2. population ecology
Population
ecology is the study of
population in relation to
environment, including environmental
influence on density and distribution, age
structure and population size.
3. important terms
Population
is the a group of individuals of
the same species, living in the same
area, at he same time.
Density is the total number of individual
per unit area.
Dispersion is the pattern amongst
individuals within boundaries of the
population
6. 2. PATTERNS OF DISPERSION
Environmental and social factors influence spacing of
individuals in a population:
1. In a clumped dispersion, individuals
aggregate in patches. A clumped dispersion may
be influenced by resource availability and behaviour.
2.
A uniform dispersion is one in which
individuals are evenly distributed. It may be
influenced by social interactions such as
territoriality
3.
In a random dispersion, the position of each
individual is independent of other individuals.
It occurs in the absence of strong attractions or
repulsions.
7. Social organization
An organism that is highly interactive with other
members of its species is said to be a social
animal.
All mammals (and birds) are social to the extent
that mothers and offspring bond.
A few species, notably insects (ants, bees wasps
and termites) show an extreme form of
sociality, involving highly organized
societies, with individual organisms specialized
for distinct roles.
This form of social behaviour is referred to as
eusociality.
Clumped dispersion – e.g. sea starsUniform dispersion – e.g. king penguinsRandom dispersion – e.g. dandelions grow from windblown seeds that land at randomMost populations show at least a tendency toward a clumped distribution
