Populations
What influences how
populations flourish or
die out?
Biotic Potential
The maximum number of offspring that a species could
reproduce in a life time, if resources were unlimited.
Biotic Potential is determined by:
1. Birth potential: max # of offspring per birth
2. Capacity for survival: # of offspring that reach
reproductive age
3. Procreation: # of times a species reproduces
each year
4. Length of reproductive life: # of years species
can reproduce
Limiting Factors
A limiting factor is any factor that places an upper limit
on the size of a population
Limiting factors can be biotic or abiotic
Human influences often act as limiting factors
What are the limiting factors that might affect a
population of penguins? How about a suburban human
population?
Tolerance Range
The abiotic conditions within which a species can survive
Species can be successful over a range of
abiotic conditions
A population will become stressed and die out if
conditions exceed their tolerance limits
See Figure 1, Nelson, p. 52
Tolerance Range
Use Figure 2, p. 53 (Nelson) to fill in the following chart
Cacti Waterlillies Bunchberries
abiotic
- long - water levels - shade
conditions periods of minimize exposure
that keep Drought of roots to air
species -full -full
within exposure exposure
tolerance to sun to sun
range
abiotic conditions - long - if water level - too much light
that put species periods of drops
outside of tolerance rain (roots exposing roots to
range cannot air
survive -low light availability
damp conditions
-low light availability
Carrying Capacity
The population remains within the limits that the environment can support
This is the largest population size of a species that an ecosystem can
support or sustain
There are several factors that can influence the Carrying Capacity of a
species:
food (think also food chains, webs)
water
shelter
space
climate
susceptibility to disease
predation
competition for many of the above
Carrying Capacity
Carrying capacity can be altered through natural or human
Think-Pair-Share: Consider a species we
have discussed or you know about from your previous
personal experience. How was the carrying capacity of this species
affected by either a natural or human action? (can be positive or negative)
Example 1: Irrigation systems in African deserts increases the carrying
capacity of organisms living in a desert ecosystem (increased water
availability)
Example 2: the removal of wolves by human hunters will increase the
carrying capacity of moose in this ecosystem (more space, less predators)
Example 3: clear-cutting trees will decrease the carrying capacity of
certain bird species that rely on these trees for habitat and to maintain
their nests
Population Density
Is the number of organisms living in a given space
Use a diagram to show a high population density
vs. low population density and provide a specific real
example in nature
Population Density
Density- Density-dependent
independent factors factors
factors that do not affect
depend on the population factors that do depend
population size on the population size
size
can lead to food availability
weather (storms, cold, species aggression
drought, floods, early and/or panic
freezing, heavy snow) space (shelter, territories
denning sites, nest cavities
can lead to
forest fires extinction density-dependent
comets diseases (rabies, SARS)
can help
populations flourish competition
density-independent
diseases (DDT poisoning) (intraspecific. vs.
interspecific)
environmental pollution
Intraspecific vs. Interspecific
Intraspecific: when two organisms from the same
species are after the same resources or food
THINK/PAIR/SHARE: Give a specific example of intra-
specific competition.
Interspecific competition: when two organisms from
different species are after the same resources or food
THINK/PAIR/SHARE: Give a specific example of inter-
specific competition.
Reaching the Carrying Capacity
In the 1800s, the fur trade led to a
Drastic decline in the fur seal population
In 1911 a treaty was signed to protect the
fur seal population
Exponential Growth
Carrying capacity
reached (population
size has reached
equilibrium or is in
balance)
Humans and Carrying Capacity
What actions have humans taken to increase the carrying capacity of our species?
- Early on: using fire, making simple tools/weapons
- Improvements in public health, education, agriculture,
medicine, technology
- Exploiting huge amounts of energy and resources to
run complex, modern societies
What paths might the curve take after this century? Which path do you think is most
likely? Why?
What next?
Invasive species
An invasive species is one that can be
either native and non-native that heavily
colonize a particular habitat.
Natural, wild species can be threatened
with extinction.
The good ones
Asian Oysters- are better Garlic Mustard-
at filtering out water introduced as a means of
pollutants than native erosion control
oysters.
Characteristics of Good Invaders
High rate of reproduction (short generation time)
Long-lived
High dispersal rates (produces a lot of seeds)
Single-parent reproduction
Tolerant of wide range of conditions
Habitat generalist
Broad diet
Opportunistic (aggressive, out competes)
Difficult to control and resistant to eradication
Characteristics of the Community
(that make it susceptible to invaders)
Invading nonindigenous species tend to be more
successful when native species do not occupy similar
ecological niches
Species that inhabit disturbed environments and those
with a history of close association with humans tend to
be successful in invading human-modified habitats
Successful invasion is enhanced by similarity in the
physical environment between the source and target
areas
Absence of predators on invading species
Absence of native species morphologically (form or
structure) or ecologically similar to the invader
