Organization at population Level

Population-is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. Population ecology studies organisms from the point of view of the size and structure of their populations

Population Dynamics
Population Dynamics - describes a population's abundance and density, and how it changes over time as a function of birth rates, death rates, and migration rates.

CHARACTERISTICS OF POPULATION DYNAMICS

1. Population Size -is the number of individual organisms in a population. A population's size depends on how the population is defined. If a population is defined in terms of some degree of reproductive isolation, then that population's size is the size of its gene pool.

Population size is influenced by births

And death.

Population Limiting Factors

Density-independent factors
Factors that limit population size, regardless of population density. These are usually abiotic factors They include natural phenomena, such as weather events
Drought, flooding, extreme heat or cold, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, etc.

 Density-dependent factors
Any factor in the environment that depends on the number of members in a population per unit area Usually biotic factors These include
Predation Disease Parasites Competition

Population Density

- describes the degree of crowdedness of a population in a given area.

Low density populations

High density populations

 (a) Given that a population is defined in terms of some natural or arbitrarily defined geographical range, then population density may be defined as simply the number of individual organisms per unit area (b) Different species, of course, exist at different densities in their environments, and the same species may be able to achieve one density in one environment and another in a different environment (c) Population densities may additionally be determined in terms of some measure other than population size per unit area such as population mass per unit area

It is important to distinguish between:

Crude density the number (or biomass) per unit total space Specific or Ecological Density- the number (or biomass) per unit of habitat space ( available area or volume that can actually be colonized by the population ).

3. Patterns of dispersion -ndividual members of populations may be distributed over a geographical area in a number of different ways including:

4.Population Distribution
- This aspect deals with how the individuals in a population are located relative to one another across the environment. Some populations have clumped distributions, with multiple, similarly sized groupings of individuals spread fairly evenly across the landscape. Other populations have a random distribution, with some clumping and some more even spreading of individuals. Still other populations have an even distribution, with no clumping whatsoever.
More uniform distribution in cacti

Clumped distribution in termites

Uniform distribution (repulsion)

means that approximately the same distance may be found between individual organisms; uniform distributions result from individual organisms actively repelling each other
Saguaro cacti compete for moisture and show a uniform distribution

Clumped distribution (attraction)

Clumped distributions are the most common in nature; individuals are clustered together in groups. may result either from individual organisms being attracted to each other, or individual organisms being attracted more to some patches within a range than they are to other

patches; the net effect is that some

parts of the range will have a large number of individuals whereas others will contain few or none
Sociality leads to clumped distribution

POPULATION GROWTH RATE (PGR)

is the percent variation between the number of individuals in a population at two different times. Therefore the population growth rate can be positive or negative.

 Growth-is an important feature of population since the increase or decrease of population size determines its interaction with other populations in the community and its impact on the environment.

What are the main limiting factors for the growth of a population?

Migration- is the moving of

individuals of a species from

one place to another. Emigration-- is the migration seen as an exit of individuals from one region (to another where they will settle permanently or temporarily). Immigration is the migration seen as the settling in one region (permanently or temporarily) of individuals coming from another region.
Canada geese Migrating species may group together to form large mobile populations

Wildebeest

Rates of Population Change Ecologists usually measure the

rate of population change. These rates are influenced by environmental factors and by the characteristics of the organisms themselves. Rates are expressed as: Numbers per unit time, e.g. 2000 live births per
Many invertebrate populations increase rapidly in the right conditions

year
Per capita rate (number per head of population), e.g. 122 live births per 1000 individuals (12.2%)
Large mammalian carnivores have a lower innate capacity for increase

Random distribution (minimal interaction/influence)

means that where individual organisms are found is only minimally influenced by interactions with other members of the same population, and random distributions are uncommon; "Random spacing occurs in the absence of strong attractions or repulsions among individuals of a population. A populations distribution is considered random if the position of each individual is independent of the others. Random distributions are seen in some invertebrate populations, e.g. spiders and clams, and some trees.

Spider populations appear to show a random distribution

4.Natality (Birth Rate)/Mortality

Natality rate-Birth rate usually expressed as number of birth for every 1000 people (). Birth Rate it could be defined as the rate at which the births take place in a population during a particular time or period. Maximum Natility - sometimes called absolute or physiological. Is the theoretical maximum production of new individuals under ideal conditions ( i,e., no ecological limiting factors, reproduction being limited only by physiological factors); it is constant for a given population. Ecological or Realized Natality -refers to the population increase under or specific environmental condition.It is not a constant for a population but may vary with the size and composition of the population and the physical environmental conditions.

 5. Age Distribution - classifies the population since the increase or decrease of population size determines its interaction with other populations in the community and its impact on the environment.

Mortality- is known as death rate in human demographics, or the number of deaths in a given period of time. Death rate usually expressed as number of deaths for every 1000 people Refers to the death of individuals in the population. Ecological or Realized Mortality-the lost of individuals under a given environmental condition is, like ecological natality, not a constant but varies with population and environmental conditions.