Before you start revising for the required practical on population size, take a look at some of these startling facts about populations.
The human population is growing at an astounding speed, with around an additional 83 million people annually. By 2100, expectations are that it will reach 11.2 billion! At present China and India are the two most populous countries in the world. Between them they represent 37% of the world’s population. Experts predict both countries to increase to 1.44 billion inhabitants by 2024!
Whenever the human population increases, the number of pets and livestock increases alongside it. In the UK alone, estimates indicate that there are 9.6 million dogs, 10.7 million cats, and 900,000 rabbits.
In contrast, for endangered animals, their population sizes are tiny. Only around 1860 pandas, 1060 gorillas and 100 amur leopards remain in the wild. More and more habitats are being lost as the human population grows. Alongside habitat destruction, poaching and illegal trading further endangers these species.
For help with the required practical, Investigating Population Size, try our new guide “How to work with Required Practicals: Part 4 for Combined Science Paper 2 Biology (AQA). You will find a brief description of what you need to know, and key questions you may be asked. As always there are questions to try, and answers to check your understanding.
Click the picture below to see the guide.
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