BISC 130 - Chapter 20: Population Ecology

What are the important metrics in population ecology?

Population size, population density, distribution patterns, and life tables.

What is population size?

The number of individuals in a certain area.

How is population density calculated?

Population size divided by area or volume.

What patterns can species distribution take?

Distribution patterns can be uniform, random, or clumped.

What does a life table show?

It shows ages and mortality rates in populations.

What are survivorship curves?

Graphs that depict the age-specific mortality rates of a population.

What is carrying capacity (cc)?

The maximum number of organisms that an area can support based on available resources.

What kind of a graph depicts Carrying Capacity?

Logistic Graph

How can carrying capacity change?

It can change if environmental conditions change, such as a change in available resources or new competitors/predators.

What are the maximum number of humans that our planet can support?

Depends; there isn’t an exact number. Technology has significantly raised that ceiling.

What are K-selected species?

Species that have slow reproduction/growth, few offspring, high parental care, and are suited to stable environments.

What are r-selected species?

Species that reproduce rapidly, have many offspring, low parental care, and are suited to changing environments.

What influence does predation have on populations?

Predators affect prey population size and carrying capacity, while prey availability affects predator population size.

What is mutualism?

A type of symbiosis where both parties benefit from the interaction.

What is parasitism?

A type of symbiosis where one organism benefits and the other is harmed.

What is commensalism?

A type of symbiosis where one partner benefits and the other is neutral.

What is the Competitive Exclusion Principle?

It leads to the extinction of one species in a community, though small differences can allow coexistence.

Give an example of mutualism.

Clownfish and sea anemone, or pollinators and flowering plants.

What is aposematic coloration?

Bright or vibrant colors that warn predators to avoid the organism.

What is Mullerian mimicry?

A type of mimicry where species share coloration and are all harmful to predators.