Population Ecology Vocabulary Terms

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Population Dynamics
Major abiotic and biotic factors that tend to increase or decrease the population size and affect the age and sex composition of a species.
Age Structure
Percentage of the population (or number of people of each sex) at each age level in a population
Biotic Potential
Maximum rate at which the population of a gicen species can increase when there are no limits on its rate of growth (environmental resistance)
Intrinsic Rate of Increase (r)
Rate at which a population could grow if it had unlimited resources
Environmental Resistance
All of the limitating factors that act together to limit the growth of a population
Carrying Capacity (K)
Maximum population of a particular species that a given habitat can support over a given period
Exponential Growth
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)
Logistic Growth
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)
Population Density
Number of organisms in a particular population found in a specified area or volume
Asexual Reproduction
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
Sexual Reproduction
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.
r-Selected Species
Species that reproduce early in their life span and produce large numbers of usually small and short-lived offspring in a short period
K-Selected Species
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.
Survivorship Curve
Graph showing the number of survivors in different age groups for a particular species.
Life Table
A table that alculates life expectancy. Shows births, deaths, and lifespans to show longevity in humans (aka mortality table)