Question

At a given time t, a town X of area 500 sq. km inhabits 2000 individuals belonging to species 'H'. During the same time period, a neighbouring town of area 200 sq. km inhabits 1200 individuals of the same species. Which of the following statements holds true in this case?

• A. X is more densely populated than Y at time t
• B. Y is more densely populated than X at time t
• C. Both X and Y have equal population densities at time t
• D. The population densities for X and Y cannot be calculated as the data given is insufficient

Answer 1

The correct option is B Y is more densely populated than X at time t

The number of individuals of the same species living in a unit area of a habitat, at a given time, represents its population density (N). It can be expressed as:

$N=\frac{Totalnumberofindividualsinapopulation}{Totalareathattheyinhabit}$
For town X,
Total number of individuals at a given time t = 2000
Total area covered by the town = 500 sq. km
Therefore population density = $\frac{2000}{500}=4$ individuals per sq. km of the town.

For town Y,
Total number of individuals at a given time t = 1200
Total area covered by the town = 200 sq. km
Therefore population density = $\frac{1200}{200}=6$ individuals per sq. km of the town.

Thus, we can say that town Y is more densely populated with the members of species 'H' than town X at a given time t.