Unit 2 Population Dynamics

Question 1

Population growth is evaluated on what two factors?

Answer 1

1. Number of individuals added to the population through birth and immigration.
2. Number of individuals removed from a population through death and emigration.

Question 2

Define exponential growth.

Answer 2

Population growth accelerating when optimal conditions occur which allows a constant reproductive rate.

Question 3

What does a a j-chart track?

Answer 3

How rapidly a population grows is defined by environmental conditions as well as biotic potential.

Question 4

What is biotic potential?

Answer 4

A population is living in optimal conditions.

Question 5

What is a crash in population?

Answer 5

A population without additional resources will stop growing exponentially and most of the population will die.

Question 6

What are environmental resistance factors?

Answer 6

Resources that regulate population size.

Question 7

What is a carrying capacity?

Answer 7

A population that can be supported indefinitely based on resource availability.

Question 8

A population exceeding the carrying capacity is called what?

Answer 8

Population overshoot.

Question 9

What are features of exponential growth?

Answer 9

A populations per capita growth rate stays the same regardless of population size, making the population grow faster and faster as it gets larger. (J-chart)

Question 10

What are features of logistic growth?

Answer 10

A populations per capita growth rate gets smaller and smaller as population size approaches a maximum imposed by limited resources in the environment (carrying capacity) ((s-chart))