Lecture 3: Population ecology and growth

Biology 171

What is the def. of a population

It is a group of individuals that are from the same species that live and interact in the same area at the same time

What are the 4 things that can change population size

births, deaths, immigration and emmigration

What is the def. of Fecundity

It is how many offspring an individual can have in a lifetime

What are limiting factors

These are factors that keep a population in check: for ex: food, temp, mates and space

What are density dependent limitations:

These are factors that limit growth due to env stress caused by the population size (not enough food, water or space)

What are density Independent limitations

These are catastrophe like factors, these effect regardless of how big or small a population is

What is exponential growth

This is when a population grows faster and faster over time assuming that there are unlimited resources J shaped curve

What is Logistic growth

This is when a population grows fast initially but then slows down as it reaches the carrying capacity K, S shaped curve

What does lambda represent

It shows population growth over a discrete interval of time