Factors that Affect population growth

Question 1

What is biotic potential? What letter represents it?
-what factors determine a species biotic potential
-what organisms tend of have a high biotic potential?

Answer 1

-(r) the highest possible per capita growth rate of a population given ideal conditions and unlimited resources
-number of offspring, number that survive, repro age, life span
-small aimals, bacteria, plants

Question 2

What do organisms growing at their biotic potential demonstrate (graph wise?)
-lag phase vs exponential rate of growth

Answer 2

-exponential growth
-the lag phase is when growth is slow as population is small, but when the population increase, there will be a fast rate of growth where birth rate>death rate

Question 3

Under natural conditions can the rapid growth continue? Why?
-what phase occurs, birth vs death rate
-What is the graph and what growth pattern is shown?
-what is carrying capacity? what letter

Answer 3

-no, there is competition and limiting factors
-stationary phase where birth rate=death rate
-S shaped/ sigmodial graph shows the logistic growth pattern
-Carrying capacity (K) is the theoretical max population that an envrionment can sustain over time. number of individuals in population that can live without depleting resources or harming.

Question 4

What factors limit carrying capacity? (2)
-what is the combination of all limiting factors called?
-what does this prevent populations from doing
-what does it determine

Answer 4

1. density dependent factors (biotic) and 2. density independent factors (abiotic)
   -envrionmental resistance
   -growing at biotic potential
   -growth capacity

Question 5

Is it better to reproduce quicker or slower in
a. unstable envrionment
b. stable
-for r life strategies and K life strategies:
1. size
2. life span
3. repro age
4. offspring numbers

Answer 5

a. quicker during good conditions
b. slower
r selected life strategies: small, short, early, many
K selected life strategies: large, long, later, few