Population Ecology

Mrs. J. Naughton
 Introduction
Approximately 6.6 billion humans inhabit the
Earth. The human population has increased
by a factor of four in the last century. The size
of the human population and its impact on the
environment and global community has
posed a significant problem. To understand
human population growth, we must first
understand the principles of population
ecology. This lesson will explore the
concepts of population ecology.
 Summary

Learning Targets Quizzes

E-book Reading Critical Thinking

Assignments

Experimental
Activities Challenge
 Learning Targets
 Explain how density, dispersion, and demographics describe a
population
 Compare and contrast the exponential and logistic models of
population growth
 Describe how density-dependent and density-independent
factors can control population growth
 Analyze the effect of the human population on the biosphere
and the global community
 Analyze different points of view and draw logical and supported
conclusions
 Explore ways in which technology allows access to world-wide
information sources
 Reading Assignment
 Please read sections 52.1 and 52.2 in the Biology
E-book.
 Click on the book with the fiddlehead on it
 Remember, the user ID is naughtyloves09 and the
password is jackistick1
 Click on the E-book link on the left
 Click on “The Campbell Biology Seventh Edition
E-book is a convenient, online version of the
textbook.”
 Go to Unit VIII - Chapter 52 and read sections 52.1
and 52.2.
 Dynamic biological processes influence
population
 Population - a group of individuals of a single
species living in the same general area
 Population ecology explores how biotic and
abiotic factors influence the structure of
populations
 Three fundamental characteristics of the
organisms in a population are:
 Density of individuals
 Dispersion of individuals
 Demography - the study of populations, which is
used to study population dynamics
Let’s examine each of the characteristics
 Density
 Density is the number of individuals per unit
area or volume
 Increases by births or immigrations
 Decreases by deaths or emigration

Let’s examine ways in which density can be

measured
 Log into the Biology website as before. DO NOT click
on the E-book link, instead go to Chapter 52 from the
drop-down menu at the top of the page.
 Click on “Activity: Techniques for Estimating
Population Density and Size”
 Complete the activity
 Dispersion
 Dispersion is the pattern of spacing among individuals
within the population. There are various patterns of
dispersion:
 Clumped
individuals are in patches, usually around a required resource
Example: cottonwood trees along a stream in the arid southwest
 Uniform
Dispersion is the result of antagonistic interactions
Animals that defend territories often show a uniform pattern
Example: red-winged blackbirds during mating season
 Random
Dispersion showing unpredictable spacing
This is not a common spacing in nature
Patterns of dispersion
 Demography
 Demography is the study of vital statistics of a
population, especially birth and death rates.
 A graphic way to show birth and death rates in a
population is survivorship curves.
 There are three main types of survivorship curves:
 Type I shows low death rates during early and midlife;
then the death rate increases sharply in older age groups
 Type II shows a constant death rate over the organism’s
life span
 Type III shows very high early death rates, then a flat rate
for the few surviving to older age groups
Survivorship Curves
 Investigating Survivorship
Curves
 Log into the Biology website as before. DO
NOT click on the E-book link, instead go to
Chapter 52 from the drop-down menu at the
top of the page.
 Click on “Activity: Investigating
Survivorship Curves”
 Complete the activity
 Life History Traits
 Life history - traits that affect an organism’s
schedule of reproduction and survival
 Life histories entail three variables
 When reproduction begins
 How often the organism reproduces
Some organisms save their resources for one big
reproductive event referred to as big-bang reproduction or
semelparity
Others produce offspring in repeated reproduction or
interoparity
 The number of offspring during each reproductive
event
 Life history traits are evolutionary outcomes, not
conscious decisions made by organisms.
 Check for understanding

Take a quiz that will check your

understanding of sections 52.1 and
52.2. Your score will be displayed
and reported to me.
 Experimental Challenge

You are challenged to design an experiment that will

measure the population density of a newly discovered
“beanie” population using the mark-recapture and
quadrant methods techniques. You will be assessed
using the Lab Report Rubric

