Population Ecology

Population ecology is the study of population in relation to their environment. It explains how the biotic
and abiotic factors influence the abundance, dispersion and age structure of population
Population is a subset of individuals of one species that occupies a particular geographic area and, in
sexually reproducing species, interbreeds. The geographic boundaries of a population are easy to establish
for some species but more difficult for others. For example, plants or animals occupying islands have a
geographic range defined by the perimeter of the island. In contrast, some species are dispersed across
vast expanses, and the boundaries of local populations are more difficult to determine. A continuum exists
from closed populations that are geographically isolated from, and lack exchange with, other populations of
the same species to open populations that show varying degrees of connectedness.

Fig. 1 Population ecology

Source: https://www.britannica.com/science/population-ecology

Population is the group of individuals of a single species living in the same general area. Members of the
population rely on the same resources and are likely to interact and breed with one another.

Fig. 2 Population

Source: http://www.popecol.org/on-the-trail-of-giants-population-ecology-of-giraffes-in-
tanzania/
Characteristics of Population Ecology
Ecologists use various terms when understanding and discussing populations of organisms. A population is
all of one kind of species residing in a particular location. Population size represents the total number of
individuals in a habitat. Population density refers to how many individuals reside in a particular area.
Population Size is represented by the letter N, and it equals the total number of individuals in a population.
The larger a population is, the greater it’s generic variation and therefore its potential for long-term survival.
Increased population size can, however, lead to other issues, such as overuse of resources leading to a
population crash.
Population Density refers to the number of individuals in a particular area. A low-density area would have
more organisms spread out. High-density areas would have more individuals living closer together, leading
to greater resource competition.
A population consists of all the organisms of a given species that live in a particular area.
The statistical study of populations and how they change over time is called demography.
Two important measures of a population are population size, the number of individuals, and population
density, the number of individuals per unit area or volume.
Ecologists estimate the size and density of populations using quadrats and the mark-recapture method.
The organisms in a population may be distributed in a uniform, random, or clumped pattern. Uniform
means that the population is evenly spaced, random indicates random spacing, and clumped means that
the population is distributed in clusters.
FORMULA:

Population Growth Rate- Total Change in Population (N)

Time (t)
 Total Change= current population- past population
 Time-Current/year/month-past year

Species distribution
Often, in addition to knowing the number and density of individuals in an area, ecologists will also want to
know their distribution. Species dispersion patterns—or distribution patterns—refer to how the
individuals in a population are distributed in space at a given time.
The individual organisms that make up a population can be more or less equally spaced, dispersed
randomly with no predictable pattern, or clustered in groups. These are known as uniform, random, and
clumped dispersion patterns, respectively.

Fig.3 Dispersion pattern

Source: https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-ecology/hs-population-
ecology/a/population-size-density-and-dispersal

 Uniform dispersion. In uniform dispersion, individuals of a population are spaced more or less
evenly. One example of uniform dispersion comes from plants that secrete toxins to inhibit growth
of nearby individuals—a phenomenon called allelopathy. We can also find uniform dispersion in
animal species where individuals stake out and defend territories.
 Random dispersion. In random dispersion, individuals are distributed randomly, without a
predictable pattern. An example of random dispersion comes from dandelions and other plants that
have wind-dispersed seeds. The seeds spread widely and sprout where they happen to fall, as long
as the environment is favorable—has enough soil, water, nutrients, and light.
 Clumped dispersion. In a clumped dispersion, individuals are clustered in groups. A clumped
dispersion may be seen in plants that drop their seeds straight to the ground—such as oak trees—
or animals that live in groups—schools of fish or herds of elephants. Clumped dispersions also
happen in habitats that are patchy, with only some patches suitable to live in.

Carrying capacity, the average population density or population size of a species below which its numbers
tend to increase and above which its numbers tend to decrease because of shortages of resources. The
carrying capacity is different for each species in a habitat because of that species’ particular food, shelter,
and social requirements.

LIMITING FACTORS
A limiting factor is anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing. Some
examples of limiting factors are biotic, like food, mates, and competition with other organisms for resources.
Others are abiotic, like space, temperature, altitude, and amount of sunlight available in an environment.
Limiting factors are usually expressed as a lack of a particular resource. For example, if there are not enough
prey animals in a forest to feed a large population of predators, then food becomes a limiting factor. Likewise,
if there is not enough space in a pond for a large number of fish, then space becomes a limiting factor. There
can be many different limiting factors at work in a single habitat, and the same limiting factors can affect the
populations of both plant and animal species. Ultimately, limiting factors determine a habitat's carrying
capacity, which is the maximum size of the population it can support.
Food: Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain
life and growth.
Shelter: A place giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger.
Water: A colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is
the basis of the fluids of living organisms.
Space: A continuous area or expanse that is free, available, or unoccupied.
Disease: A disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific
signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.
Parasitism/Predation: A non-mutual symbiotic relationship between species, where one species, the
parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. / The preying of one animal on others.
Nesting Sites: A pocketlike, usually more or less circular structure of twigs, grass, mud, etc., formed by a
bird, often high in a tree, as a place in which to lay and incubate its eggs and rear its young; any protected
place used by a bird for these purposes.
Weather: The state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind and
rain.

Fig. 4 Limiting factor

Source: http://ecology-project.weebly.com/uploads/4/9/5/9/49594703/8625845_orig.jpg