All Flashcards
What are the environmental consequences of exceeding carrying capacity?
Resource depletion, increased mortality, and potential population crash.
How do density-dependent factors affect population growth?
As population density increases, competition, disease, and predation can limit growth.
How do density-independent factors affect population growth?
Natural disasters, weather events, and other external factors can drastically reduce population size regardless of density.
What are the stages of the demographic transition?
Pre-industrial, transitional, industrial, post-industrial.
Define generalist species.
Species with a broad ecological niche; can survive in diverse conditions.
Define specialist species.
Species with a narrow ecological niche; require specific, stable environmental conditions.
Define K-selected species.
Species with low reproductive rate and high investment in offspring.
Define r-selected species.
Species with high reproductive rate and low investment in offspring.
Define carrying capacity.
Maximum population size an environment can support.
Define exponential growth.
Population growth at a constant rate; J-shaped curve.
Define logistic growth.
Population growth that slows as it approaches carrying capacity; S-shaped curve.
Define age structure diagram.
Graphical representation of age distribution in a population.
Define total fertility rate.
The average number of children a woman will have during her childbearing years.
Define replacement level fertility.
The fertility rate needed to replace a population; typically around 2.1 children per woman.
Define population density.
Number of individuals per unit area.
Define density-dependent factors.
Factors affecting population growth differently based on population density.
Define density-independent factors.
Factors affecting population growth regardless of population density.
Define demographic transition.
Process of population change from high birth/death rates to low birth/death rates.