population ecology. study of populations in relation to environment –environmental influences on:...
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Population Ecology
Study of populations in relation to environment
– Environmental influences on:• population density • population distribution (dispersion)• age structure
Definition of Population:
• Group of individuals of a single species living in a specific geographic region at the same time
Density: A Dynamic Perspective
• Determining the density of natural populations is possible, but difficult to accomplish
• In most cases it is impractical or impossible to count all individuals in a population
– How do wildlife biologists approximate populations?
Estimating Wildlife Population Size
Defined Populations-complete counts-incomplete counts-indirect counts
Undefined Populations
Mark and Recapture
• Density is the result of a dynamic interaction of processes that add individuals to a population and
those that remove individuals from itBirths and immigration add individuals to a population.
Births Immigration
PopuIationsize
Emigration
Deaths
Deaths and emigration remove individuals from a population.
How do these factors Contribute to Population Size??
• Births• Deaths• Immigration• Emigration
Patterns of Dispersion• Environmental and social factors influence the
spacing of individuals in a population
Clumped Dispersion
– Individuals aggregate in patches– May be influenced by resource availability
and behavior
Uniform Dispersion– Individuals are evenly distributed– May be influenced by social interactions
such as territoriality
Random Dispersion
• Position of each individual is independent of other individuals
(c) Random. Dandelions grow from windblown seeds that land at random and later germinate.
Life history traits are products of natural selection
• Life history traits are evolutionary outcomes– Reflected in the development, physiology, and
behavior of an organism
Semelparity: Big Bang– Reproduce a single time and die
– putting all available resources into maximizing reproduction at the expense of future life
Iteroparity – Repeated Reproduction– produce offspring repeatedly over time– increased parental care along with
enhanced energetic investment per offspring
“Trade-offs” and Life Histories• Organisms have finite resources
The lower survival rates of kestrels with larger broods indicate that caring for more offspring negatively affects survival of the parents.
CONCLUSION
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80
60
40
20
0
Reduced brood size Normal brood size Enlarged brood
size
Par
ents
sur
vivi
ng th
e fo
llow
ing
win
ter
(%)
Male
Female
– Which may lead to trade-offs between survival and reproduction
RESULTS
– Kestrels:
• Produce a few eggs?
– Can invest more into each, ensuring greater survival
• Produce many eggs?
– Costly but if all survive, fitness is better
More is Better?• Some plants produce a large number of small
seeds– Ensuring that at least some of them will
grow and eventually reproduce
Fewer is Better?
• Other types of plants produce a moderate number of large seeds
– That provide a large store of energy that will help seedlings become established
Demography
• Study of the vital statistics of a population– And how they change over time
• Death rates and birth rates
• Zero population growth – Occurs when the birth rate equals the death
rate
Exponential Population Growth
Population increase under idealized conditionsNo limits on growth
• Under these conditions– The rate of reproduction is at its maximum,
called the intrinsic rate of increase
Example-understanding growth
Question: I offer you a job for 1 cent/day and your pay will double every day. You will be hired for 30 days. Will you take my job offer?
Answer: If you said YES, you will have made $~21 million dollars for 30 days of work.
How is this possible?????
1ST DAY OF WORK: 1 cent pay/day
30TH DAY OF WORK: ~10.2 million/day
How is this possible?????
Am
ou
nt
of
Pay/D
ay
# of Days
Exponential Growth Model*Idealized population in an unlimited
environment
*Very rapid doubling time; steep J curve
*r=N=(b-d)N tr=instrinsic rate of growth
dNdt rmaxN
Exponential Growth in the Real World
• Characteristic of some populations that are rebounding
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980Year
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
Ele
phan
t po
pula
tion
–Cannot be sustained for long in any population
Logistic Population Growth
• A more realistic population model– Limits growth by incorporating carrying
capacity
Logistic Population Growth
• Carrying capacity (K)– Is the maximum population size the
environment can support
• In the logistic population growth model– The per capita rate of increase declines as
carrying capacity is reached
Logistic Population Growth
– Produces a sigmoid (S-shaped) curve
Figure 52.12
dN
dt 1.0N Exponential
growth
Logistic growth
dN
dt 1.0N
1,500 N1,500
K 1,500
0 5 10 150
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
Number of generations
Pop
ulat
ion
size
(N
)
dNdt
(K N)Krmax N
800
600
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0
Time (days)
0 5 10 15
(a) A Paramecium population in the lab. The growth of Paramecium aurelia in small cultures (black dots) closely approximates logistic growth (red curve) if the experimenter maintains a constant environment.
