Honors Biology: Mod 7a Populations Vocabulary

Population density

number of individuals per unit area

Age structure

the number of males and females of each age group that a population contains

Immigration

movement of individuals into an area occupied by an existing population

Emigration

movement of individuals out of an area

Exponential growth

growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at an increasing rate

Logistic growth

growth pattern in which a populations growth slows and the stops following a period of exponential growth

Carrying capacity

largest number of individuals of a particular species that a particular environment can support

Limiting factor

factor that causes population growth to decrease

Density-dependent limiting factor

limiting factor that depends on population density

Density-independent limiting factor

limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways regardless of the population density.

Demography

scientific study of human populations

Demographic transition

change in a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates