Chapter 52 Key Terms Flashcards
age structure
The relative number of individuals of each age in a population.
big-bang reproduction
A life history in which adults have but a single reproductive opportunity to produce large numbers of offspring, such as the life history of the Pacific salmon; also known as semelparity.
carrying capacity
The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources, symbolized as K.
clumped
Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are aggregated in patches.
cohort
A group of individuals of the same age, from birth until all are dead.
demographic transition
A shift from zero population growth in which birth rates and death rates are high to zero population growth characterized instead by low birth and death rates.
demography
The study of statistics relating to births and deaths in populations.
density
The number of individuals per unit area or volume.
density dependent
Referring to any characteristic that varies according to an increase in population density.
density independent
Referring to any characteristic that is not affected by population density.
dispersion
The pattern of spacing among individuals within geographic population boundaries.
ecological capacity
The actual resource base of a country.
ecological footprint
A method to use multiple constraints to estimate the human carrying capacity of Earth by calculating the aggregate land and water area in various ecosystem categories that is appropriated by a nation to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb all the waste it generates.
emigration
The movement of individuals out of a population.
exponential population growth
The geometric increase of a population as it grows in an ideal, unlimited environment.
immigration
The influx of new individuals from other areas.
infant mortality
The number of infant deaths per 1, 000 live births.
iteroparity
A life history in which adults produce large numbers of offspring over many years; also known as repeated reproduction.
K-selection
The concept that in certain (K-selected) populations, life history is centered around producing relatively few offspring that have a good chance of survival.
life-expectancy at birth
The predicted average length of life at birth.
life history
The series of events from birth through reproduction and death.
life table
A table of data summarizing mortality in a population.
logistic population growth
A model describing population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying capacity.
mark-recapture method
A sampling technique used to estimate wildlife populations.
meta-population
A subdivided population of a single species.
population
A localized group of individuals that belong to the same biological species (that are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring).
population dynamics
The study of how complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors influence variations in population size.
population ecology
The study of populations in relation to the environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution, age structure, and variations in population size.
random
Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are spaced in a patternless, unpredictable way.
repeated reproduction
A life history in which adults produce large numbers of offspring over many years; also known as iteroparity.
reproductive table
An age-specific summary of the reproductive rates in a population.
r-selection
The concept that in certain (r-selected) populations, a high reproductive rate is the chief determinant of life history.
semelparity
A life history in which adults have but a single reproductive opportunity to produce large numbers of offspring, such as the life history of the Pacific salmon; also known as big-bang reproduction.
survivorship curve
A plot of the number of members of a cohort that are still alive at each age; one way to represent age-specific mortality.
territoriality
A behavior in which an animal defends a bounded physical space against encroachment by other individuals, usually of its own species. Territory defense may involve direct aggression or indirect machanisms such as scent marking or singing.
uniform
Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are evenly distributed.
zero population growth (ZPG)
A period of stability in population size, when the per capita birth rate and death rate are equal.
