Population Ecology Flashcards
Age-structure pyramids
Graphical representations of populations’ ages
Albedo
The fraction of solar energy that is reflected back into space
Biotic Potential
The amount that the population would grow if there were unlimited resources in its environment
Birth Rate (crude bith rate)
The number of live births per 1,000 members of the population in a year
Brownfield Site
An industrial or commercial site that is idle or underused because it is contaminated by hazardous waste or pollutants
Carrying Capacity
The maximum population size that can be supported by the available resources in a region
Collapse
Severe to catastrophic dieback of a population due to overshoot
Death Rate (crude death rate)
The number of deaths per 1,000 members of the population in a year
Demographic Transition model
A model that is used to predict population trends based on the birth and death rates as well as economic status of a population
Ecological Footprint
The amount of Earth’s surface required to supply the needs of and dispose of the waste from a particular population
Food Desert
An area, usually low-income, in which many residents cannot access affordable, healthy food
Emigration
The movement of individuals out of a population
Genetic Drift
The random fluctuations in the frequency of the appearance of a gene in a small isolated population, presumably owing to chance, rather than natural selecting
Immigration
The movement of individuals into a population
K-selected
Organisms that reproduce later in life, produce fewer offspring, and devote significant time and energy to the nurturing of their offspring
Logistic Population Growth
The condition in which a population is well below the size dictated by the carrying capacity of its region, so it will grow exponentially; but as it approaches the carrying capacity, its growth rate will decrease and the size of the population will eventually become stable
Overshoot
When a population exceeds its carrying capacity
Population density
The number of individuals of a population that inhabit a certain unit of land or water area
Population Momentum
The condition in which a large proportion of women are in childbearing years, so that a country’s population will continue to grow even if the fertility rate falls to replacement levels
Replacement birth rate
The number of children a couple must have in order to replace themselves in a population
r-selected
Organisms that reproduce early in life and often and have a high capacity for reproductive growth
Total Fertility Rate
The number of children an average woman will bear during her lifetime; this information is based on an analysis of data from preceding years in the population in question
