Chapter 52 Key Terms

Question 1

age structure

Answer 1

The relative number of individuals of each age in a population.

Question 2

big-bang reproduction

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

carrying capacity

Answer 3

The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources, symbolized as K.

Question 4

clumped

Answer 4

Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are aggregated in patches.

Question 5

cohort

Answer 5

A group of individuals of the same age, from birth until all are dead.

Question 6

demographic transition

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

demography

Answer 7

The study of statistics relating to births and deaths in populations.

Question 8

density

Answer 8

The number of individuals per unit area or volume.

Question 9

density dependent

Answer 9

Referring to any characteristic that varies according to an increase in population density.

Question 10

density independent

Answer 10

Referring to any characteristic that is not affected by population density.

Question 11

dispersion

Answer 11

The pattern of spacing among individuals within geographic population boundaries.

Question 12

ecological capacity

Answer 12

The actual resource base of a country.

Question 13

ecological footprint

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

emigration

Answer 14

The movement of individuals out of a population.

Question 15

exponential population growth

Answer 15

The geometric increase of a population as it grows in an ideal, unlimited environment.

Question 16

immigration

Answer 16

The influx of new individuals from other areas.

Question 17

infant mortality

Answer 17

The number of infant deaths per 1, 000 live births.

Question 18

iteroparity

Answer 18

A life history in which adults produce large numbers of offspring over many years; also known as repeated reproduction.

Question 19

K-selection

Answer 19

The concept that in certain (K-selected) populations, life history is centered around producing relatively few offspring that have a good chance of survival.

Question 20

life-expectancy at birth

Answer 20

The predicted average length of life at birth.

Question 21

life history

Answer 21

The series of events from birth through reproduction and death.

Question 22

life table

Answer 22

A table of data summarizing mortality in a population.

Question 23

logistic population growth

Answer 23

A model describing population growth that levels off as population size approaches carrying capacity.

Question 24

mark-recapture method

Answer 24

A sampling technique used to estimate wildlife populations.

Question 25

meta-population

Answer 25

A subdivided population of a single species.

Question 26

population

Answer 26

A localized group of individuals that belong to the same biological species (that are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring).

Question 27

population dynamics

Answer 27

The study of how complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors influence variations in population size.

Question 28

population ecology

Answer 28

The study of populations in relation to the environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution, age structure, and variations in population size.

Question 29

random

Answer 29

Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are spaced in a patternless, unpredictable way.

Question 30

repeated reproduction

Answer 30

A life history in which adults produce large numbers of offspring over many years; also known as iteroparity.

Question 31

reproductive table

Answer 31

An age-specific summary of the reproductive rates in a population.

Question 32

r-selection

Answer 32

The concept that in certain (r-selected) populations, a high reproductive rate is the chief determinant of life history.

Question 33

semelparity

Answer 33

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.

Question 34

survivorship curve

Answer 34

A plot of the number of members of a cohort that are still alive at each age; one way to represent age-specific mortality.

Question 35

territoriality

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

uniform

Answer 36

Describing a dispersion pattern in which individuals are evenly distributed.

Question 37

zero population growth (ZPG)

Answer 37

A period of stability in population size, when the per capita birth rate and death rate are equal.