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 density-dependent limiting factor?

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A density-dependent limiting factor is a factor whose effects on the size or growth of a population vary with the population density, such as predation, disease, and competition.

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What is emigration?

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Emigration is the movement of individuals out of a population or area.

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What is immigration?

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Immigration is the movement of individuals into a population or area.

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What are limiting factors?

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Limiting factors are environmental conditions that restrict the growth, abundance, or distribution of a population.

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What is exponential growth?

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Exponential growth is a pattern of population increase where the number of individuals grows at a constant rate, resulting in a rapid increase over time.

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What is logistic growth?

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Logistic growth is a pattern of population increase that starts exponentially but slows as the population reaches carrying capacity due to limiting factors.

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What is carrying capacity?

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

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What role does predation play in population ecology?

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Predation is a density-dependent factor that can regulate population size by controlling the number of individuals in a prey population.

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What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?

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Biotic factors are living components of an ecosystem (like plants and animals), while abiotic factors are non-living components (like temperature and water).