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APES > Population Ecology > Flashcards

Population Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

A

Species

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2
Q

A group of organisms of one species in an area.

A

Population

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3
Q

A group of organisms of many species in an area.

A

Community

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4
Q

Factors that define how rapidly a species can reproduce.

A

Biotic Potential

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5
Q

List 5 aspects of the biotic potential of a species.

A

A. How long it takes to reach sexual maturity.
B. How likely they are to survive until sexual maturity.
C. The amount of time between reproducing (How often they can reproduce).
D. The number of reproductions in a lifetime.
E. The number of offspring produced in each reproduction.

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6
Q

How can wildlife managers make use of understanding the biotic potential of pest species?

A

They can take actions to attempt to reduce the biotic potential of the species.

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7
Q

How can wildlife managers make use of understanding the biotic potential of endangered species?

A

They can take actions to attempt to increase the biotic potential of the species.

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8
Q

What does “r” stand for?

A

The growth Rate of a population.

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9
Q

Give the equation used to calculate population growth.

A

r = (b-d) / N

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10
Q

What does each term in the growth rate equation represent?

A

r = growth rate
b = births
d = deaths
N = original Number in population.

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11
Q

3000 flying squirrels live in the Tahoe basin. 700 adults died last year due to predation by cats and natural predators, accidents with cars, disease, and old age. There were 5000 offspring born last season, but only 500 of these survived to adulthood. Find r for this population.

A

r = (500-700) / 3000 =
-.067 = -6.7%

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12
Q

If r is a negative number, what does the minus sign show us about the population’s growth?

A

It shows negative population growth, with the population decreasing.

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13
Q

Give the equation for finding the future size of a population (or a financial investment).

A

F = I(1+r) ^t

To solve this, start with (1+r).
Next, raising the result to the t power.
Finish by multiplying by I.

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14
Q

What does each term in the future population equation represent?

A

F = Final Population
I = Initial Population
r = Growth Rate
t = Time in years

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15
Q

Calculate the population of flying squirrels five years from now ( there were 3000 to start with, and they had a growth rate of -.067).

A

In five years, there will be 2121 squirrels. (If you rounded differently, you may have gotten an answer that was not exactly the same, which is ok. But it should be close to 2100).

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16
Q

What does “K” stand for?

A

Carrying Capacity

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17
Q

What is carrying capacity?

A

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

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18
Q

A rapid increase in a population by a certain percentage each year.

A

Exponential Growth

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19
Q

A slow increase in a population by a fixed number of individuals each year.

A

Linear Growth

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20
Q

The death rate of a population.

A

Mortality

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21
Q

The number of individuals that live to various ages in a population.

A

Survivorship

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22
Q

The type of survivorship curve shown by organisms such as fish that have many offspring, but few of them survive to adulthood.

A

Type III, or Early Loss

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23
Q

The type of survivorship curve shown by organisms such as mice that have the same mortality rate in juveniles as they do as adults.

A

Type II, or Constant Loss

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24
Q

The type of survivorship curve shown by organisms such as humans that have few offspring, with most of them surviving to adulthood.

A

Type I, or Late Loss

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25
Q

The number of different species in an area.

A

Diversity

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26
Q

The number of individuals in an area (how crowded it is).

A

Density

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27
Q

Influences on population growth which limit the population more and more as the population becomes more crowded.

A

Density-Dependent Factors

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28
Q

Influences on population growth which limit the population the same way in both crowded and non-crowded conditions.

A

Density-Independent Factors

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29
Q

Species that grow rapidly under ideal conditions - they often colonize new environments.

A

Opportunists, aka, r-strategists, aka, pioneer species

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30
Q

Species that have slower population growth, few young, and remain in balance with their environment.

A

Equilibrium species, aka, k-strategists

31
Q

Name and describe three techniques used by population ecologists to estimate the size of a wild population of organisms.

A

A. Sampling Surveys: Accurate counts of organisms within a limited area are multiplied by the total range of the species. Example: count all the Jeffrey Pines in one acre, and multiply by the number of acres of forest.
B. Aerial Surveys: Take photos of a species that is visible from the air, and use a magnifying glass to count the number of organisms. Example: Fly over a population of snow geese on a lake where they rest during migration, and take photos - then count the number of geese in the photos.
C. Mark and Recapture: Catch an initial group of organisms, put some kind of tag on them, and release them. Then catch several other groups of organisms and calculate how many were recaptures vs. initial captures. A mathematical formula allows estimating the population size from this data. Example: Set up “mist nets” in a bird’s nesting habitat. Catch birds and put bands on their legs. Release birds, and repeat the process to find the ratio between new captures and recaptures.
D. Transect Surveys: Similar to sampling surveys, but the survey is conducted along a straight line instead of across an area.

32
Q

A type of bar graph that shows the number of individuals of different ages within a population.

A

Age Structure Diagram

33
Q

How are age structure diagrams useful?

A

First, to examine the age distribution of a population. But more importantly, this information allows making predictions about the future population growth of the species.

34
Q

What is the most important age group to analyze in an age structure diagram when predicting future population growth? Why?

A

The pre-reproductive age group is the most important, because they will become the next generation of parents. Their numbers indicate how many offspring will be born in the future.

35
Q

Predict what a population will do if it has an age structure diagram shaped like a column. Explain why you made this prediction.

A

The population should remain the same size in the future, because the number of young organisms is the same as the number of current parents. These young organisms will replace their parents without increasing the number of parents, so the number of offspring should remain constant.

36
Q

Predict what a population will do if it has an age structure diagram shaped like a vase (broader at the top than the bottom). Explain why you made this prediction.

A

The population should get smaller in the future, because there are not many offspring. Since there is a lack of young organisms to replace the current parents, there will be fewer parents in the future, and even fewer offspring from them.

