Vocab
What is a population?
A group of individuals of the same species, living in the same area, at the same time.
Give an example of an organism with a type 1 survivorship curve
large mammals (gives lots of good care early on, only produce a small number of offspring at a time)
What two processes will increase the size of the population?
birth rate and immigration
Define competition.
a relationship between members of the same species, as they strive to obtain the same resource.
Define carrying capacity
The maximum amount of individuals that an area can support over a long period of time.
What is population density?
The number of individuals per unit of area
Describe the mortality rate in organisms with a type 3 survivorship curve.
high death rate early on, drops sharply (declines) later in life for the few that do survive the early years.
What two processes will cause the population to decline?
death rate and emigration
Define predation
Interaction betweeb two different organisms in which one captures and eats the other.
What is a limiting factor and give an example.
Anything that causes a population to have a decreased growth rate. (competition)
What is dispersion?
spatial distribution of individuals (clumped, random, uniform)
Give an example of an organism with a type 2 survivorship curve.
rodents and lizards (equal chances of dying throughout entire life)
Describe exponential growth.
constant growth rate
What factors have allowed the human population to grow exponentially for so long?
development of agriculture, development of medicines, technology, etc.
What is the benefit of male lion #1 "owning" a territory?
He's got unlimited use of the resources in that area without competition.
Define birth rate.
the number of births in a given time period
Describe the mortality rate in organisms with a type 1 survivorship curve.
flat at the start (in the early years, low death rate) but spikes in the later years (higher death rate in the later years)
Describe logistic growth
exhibits a period of exponential growth followed by a period of slowed (or stopping completely).
Describe a scenario in which one species can affect another positively.
varies by student
Give an example of a density-independent limiting factor.
unusual weather conditions, natural disasters, humans!, logging. etc.
Define death rate.
The number of deaths in a given time period
Give an example of an organism with a type 3 survivorship curve.
fish or insects (anyone who has many offspring and provides little to no care for those offspring)
How long can exponential growth continue?
For as long as mother nature can keep the population "happy" and "healthy"
Describe a scenario in which a population can affect another negatively.
varies by student
Give an example of density-dependent limiting factors.
competition, predation, parasites, disease, food shortages, shortages of available nesting sites, etc.