Population Ecology Flashcards

A set of 20 vocabulary flashcards covering the key concepts and terms from the Population Ecology lecture notes.

Ecology

The study of how living things interact with each other and the environment.

Population ecology

A field of ecology that focuses on one group of the same species.

Stable population

A population with about the same number of individuals because births and deaths stay balanced.

Growth rate ($r$)

The value calculated by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate.

Exponential growth

Growth that happens when a population grows quickly without limits.

Logistic growth

Growth that slows as resources run out.

Carrying capacity ($K$)

The largest population an environment can support, which limits how much a population can grow.

Density-dependent factors

Factors that affect populations more as they get bigger.

Density-independent factors

Factors that affect populations regardless of the population size.

Population oscillation

The pattern where a population (like rabbits) goes up and down each year because of changes in food and predators.

Maximum sustainable yield

The largest amount that can be taken from a population without lowering it below its carrying capacity ($K$).

Life history

The pattern of how a species grows, reproduces, and survives, such as sea turtles laying eggs.

Reproductive investment

The amount of time and energy an organism puts into producing and caring for offspring.

Life history tradeoffs

When an organism gives up one advantage for another, such as having many babies but giving each one less care.

Life table

A tool that shows survival and reproduction at different ages and is used to study population growth.

Survivorship curves

Graphs that show how likely organisms are to survive at different ages (Type I, II, and III).

Aging

A process that occurs because damage builds up in the body over time and cells cannot repair everything forever.

Hazard factors

Variables that influence lifespan; low factors lead to living longer while high factors often lead to dying younger.

Age pyramids

Visual representations of the ages in a population that show if it is likely to grow, shrink, or stay stable.

Ecological footprint

The amount of land and resources a person uses to support their lifestyle.