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