1,000
Nu
mb
er
of
Pa
ram
eci
um
/ml
The Logistic Model and Real Populations
• The growth of laboratory populations of Paramecium
– Fits an S-shaped curve
Logistic Growth and The Real World
• Some populations overshoot K
– Before settling down to a relatively stable density
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0
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90
60
30
Time (days)
0 16014012080 100604020
Nu
mb
er
of
Da
ph
nia
/50
ml
(b) A Daphnia population in the lab. The growth of a population of Daphnia in a small laboratory culture (black dots) does not correspond well to the logistic model (red curve). This population overshoots the carrying capacity of its artificial environment and then settles down to an approximately stable population size.
What type of feedback loop is this?
Logistic Growth and the Real World
• Some populations
– Fluctuate greatly around K
0
80
60
40
20
1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Time (years)
Nu
mb
er
of
fem
ale
s
(c) A song sparrow population in its natural habitat. The population of female song sparrows nesting on Mandarte Island, British Columbia, is periodically reduced by severe winter weather, and population growth is not well described by the logistic model.
The Logistic Model and Life Histories
• Life history traits favored by natural selection– May vary with population density and
environmental conditions
Natural selection (diverse reproductive strategies)a) Relatively few, large offspring (K selected species)b) Many, small offspring (r selected species)
(r selected species)
(K selected species)
Populations Regulated Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Two general questions we can ask about regulation of population growth
1. What environmental factors stop a population from growing?
2. Why do some populations show radical fluctuations in size over time, while others remain stable?
Competition for Resources
• In crowded populations, increasing population density
– Intensifies intraspecific competition for resources
100 100
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0
1,000
10,000
Ave
rag
e n
um
be
r o
f se
ed
s p
er
rep
rod
uci
ng
ind
ivid
ua
l (lo
g s
cale
)
Ave
rag
e c
lutc
h s
ize
Seeds planted per m2 Density of females
0 7010 20 30 40 50 60 802.8
3.0
3.2
3.4
3.6
3.8
4.0
(a) Plantain. The number of seeds produced by plantain (Plantago major) decreases as density increases.
(b) Song sparrow. Clutch size in the song sparrow on Mandarte Island, British Columbia, decreases as density increases and food is in short supply.
• Cheetahs are highly territorial
– Using chemical communication to warn other cheetahs of their boundaries
• Many vertebrates and some invertebrates are territorial– Territoriality may limit density
Territoriality: Ocean birds
– Exhibit territoriality in nesting behavior
Health
• Population density– Can influence the health and survival of
organisms• In dense populations
– Pathogens can spread more rapidly
Fluctuations in Population Size• Extreme fluctuations in population size
– Are typically more common in invertebrates than in large mammals
Figure 52.19
1950 1960 1970 1980Year
1990
10,000
100,000
730,000C
omm
erci
al c
atch
(kg
) of
m
ale
crab
s (l
og s
cale
)
Metapopulations and Immigration
• Metapopulations– Groups of populations linked by immigration
and emigration
Immigration- Movement Into a Population
• High levels of immigration combined with higher survival can result in greater stability in populations
Figure 52.20
Mandarte island
Small islands
Nu
mb
er
of
bre
ed
ing
fe
ma
les
1988 1989 1990 1991Year
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Population Cycles• Many populations undergo regular boom-and-bust
cycles
Year1850 1875 1900 1925
0
40
80
120
160
0
3
6
9
Lynx
pop
ulat
ion
siz
e (t
hous
and
s)
Har
e po
pula
tion
size
(t
hous
and
s)
Lynx
Snowshoe hare
• Influenced by complex interactions between biotic and abiotic factors
Human Populations• No population can grow indefinitely and humans are no
exception
Figure 52.22
8000 B.C.
4000 B.C.
3000 B.C.
2000 B.C.
1000 B.C.
1000 A.D.
0
The Plague
Hum
an
pop
ulat
ion
(bill
ions
)
2000 A.D.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Global Carrying Capacity
• Just how many humans can the biosphere support?
• Carrying capacity of earth is unknown….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUOEcNomakw&feature=rec-LGOUT-exp_fresh+div-1r-8-HMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B2xOvKFFz4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_9SutNmfFk
Age Structure
• One important demographic factor in present and future growth trends– Is a country’s age structure, the relative
number of individuals at each age
• Age structure is commonly represented in pyramids
Figure 52.25
Rapid growth Afghanistan
Slow growth United States
Decrease Italy
Male Female Male Female Male FemaleAge Age
8 6 4 2 0 2 4 6 8 8 6 4 2 0 2 4 6 8 8 6 4 2 0 2 4 6 8Percent of population Percent of population Percent of population
80–8485
75–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–34
20–2425–29
10–145–90–4
15–19
80–8485
75–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–34
20–2425–29
10–145–90–4
15–19
Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy
• Infant mortality and life expectancy at birth
– Vary widely among developed and developing countries but do not capture the wide range of the human condition
Figure 52.26
Developed countries
Developing countries
Developed countries
Developing countries
Infa
nt
mo
rta
lity
(de
ath
s p
er
1,0
00
birt
hs)
Life
exp
ect
an
cy (
yea
rs)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
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40
20
0