24 Questions
What is the term for the total number of individuals of a species that an environment can support?
Carrying Capacity
What type of selection is characterized by many offspring with little parental care?
R-selected
As a population grows, what will most likely stop its growth?
Carrying Capacity
What determines the carrying capacity of a population?
Supply of the most limited resources
What type of growth does the human population follow?
Logistic Growth
What type of dispersion pattern is characterized by organisms being spaced out equally?
Uniform
Which factor is a density-dependent limiting factor on a population?
Predation
What is the term for any abiotic or biotic factor that causes a population’s size to slow or decrease?
Limiting factor
What determines the rate at which a population increases?
Biotic potential
What is the primary factor that influences death rate in a population?
Environmental catastrophes
What is an example of a density-dependent factor that affects population growth?
Food supply
What is the term for the maximum population size that an environment can support?
Carrying capacity
What is the primary factor that affects population growth, according to the concept of density-dependent factors?
Availability of resources
What is an example of a density-independent factor that affects population growth?
Environmental catastrophes
What is the term for the dispersion of individuals within a population?
Dispersion
What is the term for the number of individuals per unit area?
Density
What is demography primarily concerned with?
The study of vital statistics of populations and how they change over time
What is the maximum population size that an environment can support?
Carrying capacity
What type of regulation of populations occurs when there is intraspecific competition for nutrients?
Density-dependent regulation
Which of the following is an example of a density-independent factor limiting human population growth?
Earthquakes
What type of distribution pattern is characterized by uniform spacing between individuals?
Uniform distribution
What is the term for a table listing age, observed number of organisms alive each year, and life expectancy?
Life table
Which of the following is NOT an example of density-dependent regulation of populations?
Floods
What is the term for the study of population dispersion patterns?
Dispersal ecology
Study Notes
Population Ecology
- A population is a group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area, with multiple species living in one area referred to as a community.
- Ecological factors that affect population growth include biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors.
Population Growth Patterns
- Exponential growth: rapid growth rate, characteristic of r-selected species, which have many offspring but little parental care.
- Logistic growth: growth rate slows down as the population approaches its carrying capacity, characteristic of K-selected species, which have few offspring but invest in parental care.
- Human population growth follows a logistic growth pattern.
Carrying Capacity
- The carrying capacity is the maximum population size that a particular environment can support.
- It is determined by the supply of the most limited resources, such as food, water, and habitat.
- Carrying capacity can be affected by density-dependent factors, such as competition for resources, and density-independent factors, such as natural disasters.
Dispersion Patterns
- Uniform dispersion: individuals are spaced out equally, often due to competitive interactions.
- Clumped dispersion: individuals are clustered together, often due to shared resources.
- Random dispersion: individuals are distributed randomly, often due to chance.
Population Dynamics
- Factors that affect population growth include birth rate, death rate, immigration, and emigration.
- Density-dependent factors, such as competition for resources, can limit population growth.
- Density-independent factors, such as natural disasters, can also affect population growth.
Demography
- Demography is the study of the vital statistics of populations and how they change over time.
- A life table is a table that lists age, the observed number of organisms alive each year, and life expectancy.
- Demography is used to understand population growth patterns and to make predictions about future population sizes.
Limiting Factors
- Density-dependent limiting factors: biotic factors that affect population growth, such as competition for resources and predation.
- Density-independent limiting factors: abiotic factors that affect population growth, such as natural disasters and seasonal variation.
- Examples of limiting factors include food supply, nesting sites, mating partners, and natural disasters.
This quiz assesses knowledge of ecological concepts, including the definition of a community and the characteristics of species that exhibit different reproductive strategies.
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