Populations and sustainability Flashcards
what is meant by population?
a population is al the organisms of one species in a habitat
what is meant by population size?
population size is the total number of organisms of one species in a habitat. this number changes over time because of the effect of various factors
what are some examples of abiotic factors that effect the population size?
- the amount o flight
- water
- space available-the temperature of their surroundings
- the chemical composition of their surroundings
what happens when abiotic factors are ideal for a species?
organisms can grow fast and reproduce successfully.
what does it mean for mammals to have their ideal temp for metabolic reactions to take place?
- they don’t have to use up as much energy maintaining their boy temp.
- this means more energy can be used for growth and reproduction, so their population size will increase.
what are some examples of biotic factors that effect the population size?
- interspecific competition
- intraspecific competition
- predation
what is meant by interspecific competition?
interspecific competition is when organisms of different species compete with each other for the same resources.
what does interspecific competition lead to in terms of with food?
- this can mean that the resources available to both populations are reduced
- e.g. if they share the same source of food, there will be less available to both of them.
- this means both populations will be limited by a lower amount of food.
- they’ll have less energy for growth and reproduction
- so the population sizes will be lower for both species
how does interspecific competition affect the distribution of species?
- interspecific competition can also affect the distribution of species.
- if 2 species are competing but 1 is better adapted to its surroundings than the other
- the less well adapted species is likely to be out- competed- it won’t be able to exist alongside the better adapted species
how did the introduction of grey squirrels lead to interspecific competition?
- grey squirrels were introduced to the UK
- they now compete with the native red squirrels for the same food sources and habitats
- as they share the same source of food, there is less available to both of them.
- so in areas where both red and grey squirrels live, both populations are smaller than they would be if there was inly 1 species there
- since the introduction of the grey squirrel to the UK, the native red squirrel has disappeared from large areas.
- they grey squirrel has a better chance of survival because it’s larger and can store more fat over winter
- it can also eat a wider range of food than the red squirrel.
what is meant by intraspecific competition?
intraspecific competition is when organisms of the same species compete with each other for the same resources.
what can intraspecific competition lead to and why?
- it can cause a cyclical change in population size, where the population grows, shrinks, grows again and so on.
- this is because the population of a species increases when the resources are plentiful.
- As the population increases, there’ll be more organisms competing for the same amount of space and food.
- eventually resources such as food ans space become limiting- there isn’t enough for all the organisms.
- the population then begins to decline.
- a smaller population then means that there is less competition fro space and food, which is better for growth and reproduction- so the population starts to grow again.
what is meant by carrying capacity?
the maximum stable population size of a species that an ecosystem can support is called the carrying capacity.
what is meant by predation?
predation is when an organism (he predator) kills and eats another organism (the prey), e.g. lions kill and eat (predate on) buffalo.
why is the population of predators and prey interlinked?
-a s the population of 1 changes, it causes the other population to change through negative feedback
what is meant by negative feedback?
negative feedback i s when a a system reacts to a change in a way that pushes it back toward a stable state
what happens in a predator-prey system as the prey population increases?
-there’s more food for predators, so the predator population grows.
what happens in a predator-prey system as the predator population increases?
- As the predator population increases, more prey is eaten so the prey population then begins to all - this is a negative feedback effect that restores the prey population to a more stable size.
- this means there’s less food for the predators, so their population decreases (another negative feedback effect), and so on.
what are limiting factors and what do they do?
limiting factors stop the population size of a species increasing- they determine the carrying capacity of an ecosystem.
-Limiting factors can be biotic or abiotic.
give an example of an abiotic limiting factor
the amount of shelter in an ecosystem limits the population size of a species as there’s only enough shelter for a certain number of individuals.
give an example of an biotic limiting factor
Interspecific competition limits the population size of a species because the amount of resources available to a species is reduced.
what is meant by conservation?
+ e.g.
conservation is the protection and management of ecosystems so that the natural resources in them van be used without them running out.
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e.g. using rainforests for timber without any species becoming extinct and without any habit being destroyed. This means the natural resources will still be available or future generations.
how is conservation a dynamic process?
conservation is a dynamic process- conservation methods need to be adapted to the constant changes (caused naturally and by humans) that occur within ecosystems. It involves the management of ecosystems- controlling how resources are used and replaced.
why is it believed that conservation can also involve reclamation?
restoring ecosystems that have been damaged or destroyed so they can be used again, e.g. restoring forests that have been cut down so they can be used again