Chapter 53- Population Ecology

Question 1

age structure

Answer 1

The relative number of individuals of each age in a population

Question 2

carrying capacity

Answer 2

The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources, symbolized as k

Question 3

cohort

Answer 3

A group of individuals of the same age in a population

Question 4

demographic transition

Answer 4

In a stable population, a shift from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates

Question 5

demography

Answer 5

The study of changes overtime in the vital statistics of populations, especially birth rates and death rates

Question 6

density

Answer 6

The number of individuals per unit area of volume

Question 7

density dependent

Answer 7

Referring to any characteristic that varies with population density

Question 8

density independent

Answer 8

Referring to any characteristic that is not affected by population density

Question 9

dispersion

Answer 9

The pattern of spacing among individuals within the boundaries of a population

Question 10

ecological footprint

Answer 10

The aggregate land and water area required by a person, city, or nation to produce all of the resources it consumes and to absorb all of the wastes it generates

Question 11

emigration

Answer 11

The movement of individuals out of a population

Question 12

exponential population growth

Answer 12

Growth of a population in an ideal, unlimited environment, represented by a J-shaped curve when population size is plotted over time

Question 13

immigration

Answer 13

The influx of new individuals into a population form other areas

Question 14

iteroparity

Answer 14

Reproduction in which adults produce offspring over many years also known as repeated reproduction

Question 15

k-selection

Answer 15

Selection for life history traits that are sensitive to population density; also called density-dependent selection

Question 16

life history

Answer 16

The traits that affect an organism’s schedule of reproduction and survival

Question 17

life table

Answer 17

An age-specific summary of the survival pattern of a population

Question 18

logistic population growth

Answer 18

Population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying population

Question 19

mark-recapture method

Answer 19

A sampling technique used to estimate the size of animal populations

Question 20

metapopulation

Answer 20

A group of spatially separated populations of one species that interact through immigration and emigration

Question 21

population

Answer 21

A group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring

Question 22

r-section

Answer 22

Selection for life history traits that maximize reproductive success in uncrowded environments; also called density-independent selection

Question 23

reproductive table

Answer 23

An age-specific summary of the reproductive rates in a population

Question 24

semelparity

Answer 24

Reproduction in which an organism produces all of its offspring in a single event; also known as big-bang reproduction

Question 25

survivorship curve

Answer 25

A plot of the numbers of members of a cohort that are still alive at each age; one way to represent age-specific mortality

Question 26

territoriality

Answer 26

A behavior in which an individual defends a bounded physical space against encroachment by other individuals, usually of its own species

Question 27

zero population growth (ZPG)

Answer 27

A period of stability in population size, when additions to the population through births and immigration are balanced by subtractions through deaths and emigration