Introduction to Ecology and Conservation

Question 1

What is organismal ecology concerned with?

Answer 1

The behavioural, physiological and morphological traits that mediate interactions among individuals, between species and with the environment

Question 2

What is a population?

Answer 2

A group of individuals of the same species living and interacting in a particular geographic area

Question 3

What does population ecology look at?

Answer 3

The factors that limit and regulate population size and composition

Question 4

What is a community?

Answer 4

All the individuals of all the species that inhibit a particular geographic area

Question 5

What does community ecology look at?

Answer 5

The interactions among populations and how factors such as predation, competition, disease and environmental factors affect community structure and organisation

Question 6

What is a problem with trying to determine populations and communities?

Answer 6

It is hard to determine geographical boundaries

Question 7

What six key processes drive distribution and abundance?

Answer 7

Immigration

Emigration

Birth

Death

Colonisation

Extinction

Question 8

What is the equation for population growth rate?

Answer 8

𝑃𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑒 (𝑃𝐺𝑅) = 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟𝑠 /𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒

AKA Briths - Deaths

Question 9

What does it mean if an environment is described as having ‘high densities’ in relation to population growth?

Answer 9

High density = lots of organisms sharing a resource