6.3.2 - Populations and sustainability Flashcards
Define a limiting factor
An environmental resource or constraint that limits population growth
Give an example of limiting factors
Availability of food
What are the phases of the population growth curve ?
- Phase one - slow growth
- Phase two - rapid growth
- Phase three - stable state
Describe phase one pf the population growth curve
- The small numbers of individuals that are initially present reproduce increasing the total population
- As the birth rate is higher than the death rate, the population increases
Describe phase two of the population growth curve
- As the number of breeding individuals increases, the total population multiplies exponentially
- No constraints act to limit the population explosion
Describe phase three of the population growth curve
- Further population growth is prevented by external constraints
- During this time the population size fluctuates, but overall its size remains relatively stable.
- Birth rates and death rates are approximately equal
What do limiting factors prevent ?
They prevent further growth of a population and in some cases cause it to decline
What can limiting factors be divided into ?
Abiotic and biotic factors
What are abiotic factors ?
- Non living factors
- Temperature, light, pH, the availability of water or oxygen and humidity
What are biotic factors ?
- Living factors
- Predators, disease and competition
Define carrying capacity
The maximum population size that an environment can support
What else affects population size ?
Migration
Define immigration
The movement of individual organisms into a particular area
How does immigration affect population size ?
It increases population size
Define emigration
The movement of individual organisms away from a particular area
How does emigration affect population size ?
It decreases population size
What are density independent factors ?
Factors that have an effect on the whole population regardless of its size
Give some examples of density independent factors
- Earthquakes
- Volcanic eruptions
- Fires
- Storms
What can these factors lead to ?
They can remove whole populations of a species from a region
What can organisms compete for ?
- Food
- Shelter
- Space
- Light
What is competition ?
- Competition is a result of the interactions between living organism
- It has a significant effect on the number of organisms present in an area
What are the two types of competition ?
- Interspecific competition
- Intraspecific competition
What is interspecific competition ?
Competition between different species
What is intraspecific competition ?
Competition between members of the same species
When does interspecific competition occur ?
Occurs when two or more different species of organism compete for the same resource
What does competition over a resource lead to ?
Leads to a reduction of the resource available for both populations
What happens when one species is less adapted to the other that it competes with ?
The species gets outcompeted
What does an organism being outcompeted lead to ?
If conditions stay the same, the less well adapted species will decline in number until it can no longer exist in the habitat alongside the better adapted species
Define the competitive exclusion principle
Where two species are competing for limited resources, the one that uses the resources more effectively will ultimately eliminate the other
When does intraspecific competition occur ?
When members of the same species compete for the same resource
What determines the population size in intraspecific competition ?
The availability of the resource
What does a change in the availability of resources result in ?
It leads to a fluctuation in the number of organisms present in a particular population over time
Describe stage 1 of the diagram for the effects of intraspecific competition over time
- When a resource is plentiful in a habitat all organisms have enough of the resource to survive and reproduce
- This results in an increase in population size
Describe stage 2 of the diagram for the effects of intraspecific competition over time
- As a result of the increased population, there are many more individuals that share the food or space available
- Not enough is available for all organisms to survive
- The population will decrease in size
Describe stage 3 of the diagram for the effects of intraspecific competition over time
- Less competition exists as the smaller population means that less organisms are competing for the same resources
- This means more organisms survive and reproduce, resulting in population growth
What happens once the cycle of stages is over ?
The cycle of events will repeat
What is predation ?
Predation is when the predator kills and eats the prey
What is predation a type of ?
It is a type of interspecific competition, operating between prey and predator species
How have predators evolved ?
They have evolved to become highly efficient at capturing prey
How have prey evolved ?
- They have evolved to avoid capture
- Mimicry or other defence mechanisms
How are the sizes of the predator and prey populations interlinked ?
As the population of one organism changes, it causes a change in the size of the other population
What does this lead to ?
This results in fluctuations in the size of both populations
Describe stage one of the predator prey relationship
- An increase in the prey population provides more food for the predators, allowing more to survive and reproduce
- This in turn results in an increase in the predator population
Describe stage two of the predator prey relationship
The increases predator population eats more prey organisms, causing a decline in the prey population
Describe stage three of the predator prey relationship
- The reduced prey population can no longer support the large predator population
- Intraspecific competition for food increases, resulting in a decrease in the size of the predator population
Describe stage four of the predator prey relationship
- Reduced predator numbers result in less of the prey population being killed
- More prey organisms survive and reproduce, increasing the prey population
What is N ?
Number of population
What is R ?
The growth rate
What is K ?
The carrying capacity
How do you work out growth rate ?
Number of people born - the number of people that die
What are the different types of survivorship curves ?
