A population is a subgroup of individuals within the same species that are living and breeding within a geographic area. The number of individuals living within that specific location determines the population density, or the number of individuals divided by the size of the area.
Population density can be used to describe the location, growth, and migration of many organisms. In the case of humans, population density is often discussed in relation to urbanization, immigration, and population demographics.
Globally, statistics related to population density are tracked by the United Nations Statistics Division, and the United States Constitution requires population data to be collected every 10 years, an operation carried out by the U.S. Census Bureau. However, data on human population density at the country level, and even at regional levels, may not be very informative; society tends to form clusters that can be surrounded by sparsely inhabited areas. Therefore, the most useful data describes smaller, more discrete population centers.
Dense population clusters generally coincide with geographical locations often referred to as city, or as an urban or metropolitan area; sparsely populated areas are often referred to as rural. These terms do not have globally agreed upon definitions, but they are useful in general discussions about population density and geographic location.Population density data can be important for many related studies, including studies of ecosystems and improvements to human health and infrastructure. For example, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. Global Change Research Program, and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture all use population data from the U.S. Census or UN statistics to understand and better predict resource use and health trends.
Key areas of study include the following:
This list is not inclusive—the way society structures its living spaces affects many other fields of study as well. Scientists have even studied how happiness correlates with population density. A substantial area of study, however, focuses on demographics of populations as they relate to density. Areas of demographic breakdown and study include, but are not limited to:
- age (including tracking of elderly population centers);
- sex (biological classification as male or female); and
- race and ethnic group, or cultural characteristics (ethnic origin and language use).
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It is if you're a penguin. This population of penguins is made of all the individuals of the same species of penguins who live together. They seem to exist in a very crowded - or densely populated - environment, and in a random configuration.
Communities are made up of populations of different species. In biology, a population is a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area. The population is the unit of natural selection and evolution. How large a population is and how fast it is growing are often used as measures of its health.
Population size is the number of individuals in a population. For example, a population ofinsects might consist of 100 individual insects, or many more. Population size influences the chances of a species surviving or going extinct. Generally, very small populations are at greatest risk of extinction. However, the size of a population may be less important than its density.
Population density is the average number of individuals in a population per unit of area or volume. For example, a population of 100 insects that live in an area of 100 square meters has a density of 1 insect per square meter. If the same population lives in an area of only 1 square meter, what is its density? Which population is more crowded? How might crowding affect the health of a population?
Population density just represents the average number of individuals per unit of area or volume. Often, individuals in a population are not spread out evenly. Instead, they may live in clumps or some other pattern (see Figure below). The pattern may reflect characteristics of the species or its environment. Population distribution describes how the individuals are distributed, or spread throughout their habitat.
Patterns of Population Distribution. What factors influence the pattern of a population over space?
- Population size is the number of individuals in a population.
- Population density is the average number of individuals per unit of area or volume.
- The pattern of spacing of individuals in a population may be affected by the characteristics of a species or its environment.
- What is population density?
- What are the differences between population density and distribution?
- A population of 820 insects lives in a 1.2-acre area. They gather nectar from a population of 560 flowering plants. The plants live in a 0.2-acre area. Which population has greater density, the insects or the plants? Why?
- What can you infer about a species that has a random pattern of distribution over space? A uniform pattern?
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Home » Science » Biology » Difference Between Population Density and Population Distribution
The main difference between population density and population distribution is that the population density is the number of individuals per unit land whereas the population distribution is the spreading of people over an area of land. Furthermore, population density is unable to describe where the population actually lives, unlike population distribution.
Population density and population distribution are two measurements of population used in a variety of applications in ecology.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Population Density
– Definition, Features, Examples
2. What is Population Distribution
– Definition, Features, Examples
3. What are the Similarities Between Population Density and Population Distribution
– Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Population Density and Population Distribution
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Advantages, Disadvantages, Population Density, Population Distribution
What is Population Density
Population density is the number of individuals that live in a unit area in a specified time. As an example, the population density of China is 144 people per square km in 2012. The density of the population of a particular area is determined by the geographical features such as the shape and the height of the land, available resources, climate, etc.
Figure 1: World Human Population Density Map
When it comes to the human population, these factors can be economic, social, and political. Populations with high density can have some advantages:
- Strong economic system
- People can have more opportunities
- Easy access to resources
Populations with less density have their own disadvantages as well:
- Population starts to decrease due to the less number of individuals in it.
- Predators can easily catch individuals.
What is Population Distribution
A distributed population has several advantages over dense population to a certain extent. As an example, the natural conditions of China leads to the unevenly distributed population.
Figure 2: World Population Distribution
An evenly distributed population has its own benefits. Some of them are described below:
- Each individual can occupy a sufficient area for living.
- They have more privacy; less peer pressure.
- They can use renewable energy sources.
- They can live in a cleaner environment.
- They are far away from danger.
The less distributed population has its disadvantages as described below:
- Spread of diseases is high in dense areas.
- Air, water, and land pollution become increased.
- Food sources become less abundant.
- Population density and population distribution are two measurements of population used in ecology.
- A specific time period and a geological location have to be mentioned while describing both parameters.
Population density refers to a measure of the number of organisms that make up a population in a defined area while population distribution refers to the arrangement of the population on a certain area in accordance with conditions and requirements of the society. This explains the difference between population density and population distribution.
Significance
Population density describes the number of individuals in a particular population inside a unit area of land while population distribution describes the variability of the spread of the population in a particular area.
Examples
As an example, the population density of Canada is 4 people per square km in 2012 while 86.2% of people in Canada lived in Ontario, BC, Quebec, and Alberta at the beginning of 2013.
Conclusion
Population density is the number of individuals in a unit area of land under a defined time period. But, population distribution is the concentration of individuals in a particular area. The main difference between population density and population distribution is the type of parameters described by each measurement.
Reference:1. “Population Size, Density, & Dispersal.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, Available Here
Image Courtesy:1. “World human population density map” (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “World population distribution” By The original uploader was Urocyon at English Wikipedia. – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Undead_warrior. (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia