Density-Dependent Limiting Factors
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary reason for increased competition among organisms in a population?

  • Increased predation rates
  • Depletion of available resources (correct)
  • Parasitism and disease
  • Shortages of nesting sites
  • What is the term for the interaction between two different organisms in which one captures and feeds on the other?

  • Competition
  • Mutualism
  • Predation (correct)
  • Parasitism
  • What happens to the predator population when the prey population increases?

  • It becomes extinct
  • It decreases
  • It increases (correct)
  • It remains constant
  • What is the effect of parasitism and disease on a population?

    <p>It controls the population size</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result of increased competition for resources in a population?

    <p>The population declines</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the steep drop near the end of the Type I Survivorship Curve indicate?

    <p>High death rate as the organisms become older</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of reproduction involves producing a few offspring each year for several years?

    <p>Repeated reproduction</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the life history of an organism a description of?

    <p>The traits that affect its schedule of reproduction and survival</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of an organism that exhibits Type III Survivorship Curve?

    <p>Fishes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the characteristic of Type II Survivorship Curve?

    <p>Constant death rate over the organism's life span</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What might happen when a population exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment?

    <p>The birth rate will decrease and the death rate will increase.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the carrying capacity of an environment?

    <p>The number of individuals the environment can support over a long period of time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to the population size when it exceeds the carrying capacity?

    <p>It will fluctuate above and below the carrying capacity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the shape of the graph of logistic growth?

    <p>A stretched out letter 'S'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to the population growth when it reaches the carrying capacity?

    <p>It will stop.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of relationship is similar to parasitism?

    <p>Predator-prey</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the main advantage of having a territory?

    <p>Unlimited use of resources without competition</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to a population in response to density-independent factors?

    <p>The population experiences a crash</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a density-independent factor?

    <p>Unusual weather or natural disasters</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of a parasite on its host?

    <p>The host is weakened and may eventually die</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the consequence if all the resources are used up during reproduction?

    <p>Survival is in jeopardy</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the movement of individuals into and out of a population?

    <p>Migration</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to the population size if the death rate is greater than the birthrate?

    <p>It declines</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the three factors that can greatly increase or decrease the size of a population?

    <p>Number of births, number of deaths, and number of individuals that enter or leave the population</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the result if the birthrate is equal to the death rate in a population?

    <p>The population will remain stable</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary factor affecting the birth rate in a population?

    <p>Available resources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of survivorship curve is characterized by a high death rate in the early stages of life?

    <p>Type III</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following factors does not directly affect population growth?

    <p>Territoriality</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary purpose of age-structure diagrams?

    <p>To predict the future growth of a population</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for the study of the distribution of individuals among different ages in a population?

    <p>Age structure</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to the growth rate of a population as it reaches the carrying capacity?

    <p>It slows down</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an assumption made by both the exponential and logistic models?

    <p>The carrying capacity is constant and does not fluctuate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of a drought on the carrying capacity of a prairie ecosystem?

    <p>It decreases the carrying capacity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are the exponential and logistic models used for in population study?

    <p>Useful tools to study populations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a density-independent limiting factor?

    <p>Drought</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the term for a factor that causes population growth to decrease?

    <p>Limiting factor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to the limiting factor when the population density reaches a certain level?

    <p>It becomes a density-dependent limiting factor</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the definition of population density?

    <p>The number of organisms per unit area</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of a limiting factor that affects population growth?

    <p>Competition for resources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do populations have limits to their growth?

    <p>Because of the carrying capacity of the environment</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Population Dynamics

    • Population growth is controlled by two types of factors: density-dependent and density-independent factors.
    • Density-dependent factors include:
      • Competition for resources such as food, water, sunlight, and space
      • Predation: the interaction between two different organisms where one captures and feeds on the other
      • Parasitism and disease: the interaction between two organisms where one feeds on the other, often weakening the host
      • Shortages of food, water, and nesting sites
    • Density-dependent factors affect population growth as the population size increases, leading to competition for resources and increased predation, parasitism, and disease.

    Predator-Prey Relationship

    • The predator-prey relationship is a key density-dependent factor that controls population size.
    • As the prey population increases, the predator population also increases, leading to a decrease in the prey population.
    • As the prey population decreases, the predator population also decreases due to lack of food.

    Parasitism and Disease

    • Parasitism is a type of density-dependent factor where one organism feeds on another, often weakening the host.
    • Disease can also affect population growth, especially as the population density increases.

    Life History Traits

    • Life history traits refer to the characteristics that affect an organism's schedule of reproduction and survival.
    • There are two types of reproduction:
      • Big-bang reproduction: an organism produces all of its offspring in a single event.
      • Repeated reproduction: an organism produces a few offspring each year for several years.
    • The type of reproduction an organism uses depends on its life history traits, such as the survival rate of its offspring.

    Carrying Capacity

    • The carrying capacity is the number of individuals the environment can support over a long period of time.
    • As the population grows, it may exceed the carrying capacity, leading to a decrease in population size due to the lack of resources.
    • Logistic growth is a model of population growth that takes into account the carrying capacity of the environment.

    Logistic Growth

    • Logistic growth is a model of population growth that slows down as the population approaches the carrying capacity.
    • The graph of logistic growth looks like a stretched out "S" shape.
    • When the population is at the carrying capacity, the birth rate equals the death rate, and growth stops.

    Density-Independent Factors

    • Density-independent factors affect all populations in similar ways, regardless of the size of the population.
    • Examples of density-independent factors include:
      • Unusual weather or natural disasters
      • Human activities such as deforestation or damming of a river
    • These factors can cause a population to crash or decline suddenly.

    Population Growth Rate

    • The population growth rate is the amount by which a population's size changes in a given time.
    • If the birth rate is greater than the death rate, the population will increase.
    • If the birth rate is equal to the death rate, the population will remain stable.
    • If the death rate is greater than the birth rate, the population will decrease.

    Migration

    • Migration is the movement of individuals into and out of a population.
    • It can affect population growth rate and size.

    Age Structure

    • Age structure refers to the distribution of individuals among different ages in a population.
    • The age structure of a population can affect its growth rate and size.
    • Age-structure diagrams are used to predict the future growth of a population.

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    Population Ecology PDF

    Description

    Test your knowledge on density-dependent limiting factors that affect population growth, including competition, predation, and resource shortages. Learn how crowded populations compete for essential resources like food, water, and space.

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