Population Homeostasis
Population Homeostasis by Christopher J. Paradise, published by Momentum Press on April 27, 2016, is a concise exploration of how environmental changes influence population dynamics. This 60-page book synthesizes concepts related to natural selection and homeostasis, illustrating how selection against certain phenotypes can lead to significant shifts within populations. Through examples such as the peppered moth during the industrial revolution, the text highlights the interplay between extrinsic factors like competition and predation and intrinsic factors such as reproduction.
Readers will find a detailed examination of the feedback mechanisms that regulate populations, including how changes in population density can affect birth and death rates. The book also discusses the impact of pollutants on population stability, particularly focusing on top predators like raptors and the effects of bio-magnification. With its focus on biology and life sciences, this edition provides a clear understanding of the mechanisms that maintain population homeostasis in the face of environmental challenges.
Official synopsis Publisher
This book will synthesize the concepts of selection against individuals in response to environmental change to illustrate how selection against individuals results in homeostasis at the population level. For instance, selection against the light phenotype of the peppered moth during the early part of the industrial revolution led to an increase of the dark phenotype, which was better camouflaged against the soot that accumulated on tree bark as a result of burning coal. Populations are shown to be regulated by feedback mechanisms, several of which are discussed here. Populations are regulated by extrinsic factors, such as competition and predation, and that lead to changes in intrinsic factors, such as reproduction. Changes in population density often lead to initiation of feedback mechanisms, such as changes in birth or death rates. In a final example, pollutants are shown to be a factor that can disrupt homeostasis of populations. In particular, populations of top predators, such as raptors, have suffered due to bio-magnification of toxins.
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