population distributions

Question 1

spatial structure

Answer 1

the pattern of density and spacing of individuals in a population

Question 2

fundamental niche

Answer 2

the range of abiotic conditions under which a species can persist
-includes the range of temperature, humidity, and salinity conditions that allow a population to grow, survive, and reproduce

Question 3

realized niche

Answer 3

the range of abiotic and biotic conditions under which a species does persist
-determines the geographic range of populations that compose a species

Question 4

geographic range

Answer 4

a measure of the total area covered by a population

Question 5

ecological niche modeling

Answer 5

the process of determining suitable habitat
-can help predict probability of successful reintroductions for nearly extinct species, the area where new pests might spread after introduction
-challenging when few individuals living in the wild

Question 6

ecological envelope

Answer 6

the range of ecological conditions that are predicted to be suitable for a species from ecological niche modeling
-similar to the realized niche but is a predictions of where a species could POTENTIALLY live

Question 7

an cause a shift in the geographic range of species

Answer 7

temperature

Question 8

population characteristics

Answer 8

-geographic range
-abundance
-density
-dispersion
-dispersal

Question 9

endemic (geographic range)

Answer 9

species that live in a single, often isolated, location

Question 10

cosmopolitan (geographic range)

Answer 10

species with very large geographic ranges that can span several continents

Question 11

abundance

Answer 11

the total number of individuals in a population that exist within a defined area
- number of sunfish in a lake

Question 12

density

Answer 12

the number of individuals per unit area or volume
-calculated by dividing abundance by area

Question 13

dispersion

Answer 13

the spacing of individuals with respect to one another within the geographic range of a population

Question 14

clustered dispersion

Answer 14

when individuals are aggregated in discrete groups
-clustering around resources or social groups

Question 15

evenly spaced (uniform) dispersion

Answer 15

when each individual maintains a uniform distance between itself and its neighbors
- defended territories or croplands

Question 16

random dispersion

Answer 16

when the position of each individual is independent of other individuals
- not common due to nonrandom environmental heterogeneity

Question 17

dispersal

Answer 17

the movement of individuals from one area to another
-migration

Question 18

census

Answer 18

counting every individual in a population

Question 19

area and volume based surveys

Answer 19

surveys that define the boundaries of an area or volume and then count all of the individuals in the space

Question 20

line transect surveys

Answer 20

surveys that count the number of individuals observed as one moved along a line
-this data can be converted into area estimates of a population

Question 21

mark recapture survey

Answer 21

a method of population estimation in which researchers capture and mark a subset of a population from an seas return it to the area, and capture a second sample of the population after time has passed

Question 22

lifetime dispersal distance

Answer 22

the average distance an individual moves from where it was born to where it reproduces
-provides an estimate for how fast a population can increase its geographic range

Question 23

populations with high abundance also have

Answer 23

large geographic ranges

Question 24

the density of a population is negatively correlated to

Answer 24

the body size of the species

Question 25

habitat corridor

Answer 25

a strip of favorable habitat located between two large patches of habitat that facilitates dispersal

Question 25

dispersal limitation

Answer 25

the absence of a population from suitable habitat because of barriers to dispersal

Question 26

ideal free distribution

Answer 26

when individuals distribute themselves among different habitats in a way that allows them to have the same per capita benefit

Question 27

subpopulations

Answer 27

larger populations are broken up into smaller groups of conspecifics that live in isolated patches, called subpopulations

Question 28

three models

Answer 28

-basic meta population model
-source sink metapopulation model
-landscape population model

Question 29

basic meta population model

Answer 29

a model that describes a scenario in which there are patches of suitable habitat embedded within a matrix of unsuitable habitat

Question 30

source-sink meta-ovulation model

Answer 30

a population model that builds on the basic meta population model and accounts for the fact that not all patches of suitable habitat are of equal quality

Question 31

source subpopulations

Answer 31

in high-quality habitats, subpopulations that serve as a source of dispersers within a meta population

Question 32

sink subpopulations

Answer 32

in low-quality habitats, subpopulations that rely on outside dispersers to maintain the subpopulation within a meta population

Question 33

landscape meta population model

Answer 33

a population model that considers both differences in the quality of the suitable patches and the quality of the the surrounding matrix