Properties of Populations and Population Growth

This set of flashcards covers key concepts related to the properties of populations and population growth as discussed in the lecture notes.

What is a population?

A group of individuals of the same species occupying a defined area and capable of interbreeding.

What are the key properties of a population?

Abundance (N), density, distribution, population structure (age, stage, size, sex ratio), and dynamics.

What distinguishes unitary organisms from modular organisms?

Unitary organisms are genetically unique with a determinate form; modular organisms grow by repeating units.

Define 'genet' and 'ramet'.

Genet is the genetic individual originating from a zygote; ramet is a module/clone that can function as an individual.

What does population distribution define?

The spatial location of a population defined at multiple scales.

Differentiate between ubiquitous species and endemic species.

Ubiquitous species have a broad geographic range; endemic species have a restricted range.

What is abundance (N)?

The total number of individuals in a defined area.

Explain the difference between crude density and ecological density.

Crude density is total abundance per area; ecological density is abundance per area of suitable habitat.

What are the three distribution patterns in populations?

Clumped, uniform, and random.

What is demographic stochasticity?

Random variation in births and deaths due to finite population sizes, significant in small populations.

What are the implications of age structure in populations?

Age structure affects future growth and dynamics; can predict population momentum.

What defines a metapopulation?

A set of local populations in patches connected by dispersal.

What is the Allee effect?

At low population densities, per capita growth rates decrease further as population size decreases.

What does the term 'density-dependent factors' refer to?

Factors that change in intensity with population density, providing feedback on population growth.

What is the logistic growth model?

dN/dt = rN(1-N/K), describes population growth with a carrying capacity.

What is r in population dynamics?

The intrinsic rate of increase, calculated as the difference between birth rate and death rate.

Explain the distinction between semelparity and iteroparity.

Semelparity refers to organisms that reproduce once and die; iteroparity refers to organisms that reproduce multiple times.

Define carrying capacity (K).

The maximum sustainable population size in an environment given resource limits.

What are the main trade-offs in life history evolution?

Trade-offs involve the allocation of finite resources among growth, maintenance, and reproduction.

Explain the significance of life tables in population studies.

Life tables provide schedules of age-specific mortality and survival which are essential for understanding population dynamics.

What is a population?

A group of individuals of the same species occupying a defined area and capable of interbreeding.

What are the key properties of a population?

Abundance (N), density, distribution, population structure (age, stage, size, sex ratio), and dynamics.

What distinguishes unitary organisms from modular organisms?

Unitary organisms are genetically unique with a determinate form; modular organisms grow by repeating units.

Define 'genet' and 'ramet'.

Genet is the genetic individual originating from a zygote; ramet is a module/clone that can function as an individual.

What does population distribution define?

The spatial location of a population defined at multiple scales.

Differentiate between ubiquitous species and endemic species.

Ubiquitous species have a broad geographic range; endemic species have a restricted range.

What is abundance (N)?

The total number of individuals in a defined area.

Explain the difference between crude density and ecological density.

Crude density is total abundance per area; ecological density is abundance per area of suitable habitat.

What are the three distribution patterns in populations?

Clumped, uniform, and random.

What is demographic stochasticity?

Random variation in births and deaths due to finite population sizes, significant in small populations.

What are the implications of age structure in populations?

Age structure affects future growth and dynamics; can predict population momentum.

What defines a metapopulation?

A set of local populations in patches connected by dispersal.

What is the Allee effect?

At low population densities, per capita growth rates decrease further as population size decreases.

What does the term 'density-dependent factors' refer to?

Factors that change in intensity with population density, providing feedback on population growth.

What is the logistic growth model?

dN/dt = rN(1-N/K) , describes population growth with a carrying capacity.

What is r in population dynamics?

The intrinsic rate of increase, calculated as the difference between birth rate and death rate.

Explain the distinction between semelparity and iteroparity.

Semelparity refers to organisms that reproduce once and die; iteroparity refers to organisms that reproduce multiple times.

Define carrying capacity (K).

The maximum sustainable population size in an environment given resource limits.

What are the main trade-offs in life history evolution?

Trade-offs involve the allocation of finite resources among growth, maintenance, and reproduction.

Explain the significance of life tables in population studies.

Life tables provide schedules of age-specific mortality and survival which are essential for understanding population dynamics.

What is the exponential growth model?

dN/dt = rN describes population growth in an unlimited environment, where r is the intrinsic rate of increase and N is population size.

What are density-independent factors?

Factors that affect per capita birth or death rates regardless of population density, such as natural disasters or extreme weather.

What are the three types of survivorship curves?

Type I (high survival in early/middle life), Type II (constant mortality rate), and Type III (high mortality in early life).

What typically causes clumped, uniform, and random distribution patterns?

Clumped: resource aggregation, social behavior; Uniform: competition, territoriality; Random: rare, no strong attractions or repulsions among individuals.

Differentiate between intraspecific and interspecific competition.

Intraspecific competition occurs among individuals of the same species; interspecific competition occurs among individuals of different species.