Populations & Ecology

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms and definitions related to the concepts of populations and ecology from the lecture notes.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area.

Population density

The number of individuals that live in a given amount of space.

Extinction risk

Small populations are more at risk for extinction due to random events.

Founder effect

Occurs when a few organisms start a new population.

Inbreeding

Mating between closely related individuals, increasing the chance of harmful traits.

Divergence

Identical parent populations can diverge over generations due to random events.

Dispersion

The way organisms are arranged in space.

Population dispersion patterns

The three basic patterns are random, uniform, and clumped.

Random sampling

A method commonly used to estimate population size.

Catch and Release

A method for counting organisms by capturing, marking, and releasing them.

Mark and Recapture

A method for estimating population size by capturing and marking organisms.

Immigration

The movement of individuals into an area.

Emigration

The movement of individuals out of an area.

Growth rate

The change in population size over time.

Exponential growth

A growth pattern where reproduction occurs at a constant rate, leading to rapid population increase.

Logistic growth

A growth pattern that levels off as population reaches carrying capacity.

Limiting factors

Conditions that limit the growth of a population.

Density-dependent limiting factors

Factors that slow growth only in high-density populations.

Density-independent limiting factors

Factors that affect populations regardless of their density.

r-Strategists

Organisms that reproduce rapidly with many offspring and short lifespans.

K-Strategists

Organisms that reproduce slowly with few offspring and longer lifespans.

Demography

The study of populations, including birth rates, death rates, and age distribution.

Age structure diagrams

Graphs that display the distribution of individuals across age categories.