar environment the species will quickly become overpopulated, affecting every other species in that

Show More
Related
216 Words | 1 Pages

In 1960, a man named Paul Ehrlich shared his fears of overpopulation in the world through his book called, “The Population Bomb”. He made many predictions about what kind of disasters we would face if drastic measures were not taken. Zero Population Growth became a political movement that wanted to limit births and give rewards to couples without children. However, humanity has managed to survive even with the current population growth. Paul Ehrlich believes that even though his predictions didn’t happen, it doesn’t mean he was wrong.

Read More
499 Words | 2 Pages

Invasive species interact with the global health of ecosystems; cause great damage to natural systems and are a huge cost to society as a whole (1). Biologists and environmentalists are alarmed that the invasions of these species could lead to large-scale declines and extinction of native species (3). There are approximately 50,000 foreign species Living in the United States, causing major environmental damages which costs add up to about $120 billion a year. It is believed that about 42% of the threatened or endangered species are at risk because of invasive species (4).

Read More
1196 Words | 5 Pages

There are many invasive species that are affecting the Everglades by invading the ecosystem. Many of these species were brought to the everglades by people and animals. They are changing the ecosystem and are competing with natural native inhabitants of that area. The native species have to adapt to the change or move to another area to survive. Both plant and animal species have invaded the area within the Everglades.

Read More
836 Words | 4 Pages

The majority of the invasive species are introduced through irresponsible owners letting their pets go. If there was a restriction on invasive species easily going out pet store doors, many pet owners would be saved the trouble. If a licence was required, inexperienced people would not even think to just buy an exotic species. With people already currently owning an exotic species that they can no longer handle, their is still an option for them. Every year in florida there is a pet amnesty day in many areas where you can take your exotic species to give up, no questions asked.

Read More
1614 Words | 7 Pages

In his book, Population Bomb, he argued “through his life that there is an impending doom containing overpopulation and starvation”(Ehrlich 18). Let the facts show that the world has taken the right path toward sustaining life and sending us towards prosperity. In R. Engelman article “Population and Sustainability: Can We Avoid Limiting the Number of People” Engelman’s key argument was that “slowing the rise in human numbers is essential for the planet--but it doesn't require population control”(Engelman 49). Placing a cap on the population will force consequences as

Read More
781 Words | 4 Pages

There are no drastic spikes in the populations of any one species, or drops in another. A large number of different species (a great biodiversity) is one indicator of an ecosystem’s health. Remarkably, biodiversity is not necessarily dependent upon the size of the ecosystem; some of the richest ecosystems in the world exist within narrow boundaries (sections of the Amazon rainforest, for example, and the Galapagos Islands). These ecosystems might be relatively small, but besides threat from destructive human behavior, they’re strong because of their biodiversity; each species is connected to the other in some way. If a healthy ecosystem is one that is home to many different species, mostly native to the area and all interdependent upon one another, what’s an example of an unhealthy ecosystem?

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

(OI) As the population grows faster and faster, the earth cannot keep up. The impact of population growth on society can present itself in several ways. The maximized demands on resources led to conflict and scarcity. The increased demand for housing, food, and other goods led to price increases and economic problems.

Read More
460 Words | 2 Pages

Other problems arise like snake infestations. When any animal becomes overpopulated in any one area the whole food chain becomes unbalanced in that area. And when animals like snakes become overpopulated the animals they prey on start to die out. Causing any other predators that may prey on the same animal to eventually die out also. As the text suggests in the passage “Are the Everglades Forever?”.

Read More
1057 Words | 5 Pages

People will not take good care of them because they get to big and their owners get scared and release them into the wild where there is already other animals habitats without thinking there is other ways you can get rid of your invasive pet. The second reason is, Certain plant rely on animals to keep them alive in their environment in which they live in. If you take the animal away from its original environment it could affect plants that rely on that animal and could cause the animal that went to its new environment to cause it to scare an animal away that had a plant that relied on that animal. or the new animal could eat the plant that the other animal relied on. My third and final reason is, The invasive species multiply and take over the environment causing corruption and harm.

Read More
940 Words | 4 Pages

Thankfully, there can be a few things done to ease overpopulation. Mainly, the public needs to be made more aware of the overpopulation problem that the world is facing. Beyond that, contraceptives and birth control could be made more available. Finally, the government could create incentives or laws to manage birth rates and populations. If these things happen, the world will surely benefit from a smaller population.

Read More
1618 Words | 7 Pages

As international movements increase, risks spread. Some non-native species are not obviously detrimental on introduction, but become so in the future and intensive monitoring is required. Negative invasive species can compete and overcome native species in 6 ways. 1. Competition: Food sources and habitat reduced for native species.

Read More
973 Words | 4 Pages

Poaching and illegal hunting can cause an off set in the ecosystem by overhunting animals. When one animal population decline drastically, other organisms are affected too. The decline in native predators is the main cause for overpopulation of animals like deer. Deer overpopulation has led to rapid decrease vegetation life causing other animals to be put at risk. Removing predators from the food web disrupts the entire balance of an

Read More
1228 Words | 5 Pages

Overpopulation Overpopulation is a condition that is undesirable. Overpopulation is one of the problems that people concern it to. One of the serious countries facing this problem is China. Reports in China show that it has about 1.4 billion people in this country; it takes about one over seven people of the world population. China is the third largest land after Russia and Canada in the world.

Read More
799 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction Overpopulation is the excessive population of an area to the point of overcrowding and it is an undesirable condition in every country where the number of existing human population rises to an extent exceeding the carrying capacity of ecological setting. Overpopulation can be result from an increase in births, an increase in immigration, a decline in mortality rates and other factors that may cause overpopulated environment. Therefore, this can cause influence as lack of the available essential materials for survival like water, shelter, social amenities and other because of the numbers of people might be more than the materials for survival. In such condition, this regularly contributes to environmental deterioration, worsening

Read More
734 Words | 3 Pages

Hence, deforestation increases. This is another effect of overpopulation that impacts the worsening of the environment [2]. For example decreased forest size increases the amount of carbon in the environment. More specifically, deforestation affects the wildlife and results in biodiversity loss and species extinction [1].

Read More

More about Darwin's Theory Of Overpopulation

Related Topics

Open Document