Population Distribution and

Abundance
 Outline

• Distribution Limits
• Distribution Pattern
• Organism Size and Population Density
• Commonness and Rarity
 Introduction

• Ecologists define population as a group of individuals of single species

inhabiting a specific area.
- Additional characteristics of a population include distribution and
abundance.
Distribution limits
• Environment limits the geographic distribution of species.
Factors determining population distribution
-Climate
-Topography
-Food

Physical limit of each environment

Niches
the environmental factors that influence the growth, survival, and
reproduction of a species.
• Fundamental niche
A concept made by Evelyn Hutchinson which defines as the physical conditions under which a
species might live, in the absence of interactions with other species.

• Realized niche
Which is the actual niche of a species whose distribution is limited by biotic interactions such as
competition, predation, disease, and parasitism.
• Scientist found a close relationship between climate and distribution
of the three largest kangaroos in Australia.
• Limited distribution may not be directly determined by
climate.
- Climate often influences species distributions
Via:
• Food production
• Water supply
• Habitat
• Parasites, pathogens, and competitors
Small scale pattern of distribution

• refers to small distances over which there is little environmental change significant to the
organism under study.
Large scale pattern of distribution

• On large scales, individuals within a population are clumped.

Organism Size
and Population Density

• In general, population density declines with increasing organism

size.
- Damuth found the population density of herbivorous mammals
decreased with increased body size.
- Peters and Wassenberg found aquatic invertebrates tend to have
higher population densities than terrestrial invertebrates of similar
size
Organism Size
and Population Density

The densities of a wide variety of organisms are highly correlated with body size. In
general, densities of animal and plant populations decrease with increasing size.
- Mainly because Larger organisms tend to consume more resources that results to less ability of
the landscape to provide the nutrients they need.
Rarity and Vulnerability to Extinction

• Rabinowitz devised commonness

classification based 3 factors:
- Geographic range of species
- Habitat tolerance
- Local pollution size

• Population that are least threatened

by extinction, have extensive
geographic ranges, broad habitat
tolerance, and some large local
populations.
- All seven other combination create some kind of
rarity
Rarity

• Rarity I
- Extensive range, Broad habitat tolerance, small locations

• Rarity II
- Rarity II: Extensive Range, Large Populations, Narrow Habitat Tolerance

• Rarity III
- Extreme Rarity: Restricted Range, Narrow Habitat Tolerance, Small Populations