Population Ecology Terms
The study of how individual organisms interact with their environment.
Organismal ecology
What is a smaller group of individuals or observations selected from a larger population called?
sample
Type of growth that typically shows a J-curve on a line graph of population size over time.
Exponential growth
A table showing the survival and reproduction of individuals at different ages in a population.
life history table
Say my name correctly :)
F"ROAR"!
A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time.
population
In the notation n = 25, what does n represent?
sample size
A wildfire reduces a habitat's resources regardless of whether the population was large or small. Is this density-dependent or density-independent?
density-independent factor
A life history strategy characterized by producing many offspring, with relatively little parental investment in each offspring.
opportunistic life history pattern (r-selected)
What is Utah's state crustacean?
brine shrimp
The study of populations, including their size, density, distribution, and changes over time.
Population ecology
A population contains 500 deer in an area of 100 km². What is the population's density?
5 deer/km²
A population initially grows rapidly but then slows as it approaches a relatively stable maximum population size. What type of growth curve is this?
logistic growth
A population has a large proportion of individuals below reproductive age. What does this suggest about its potential future population growth?
The population has the potential to increase as many young individuals reach reproductive age.
How many national parks are there in Utah?
five!
A drought causes a decrease in available water and the population of a plant species decreases. Is water an abiotic or biotic factor?
abiotic factor
Individuals are grouped together in patches or groups. This is the most common distribution pattern in nature.
clumped distribution
A population fluctuates around 2,000 individuals for many years. What ecological concept does the average population size likely represent, and what factors could cause the fluctuations?
represents the population's carrying capacity... fluctuations could result from changes in food, predators, disease, competition, weather, or other limiting factors.
Individuals have a relatively constant probability of dying at each age. Which survivorship curve is this?
Type II survivorship curve
Name one endangered species found in Utah.
Black-footed Ferret, Prairie dog, California condor, June Sucker
A population of rabbits contains individuals with different fur colors. Predators more easily see one color against the local environment. Over many generations, the less-visible color becomes more common. What evolutionary process explains this change?
natural selection
A researcher places a square frame on the ground and counts all the plants inside it. What sampling method is being used?
quadrat sampling
A disease spreads rapidly through a crowded population but has little effect when individuals are widely separated. Explain why this is density-dependent.
Higher population density increases the frequency of contact between individuals, making transmission easier.
The net reproductive rate in a life history table is calculated to be 1.24. What does that tell us about this particular population?
It is increasing
What is Utah's state flower?
Sego Lily