Graphing Population Growth Flashcards
Numbering X and Y axis
Number with even intervals (start with 1, 2, 3, start with 15, 30, 45, etc)
If you skip a line at the beginning…
…must skip a line throughout.
When should you connect to the line to the origin?
Only when 0,0 is a point in the data table.
Read instructions
Questions usually tell you what type of graph to draw.
Multi-line graph
Use different shapes around each point plotted to show difference between groups. Graph one line first, then second line.
When interpreting data from graphs or tables, what should you always do?
Use the labels in your wording.
What increases or decreases a population’s number?
Births, Deaths, Immigrations, and Emigrations.
Exponential Growth
Growth of a population that is exponential.
Under ideal conditions with unlimited resources, a population will grow exponentially.
The larger a population gets, the faster it grows.
Unrealistic for most populations because it doesn’t take in to account other environmental factors.
Logistic Growth
Growth of a population in an S-shaped pattern.
Population rises quickly but then slows toward the top.
Much more realistic model than the exponential growth.
Population reaches CARRYING CAPACITY (rate of birth/immigrations=rate of deaths/emigrations.
Carrying Capacity
The maximum number of individuals of a particular species that a particular environment can support.
Populations stabilizes around this amount (reaches a dynamic equilibrium).
What are the two types of limiting factors to growth?
Density-Dependent and Density-Independent
Density-Dependent
Affects populations when they reach a high number of individuals.
Examples: Competition (for resources and space, Predation, Parasitism or disease.
Density-Independent
Affects all populations regardless of size or density.
Examples: Unusual weather (hurricanes, droughts, floods), Natural disasters (wildfires, mudslides, etc.)
