Population ecology

populaton

group of interbreeding indv occupying the same habitat

population ecology

studies factors affecting population size and how they change over space and time

demography

birth/death rates, age/size of populations

density

number of organisms in a given unit area

quadrat method

estimates pop size; count indv within randomly placed squares

mark-recapture

capture and mark some indv, release back into wild, then recapture

dispersion

degree of spacing between individuals in a population

survivorship

proportion of individuals in a population that survive to a certain age

fecundity

potential reproductive capacity of an indv or pop

exponential growth

rapid population increase

logistic growth

population growth slowing as it approaches K

carrying capacity (k)

maximum population size that an environment can sustain

population dynamics

how resources and envi pressures regulate pop size

density-dependent factors

competition, predation, disease

density-independent factors

weather and natural disasters

r-selected species

thrive in unpredictable environments

what factors influence r-selected species

density independent

k-selected species

adapted to stable environments

what factors influence k selected species

density dependent factors

semelparity

produce all offspring in a single reproductive event

iteroparity

patterns of repeated reproductions throughout life cycle