Flashcards About Population Ecology

Below are some flashcards about population ecology. There are millions of animals in the world, and each of them thrives in a given environment. Please take a look at the flashcards and get to dive a little more in-depth on how to assess the relationship between living things and their environment. Be sure to try out the quizzes once you have understood the flashcards.

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Population
A group of organisms of the same species that inhabits a defined geographic area at the same time.
Population density
The number of individuals of a population that inhabit a certain unit of land or water area.
Population dispersion
How individuals of a population are spaced within a region.
Random (population dispersion)
The position of each individual is not determined or influenced by the other members of the population. Relatively uncommon.
Clumping (population dispersion)
The most common dispersion pattern. Individuals "flock together"
Uniform (population dispersion)
The members of the population are uniformly spaced throughout their geographic region. Often the result of competition for resources in an ecosystem.
Biotic potential
The amount that the population would grow if there were unlimited resources in its environment.
Carrying capacity (k)
The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources in the region.
Rule of 70
The time it takes for a population to double can be approximated by dividing 70 by the current growth rate of the population.
R-selected
Reproduce early in life and often have a high capacity for reproductive growth
K-selected
Reproduce later in life, produce fewer offspring and devote significant time and energy to the nurturing of their offspring.
Boom-and-bust cycle
Common among r-strategists. Rapid increase in the population and then an equally rapid drop off.
Predator-prey cycle
Bn