Population Biology

Flashcards covering vocabulary and key concepts related to population biology, including environmental factors, population dynamics, growth models, and survival strategies.

Abiotic

Non-living components of the environment, such as temperature, water, sunlight, and soil.

Biotic

Living organisms in the environment.

Population

Groups of individuals in one place and time.

Population Ecology

Focuses on characteristics of a population, including range, dispersion, size, and demographics.

Population Range

Where a population is located.

Dispersion

Pattern of spacing of individuals within the population range.

Random Spacing

Individuals do not interact strongly with one another; not common in nature.

Uniform Spacing

Behavioral interactions, resource competition lead to this type of spacing.

Clumped Spacing

Uneven distribution of resources; common in nature.

Metapopulations

Clumped distribution makes partially separated subpopulations.

Source-Sink Metapopulations

Subpopulations in better areas (source) bolster the population in poorer areas (sink).

Population Dynamics

Change in population size over time.

Fitness

Ability to pass on genes to next generation.

Generation Time

Average interval between generations.

Cohort

Group of individuals of the same age.

Fecundity

Number of offspring produced in a standard time.

Mortality

Death rate in a standard time.

Survivorship Curve

Percent of an original population that survives to a given age.

Biotic Potential

The intrinsic rate of natural increase for the population (r = b - d); innate capacity for growth.

Carrying Capacity (K)

The maximum number of individuals that the environment can support.

K-selected populations

Adapted to thrive when population is near its carrying capacity; individuals must compete and utilize resources efficiently.

r-selected populations

Populations far below carrying capacity, evolutionary success by rapid population growth.

Allee effect

Growth rates increase with population size.

Density-Independent Effects

Rate of growth of a population can be limited by factors unrelated to the size of the population.

Pandemic

Widespread disease outbreak that extends over multiple countries.

Epidemic

More localized outbreak.

Herd Immunity

Phenomenon when the proportion of those immune in the population is large enough to stop the spread of the disease.