BIO 1020 Unit 11
BIO 1020 Unit 11
BIO 1020 Unit 11
Unit 11
What is a population?
A group of individuals of the same species living in the same place at the same time Individuals interact with one another and with other populations
Populations
Size Growth Structure of populations
POPULATION GROWTH
Nearly all populations will tend to grow exponentially as long as there are resources available. Two of the most basic factors that affect the rate of population growth are the birth rate, and the death rate. r(rate of growth)=birth rate death rate
Biotic Potential
Exponential growth
population size is growing by a fixed rate of increase
Populations can not exhibit exponential growth for extended periods of time
600
500
400
300
200
100
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Generation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Generation or time
POPULATION GROWTH
Exponential growth curve: population growth plotted against time. As a population gets larger, it also grows at a faster rate. This is the maximum population growth under ideal circumstances. Maximum population size under ideal conditions (food, water, space, no predators)
Biotic Potential
Constant death rates do not alter the exponential growth of the population Exponential growth is not realistic, it assumes that every individual is immortal
Exercise 1: Exponential growth
Population Growth
Limiting Factors - Any factor which, by its absence or reduced supply, will limit an ecological process (food, nesting sites, shelter). An excess of a limiting factor would promote exponential growth Carrying Capacity (K)- The maximum number of individuals that can be sustained in a particular environment
Logistic growth -population initially exhibits exponential growth but levels off when limiting factors encountered -leveling-off occurs at carrying capacity (K) -S-shaped curve
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
6 12 12 10 12 16 24 12 14 14
12 24 24 20 24 32 48 24 28 28
0 12 12 14 8 8 36 10 14 16
12 12 12 6 16 24 12 14 14 12
30
25
20
15
10
0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Generation number
Environmental Resistance - occurs when limiting factors inhibit the increase in population size and prevent a population from realizing its biotic potential
POPULATION GROWTH
Two models of population growth.
The Exponential curve (also known as a Jcurve) occurs when there is no limit to population size.
The Logistic curve (also known as an S-curve) shows the effect of a limiting factor (in this case the carrying capacity of the environment).
Demography
the statistical study of populations. It is used to predict how the size of a population will change
Survivorship Curves
Survivorship curves tell us how long individuals survive in a population at any specific age Populations have a characteristic pattern of survivorship over time Three basic types of survivorship curves
Growing
Stable
Life Tables
(age-specific summary of the survival pattern of a population)
l = survivorship (%) to next age class b = fecundity of females in that age class
(Fecundity is the average number of female offspring produced by each female in the population)
R = Net Reproductive Rate (R>1 growing, R<1 declining); this is calculated as the sum of the l*b values from the table Example: Ground squirrel (Spermophilus armatus) Age class
0-1 yrs 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
l
0.332 0.142 0.061 0.026 0.011 0
b
1.29 2.08 2.08 2.08 2.08 0
l*b
0.428 0.295 0.127 0.054 0.023 0
R= 0.927
Population growth is affected by: mortality (ex 1) space/resources (ex 2) survival (ex 3 & 4) reproduction & age (ex 5) + many other factors