Lab 11: Population Ecology PDF

Lab 11: Population Ecology Introduction to Population Ecology What is Population Ecology? ○ Study of factors affecting population size and composition. ○ Focus on births, deaths, immigration, and emigration. Why Does It Matter? ○ Human impact on natural resources. ○...

Lab 11: Population Ecology Introduction to Population Ecology What is Population Ecology? ○ Study of factors affecting population size and composition. ○ Focus on births, deaths, immigration, and emigration. Why Does It Matter? ○ Human impact on natural resources. ○ Importance for conservation and sustainability efforts. Key Concepts and vocabulary Demography: Statistics related to births and deaths within populations. Population Growth: ○ Can be exponential (rapid growth until limited by resources). ○ Importance of understanding limitations for human and natural populations. Factors Affecting Population Growth Population Growth Formula: Growth = B + I - D - E Births (B), Deaths (D), Immigration (I), Emigration (E) Regulating Factors: ○ Food and Habitat Availability ○ Mate Availability and Competition (interspecific & intraspecific) ○ Disease, Predation, Climatic Factors Carrying Capacity The point at which a population can no longer grow due to limited resources.  Food Chain Sequence of energy transfer from producers to apex predators. Examples: Producers, Primary Consumers (herbivores), Secondary Consumers, etc. Food web Complex network of interconnected food chains. Species linked within an ecosystem Predator-Prey Dynamics predator-Prey Relationship: ○ Predators regulate prey population and vice versa. ○ Population cycles between predator and prey (e.g., lynx and hare). ○ Predation regulates population growth by contributing to the mortality rate. ○ Over time, both the predator and the prey can become linked. Lab Scenario: Beans as prey, students as predators. Human Impact on Population Ecology Resources Affected by Consumption: Energy: Fossil fuel usage, climate change. Water: Overdrafting and impact on natural springs. Space: Urban sprawl leading to habitat destruction. Examples: Urban areas like Mexico City struggle with overpopulation impacts. Investigation 1: Predator Prey Relationships - 100 individuals of each prey species (beans) will be spread across a 5x5m “hunting ground” - Predators have 60 seconds to “eat” as many prey items as possible - To survive, you must have at least twenty prey in your “stomach” at the end of the round. - If you die, in the next round you become the predator species that ate the most. - Before beginning the next round, the surviving prey will “reproduce” (We will add as many beans of each type that remain. i.e. if there are 50 pinto beans left, assume each bean has one offspring, and we will add another 50 pinto beans to the “Arena”. - The carrying capacity for each species is 800 individuals.