Human Population Ecology

In week 14, we will be writing the third and last content essay of the semester. The topic for this essay is human population ecology.

At a minimum, the content of your essay should include the following:

an explanation of Type I, Type II, and Type III survivorship curves and non-human examples of each, with an explanation of which curve humans have and why
a definition of what it means to be semelparous and what it means to be iteroparous and non-human examples of each, with an explanation of which one humans are and why
a full explanation of r-selected and K-selected species and non-human examples of each, with an explanation of which one humans are and why
a full, detailed explanation of density-dependent and density-independent factors that may affect population size, with multiple specific examples of each, indicating how each factor may or may not affect human populations
a discussion of the global human population and carrying capacity, stating whether the global human population is at carrying capacity now, whether it has ever been at carrying capacity in the past, and a full, detailed explanation of what that means
Conclude with your policy proposals if you were asked, as an accomplished biologist, to advise global leaders on effective global policies you think should be adopted to ensure the long-term sustainability of the human population as well as the non-human natural world. Note that there are no right or wrong answers for this section; it’s an opportunity for you to explore your own thoughts on scientifically and morally complex issues. You are expected to be thoughtful and reflective and show an understanding of ecology; your opinions are your own and need not reflect those of your instructors.

Essay Format

Length should be approximately 2-4 typed pages
Essay must be in complete sentences and paragraphs (bullet points or lists are not acceptable; walls of text not broken up into paragraphs are also not acceptable).
Number of paragraphs may vary
Essay should be in 12 point size and a standard typeface such as Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, or Times
Spacing may be single to double spaced; I find 1.5-spaced easiest to read
You may choose to upload your essay as a Word document or PDF, or insert it as a text submission in the text box. Be sure to save the file in which you composed your essay on your computer so that you can revise if necessary.

Sources

Appropriate sources to find information for this essay are your lecture notes, Campbell Biology textbook, articles posted in our course Canvas page, and possibly your lab manual. Web pages are not appropriate sources.
In biological writing, direct quotes are extremely rare. Use your sources to understand the ideas, then explain the ideas in your own words in your essay. In the content essays, you do not need to cite the sources of your information, as the sources are assumed to be our course materials.