Population Ecology

study of interactions btwn organisms and their environments

Demographics: statistical characteristics of a population

Population size: # of indiv.

Population Density:# of indiv. per area

Population Distribution: location of indiv. relative to each other

Sampling populations

plot sampling:estimation of # of indiv. in an area

mark-recapture sampling- for population size of mobile animals

immigration: arrival of new residents that belonged to another area

emmigration: departure of indiv. who will reside at new location

growth

Zero population growth: number of births and deaths are equally balanced

per capita growth: head count of births minus deaths

exponential growth: population size will increase by same proportion during every time interval

Biotic potential: growth rate for population under ideal conditions

density-dependent limiting factors: birth rates slow and death rates rise

intraspecific competition—competing for a resource among members of the same species

carrying capacity- max # of indiv. of a particular species that a population’s environment can support

density-independent limiting factors, crowding does not influence the likelihood of occurrence