Population Growth

Front

What is a population?

Back

A population is the total number of people, animals, or plants living in a specific area, such as a city or ecosystem.

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What is carrying capacity?

Back

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a particular species that an environment can sustainably support.

Front

What are limiting factors?

Back

Limiting factors are resources such as food, water, sunlight, shelter, and space that restrict the growth of a population.

Front

How does a disease affecting a food source impact dependent species?

Back

If a disease destroys a food source, the population of species that rely on that food will likely decrease.

Front

What is exponential growth?

Back

Exponential growth is a rapid increase in population size when resources are abundant, often represented by a J-shaped curve.

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What is logistic growth?

Back

Logistic growth is a population growth model that shows how a population grows rapidly at first and then levels off as it reaches carrying capacity, represented by an S-shaped curve.

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What is a predator-prey cycle?

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A predator-prey cycle describes the fluctuations in population sizes of predators and their prey, where the population of one affects the other.

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What is a boom-bust cycle?

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A boom-bust cycle refers to a pattern of rapid population growth followed by a sharp decline due to resource depletion or environmental changes.

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What is the difference between biotic and abiotic factors?

Back

Biotic factors are living components of an ecosystem (like plants and animals), while abiotic factors are non-living components (like water, sunlight, and temperature).

Front

What role do resources play in population dynamics?

Back

Resources determine the growth and sustainability of populations; limited resources can lead to competition and decreased population sizes.