Population Ecology

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What is population ecology?

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Population ecology is the study of how populations of organisms interact with their environment and how factors such as resource availability, competition, and predation affect population dynamics.

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What is a limiting factor in ecology?

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A limiting factor is a resource or condition that limits the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population within an ecosystem.

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What is the difference between density-dependent and density-independent factors?

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Density-dependent factors are influenced by the population size (e.g., competition, predation), while density-independent factors affect populations regardless of their size (e.g., natural disasters, climate).

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What is carrying capacity?

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Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can sustainably support.

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What is a trophic level?

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A trophic level is a position in a food chain or food web, representing the flow of energy and nutrients from one level to the next.

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What is the 10% rule in ecology?

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The 10% rule states that only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next level, with the rest lost as heat.

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What is a keystone species?

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A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance, often maintaining the structure of the ecosystem.

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What is immigration in population ecology?

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Immigration is the movement of individuals into a population from other areas, contributing to population growth.

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What is emigration in population ecology?

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Emigration is the movement of individuals out of a population to other areas, leading to a decrease in population size.

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What role do predators play in an ecosystem?

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Predators help control prey populations, which in turn affects the abundance and health of vegetation and other species in the ecosystem.