1. Checkpoint: Population Size

• View the Ch. 7 Alien Invasion VLR located under the Week Four Materials section of your student Web page.
• Post a 200- to 300-word response to the following:

o Explain the four factors that produce changes in population size.
o Which factors affect population size in the video?
o What do you predict will happen to the nutria population after the land is depleted of the nutrias’ food resource?

Copy and paste will not work. You need to type your question.

Explain the four factors that produce changes in population size.

o Which factors affect population size in the video?
o What do you predict will happen to the nutria population after the land is depleted of the
nutrias’ food resource?

To answer these questions, we need to understand the factors that produce changes in population size and analyze how they apply to the scenario in the video.

1. The four factors that produce changes in population size are:
a. Birth rate: The number of individuals born into a population over a given period.
b. Death rate: The number of individuals that die in a population over a given period.
c. Immigration: The movement of individuals into a population.
d. Emigration: The movement of individuals out of a population.

2. In the video, the factors affecting population size are birth rate and death rate. The nutria population is shown to be rapidly increasing because of the high birth rate and lack of natural predators. The absence of predation leads to fewer nutrias dying, resulting in a low death rate.

3. When the land is depleted of the nutrias' food resource, it is likely that the nutria population will decrease. With limited food available, there will be a decrease in birth rate as well as an increase in death rate. Nutrias may struggle to find enough food to sustain their population, leading to competition, malnutrition, and lower reproduction rates. This imbalance may eventually result in a decline in the nutria population.

In conclusion, the video portrays a scenario where the factors influencing population size are birth rate and death rate due to the absence of natural predators. However, when the nutria's food resource is depleted, it is predicted that the nutria population will decrease due to reduced birth rates and increased death rates.