Population Ecology Glossary
25 essential terms — because precise language is the foundation of clear thinking in Population Ecology.
Showing 25 of 25 terms
The proportional distribution of individuals among age classes within a population, often displayed as a population pyramid.
A decline in per-capita growth rate at low population densities, often due to mate-finding difficulty or reduced cooperative behaviors.
The number of new individuals produced per unit time, often expressed per capita.
The maximum population size that a given environment can sustain indefinitely with available resources.
The principle that two species occupying the exact same ecological niche cannot stably coexist; one will outcompete the other.
The number of individuals dying per unit time, often expressed per capita or age-specific.
Population regulation by factors whose effects scale with population density, such as competition, disease, and predation.
Environmental forces affecting populations regardless of density, such as weather, fire, and natural disasters.
The full range of environmental conditions and resources a species requires and the role it plays in its ecosystem.
The movement of individuals out of a population to another area.
Unrestricted population growth at a constant per-capita rate, described by the equation dN/dt = rN.
The potential reproductive capacity of an individual or population, measured as the number of offspring produced.
The movement of individuals into a population from another area.
The maximum per-capita growth rate of a population under ideal, unlimited resource conditions.
A life history strategy favoring slow reproduction, late maturity, and few offspring with high parental investment.
A table of age-specific survival, mortality, and fecundity data for a population cohort.
Population growth that decelerates as population size approaches carrying capacity, described by dN/dt = rN((K-N)/K).
A field method for estimating population size by capturing, marking, releasing, and recapturing individuals.
A network of spatially distinct populations connected by dispersal and migration.
The average number of female offspring produced per female over her lifetime.
A group of individuals of the same species living in a defined area at a given time.
The number of individuals per unit area or volume of habitat.
A quantitative method for assessing the probability that a population will persist for a given time, used in conservation planning.
A life history strategy favoring rapid reproduction, early maturity, and many offspring with low parental investment.
A graph showing the proportion of individuals surviving to each age in a population, classified as Type I, II, or III.