Density-Dependent Population Growth

Abstract

We now return to strictly ecological questions. We have remarked earlier that our models and common sense imply that exponential growth cannot continue forever. As illustrated by the growth of collared doves in Great Britain (Figure 2.3), growth of natural populations cannot be exponential forever, and eventually approaches zero. Similarly, the number of sheep in Tasmania increased after introduction in a fashion that could be considered exponential, but then the numbers reached an approximate equilibrium (Figure 4.1). In this chapter we return to the fundamental question of the causes and consequences of regulation of population growth.