Natality and Population Regulation

Types of Natality

R - strategy

• Large number of offspring

• Lack of parental care

• Pioneer species (e.g. Insects, frog, fish)

K - strategy

• Only a few offspring

• High level of parental care

• Climax species (e.g. birds, mammals)

Regulation of population size

• Stable population : numbers fluctuate around carrying capacity

• Unstable population : population exceeds carrying capacity to a point of damaging carrying capacity of environment. It can then no longer sustain the population, causing it to decrease

  
  

• Density dependent factors

  play a greater effect as population increases

  Competition for space, food, and water; predation and diseases

• Density independent factors

  Affects population regardless of size

  Extreme changes in temperature

  Natural disasters