Experimental Challenge

Lab Report Rubric

 Reading assignment
Please read sections 52.3 and 52.4 in the
Biology E-book.
 Models of population growth

 Exponential model -
describes population
growth in an
idealized, unlimited
environment

 Logistic model -
describes how a
population grows
more slowly as it
nears its carrying
capacity
 Carrying capacity of a population is the
maximum population size that a certain
environment can support at a particular time
with no degradation of the habitat
 In the logistic growth model, the per capita
rate of increase declines as the carrying
capacity is reached
 K-selection - life history traits that are
sensitive to population density and carrying
capacity; associated with the logistic model
 R-selection - life history traits that maximize
reproductive success; associated with the
exponential model
 Gaining experience with
growth models
In this activity you will use
a real-life scenario to
gain experience with
growth models and how
they can be used to
predict the growth of
certain populations.
There are three parts to
this activity, be certain
that you complete all
three parts (topics).
 Reading assignment

Please read sections 52.5 and 52.6 in

the Biology E-book.
 Factors affecting population growth
Factors that affect population growth can be density
dependent or density independent.
 Density-dependent factors
 Death rate rises as population density rises
 Birth rate that fall as population density rises
 Example of factors that reduce birth rates or increase
death rates include:
Competition for resources - competitin for food, space or
essential nutrients
Territoriality - available space for territories or nesting may be
limited
Disease - increasing densities allow for easier transmission of
diseases
Predation - as prey populations increase, predators may find
prey more easily
Density independent factors
When a death rate does not change with an
increase in population density
Natural disasters are examples of density-
independent facotrs
 Human Population Growth

View the video to get an understanding of the

factors that contribute to human population
growth. Click on “launch the movie”.
 The human population is no longer growing
exponentially bit is still increasing rapidly

 Demographic transition occurs when a

population goes from high birth rates and high
death rates to low birth rates and low death
rates.
 May take 150 years to complete
 Ecological footprint examines the total land and
water area needed for all the resources a
person consumes in a population
 Currently, 1.7 hectares per person is considered
sustainable
 A typical person in the U.S. has a footprint of 10
hectares.
 Examining age structure
pyramids
 Log into the Biology website as before. DO
NOT click on the E-book link, instead go to
Chapter 52 from the drop-down menu at the
top of the page.
 You have a choice to complete either of the
following two activities. You can do both if
you like.
“Activity: Analyzing Age-Structure Pyramids”
OR
“Graph It: Age Pyramids and Population
Growth”
 Checking for understanding

 Take a quiz that will check your

understanding of sections 52.3 - 52.6. Your
score will be displayed and reported to me.
 Human Population Concerns
A Critical Thinking Activity

Who cares about population anyway? After reading the

article, we might wonder just how the rate of
population increase differs from that of the past. To
find out, look a A Brief History of World Population.
Logic tells us that population growth must eventually
cause poverty, but could the opposite be true? Read
Poverty Causes Population Growth Causes Poverty and
decide for yourself. What about the United States, do
we have a population problem? Read the material,
and again, decide for yourself.
(continue on the next slide)
One of the problems dealing with current worldwide
population and environmental concerns is that
something unique has happened on earth.
Something has occurred that has never before
transpired in the entire history on the planet. To
find out what this is, and what it may portend,
read Insights. Given all of this doom and gloom, is
there any hope? Do we have any chance of
overcoming these troubles? Well, yes, we do, but
time is short. Read Robust Paths to Global
Stability.
 Reflections
Using the prior readings or information that you have found on your
own, share your thoughts in a short paragraph for each of the
below inquiries. Post your reflections to the appropriate discussion
board. In addition, respond to three of your classmates’ posts.
1. How is technology helping produce more food? Can we really feed
seven billion people?
2. How might poverty actually cause a population increase?
3. Do you think the United States has a population problem?
4. Why should we care that frog species are declining on a worldwide
basis?
5. Summarize what Robust Paths to Global Stability recommends.
Have any of these recommendations been adopted? Do you think
they every will be adopted?