CHAP 23 POPULATION ECOLOGY

23.1 Survivorship curves

I. Low mortality in youth, most make it to old age
II. Steady mortality thru all ages. Mortality is constant over organisms
life span.
III. Oyster: high mortality early, survival make it to old age.
23.2 Population growth & logistic curve
- Start small. Period of exponential growth.
- Carrying capacity (K): max pop size environment can support
- In logistic pop growth model: rate of pop growth decreases as pop size
approaches carrying capacity.
- r=1.0 (max growth rate). K=1,500 individuals.



23.3 Density dependent factors that regulate pop size vs chance factors
- Density dependent factor is (-) feedback, birth rates fall & death rates rise wt pop density
1. Disease
2. Competition for food supply/ Resources (finite)
3. Space-territory increasing aggressive & stress depress immune system
4. Increase waste
- Density independent pop: birth rate & death rate DN change wt pop density (randomly)
1. Floods 2. Storms 3. Earthquakes
r-selection K-selection
Climate Variable & unpredictable Fairly constant or predictable
Mortality Often catastrophic Steadier rate
Survivorship Type III Type I/II
Pop Size Variable in time nonequilibrium, usually
well below carrying capacity of environment
Fairly constant in time, equilibrium, at or near
carrying capacity of environment

Competition Variable, often lax Usually keen
Selection favors 1. Rapid development
2. High maximal rate of pop increase
3. Early reproduction
4. Small pop size
5. Single reproduction
6. Many small offspring
1. Slower development
2. Greater competitive ability
3. Delayed reproduction
4. Larger body
5. Repeated reproduction
6. Fewer, larger progeny
Length of life Short, usually less than a yr Longer, usually more than a yr


23.5 2 strategies for dealing wt changing environment
1. Build many organisms wt short development times & select variant best suited to meet new conditions (r-selection)
2. Build fewer organism wt behavioral versatility (behavioral flexibility learning) that can respond to changes in
environment. Former tend to have low info content in genes and/or brain, & latter have high info content as measured in
brain/body ratios (elephants, dolphin, ravensK selection life cycle)

23.6 Life history diversity
- Semelparity= big-bang reproduction: 1 large reproductive effort-no or little parental care. Ex: birdlow yolk each egg,
many offspring; organism produces all of its offspring in a single event
- Iteroparity=repeated reproduction, smaller clutches, more yolk/egg, adults produce offspring over many yr
- Highly variable/unpredictable environments favor big-bang reproduction, while dependable environments favor repeated
reproduction.
- Trade-offs: investment in each G, more invest in 1G, less you have left;
-Animal: parental care of smaller broods may facilitate survival of offspring
-Plant: Dandelion: produce large # of small seeds ensure that at least some
of them will grow & reproduce. Coconut tree: produce moderate # of large seeds that
provide large store of energy that will help seedlings become established.
Parental care in kestrels. Both male & females care for the young. Researchers
transferred young to create enlarged or reduced brood size
- Conclusion: Lower survival rates of kestrels wt larger broods indicate caring for
more offspring negatively affects survival of parents.



23.7 Pop dynamics
- Some populations undergo regular boom-&-bust cycles.
- Lynx populations follow 10 year boom-and-bust cycle of
hare populations.