Population Ecology 2

Demography

The study of key population characteristics including how they change over time

Age structure

the distribution of individuals within a population across different age groups.

Life tables

summarize the survival and reproductive rates of individuals in certain age groups.

Corhort

group of individuals of the same age from birth until death

Life history

The traits that affect the pattern of reproductive rate and pattern

Survivorship curves

the number of individuals in a corhort that survive at each age

Type 1 curve

Low death rates during early and midlife, sharp decline at old age groups

Type II curve

Mortality is fairly constant throughout the lifespan.

R-selection

Selection for traits that maximizes reproductive success at low population densities

K-selection

Selection for traits that maximize reproductive success at high population densities

Density Independent

factors that increase or decrease as population changes

Density independent

a factor that does not change with population density

Equilibrium population density

is defense of an area against other individuals competition for space.

Allelopathy

The release of chemicals that inhibits growth of other plants.