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Bio 110 > Population Ecology > Flashcards

Population Ecology Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is the definition of ecology?

A

the study of how organisms interact with one another and their environment

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2
Q

Whats an environmental challenge?

A

Homeostasis

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3
Q

homeostasis responses can be short term or long term. Describe both

A

short term: a few minutes to an individual’s lifetime

long term: natural selection can operate to make a population better adapted to the environment (evolution)

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4
Q

Natural selection leads to evolutionary adaptions to environmental conditions. This is closely related to what?

A

species that are related that live in different environments and evolve differently.
ie: finches

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5
Q

What is a population?

A

groups of individuals of the same place

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6
Q

What are the three characteristics of population ecology?

A
  1. ) population range, area throughout which a population occurs
  2. ) pattern of spacing of individuals
  3. ) How population changes in size through time
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7
Q

Most species have limited geographic_____

A

range

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8
Q

name three ways ranges change over time

A
  1. ) environment changes
  2. ) dispersal to new areas
  3. ) humans have expanded and reduced ranges
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9
Q

What is a metapopulation?

A

a network of distinct (physically distant) interacting populations

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10
Q

Where do metpopulations occur?

A

occurs in areas in which suitable habitat is patchily distributed and is separated by intervening stretches of unsuitable habitat

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11
Q

What is population demography?

A

the quantitative study of populations

-how populations size changes through time (whole populations or birth/death rates of a specific age)

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12
Q

Population growth can be influenced by the population’s ______ ratio

A

sex

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13
Q

the number of births is directly related to the number of ________

A

females

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14
Q

What is Generation Time?

A

average interval between birth of an individual and birth of its offspring

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15
Q

populations with short generations can (increase/decrease) in size more quickly than populations with long generations

A

increase

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16
Q

True or False:

In general, larger organisms have longer generation times

A

true

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17
Q

What is useful in making predictions?

A

linear regression

have a p-value

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18
Q

What is Age Structure?

A

determined by the number of individuals in each different age group

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19
Q

What is Cohert?

A

group of individuals of the same age

20
Q

What is Fecundity?

A

number of offspring produced in a standard time

21
Q

True or False:

Age structure has little influence on a population’s growth rate

A

false

it has a critical influence

22
Q

What is survivorship?

A

the percent of an original population that survives to a given age

23
Q

know how to sketch a graph

A
24
Q

Natural selection favors traits that maximize the number of surviving offspring left in the next generation. Two factors affect this quantity; what are they?

A
  1. ) how long an individual lives

2. ) how many young it produces each year

25
Q

True or False:

the number of offspring produced is not as important as how many of those offspring themselves survive to reproduce

A

true

26
Q

Large offspring have a (greater/lesser) chance of survival while producing many small offspring may result in (high/low) survival rates

A

greater; low

27
Q

populations often remain the same size regardless of the number of offspring born. The equation used to calculate this would be….

A

r = (b-d) + (i-e)

r=rate of population increase
b=birth rate
d=death rate
i=immigration
e=emmigration
28
Q

What is biotic potential?

What is the equation used to calculate this?

A

When there are no limits on population growth

dN/dt=riN

N=number of individuals in the population
dN/dt=the rate of change over time
ri=the intrinsic rate of increase for the population

29
Q

the biotic potential of any population is _________ even when the rate of increase remains constant

A

exponential

30
Q

all populations eventually………

A

reach some limit imposed by a shortage

31
Q

What is Carrying Capacity?

What letter represents it?

A

The maximum number of individuals that the environment can support
K

32
Q

What equation is used to calculate logistic growth? (applies to populations as they reach K

A

dN/dt = rN (K-N)/K

33
Q

Density-dependent

A

factors that affect the population and depend on population size

34
Q

Density-independent

A

other factors, such as natural disasters, affect populations regardless of size

35
Q

Density Dependent:
What is negative feedback?
What is positive feedback?

A

negative: reduce population size
positive: Allee effect; growth rates increase with population size

36
Q

Density independent effect rate of growth of a population is limited by something unrelated to the size of the population. What are some examples?

A

cold winters, droughts, storms, volcanic eruptions

37
Q

Animals like the North American snowshoe hare have 10-year cycles where population numbers fall and jump over a ten year period. There are two factors that effect this. What are they?

A
  1. ) food availability

2. ) predators

38
Q

K-Selected populations are adapted to thrive when…..

A

population is near its carrying capacity

39
Q

r-Selected populations: selection favors…..

A

individuals with the highest reproductive rates

40
Q

True or False:

most natural populations exist along a continuum of r and k selected traits

A

true

41
Q

Changes since the _______ allowed humans to escape_____

A

1700s; escape logistic growth

42
Q

human populations have grown exponentially

  • birth rates have____
  • death rates has______
A

dropped

fallen dramatically

43
Q

True or False:

Earth’s rapidly growing human population constitutes as the smallest challenge to the future of the biosphere compared to other factors.

A

False

the human population constitutes perhaps the greatest challenge to the future of the biosphere

44
Q

True or False:
world population growth rate is in decline

give figures to support answer

A

true

high of 2% in 1965-1970
1.2% in 2008

however still an increase of 78 million people a year

45
Q

Name a reason why there may be a decline in population growth rate

A
  • increased family planning efforts

- increased economic power and social status of woman

46
Q

What is an Ecological Footprint?

A

amount of productive land required to support an individual

47
Q

Look at graphs in the slide show; week 10

A

Bio 110 (16 decks)

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