- Type 1
- Type 2
- Type 3
Describe the type 1 survivorship curve
Most organisms will survive to start with, they will then grow and eventually this will drop off and they will die
Describe the type 2 survivorship curve
It involves a continual decline until they are all dead
Describe the type 3 survivorship curve
Most of them die to start off with and then they level off for a bit and over time the rest of them slowly die
What are R selected species ?
An R selected species is one that bases its life on the growth rate, they want to grow as quickly as possible
What are the characteristics of R related species ?
- Live in an unstable environment
- High fecundity, have lots of babies
- Small body size
- Early maturity
- Dispersed offspring
What are K selected species ?
K selected species are based upon the carrying capacity
What are the characteristics of K related species ?
- They want to live longer
- Lots of parental care
- They have a large body size
- Long life expectancy
- Fewer offspring
What is predation ?
Predation is when the predator kills and eats the prey
What is predation a type of ?
It is a type of interspecific competition, operating between prey and predator species
How have predators evolved ?
They have evolved to become highly efficient at capturing prey
How have prey evolved ?
- They have evolved to avoid capture
- Mimicry or other defence mechanisms
How are the sizes of the predator and prey populations interlinked ?
As the population of one organism changes, it causes a change in the size of the other population
What does this lead to ?
This results in fluctuations in the size of both populations
Describe stage one of the predator prey relationship graph
- An increase in the prey population provides more food for the predators, allowing more to survive and reproduce
- This in turn results in an increase in the predator population
Describe stage two of the predator prey relationship graph
The increases predator population eats more prey organisms, causing a decline in the prey population
Describe stage three of the predator prey relationship graph
- The reduced prey population can no longer support the large predator population
- Intraspecific competition for food increases, resulting in a decrease in the size of the predator population
Describe stage four of the predator prey relationship graph
- Reduced predator numbers result in less of the prey population being killed
- More prey organisms survive and reproduce, increasing the prey population
What does conservation mean ?
Conservation means the maintenance of biodiversity through human action or management
What does conservation include ?
This includes maintaining diversity between species, maintaining genetic diversity within a species and the maintenance of habitats
What does conservation involve doing ?
- Management of ecosystems so that the natural resources in them can be used without running out
- This is known as sustainable development
What is reclamation ?
- A conservation approach
- It is the process of restoring ecosystems that have been damaged or destroyed
What techniques does reclamation involve ?
Controlled burning of an area of a forest, which can halt succession and increase biodiversity
What is conservation said to be and why ?
- Dynamic
- It needs to adapt to constant change
What does preservation mean ?
It is the protection of an area by restricting or banning human interference, so that the ecosystem is kept in its original state
When is the term preservation most commonly used ?
When preserving ecologically, archaeologically or paleontologically sensitive resources
When lands are preserved what is not allowed ?
- Visitation along with most other activities is not allowed
- Except by those who manage and monitor such areas
What is more commonly preserved ?
Objects and buildings
What is more commonly conserved ?
Natural environment
What are the three main categories for conservation ?
- Economic
- Social
- Ethical
What are the economic reasons for conservation ?
- To provide resources that humans need to survive and to provide an income
- e.g. medicinal drugs and food
What are the social reasons for conservation ?
Many people enjoy the natural beauty of wild ecosystems as well as using them for activities which are beneficial to health by providing a means of relaxation and exercise
What are the ethical reasons for conservation ?
- All organisms have a right to exist and most play an important role within their ecosystem
- We have a moral responsibility for future generations to conserve the wide variety of existing natural ecosystems
What can the intensive methods to exploit environmental resources lead to ?
- Destruction of ecosystems
- Reduction in biodiversity
- Depletion of resources
What is a sustainable resource ?
A renewable resource that is being economically exploited in such a way that it will not diminish or run out
What are the key aims of sustainability ?
- Preserve the environment
- Ensure resources are available for future generations
- Allow humans in all societies to live comfortably
- Enable LEDCs to develop, through exploiting their natural resources
- Create a more even balance in the consumption of these resources between MEDCs and LEDCs
Along with sustainable management, what else should be done ?
Existing resources should be used more efficiently
How does using existing resources more efficiently help ?
Prevents finite resources being used up so quickly
As technology improves what can occur ?
Alternatives may be developed that could ease the strain on current finite resources
What is the downside of improving technology ?
- May take many years to develop
- Be more costly
- Have negative environmental effects of their own
What does sustainable management of forests allow for ?
Maintenance of a forests biodiversity, while sustaining both our supply of wood and the economic viability of timber production
What are the techniques to produce sustainable timber on a small scale ?
- Coppicing
- Pollarding
What is coppicing ?
- This is a technique where a tree trunk is cut close to the ground
- New shoots form from the cut surface and mature
Describe how coppicing takes place in a woodland
- The woodland is divided into sections and trees are only cut in a particular section until all have been coppiced
- Coppicing then begins in another area allowing time for the newly coppiced trees to grow.
- This process continues until you reach the trees that were coppiced first
- These will now have grown to mature and the cycle will restart