Questions and Answers
What is a population?
A group of organisms, all of the same species that live in a specific area.
What do scientists do when studying populations?
They put them in environments with abundant resources to discover growth trends of different species.
What is exponential growth?
When the population gets larger, it grows at a faster rate.
What does a J curve represent?
Signup and view all the answers
What is an S curve in population biology?
Signup and view all the answers
What are limiting factors?
Signup and view all the answers
What is carrying capacity?
Signup and view all the answers
What does the letter 'K' represent in population biology?
Signup and view all the answers
What is population growth?
Signup and view all the answers
What indicates population decline?
Signup and view all the answers
What are rapid life-history patterns?
Signup and view all the answers
What characterizes slow life-history patterns?
Signup and view all the answers
What is population density?
Signup and view all the answers
What are density-dependent factors?
Signup and view all the answers
What are density-independent factors?
Signup and view all the answers
If the number of predators is relatively large, then the number of prey will ____.
Signup and view all the answers
If the number of predators is relatively ____ then the number of prey will increase.
Signup and view all the answers
What term describes that predation relationships are often?
Signup and view all the answers
What happens when populations become large?
Signup and view all the answers
What do organisms exhibit when populations increase in a support-limited environment?
Signup and view all the answers
What are symptoms of stress in populations?
Signup and view all the answers
What does demography study?
Signup and view all the answers
What special ability sets the human population apart from other organisms?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the birth rate?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the death rate?
Signup and view all the answers
What is immigration?
Signup and view all the answers
What is emigration?
Signup and view all the answers
The population growth rate must be _____ for the population to decline.
Signup and view all the answers
What is doubling time?
Signup and view all the answers
What does age structure refer to?
Signup and view all the answers
Why are ecologists concerned by population overload?
Signup and view all the answers
What do we study demography/ecology to decrease?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Population Biology Key Concepts
- A population consists of organisms of the same species living in a specific area.
- Studying populations involves creating resource-rich environments that reveal growth trends across different species.
- Exponential growth occurs when a population increases rapidly, leading to a significant acceleration in growth rate.
- Populations exhibit a J curve during exponential growth phases, illustrating the rapid increase in numbers.
- The S curve represents a stabilized population graph when growth reaches equilibrium, indicating resources are limited.
Factors Influencing Population Dynamics
- Limiting factors such as food, diseases, and predators restrict population growth.
- Carrying capacity defines the maximum number of organisms an environment can sustain.
- Population growth arises from the condition of having more births than deaths, while decline results from more deaths than births.
Life History Patterns
- Rapid life-history patterns are seen in species like bacteria, which reproduce quickly.
- Slow life-history patterns involve organisms that take longer to mature and reproduce, maintaining steady populations near carrying capacity.
Population Density and Its Effects
- Population density quantifies the number of individuals within a specific area.
- Density-dependent factors (e.g., competition, disease) escalate in impact as population size increases.
- Density-independent factors (e.g., weather events) affect all populations regardless of size.
Population Interaction and Stress
- High predator numbers can lead to a decrease in prey populations.
- Conversely, fewer predators allow prey populations to increase.
- Interactions within populations often display cyclical patterns, especially in predation scenarios.
- Populations facing an inability to cope with high numbers in limited environments may experience stress characterized by aggression, reduced parental care, and lower fertility rates.
Demographics and Human Population
- Demography focuses on human population metrics such as size, density, movement, and rates of birth and death.
- The birth rate measures annual births per 1000 individuals, while the death rate captures output of deaths.
- Immigration refers to individuals moving into a population, while emigration is the departure of individuals.
- A negative population growth rate leads to population decline.
- Doubling time refers to the duration required for a population to double its size.
- Age structure indicates the distribution of a population across various age levels.
Environmental Concerns
- Ecologists are particularly concerned about food supply issues arising from population overload globally.
- Disruptions in wildlife and ecosystems motivate the study of demography and ecology for better management and conservation practices.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
Test your knowledge with these flashcards focused on Population Biology from Biology Chapter 4. Each card provides key terms and definitions related to population dynamics and growth trends. Perfect for quick revision and enhancing your understanding of the topic.