Population Ecology
What are the two methods used for estimating a population?
Mark and recapture and quadrant method
What are Density-independent factors?
are limiting factors whose influence are not affected by population density.
What are Limiting factors?
are things that prevent a population from growing any larger.
What type of population dispersion best represents what is happening in nature>
clumped
Population dispersion
describes how organisms are arranged within an area
Population size
describes the number of individual organisms present in a given population at a given time
Population density
describes the number of individuals within a population per unit area
Age structure
describes the relative numbers of organisms of each age with in a population
Population growth
determined by births, deaths, immigration, and emigration
Immigration
the number of individuals that move into the population
Emigration
the number of individuals that move out of the population
Which population of flamingos is more dense: 15 flamingos in a 5-square-meter area, or 40 flamingos in a 10-square-meter area?
40 flamingos in a 10-square meter area.
Which of the following is abiotic? A) Wellington the human B) an alligator C) grass D) water
D (but also A)
Community
All the populations in a particular area make up a community
How do you calculate population density?
# of organisms/land area
What is the formula for population change?
(Births + Immigration) - (Deaths + Emigration)
A community is several species of animals interacting while a population is A) members of one species in an area B) the biotic and abiotic elements of an area C) the nonliving elements of a habitat D) a single organism
A
An S shaped curve is characteristic of a ____ growth curve. A) logistic C) exponential
A
The largest population an environment can support is its A) carrying capacity B) limiting factor C) population D) symbiosis
A
Rocks, temperature, and water are what part of the environment? A) biotic B) abiotic C) population D) living
B
Which distribution pattern does territoriality produce? A) random B) uniform C) clumped D) none of the above, territoriality isn't important in determining distribution patterns.
B
Individual
Basic unit of study for an ecologist
If scientists are studying the egrets, herons, marsh crabs, and cordgrass, but not the water or rocks in a salt marsh, what level of organization would they be studying? A) individual organism B) population C) community D) ecosystem
C
Most populations are distributed A) uniformly B) randomly C) in clumps
C
What do several different populations living together make? A) a biosphere B) an organism C) a community D) an ecosystem
C
What are the three types of population dispersion
Clumped, uniform and random
What are the Levels of Ecological Organization?
Individual, Species, Population, Community, Ecosystem and Biospher
Population
Members if a species that live int the same are at the same time make up a population
Ecosystem
This level of ecological organization includes not only living things, but nonliving things as well
What are Density-dependent factors?
are limiting factors whose influence are affected by population density.
What is Logistic Growth?
how a population's initial exponential increase is slowed and finally stopped by limiting factors- until the population levels off and stabilizes around the carrying capacity. S-shaped curve.
Biosphere
includes all parts of the Earth that host life, with all its organisms and environments.
Species
is a group of individuals that interbreed and produce fertile offspring
What is Carrying Capacity?
is the maximum number of organisms in a population supported by an ecosystem's resources/limiting factors.
Ecology
is the study of how organisms interact with each other and with their environments. Ecologists study these interactions at many levels.
Sex ratio
proportion of males to females in the population
What is Exponential Growth?
regardless of population size, making the population grow faster and fast as it gets larger. J-shaped curve.
