Population Dynamics

Question 1

What is a population?

Answer 1

A population is a group of organisms of the same species occupying a particular space at a particular time

Question 2

Describe a local population

Answer 2

A local population or deme, comprises individuals that are interbreeding, with individuals sharing a common gene pool

Question 3

What does population ecology focus in on?

Answer 3

Concerned with the measurement of the following population attributes
-Primary Parameters:
-Density
-Birth rate
-Death rate
-Immigration
-Emigration

Question 4

What are secondary population attributes?

Answer 4

-Age distribution
-Sex ratio
-Genetic composition

Question 5

What factors affect population density?

Answer 5

Immigration +
Natality (births) +
Emigration -
Mortality (deaths) -

Question 6

What determines the birth and death rate of a population?

Answer 6

Potential fecundity vs. realised fecundity
Potential longevity vs. Realised longevity

Question 7

What is biotic potential?

Answer 7

-The maximum rate at which a population could increase
-Can be reached when conditions are ideal, with maximum birth rates (potential fecundity( and minimum death rates (potential longevity)

Question 8

What is environmental resistance?

Answer 8

-Factors in the living and non-living environment that limit population growth
-Includes space, food availability, predation pressure
-These factors can increase death rate and decrease birth rate

Question 9

What are mathematical calculations used for?

Answer 9

Are used to describe and project changes in population size

Question 10

What is population ecology applied to?

Answer 10

-Management of harvested populations (fisheries)
-Control of pest species
-Conservation of endangered species
-Planning for projected human population growth

Question 11

What is population age structure?

Answer 11

-Refers to the numbers of individuals alive at each age
-Can make population size predictions using age structure and age specific birth and death rates to make predictions about population

Question 12

What are life tables?

Answer 12

-Collects data describing numbers at each age and numbers dying at each age
-Can combine with a fertility schedule showing average number of offspring produced by an individual of each age (fecundity)

Question 13

What can we calculate from life table data?

Answer 13

The populations reproductive rate and if it increasing or decreasing

Question 14

What is a cohort life table?

Answer 14

A cohort of organisms is tracked from year of birth to year of death for the oldest survivor

Question 15

What is a static life table?

Answer 15

Presents mortality data for a cross section of the population at a specific point in time. Records numbers of individuals and the number of deaths in each age class

Question 16

What species is an example of type 1 survivorship curves?

Answer 16

Humans - large numbers survive until old age

Question 17

What species is an example of type 2 survivorship curves?

Answer 17

Squirrels

Question 18

What species is an example of type 3 survivorship curve?

Answer 18

Fish- large numbers die off quickly

Question 19

What aspects of turtle conservation exist?

Answer 19

-Protection of nesting sites
-Artificial rearing of juveniles
-Reducing fishing related mortality of adults

Question 20

What did life table analysis show in relation to the common snapping turtle? (Congdon et al 1994)

Answer 20

-Life table data showing that increasing adults’ or juvenile survival would have a bigger impact on population stability than improvements in nest survival

Question 21

What is elasticity?

Answer 21

Is the proportional contribution of each vital rate (age-specific survival and fecundity) to the annual population multiplication rate