Population Ecology
MST 101a* | Environmental Science
Population
The global population overgrew. Many factors show how quickly a population
grows.
Once the population size increases, the growth rate also increases.
Additionally, having so many people certainly means having more resources
to deal with. However, resources are limited. Over time, a change in
population growth rate is evident due to this scenario.
The size of the human population also aggravates many environmental
problems.
Population
POPULATION
refers to the group of individuals of the same species inhabiting the same area
is characterized by the total number of individuals and the space they occupy
per unit area
Population
1. POPULATION SIZE
is the precise number of individuals in an area
it may have a large or small number of individuals that are distributed densely
or sparingly in a local area
a sampling method is used to make inferences about the population as a
whole
Properties of two methods are used: (1) using a quadrat for immobile or slow-moving
Population organisms like plants; and (2) the mark and recapture for smaller mobile
organisms such as mammals
QUADRAT
is a square structure that must be placed at random locations within the
habitat enough times and count the number of individuals within its
boundaries
Properties of
Population
MARK AND RECAPTURE
is a method in which animals are captured, marked, and released back into the
environment to mix with the rest of the population
later, a new sample is captured and counts how many of these marked animals
are in the new sample
for example, if 50 frogs are captured, marked, and released in a lagoon, then in
a second trapping, 70 frogs are captured with 10 of them as marked
Properties of the population size (N) can be determined using the equation:
Population (number marked first catch × total number of second catch)
𝑁=
number of marked second catch
50 frogs x 70 frogs
𝑁=
10 frogs
N = 350 frogs in the lagoon (estimated)
Properties of
Population
2. POPULATION DENSITY
indicates how crowded a population is
it is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume
mathematically,
Properties of 𝐷𝑃 =
𝑁 (𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑠)
𝑆 (𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒, 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎, 𝑜𝑟 𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒)
Population
for example, 10,400 mice are living in a 1,000m x 1,000m field; what is the
density of this population?
10,400 𝑚𝑖𝑐𝑒
𝐷𝑃 =
1,000,000 𝑚2
𝐷𝑃 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟏𝟎𝟒/𝒎𝟐
3. DISPERSION
is the distribution of the individuals throughout their range in an area
individuals within a population can be distributed into different patterns
a. Clumped Distribution – occurs when individuals aggregate in patches
Properties of like wolf pack attack prey, mushroom on a rotting log, and so on
Population b. Uniform Distribution – occurs when individuals are evenly distributed
and usually seen in territorial animal species like penguins that maintain
a defined territory for nesting
c. Random Distribution – is a unique pattern where each individual's
position is independent of other individuals—for example, plants
established by windblown seeds in the forest
Properties of
Population
Populations are affected by many factors that affect the level of (increase or
decrease) within the population. The four fundamental factors are:
Birth rate = births of new individuals (natality rate)
Immigration = permanent arrival of new individuals into the population
Death rate = deaths of individuals (mortality rate)
Fundamental Emigration = movement of individuals out of a population
Factors of 𝑃𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒
Population = 𝑏𝑖𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 + 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 − (𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 + 𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)
There are various methods to model population dynamics. The two simplest
models of population growth are Exponential Growth and Logistic Growth.
1. EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
Models of describes populations that increase in numbers without any limits to their
resources or encounter some other limitation
Population the important concept of this growth rate model is that the population size is
Dynamics increasing at a greater rate
when the population size, N, is plotted over time, it forms a J-shaped growth
curve.
an example of this is the reproduction of bacteria, which produces offspring
every successive generation
Models of
Population
Dynamics
2. LOGISTIC GROWTH
is a more realistic model of population growth in which it introduces limits to
reproductive growth
as the population size increases, resources will be depleted, and the growth
rate will slow down due to limited resources
populations do not exist in isolation and share the environment with other
Models of species, competing with them for the same resources
Population
Dynamics
CARRYING CAPACITY (K)
the maximum population size that a particular environment can sustain
most populations usually fluctuate around the carrying capacity, where the
death rate increases beyond the birth rate
an S-shaped curve was produced when plotted
Models of
Population
Dynamics
Moreover, limiting factors in regulating the population is very
important. It is divided into two.
1. Density-independent factors
this growth is not dependent on the density of the population
Limiting the population increases at a rate determined by its biotic potential; many
factors influence the death rate regardless of its density and may only be
slowed down by severe environmental catastrophes such as drought, storm,
Factors in earthquakes, and the like
Regulating as a result, it reduces the population regardless of population size
Population 2. Density-dependent factors
this is a growth influenced by the density of the population
as the density of the population increases, the resources become limited; thus,
it affects the availability of specific resources to other species and can
influence population size further
examples of this are food supply, nesting sites, mating partners, and so on
Limiting
Factors in
Regulating
Population
Demography
The world’s human population is growing rapidly, and so is their use of
resources. Many human activities alter the ecosystem to the point of harming it.
Overexploitation of natural resources, human technology, exploitation of fossil
fuels, and other factors have caused Earth's environment unprecedented
changes.
Different demographic measures are used to study the population. The scientific
study of populations is called demography.
Demography
DEMOGRAPHY
is the statistical analysis of the human population, which encompasses the size,
distribution, structure, and changes in the population that occur over time
POPULATION STRUCTURE
is the proportion of people by age, sex, ethnicity, education, and other
parameters
demographic processes that affect the increase or decrease in population growth
Demography are fertility/natality, mortality, and migration
FERTILITY
refers to the actual production of offspring
it depends on various factors like physical health and nutrition, sexual behavior,
culture, emotions, economics, way of life, etc.
thus, fertility rates vary among countries and cultures
the birth rate is an issue of concern for many governments and policymakers;
some seek to increase the national birth rate while other countries have policies
to reduce the birth rate
Demography
MORTALITY
mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths in a particular population
depending on various factors like age and gender distribution
a life table is a statistical tool that summarizes the number of deaths of a
population; it yields information about longevity and gives a reasonable estimate
of life expectancy
life expectancy refers to the average survival time for an individual
Demography
MIGRATION/IMMIGRATION
is the physical movement of people from one place to another
it is divided into two groups of factors: push and pull
the push factors are things that an immigrant is unfavorable about the area he is
coming from, while pull factors interest the immigrant in the new place
Demography
Demography
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
these are important data from sources like statistics registries (Phillipine
Statistics Office/PSA) and censuses
statistics registries track all status on births, deaths, marriages, migrations, and
the like
the national government usually conducts censuses; its main goal is to count
every person in the country and collect information on such variables as age, sex,
Demographic marital status, education, employment status, and occupation
Data
AGE-SEX STRUCTURE
it is a population parameter that refers to the number of individuals of each sex
and age group and is often represented by a bar graph called a population
pyramid
For example, the facts from the PSA Census 2015 of Central Luzon showed that
children aged 5 to 9 years have the largest age group, with 10.12 percent of the
Factors household population. This was followed by those in the age groups 0 to 4 years
and 10 to 14 years, which contributed 9.93 percent share. Moreover, males
Influencing outnumbered females in the age group 0 to 54 years, while females outnumbered
their male counterparts in the older age group (55 years old and over).
Population
Growth
Factors
Influencing
Population
Growth
SEX RATIO
refers to the rate of males to females in a population
Based on the 2015 Census of Population, Central Luzon had a total population of
11,218,177 persons, and Bulacan had an immense population size. Of the total
population, 50.5 percent was male, while 49.5 percent was female that yields in a
Factors sex ratio of 102 males for every 100 females.
Influencing
Population
Growth
Wrap Up
