Bell Work

List and describe two biotic and

two abiotic factors you could find
and study in your own yard
Ecosphere Day 5

Population Dynamics
 Objectives
• Describe structured and unstructured populations

• Explain the factors that can limit population growth,

both internal and external to that population

• Explain carrying capacity and the differences in

strategy seen between R and K selected species

• Describe some of the population interactions and

aspects that lead to survival and change over time
 Terminology
• A population is a collection of individual
organisms of the same species that occupy some
specific area.

• The term "population dynamics" refers to how

the number of individuals in a population
changes over time
– either going up or down, or
– changing regularly (for example with seasons, plants
or animals may die off in winter, or the dry season,
etc.
 Unstructured Populations
• Scientists describe two types of populations
• Unstructured populations
– Rates of growth, reproduction, mortality, etc. roughly
the same for all members
– No fitness (survival) advantages for size, age, etc.
(i.e. bacterial colony)
Structured Populations
• Structured Populations
– Rates differ for members of
the population
– Mortality may be higher for
young and old, or smaller
Vs. individuals
– Reproductive rates may be
best for certain ages

– Certain groups have a

different “fitness”
 “Internal” Population Dynamics
• Referred to intraspecific competition (competition
between members of the SAME species)
– Generally lowers the fitness of both (or all) individuals in
competition (i.e. competing for limited food impacts all)
– May compete for
• Food
• Water
• Light
• Mates
• (Mating) territory
 “External” Population Dynamics
• Interspecific competition
(competition between
different species)
– Food, water, space
– Light nutrients, etc.
• One group may
outcompete another

• “Survival of the Fittest”

 Carrying Capacity
• Carrying capacity of a species is the maximum
number of individuals an environment can
support indefinitely (based on food, water, space,
etc.)
• Keep in mind,
other species
may compete
for the same
resources,
lowering
carrying
capacity for all
 Growth Rates and K
• Species can show
Focus on lots exponential growth (rate
of young,
most die of increase increases)
– Called a J-shaped curve
– Cannot be sustained

Focus on lots • Eventually species hit the

few young,
lots of care carrying capacity (K) for
example in the logistic
or S-shaped curve, can
be sustainable at K
 The Human Population
• Humans are a K Selected species, but acting like R
• Logistic population growth assumes resources are limiting
and environmental conditions may vary over time. Thus, the
abundance of individuals may also fluctuate over time.

Some populations
“cycle” in around
K in a predictable
manner.

Human K has
been estimated at
12 billion…
Population Interactions
• Populations are affected by a variety
of biological and physical factors.

• For example, the abundance of a

snail might be controlled by the
abundance of organisms that have a
negative effect on them, such as
competitors, predators, and diseases.

• Similarly, the snail’s abundance

could be limited by the abundance of
organisms that benefit the species of
interest (for example, algae
consumed by the snails = food).
 Keystone Species or Predators
• A species whose presence
and role within an ecosystem
has a disproportionate effect
on other organisms within
the system.

• A keystone predator is a
dominant predator whose
removal allows a prey
population to explode and
often decreases overall
diversity.
 Limiting Factors As a result of
overshoot,
See limits at population then
• Anything that can K, crashes.
population Then cycles
limit a population’s No limits, overshoots, above/below K
population too many
growth (food, light, grows organisms
due to limiting
factors
space, mates, etc.) quickly

• Can be variable or
seasonal, so often see
populations hover
around K, but go over
and under through
time
Complex interactions
• The species that inhabit
a specific habitat, along
with the abiotic factors
lead to extremely
complex interactions
– Trees compete for water
and light so precipitation,
cloud cover, season,
humidity, wind,
temperature and more all
impact those two
variables
 Population Changes Over Time
• Genetic diversity, the
level of biodiversity,
refers to the total number
of genetic characteristics
in the genetic makeup of
a species. It is
distinguished from
• Genetic variability,
which describes the
tendency of genetic
characteristics to vary.
Population Survival Over Time
• Genetic diversity serves as a
way for populations to adapt to
changing environments.
– With more variation, it is
more likely that some
individuals in a population
will possess variations suited
for the new environment.
– Those individuals are more
likely to survive to produce
offspring bearing that allele.
– The population will continue
for more generations because
of the success of these
individuals.
Monocultures
• Human s often like
monocultures because
they are easy, but they
are un-natural habitats
and can be very
dangerous in nature

• Also, if we focus on one

or a few species and
lose biodiversity, the
environment is less able
to survive challenges