Population Distribution and Abundance

Distribution

geographic area which individuals of a species live

Abundance

the number of individuals in a specific area

how can abundance be reported

• pop. size

• pop. density

Calculating density

pop. size divided by number unit of area (ex: acre)

Absolute density measures

number per area/volume

Relative density

number caught per time frame

Active sampling

when researchers are actively capturing organisms

Passive sampling

nets/traps are set

Genet

individuals that are products of a single fertilization

Ramets

members of a genet (may be physiologically independent)

Niche Breadth

the narrowness or broadness of range of physical conditions a species can tolerate

Geographic range

the entire region which a species is found

Dispersion

the spatial arrangement of individuals within a population

Three dispersion patterns

• Regular (evenly spaces)

• Random

• Clumped (most common)