Properties of Population

GE- 7
Subject – Ecology and Wildlife

Subject code- GE – 7
Topic- Properties of Population
Class teacher –
Dr. Parimal Chandra Ray,
Dept. of Zoology (RSLSC)
06-02-2024
Let’s us see what Population and Community looks like
World population as of now more than 8 billion. India (1.428 billion)

Properties of Population
❖ Characteristics of population:
1. Size
2. Density
3. Distribution or dispersion
4. Change over time or demography
5. Age distribution or structure
❖ Importance of studying population and community ecology: It helps ecologist to
gather data that can help them to predict growth trends, health and manage size.
1. Population- SIZE
Size: The number of individuals of a specific species occupying a given area/volume
at a given time
Example for population size……..!
2. Population- DENSITY
Density: The number of individuals of the same species that occur per unit area.
D=N/S Where, N = total no. of individuals in the population
S= Space occupied by the population
Example for population density…..! (For 480 rhino living in a 600 hectare of area)
D= N/S
D = ???
3. Population- DISTRIBUTION or DISPERSION
Distribution: The pattern of distribution of distribution in which a population exists.
Clumped Uniform Random

1. 1. 1.
2. 2. 2.
3. 3. 3.
(Let’s bring out some examples- ??????????)

Clumped Uniform Random
Next class
Properties of population:
1. Size
2. Density
3. Distribution or dispersion
4. Change over time or demography
5. Age distribution or structure
6. Sex ratio
Home assignment discussion:

Population density of different countries (India, China and North America) – Highly dense
and least dense district/province in these countries.
4. Population- CHANGE OVER TIME or DEMOGRAPHY
Change over time or demography- Depending upon the species and the
environmental condition population numbers can undergo hourly, daily, seasonal and
annual changes over time.
(Let’s see… how it works in Nature………..!)
So, Demography is the study of these changes over time and ecologist use
demographic analysis to predict the growth of a population.
• Influencing factor for demographic change:

Birth rate- natalilty
Death rate- mortality
Migration- periodic departure and return of individuals in population
Immigration- one way inward movement of individuals in the population
Emigration- one way outward movement of individuals in the population
Remember: This information on demography can be helpful for development of
conservation action plan for endangered and threatened species
5. Population – AGE STRUCTURE
Age structure- The proportion of individuals in each age group within a population:
1. Pre-reproductive (Juvenile or dependent)
2. Reproductive (Adult phase)
3. Post –reproductive (Old age)
Interpretation of age structure by Age pyramids

Age pyramids – These are the models representing geometrically the proportion of
different age groups in the population of any organisms or species. And these can be
of three types:
Sl. Age pyramids types Diagram
No.
1. Pyramid with broad base (Triangular)
- expanding
- high % of young
- rapidly growing young
- eg. Yeast, housefly
2. Bell shaped polygon

– stable
-growth rate decreases and stabilises
-Pre and reproductive stages equal
-post reproductive stage smaller
3. Un-shaped
– declining
-birth rate is drastically reduced
-hence, population is dying off
6. Sex ratio:
Sex ratio is usually expressed as “the relative number of males to females in a
population.” Thus, an equal number of males and females may be expressed as a
ratio of 1:1.
Population of most organisms tend towards a 1:1 sex ratio and the evolutionary
reason for this is known as Fisher’s sex ratio theory.
This theory tells us that if in a population males were rare relatives to female, then
each male would mate with many females and produce many offspring. Hence, the
male fitness would thus be higher than female fitness. It again can be opposite in
case of the females were rare.
Sex ratio varies according to the age profile of the population, which could be
primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary sex ratio.
Different factors can influence sex ratio and these are density-dependent mortality,
intra-specific competition, breeding pattern and crowding.
Remember: Ideal male to female sex ratio for tigers (1:3)

Rhino M:F sex ratio – In Manas NP (1:1) and Gorumara NP (3.8:1) ….. Which one is good MNP or GP
Next class
Today we will learn about…

• Exponential growth (J-shaped curve)
• Logistic growth (S-shaped curve)
• Carrying capacity
• Limits of population growth (density-dependent and density-
independent).
Population ecologists use a variety of mathematical methods to
model population dynamics (how populations change in size and
composition over time). Some of these models represent growth without
environmental constraints, while others include "ceilings" determined by
limited resources.
Population growth rate (change in number of individuals in a population over

time):
dN/dT= rN
In this equation, dN/dTd, N, slash, d, T is the growth rate of the population in
a given instant, N is population size, T is time, and r is the per capita rate of
increase –that is, how quickly the population grows per individual already in
the population.
• Exponential growth (J-shaped curve)
In exponential growth, a population’s per capita (per individual) growth rate
stays the same regardless of population size, making the population grow faster
and faster as it gets larger.
In nature, population may grow exponentially for some period, but they will
ultimately be limited by resource availability.
When resources are unlimited then Exponential growth produces a J-shaped

curve.
For example – E.coli bacteria – one bacterium have enough bacteria to cover
the earth with a 1-foot layer in just 36 hours.
In theory – these populations can’t be so big in nature as living organisms need
specific resources such as nutrients and suitable environment in order to survive
and reproduce.
• Logistic growth (S-shaped curve)
In logistic growth, a population's per capita growth rate gets smaller and
smaller as population size approaches a maximum imposed by limited
resources in the environment, known as the carrying capacity (K).
When resources are limited, Logistic growth produces an S-shaped curve.
• Carrying capacity:
Basically, any kind of resource important to a species’ survival can act as a
limit. For plants, the water, sunlight, nutrients, and the space to grow are
some key resources. For animals, important resources include food,
water, shelter, and nesting space. Limited quantities of these resources
results in competition between members of the same population,
or intraspecific competition (intra- = within; -specific = species).
• Limits of population growth (density-dependent and density-
independent).
Population density can only be increased by natility or migration and
decreased by mortality or emigration.
These factors can be density dependent or density independent in their effects.
Density –Dependent factors

Any factor, whether limiting or favourable (-ve or +ve) to a population is
density dependent if its effect (change in numbers).
These factors might be intrinsic.
These factors response is usually direct because it intensifies as the upper

limit (carrying capacity) is approached.
These density dependent factors include:
1. Competition,
2. Reproductivity,
3. Predation,
4. Dispersal and
5. Disease
Density –independent factors
These factors are mostly extrinsic factors and they have a greater role in
physically stressed ecosystems.
These density independent factors include:

1. Space or cover,
2. Weather and climate,
3. Natural disasters
In next class we will learn……
• r- and k- selection strategies
• Competition and coexistence

Properties of Population

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Properties of Population

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Properties of Population

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

GE- 7

Subject – Ecology and Wildlife

Topic- Properties of Population

World population as of now more than 8 billion. India (1.428 billion)

Clumped Uniform Random

(Let’s bring out some examples- ??????????)

Home assignment discussion:

(Let’s see… how it works in Nature………..!)

• Influencing factor for demographic change:

Interpretation of age structure by Age pyramids

2. Bell shaped polygon

Remember: Ideal male to female sex ratio for tigers (1:3)

Today we will learn about…

Population growth rate (change in number of individuals in a population over

When resources are unlimited then Exponential growth produces a J-shaped

Density –Dependent factors

These factors might be intrinsic.

These factors response is usually direct because it intensifies as the upper

These density independent factors include:

You might also like