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Population Dynamics
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Major abiotic and biotic factors that tend to increase or decrease the population size and affect the age and sex composition of a species.
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Age Structure
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Percentage of the population (or number of people of each sex) at each age level in a population
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Biotic Potential
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Maximum rate at which the population of a gicen species can increase when there are no limits on its rate of growth (environmental resistance)
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Intrinsic Rate of Increase (r)
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Rate at which a population could grow if it had unlimited resources
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Environmental Resistance
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All of the limitating factors that act together to limit the growth of a population
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Carrying Capacity (K)
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Maximum population of a particular species that a given habitat can support over a given period
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Exponential Growth
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Growth in which some quantity, such as population size or economic output, increases at a constant rate per unit of time (On a graph, represented by an "J" shaped curve)
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Logistic Growth
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Pattern in which exponential population growth occurs when the population is small, and pipulation growth decreases steadily with time as the population approaches carrying capacity (On a graph, represented by an "S" shaped curve)
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Population Density
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Number of organisms in a particular population found in a specified area or volume
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Asexual Reproduction
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Reproduction in which a mother cell divides to produce two identical daughter cells that are clones of the mother cell. This type of reproduction is common in single-celled organisms
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Sexual Reproduction
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Reproduction in organisms that produce offspring by combining sex cells or gametes from both parents. It produces offspring that have combinations of traits from both of their parents.
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r-Selected Species
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Species that reproduce early in their life span and produce large numbers of usually small and short-lived offspring in a short period
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K-Selected Species
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Species that produce a few, often fairly large offspring but invest a great deal of time and energy to ensure that most of those offspring reach reproducting age.
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Survivorship Curve
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Graph showing the number of survivors in different age groups for a particular species.
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Life Table
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A table that alculates life expectancy. Shows births, deaths, and lifespans to show longevity in humans
(aka mortality table)
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