Lecture 2 Exam 2

Question 1

metapopulation

Answer 1

a group of subpopulations living on patches of habitat connected by an exchange of individuals. Ex is 2 populations separated by a river but can travel to and from

Question 2

characteristics of populations

Answer 2

• Distribution: size, shape, location, and area it occupies and the spacing of individuals within that area
• Abundance: total number of individuals or biomass
• density: number of individuals or biomass perunit area
• birth/death rates, age distributions, immigration and emigration, rates of growth

Question 3

____ is the unit of evolution

Answer 3

populations

Question 4

Abiotic Conditions

Answer 4

• organisms require particular sets of abiotic conditions to survive and reproduce
• examples of abiotic conditions include temperature, pH, salinity, and the forces of winds and waves

Question 5

Resources

Answer 5

• organisms also need resources
• the quantities of resources can sometimes be reduced by the activities of the organism, promoting competition for limited resources
• examples of resources include solar radiation, carbon dioxide for plants, water, oxygen, food items

Question 6

Ecological Niche

Answer 6

• a niche is a somewhat abstract concept that refers to the sum total of an organisms tolerances and requirements
• the term niche should be distinguished from the term habitat, which describes where an organism lives

Question 7

Fundamental Niche vs. Realized Niche

Answer 7

• n-dimensional hypervolume, where n equals the number of factors important to the survival and reproduction by a species
• fundamental niche: the full range of environmental conditions (biological and physical) under which an organism can exist
• realized niche: the conditions under which the organism actually survives, grows, and reproduces. Interactions with other organisms usually force a species to occupy a niche that is narrower than the fundamental niche

Question 8

ecological niches and their _________ value is useful

Answer 8

• heuristic: involving or serving as an aid to learning, discovery or problem solving
• the n

Question 9

Distribution patterns

Answer 9

• is the spatial location of organisms in a population. There are 2 areas to consider in describing distribution: the boundary and patterns within the boundary
• affected by both biotic and abiotic factors

Question 10

Unfiform vs aggregated pattern

Answer 10

• Uniform: individuals are uniformly spaced through the environment. Antagonistic interactions between individuals or local depletion of sources
• Aggregated: individuals live in areas of high local abundance separated by areas of low abundance. Attraction between individuals to a common resource

Question 11

Relate population and density

Answer 11

• population density declines with increasing organism size

Question 12

Population Dynamics

Answer 12

Nfuture = Nnow + B - D + I - E
- the population size is constant and the population is at equilibrium

Question 13

Equilibrium

Answer 13

• A point at which there is no net change in the system
• when at equilibrium, each adult produces at average of 1 offspring that survives to adulthood. With

Question 14

If B + I < D + E then

Answer 14

• Nfuture < Nnow
• the population size is declining and unless something changes the population will go extinct

Question 15

Age distribution

Answer 15

• reflects its history of survival, reproduction, and potential for future growth
• survival can vary with age (stage of life cycle)
• survival and reproduction can vary in time

Question 16

Life tables

Answer 16

• a tool for keeping track of births, deaths, and reproductive output in a population

Question 17

3 ways to generate life table

Answer 17

• cohort (horizontal) life table: follows a group of individuals same-aged or fertilized eggs throughout their lives. Assumes all cohorts have same patters
• static (vertical) life table: made from data collected from all ages at one particular time (less accurate and has 2 assumptions
  1. proportion of individuals in each age class does not change from generation to generation (stable age distribution)
  2. the population size is stationary
• static life table is based on mortality records - as above but based on age of dead organisms (skulls of moose)

Question 18

survivroship curve

Answer 18

• gra

Question 19

3 types of survivorship curves

Answer 19

• Type I: juvenile survival is high and most mortality occurs among older indivuduals
• Type II: individuals die at equal rates regardless of age
• Type III: high juvenile death rates and lower death rates later in life