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Questions and Answers
What does the intrinsic rate of natural increase (ri) in a population contribute to?
What does the intrinsic rate of natural increase (ri) in a population contribute to?
How does carrying capacity (K) affect population growth?
How does carrying capacity (K) affect population growth?
Which of the following best describes density-dependent factors?
Which of the following best describes density-dependent factors?
What type of survivorship curve reflects populations with low death rates throughout most of their lifespan?
What type of survivorship curve reflects populations with low death rates throughout most of their lifespan?
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What is a primary characteristic of logistic population growth?
What is a primary characteristic of logistic population growth?
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What defines a population in ecology?
What defines a population in ecology?
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What is a characteristic of clumped dispersion in populations?
What is a characteristic of clumped dispersion in populations?
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Which method is typically used to estimate the population size of mobile organisms?
Which method is typically used to estimate the population size of mobile organisms?
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What is a primary cause of anthropogenic climate change?
What is a primary cause of anthropogenic climate change?
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Which of the following factors is classified as an abiotic interaction?
Which of the following factors is classified as an abiotic interaction?
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What influences the density of a population?
What influences the density of a population?
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Which of the following is an impact of climate change on biodiversity?
Which of the following is an impact of climate change on biodiversity?
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In population ecology, what does a metapopulation consist of?
In population ecology, what does a metapopulation consist of?
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What adaptation can species exhibit to reduce competition according to resource partitioning?
What adaptation can species exhibit to reduce competition according to resource partitioning?
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Which of the following is NOT a potential cause of emigration in populations?
Which of the following is NOT a potential cause of emigration in populations?
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Which type of mimicry involves a harmless species mimicking a harmful one?
Which type of mimicry involves a harmless species mimicking a harmful one?
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How can energy efficiency contribute to reducing climate change?
How can energy efficiency contribute to reducing climate change?
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What is the relationship between gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP)?
What is the relationship between gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP)?
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The formula $N = \frac{sn}{X}$ is used in which context?
The formula $N = \frac{sn}{X}$ is used in which context?
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What term describes the elimination of one species due to competition?
What term describes the elimination of one species due to competition?
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Which factor is NOT involved in secondary production?
Which factor is NOT involved in secondary production?
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Which of the following is an example of predator adaptation?
Which of the following is an example of predator adaptation?
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What occurs during eutrophication as a result of excess nutrients in water bodies?
What occurs during eutrophication as a result of excess nutrients in water bodies?
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What does production efficiency (PE) measure in an ecosystem?
What does production efficiency (PE) measure in an ecosystem?
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Which ecological interaction is characterized by both species experiencing negative effects?
Which ecological interaction is characterized by both species experiencing negative effects?
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Which of the following statements about climate change is true?
Which of the following statements about climate change is true?
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Which nutrient cycle is critical as a framework for organic molecules essential to life?
Which nutrient cycle is critical as a framework for organic molecules essential to life?
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What is the primary consequence of biological magnification?
What is the primary consequence of biological magnification?
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Which of the following best describes 'assimilation' in an ecological context?
Which of the following best describes 'assimilation' in an ecological context?
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What is the relationship described by mutualism?
What is the relationship described by mutualism?
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Which of the following measures the number of different species present in a community?
Which of the following measures the number of different species present in a community?
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Which of the following best describes a keystone species?
Which of the following best describes a keystone species?
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What does high values of the Shannon diversity index (H) indicate about a community?
What does high values of the Shannon diversity index (H) indicate about a community?
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Which of the following describes bottom-up control in ecosystems?
Which of the following describes bottom-up control in ecosystems?
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What is the primary focus of studying food webs?
What is the primary focus of studying food webs?
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What is the term for the process wherein predators regulate herbivore populations, impacting plant and nutrient levels?
What is the term for the process wherein predators regulate herbivore populations, impacting plant and nutrient levels?
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Which type of interaction describes a scenario where an organism is harmed while another benefits, such as in parasitism?
Which type of interaction describes a scenario where an organism is harmed while another benefits, such as in parasitism?
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Study Notes
Population Ecology
- Population: A group of individuals from the same species living in the same area and time, capable of interbreeding.
- Population is described by its boundaries and size.
- Metapopulation: A group of geographically separated populations of the same species interacting at some level.
- Density: The number of individuals per unit area, resulting from immigration and emigration.
- Species range: The area where a species is found.
- Dispersion: The spacing pattern of individuals within a population's boundaries.
- Clumped spacing: Uneven distribution of resources, leading to grouping.
- Uniform spacing: Behavioral interactions/resource competition causing even distribution.
- Random spacing: Individuals do not interact strongly, distribution is independent of others.
- Types of Interactions:
- Abiotic: How organisms react with non-living components. Factors like water availability and temperature determine species range when other species are not limiting.
