Population Ecology

age structure Of a population, the distribution of individuals among different age categories.
biotic potential The maximum rate of increase per individual of a population under ideal
conditions.
capture-recapture For population counts; collecting, marking, releasing, then recapturing animals
method representative of group.
carrying capacity The maximum number of individuals in a population (or species) that a given
environment can sustain indefinitely.
cohort A group of individuals, about the same age, that are being tracked throughout
their life spans.
demographic
Explanation of the effects of industrialization on population growth.
transition model
demographics A population's vital statistics (e.g., size, distribution, density, age structure).
density-dependent Any factor, such as disease, that operates at high population densities; the birth
control rate falls and/or the death rate increases.
density-independent Factor that impacts a population's birth rate or death rate regardless of density
control (e.g., a severe storm or flood).
doubling time Length of time it takes a population to double in size.
emigration Individuals permanently leave a population.
exponential growth , An increase in population size by a fixed percentage of the whole in a given
population interval; an outcome of an increase in the number of reproducing individuals
during the preceding interval.
habitat Type of place where a species normally lives.
immigration New individuals permanently move into an area.
life-history pattern Set of adaptations that affect life span, fertility, and onset of reproduction.
limiting factor Any essential resource that can halt population growth when supplies of it
dwindle.
logistic growth, Growth pattern in which the size of a small population increases slowly, then
population rapidly, and finally levels off once the carrying capacity is reached.
migration Recurring movement of individuals from one region to another, then back.
per capita Per individual.

population density Number of individuals per specified area or specified volume of a habitat.
population
Pattern of dispersion of individuals of a population.
distribution
population size Number of individuals making up a population.
quadrat One of the many areas of a given size and shape in which individuals of a
population are counted or samples are taken.
reproductive base All individuals of a population that are in the pre-reproductive and reproductive
age brackets.
survivorship curve A graph that reflects how many individuals of a cohort are still surviving, on
average, at successive ages in their life span.
total fertility rate TFR. Within a population, the average number of children born to a woman during
her reproductive years.
zero population
No overall increase or decrease in population size during a specified interval.
growth