37
Q

Predict what a population will do if it has an age structure diagram shaped like a pyramid. Explain why you made this prediction.

A

The population should grow rapidly in the future, because there is a large number of young organisms. When they reach reproductive age, there will be more parents than there are today, and they will have even more offspring.

38
Q

The age structure diagram of people in the US shows a large number of “baby boomers,” who are now between 55 and 75 years old. What does this indicate for the future?

A

As these boomers age, the number of senior citizens will grow much larger than it has been in the past. This means that there will be a greater need for social security and other retirement programs, along with an increased need for medical facilities and medical insurance for older people.

39
Q

What is the current world population?

A

Just over 8 billion people.

40
Q

What is the current US population?

A

Almost 350 million people.

41
Q

What is the current Washoe County population?

A

About 450,000 people.

42
Q

What is the current world growth rate?

A

Just under 1%.

43
Q

What is the current US growth rate?

A

About a half percent ( 0.005 or 0.5%).

44
Q

List the 5 most populous countries in order.

A

India, China, USA, Indonesia, Pakistan

45
Q

Give the populations of China and India

A

Both are just under 1.5 billion, with China slightly more populous than India.

46
Q

Compare the growth rates of China and India, and describe what this suggests for their futures.

A

India has a higher growth rate than China, suggesting that India will become the most populous nation in the future.

47
Q

Give the resident and visitor populations of Tahoe.

A

There are about 20,000 residents, with about 15 million visitors each year.

48
Q

The study of human populations and their characteristics.

A

Demography

49
Q

The time it takes for a population to double is size.

A

Doubling Time

50
Q

What does the Rule of 70 allow us to calculate?

A

Doubling Time

51
Q

How do you use the Rule of 70?

A

70 divided by r (the growth rate of a population) = the number of years for the population to double.

52
Q

How many years will it take a population to double if they have a 3% growth rate?

A

70 / 3 =
23.3 years

53
Q

What is happening to the doubling time of the human population?

A

It is getting shorter, with the population doubling quicker and quicker.

54
Q

The average income of a person in an area.

A

Standard of Living

55
Q

The amount of goods and services that a country produces each year.

A

Gross National Product (GNP)

56
Q

No change in the size of a population due to the number of births equaling the number of deaths.

A

Zero Population Growth (ZPG)

57
Q

People limiting the number of offspring to two per couple.

A

Replacement Reproduction
(they have just enough kids to replace the parents).

58
Q

A large increase in the number of children born in the US after World War II.

A

Baby Boom

59
Q

An industrialized nation with technology available to most people.

A

Developed Country

60
Q

A nation with little industry or technology available to the average person.

A

Developing Country

61
Q

List characteristics of developed countries

A

Low death rate
Low birth rate
Low growth rate (r)
Low infant mortality
Few children per family
High gross national product
High standard of living
More use of polluting technology, but better pollution controls
High use of resources per person

62
Q

List characteristics of developing countries.

A

Mid death rate
High birth rate
High growth rate (r)
High infant mortality
Many children per family
Low gross national product
Low standard of living
Less use of polluting technology, but poor pollution controls
Low use of resources per person

63
Q

A process where a developing country acquires the characteristics of a developed country.

A

Demographic Transition

64
Q

Describe the series of events in the demographic transition.

A

As a country gains more access to technology, their death rate drops. This leads people to choose to have fewer children, so their birth rate drops.
While this is happening, the difference between birth and death rates causes the population to grow exponentially.

65
Q

Choices and devices that prevent pregnancy.

A

Contraception

66
Q

List reasons for high birth rates in developing countries.

A

Tradition
Sign of masculinity or femininity
High infant mortality rates
Lack of contraception
Need for workers
Need for “social security” in old age

67
Q

The influence of people on nature and their own health and welfare.

A

Environmental Impact

68
Q

Compare the environmental impacts of developed vs. developing countries.

A

Large populations in developing countries make more pollution, but less pollution is made per person since they have less access to resources. The technology they do have tends to lack pollution controls. Developed countries make more pollution per person and use more resources per person. But since they have better pollution controls and smaller populations, the overall impact of developed countries is about equal to the overall impact of developing countries.

69
Q

The number of children that the average woman has in her lifetime.

A

Fertility Rate

70
Q

The number of deaths in a population each year.

A

Mortality Rate

71
Q

If the US fertility rate is 1.7 children per woman, why does it seem like our population should stop growing immediately?

A

Because 1.7 children is less than replacement reproduction (2 children per woman), which leads to a negative growth rate.

72
Q

If the US fertility rate is 1.7 children per woman, why won’t the population stop growing immediately?

A

Because of Population Momentum, which is a result of there being more children today than there are parents. These children will grow up to be parents in the future, so there will be more parents in the future than there are today. In other words, there is some momentum built up in our population growth. On top of this, our country’s population is also growing due to immigration.

73
Q

How much of the US population growth is due to immigration, and how much is due to reproduction of people already here?

A

For the last few decades, reproduction has increased the US population more than immigration, although both contribute significantly to US population growth.

74
Q

List environmental impacts of growing human populations.

A

More people means: more use of resources, more pollution of all types, more habitat destruction, more traffic, easier to spread diseases, less agricultural land, more endangered species and extinctions, more sewage, more competition for limited resources, more smog, more garbage, more pavement covering soil, more greenhouse gases, less oil, less coal, less wood, less clean water, more crowding and the conflicts it creates (anything from road rage to war), more exotic species introduced into ecosystems, more oil spills, but possibly more interesting kinds of music and other arts, as well as more sports and more couch potatoes… I’m just babbling at this point of course….

APES (6 decks)

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