Population dynamics

Carrying capacity

The number of organisms of one species that an environment can support indefinitely

Population growth

An increase in the number of individuals in a population

What causes population growth?

Unlimited resources and reproduction

Exponential Growth

As population gets larger, it also grows at a faster rate

Examples of growth limitations

Resources, disease, organism interaction, habitat size/ overcrowding, weather

Growth limitations

When a population overshoots carrying capacity, limiting factors may come into effect

Logistic growth curve

Deaths begin to exceed birth and the population falls below carrying capacity

Two Types of Limiting Factors

Density-dependent and density-independent

Population density

Describes number of individuals in a given area

Density-dependent factors

Disease, competition, predators, parasites, and food

Density-independent factors

Effect all populations regardless of their density

Examples of density-independent factors

Abiotic factors such as temperature, storms, floods, droughts, and major habitat destruction

Predation

Populations of predators and prey experience cycles of changes in their numbers over periods of time