Life Science 2

LIFE SCIENCE
CATEGORIZE THE DIFFERENT BIOTIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESISTANCE

(e.g. Disease, Lack of food, Predators) THAT AFFECT POPULATION EXPLOSION
Biotic potential
The biotic potential is the potential growth of a population of living things that can
be expected if it were living under ideal environmental conditions and
circumstances.
Biotic potential is defined as the maximum number of individuals a species can
produce.
Example of
biotic
potential
• Figure 1: Representative image for biotic potential. See
how biotic potential increases over time. Take note of
the exponential growth (biotic potential) vs. logistic
growth. The species reaching biotic potential coincides
with exponential population growth.
Environmental resistance
• Environmental resistance is a resistance presented by the environmental conditions
to limit a species from growing out of control or to stop them from reproducing at a
maximum rate. It includes both abiotic factors (e.g., temperature) and biotic
factors (e.g., biological control agents) to limit the organism from expressing its full
capacity to reproduce.
Example of
environmental
resistance
• If the population increases then the carrying capacity of
the environment is termed as overshoot. Reproductive lag
time is the main reason for the overshoot. Reproductive lag
time is defined as the time in which the rate of birth
decreases and the rate of death increases. The difference in
the birth and death rate is due to limited resources.
Figure 1: Graphical representation of population vs time in carrying
capacity.
The diseases
The covid 19
virus
• COVID-19 is a new strain of infectious virus that has had
a catastrophic effect on every individual within the short
time it was first detected. Thus far, only a few published
articles evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of
nursing students towards COVID-19.
• As of 31 December 2020, COVID-19 had infected over
82 million people and killed more than 1.8 million
worldwide. But preliminary estimates suggest the total
number of global “excess deaths” directly and indirectly
attributable to COVID-19 in 2020 amount to at least 3
million, 1.2 million higher than the official figures
reported by countries to WHO.
Dengue fever
• According to the World Health Organization, dengue fever is one of
the top ten global health threats – it's also the most rapidly spreading.
There has been a 30-fold increase in global incidence over the past 50
years.
• Common symptoms of dengue include fever, rash, nausea and aches
and pains, lasting up to a week. Some people with dengue develop
complications that can result in internal bleeding, shock and even
death. Severe dengue requires careful monitoring in hospital.
• There are four serotypes of dengue virus, all of which can cause disease.
Prior infection with one dengue serotype is a risk factor for developing
later infections.
• More than half of the world’s population is at risk of dengue infection.
• Each year, an estimated 390 million dengue infections occur around

the world, resulting in up to 36,000 deaths.
Lack of food
Food crisis
• A food crisis occurs when rates of hunger and malnutrition rise
sharply at local, national, or global levels. This definition
distinguishes a food crisis from chronic hunger, although food
crises are far more likely among populations already suffering
from prolonged hunger and malnutrition.
• The global food crisis is affecting millions of people around the
world. In 2023, record levels of acute food insecurity persist due
to protracted food crises and new shocks. In 48 countries, 238
million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity –
10% more than in 2022.
Hunger crisis
• Hunger happens when people do not have
enough food to eat. The main cause of hunger
is not a collective shortage of food but rather
access to food – especially nutritious food.
Addressing hunger is more than just giving
people enough calories.
• Hunger is worsening worldwide. As many as
828 million people — about 10% of the global
population — regularly go to bed hungry.
Predators
Disease
• One predator that can significantly affect
population explosions is disease. An example of
this is the myxoma virus, which is a highly
contagious disease that affects rabbits. During
the 1950s, the myxoma virus was introduced in
Australia as a means of controlling the rapidly
increasing population of European rabbits,
which were causing significant damage to
agricultural crops. The virus caused a dramatic
decline in the rabbit population, as it spread
rapidly through the population and resulted in
high mortality rates. This helped to prevent
further population explosions and allowed the
ecosystem to recover.
Natural
predators
• Another predator that can impact population
explosions is natural predators. An example of this
is the wolf-moose interaction in Yellowstone
National Park. In the 1920s, wolves were eradicated
from the park, which resulted in a significant
increase in the moose population. However, this
led to overgrazing, which caused vegetation to
decline and resulted in a decline in other species
that depended on the vegetation for survival. In the
1990s, wolves were reintroduced into the park,
which led to a significant decrease in the moose
population as wolves preyed on them. This helped
to restore balance to the ecosystem and prevent
further population explosions of moose

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LIFE SCIENCE

CATEGORIZE THE DIFFERENT BIOTIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESISTANCE

• Each year, an estimated 390 million dengue infections occur around

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