Population Ecology and Demography: Species, Growth Models, and Competition

What is a biological species?

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

What are the three types of population distribution?

Clumped, Random, and Uniform.

What does the Coefficient of Dispersion indicate?

It helps infer the type of distribution of a population.

What are Ramets and Genets?

Ramets are individual clones, while Genets are the genetic individuals from which ramets arise.

What is the difference between estimates and counts in population studies?

Estimates are approximations of population size, while counts are actual tallies of individuals.

What is a Quadrat?

A sampling method used to estimate population density in a defined area.

What is the Lincoln-Peterson method used for?

To estimate the abundance of a population using mark/recapture techniques.

What information can age pyramids provide?

They can estimate changes in population abundance over time.

What does 'qx' represent in life tables?

Mortality rate at a specific age.

What is 'lx' in the context of life tables?

Survivorship, or the proportion of individuals surviving to a certain age.

What does 'sx' indicate in life tables?

Survival rate, or the probability of surviving from one age to the next.

What are the three types of survivorship curves?

Type I, Type II, and Type III.

What do Leslie matrices incorporate?

Survivorship and fecundity to predict population growth.

How do you calculate the geometric growth rate (λ)?

By comparing population sizes at two different times.

What is carrying capacity?

The maximum population size that an environment can sustain.

What is the Allee effect?

A phenomenon where population growth is hindered at low population densities.

What is a metapopulation?

A group of spatially separated populations of the same species that interact through immigration and emigration.

What does Levins' metapopulation model calculate?

The probability of local extinction and persistence.

What is competitive exclusion?

The principle that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist.

What is resource partitioning?

The division of resources among species to reduce competition.

What are invasive species?

Non-native species that spread widely and cause harm to ecosystems.

What is the difference between fundamental and realized niche?

Fundamental niche is the potential mode of existence, while realized niche is the actual mode of existence due to biotic interactions.