- Biotic: How organisms interact with other organisms. Factors include predators, diseases, and food sources. Negative impacts include effects of predators and diseases; positive impacts are related to food sources.
- Immigration: Movement of new individuals into a population from other areas.
- Emigration: Movement of individuals out of a population.
Population Size Determination
- Sampling: Counting individuals with constant density.
- Mark-Recapture: Method for mobile populations.
- Capture, mark, and release a random sample (S).
- Wait for them to mix in the population.
- Capture a second sample.
- Count the marked individuals in the second sample (X) and the total number captured in the second sample (n).
- Calculate population size (N) using the formula: N = (S * n) / X.
Population Dynamics
- Populations grow through birth and immigration, and decline through death and emigration.
- Exponential growth: Occurs when all individuals have access to abundant food and reproduce at a constant rate. Per capita rate of increase (dN/dT)=rN, where dN is the change in population size, dT is the change in time, and r is the intrinsic rate of natural increase. N is the number of individuals. Population growth is exponential when resources are unlimited.
- Logistic growth: Growth rates change as population size approaches carrying capacity. Per capita rate of increase approaches zero. Carrying capacity (K) is the maximum population size a given environment can sustain. Population size affects growth rates as the population size approaches the carrying capacity.
- Carrying capacity (K): Maximum population size a particular environment can support. Differs across space and time.
Demography
- Demography: Study of population size, structure, and dynamics over time.
- Life table: Survival pattern of a population across age classes.
- Cohort: Group of individuals of the same age.
- Survivorship curves: Graphic representation of survival rates over time.
- Type I: Low death rates early in life.
- Type II: Constant death rate throughout life.
- Type III: High death rate early in life.
Ecosystem Ecology
- Ecosystem: All organisms living in a community.
- Energy flow: Energy transfer within an ecosystem; never 100% efficient.
- Primary producers (plants) convert light energy to chemical energy.
- Herbivores (primary consumers) eat plants.
- Carnivores (secondary and tertiary consumers) eat other animals.
- Primary production: Amount of light energy converted to chemical energy. Gross primary production (GPP) is total primary production; net primary production (NPP) is GPP less the energy used for cellular respiration.
- Secondary production: Amount of energy consumers convert to biomass. Production efficiency (PE) is the fraction of energy stored as food that is used for secondary production.
- Assimilation: Total energy taken in by organisms; a component of Secondary Production.
Nutrient Cycling
- Nutrient cycling: Movement of nutrients between biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components of ecosystems. An example is the carbon cycle where photosynthetic organisms convert CO2 to organic molecules, which are used by heterotrophs.
- Anthropogenic global environmental change: Human activities have a significant impact on the environment including pollution, like excessive nutrients from fertilizers leading to eutrophication. This can cause an oxygen drop in water bodies, harming aquatic life.
Climate Change
- Climate change: Significant, lasting change in statistical weather distributions.
- Causes: Greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., CO2, CH4) from human activities, trapping heat.
- Impacts: Changes in species distribution; extinction risk; shifts in species ranges; phenological shifts affecting life cycle timing.
- Solutions: Increasing energy efficiency, developing low-carbon electricity, and using carbon-neutral fuels.
Community Ecology
- Community Ecology: Study of interacting species in the same area and time.
- Ecological niche: Total use of biotic and abiotic resources by organisms.
- Interspecific interactions: Interactions between different species.
- Competition (-/-): Competition for limited resources. Competitive exclusion results in elimination of one species. Resource partitioning allows species to coexist by using resources in different ways.
- Predation (+/-): Predator kills and eats prey. Adaptations like camouflage/mimicry are used by prey and predators.
- Herbivory (+/-): Herbivore eats plants. Plants evolve defenses (thorns, toxins).
- Parasitism (+/-): A parasite derives nutrition from its host while harming it.
- Mutualism (+/+): Both species benefit from the interaction (e.g., bacteria in the gut).
- Commensalism (+/0): One species benefits, and the other is unaffected.
- Species diversity: Number of species and their relative abundance in a community. Species richness, relative abundance, and diversity indices like the Shannon diversity index are used to quantify biodiversity.
- Productivity: Rate of biomass generation in an ecosystem.
- Stability: Community's resistance and resilience to environmental change.
- Keystone species: Important species that have a disproportionate effect on the ecosystem despite low abundance.
- Food chains/Food webs: Energy flow through trophic levels/complex feeding interactions.
- Disturbance: Changes (e.g., storms, fires) that alter communities. A community response to disturbance can be studied through the species composition of the area exposed to the disturbance.
- Ecological succession: Change in species composition after a disturbance; leading to an established stable climax community.
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Description
Test your knowledge on key concepts in population ecology, including intrinsic rate of natural increase, carrying capacity, and survivorship curves. This quiz covers various factors influencing population dynamics and biodiversity, providing a comprehensive overview of ecological principles.
