Population control

Population control is the practice of artificially maintaining the size of any population. It simply refers to the act of limiting the size of an animal population so that it remains manageable, as opposed to the act of protecting a species from excessive rates of extinction, which is referred to as conservation biology. While many abiotic and biotic factors influence population control, humans are notably influential against animal populations. Whether humans need to hunt animals for nourishment or simply neuter their pets to prevent reproduction from occurring, these activities actively manage populations. Specifically, population control plays an important role in wildlife populations. Based on the species being dealt with, there are numerous ways populations of the wild are controlled. Wildlife contraception is the act of preventing reproduction in the wild, which subsequently decreases populations. An example of this includes the maintenance of deer populations with the use of vaccines. Other methods to maintain populations include lethal trapping, live trapping, egg/roost site manipulation, live-ammunition shooting, and chemical euthanization. Lethal trapping, egg/roost site manipulation, live-ammunition shooting, and chemical euthanization are methods used to eliminate animal populations and prevent reproduction, whereas live trapping captures species to remove them from a specific area. Lotka–Volterra equations and Carrying capacity Population control can be influenced by a variety of factors. Humans can greatly influence the size of animal populations they directly interact with. It is, for example, relatively common (and sometimes even a legal requirement) to spay or neuter dogs. Spaying – removing the ovaries and uterus of a female animal – medical term = ovariohysterectomy. Neutering - removing the testes of a male animal – medical term = orchiectomy. Various humans activities (e.g. hunting, farming, fishing, industrialization, and urbanization) all impact various animal populations.